Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
Encyclopedia
The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission (RVARC, founded in 1969, is one of 21 Virginia Planning District Commissions
. The Regional Commission is not a State Agency, but was established by its member governments through a charter agreement under Virginia law as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth. The Regional Commission serves the governments, businesses, and citizens of the region.
The Commission's board is composed of 36 representatives appointed by its member local governments. Board representation also includes non-voting liaison members representing chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and community colleges.
The commission promotes regional cooperation and provides support to member localities in transportation planning
, environmental planning
, land use planning
, comprehensive planning
, GIS and economic development
. As a State Data Center Affiliate, the commission also provides demographic data services.
Local governments are allowed to become members of more than one planning district. Franklin County and the Town of Rocky Mount are designated as part of the West Piedmont Planning District Commission, but they are also members of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.
The Commission was known as the Fifth Planning District Commission, but changed its name to the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission in 1999.
Commission funding varies from year to year. Funding is obtained from multiple federal state and local sources.
The commission also staffs the Roanoke Valley Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
which is a federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization
. The commission also staffs a regional program known as RIDE Solutions which supports and promotes sustainable transport
activities such as ridesharing, transit, biking and pedestrian mobility.
Botetourt County, Virginia
Craig County, Virginia
Franklin County, Virginia
Roanoke County, Virginia
City of Covington, Virginia
City of Roanoke, Virginia
City of Salem, Virginia
Clifton Forge, Virginia
Rocky Mount, Virginia
Vinton, Virginia
Virginia Planning District Commissions
Virginia's Planning District Commissions were formed in 1968 by the Virginia General Assembly. The enabling legislation for Planning District Commissions is known as the Regional Cooperation Act Planning Districts are comparable to Council of Governments that exist in other states.Virginia was...
. The Regional Commission is not a State Agency, but was established by its member governments through a charter agreement under Virginia law as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth. The Regional Commission serves the governments, businesses, and citizens of the region.
The Commission's board is composed of 36 representatives appointed by its member local governments. Board representation also includes non-voting liaison members representing chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and community colleges.
The commission promotes regional cooperation and provides support to member localities in transportation planning
Transportation planning
Transportation planning is a field involved with the evaluation, assessment, design and siting of transportation facilities .-Models and Sustainability :...
, environmental planning
Environmental planning
Environmental Planning is the process of facilitating decision making to carry out development with due consideration given to the natural environmental, social, political, economic and governance factors and provides a holistic frame work to achieve sustainable outcomes.-Elements of environmental...
, land use planning
Land use planning
Land-use planning is the term used for a branch of public policy encompassing various disciplines which seek to order and regulate land use in an efficient and ethical way, thus preventing land-use conflicts. Governments use land-use planning to manage the development of land within their...
, comprehensive planning
Comprehensive planning
Comprehensive planning is a term used in the United States by land use planners to describe a process that determines community goals and aspirations in terms of community development. The outcome of comprehensive planning is the Comprehensive Plan which dictates public policy in terms of...
, GIS and economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
. As a State Data Center Affiliate, the commission also provides demographic data services.
Local governments are allowed to become members of more than one planning district. Franklin County and the Town of Rocky Mount are designated as part of the West Piedmont Planning District Commission, but they are also members of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.
The Commission was known as the Fifth Planning District Commission, but changed its name to the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission in 1999.
Commission funding varies from year to year. Funding is obtained from multiple federal state and local sources.
The commission also staffs the Roanoke Valley Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Metropolitan planning organization
A metropolitan planning organization is a federally-mandated and federally-funded transportation policy-making organization in the United States that is made up of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authorities...
which is a federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization
Metropolitan planning organization
A metropolitan planning organization is a federally-mandated and federally-funded transportation policy-making organization in the United States that is made up of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authorities...
. The commission also staffs a regional program known as RIDE Solutions which supports and promotes sustainable transport
Sustainable transport
Sustainable transport refers to any means of transport with low impact on the environment, and includes walking and cycling, transit oriented development, green vehicles, CarSharing, and building or protecting urban transport systems that are fuel-efficient, space-saving and promote healthy...
activities such as ridesharing, transit, biking and pedestrian mobility.
Member Governments
Alleghany County, VirginiaAlleghany County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,926 people, 5,149 households, and 3,866 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 5,812 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
Botetourt County, Virginia
Botetourt County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,496 people, 11,700 households, and 9,114 families residing in the county. The population density was 56 people per square mile . There were 12,571 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...
Craig County, Virginia
Craig County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,091 people, 2,060 households, and 1,507 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile . There were 2,554 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
Franklin County, Virginia
Franklin County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,286 people, 18,963 households, and 13,918 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 22,717 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
Roanoke County, Virginia
Roanoke County, Virginia
Roanoke County is a county located in the U.S. state of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area and located within the Roanoke Region of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 85,778. As of 2010, the population was 92,376...
City of Covington, Virginia
City of Roanoke, Virginia
City of Salem, Virginia
Clifton Forge, Virginia
Clifton Forge, Virginia
Clifton Forge is a town in Alleghany County, Virginia, United States which is part of the Roanoke Region. The population was 3,884 at the 2010 census. The Jackson River flows through the town, which as a result was once known as Jackson's River Station....
Rocky Mount, Virginia
Rocky Mount, Virginia
Rocky Mount is the county seat of Franklin County, Virginia, United States. The town is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area, and had a population of 4,066 at the 2000 census. It is located in the Roanoke Region of Virginia-History:...
Vinton, Virginia
Vinton, Virginia
Vinton is a town in Roanoke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 7,782 at the 2000 census. It hosted teams by three names in the ECHL in a custom built facility known as the LancerLot; after the roof collapsed during the Blizzard of 1993, the franchise moved to the Roanoke Civic...