Regular readers of this blog will recall that I was appointed last year to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Economic Development Authority for the City of Roanoke. I joined the body in the hopes that we could take a proactive role in shaping the economic future of our city, [...]
The City of Roanoke has an unfortunate history of engaging consultants to produce costly reports, and then failing to take action on those recommendations once the work is completed. Rather than electing visionary leaders, we count on outsiders to provide a vision for what our city might become. When a truly exciting idea is put [...]
In this excellent article in The Atlantic, Richard Florida provides a chilling prediction of the long-term effects of the current recession. According to his analysis, those regions of the country with the highest concentrations of creative class workers will eventually emerge stronger, while those that rely heavily on manufacturing and other blue collar industries may [...]
To a certain extent, the Roanoke Valley has been insulated from the effects of the current recession. That is not to say that things are rosy here, but we are doing better than folks in other parts of the country. There are large numbers of unsold homes on the market, but we haven’t seen real [...]
If you’re not already familiar with the Miller’s Hill redevelopment effort on the 400 block of Day Avenue, please check out my previous post to get up to speed on the basic facts. I’ve been in contact with a couple of Miller’s Hill homeowners since that article appeared, and I had the chance to spend [...]
I’ve watched with great interest over the past couple of years as downtown Roanoke has undergone the beginnings of a renaissance. The return of two-way traffic has brought Campbell Avenue back to life, and a number of high profile projects are transforming the Jefferson Street corridor from the railroad tracks all the way to South [...]
Regular readers of this blog will know that I have been an outspoken critic of a number of recent economic development initiatives in the city of Roanoke. Rather than simply complaining, I’ve always tried to present alternatives that in my opinion represent more effective uses of our tax dollars. I’ve made a sincere effort to [...]
This article originally appeared on the Star City Harbinger website.
The City of Roanoke suffers from a severe case of multiple personality disorder when it comes to economic development issues. We hear a great deal of talk about the need for the city to be hip, cool and green in order to attract young professionals, while [...]
The July 14th issue of Time magazine contains an article titled “10 Things You Can Like About $4.00 Gas”. The author touches on a variety of beneficial side effects, ranging from reduced obesity to lower insurance rates, but the most interesting idea put forth is that high oil prices will bring manufacturing jobs back to [...]
To say that folks in Roanoke are resistant to change is something of an understatement. In the 5 years since I returned after a 20 year absence, I have been continually dumbfounded by the level of opposition to just about every proposed development or change. Granted, there are many things in our beloved Roanoke Valley [...]