The Regional Commission has been working with the Town of Christiansburg to administer a Planning Grant through the Appalachian Regional Commission. The grant will focus on three commercial areas to provide short and long-range planning strategies: Downtown, Cambria, and the Midtown area, defined as the North Franklin corridor between the Christiansburg Rec Center and the North Franklin Kroger.
In June, the Town hosted six stakeholder meetings for business and property owners in each of the three planning areas. The meetings were well attended, with 42 participants attending to provide input. The meetings were structured as facilitated conversations, with the goal of capturing what elements were working for business owners, what elements need improvement, and what they see as long-term goals to promote the health and success of their businesses and the area. Connectivity through bike and pedestrian trails was a universal theme in all three areas. Additionally, Downtown needs to center around the variety of dining and entertainment options, the Farmer’s Market, and connectivity among downtown merchants.
The project will be moving into a broader public outreach phase during July and August. A public survey is available now by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/christiansburg
For further information, please contact Jennifer Wilsie (jwilsie@nrvrc.org), 540-639-9313, ext. 204.