Roanoke County, Va. Tech team up for strategic plan
In a first for the locality, Roanoke County has partnered with Virginia Tech to develop a five-year county economic development strategic plan. “We want to benchmark where we are today with goals that we hope to achieve in five years and then revisit it to see if we’re keeping up with what we said we […]
Regional leaders wish upon Starlink
After a pilot program successfully connected 45 Wise County households with SpaceX’s Starlink high-speed satellite internet, regional efforts are underway to broaden access to the service spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk. Scott Kiser, director of technology for Wise County Public Schools, helped shepherd the pilot for [...]
Danville renders unto Caesars new zoning rules
Danville officials plan to create a new zoning district for the Caesars Virginia casino and resort, an option likely to speed up construction. Designated as an industrial manufacturing zone, the site in Danville’s Schoolfield neighborhood is governed by preexisting land-use rules that could lead to delays in building the $[...]
Casino competitors roll the dice in Richmond
Two operators are battling it out to build a casino in Richmond, the final city where a casino can be built in Virginia under current state law. Later in May, an advisory panel is expected to recommend a casino proposal for consideration by Richmond City Council and, ultimately, city voters in November. Richmonders worried about[...]
Work to begin next year on GMU’s $168M Arlington campus expansion
Move over, Silicon Valley. Northern Virginia is poised to become the next super hub for tech talent. The charge is being led in part by George Mason University, which is bringing together a diverse community of digital innovators at its growing Arlington campus. The university is tearing down an old building and replacing it wit[...]
Cavalier Resort takes shape in Virginia Beach
In 1975, Bruce Thompson was the night watchman and grass cutter at Virginia Beach’s Cavalier Hotel. Today, he’s transforming the hotel and its 21 surrounding acres into a major mid-Atlantic resort. Built in 1927, the Cavalier at various times hosted luminaries like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Muhammad Ali and every presiden[...]
Harrisonburg’s first-ever downtown master plan in progress
Kirsten Moore opened Magpie Diner in downtown Harrisonburg in August 2020. Despite pandemic dining restrictions, she’s regularly had customers willing to wait up to two hours for a table on weekends. As a nearly lifelong Harrisonburg resident, Moore says that level of activity — especially along downtown’s newly de[...]
VW named to Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies list
Volkswagen Group, with its North American operations based in Herndon, was named this week to Time magazine’s inaugural 100 Most Influential Companies list, receiving accolades for its move into electric automobiles. The German automotive corporation has set aside $54 billion for electrified vehicles over the next five years, with plans for six new battery factories and […]
Modine expands Va. footprint, will invest $7M in Rockbridge County
Modine Manufacturing Co. will invest $7 million to convert its Rockbridge County warehouse into a manufacturing plant that will produce data center cooling solutions, creating 60 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Modine specializes in building thermal management systems and components and saw $2 billion in revenue last year. Modine has had […]
Hampton Roads multifamily portfolio sells for undisclosed amount
In early April, New Jersey-based Brentwood Investment Group and Greencove Capital Group closed a deal to acquire a multifamily portfolio that includes 856-units for an undisclosed amount. The deal included five garden-style multifamily communities in Hampton and one property in Poquoson. Built between 1970 and 1985, the properties have an average unit size of 921 […]
UVA Health taps chief ambulatory operations officer
UVA Health has named John C. Bennett its new chief ambulatory operations officer, overseeing all UVA Health clinical outpatient operations effective July 1. Bennett comes from PeaceHealth, a nonprofit health care system with facilities in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, where he was chief executive of ambulatory services. “UVA [...]
New president and CEO of Towne Financial Services Group named
Brian K. Skinner has been named president and CEO of Towne Financial Services Group, which includes all financial divisions of Suffolk-based TowneBank other than the bank itself. Skinner, currently the company’s chief banking officer, starts his new role effective May 1, TowneBank announced Thursday. His new duties include[...]