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Will new casino be a jackpot for Norfolk?
Norfolk’s $750M casino project is on track for 2027, but rising competition and lower tax projections raise revenue questions.
Clarke to repurpose ex-prison site into business park
Clarke County’s long-planned second business park has taken a significant step toward becoming reality. In November 2025, the county’s board of supervisors unanimously voted to rezone 40 acres at 219 Ray of Hope Lane, off U.S. 340/522 near White Post, from agricultural to light industrial use. The property, part of t[...]
EO to lead internship development program
A new statewide initiative is connecting Southwest Virginia businesses with emerging talent at the region’s colleges and universities. The project, InternshipsVA, is administered through the Commonwealth Innovative Internship Fund and Program, also known as the Virginia Talent and Opportunity Partnership. Since June 2025, [...]
Roanoke Valley confronts hotel room shortage
As a trio of hotels shuttered in the city over the past several years, the number of rooms available in Roanoke to travelers has shrunk. Two hotels — the Blue Ridge Hotel & Conference Center, which closed in late 2019, and a Days Inn that shuttered in 2022 — were replaced by multifamily developments. And […]
Defense contractor bucks retrenchment trend
While the effects of the Trump administration’s cuts in the federal workforce and contracts reverberate throughout Northern Virginia and beyond, Alexandria-based Systems Planning & Analysis grabbed headlines in September 2025 when it announced it would spend $46.9 million and add 1,200 jobs across the city and in Fairf[...]
Norfolk eyes Harbor Park entertainment district
An entertainment and nightlife district could be in the cards for the area surrounding Norfolk’s upcoming $750 million waterfront resort casino near Harbor Park. The city owns most of the property around the casino site and the ballpark, controlling almost seven acres in an area bordered by the Elizabeth River, railroad tr[...]
Hanover’s Route 33 plan sets up industrial zone
Hanover County’s new Route 33 Gateway Small Area Plan is already attracting the attention of data center developers. Data centers are among the preferred industrial and commercial users under the county’s long-range vision for the U.S. Route 33 corridor between the Henrico County line and Winns Church Road. Hanover&#[...]
FOR THE RECORD: February 2026
CENTRAL VIRGINIA Buc-ee’s has pushed the expected opening of its New Kent County travel center to December 2031, a spokesperson confirmed. The Texas-based chain previously expected to open the location, its second in Virginia, in 2027. News of the delay emerged after a December 2025 meeting of the county’s planning c[...]
Tourism bet pays off for Danville and Pittsylvania
In 2024, visitor spending across Danville and Pittsylvania County reached $275.2 million, according to data from the Virginia Tourism Corp. That’s a year-over-year increase of 23.5% — making it the fastest-growing tourism destination in Virginia. Tourism supported 2,221 local jobs and generated more than $11 million in local tax revenue across the region. One obvious […]
Shenandoah University launches $100M fundraising campaign
Shenandoah University has launched a $100 million fundraising campaign that aims to add a major new arts center, upgrade athletics facilities and create endowed professorships and new course offerings. Shine: The Sesquicentennial Campaign is the largest capital drive in the Winchester university’s 150-year history. Its pri[...]
Washington County workforce housing project launches
A residential subdivision composed largely of housing intended for the local workforce is coming to Washington County. Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Ardent Development Group owner Jerome Malinay and others attended an Oct. 21, 2025, groundbreaking for the roughly 325-home Sunny Valley subdivision. “Housing’s very much needed … [...]
Newport News trades center to power maritime workforce
Virginia Peninsula Community College is building a $9 million trades center in southeast Newport News that will prepare more than 400 students annually for maritime and construction jobs. The 16,000-square-foot facility, which began construction in August 2025, is set to be completed in February and will begin offering programs [...]
