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New Blue Ridge Parkway funding could lead to stronger economic development for the roadway’s 29 host counties.
The 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties that contain the Blue Ridge Parkway are slated to receive funds toward creating an economic development plan through an agreement between the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and Destination by Design, a Boone, North Carolina-based planning and design firm working solely in the public sector.
The work will be funded by complementary grants—$393,193 for Virginia and $517,924 for North Carolina—awarded to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation by the U.S. Economic Development Administration through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Steps in the process include discussion with community leaders, listening sessions with the 29 counties followed by 12 regional meetings to explore specifics. The goal is to create an action plan to identify projects that will advance economic development in the many communities in the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor.
The effort marks the first time in the parkway’s 87-year history that all 29 counties will work together toward strategies and outcomes.
For more information: BRPfoundation.org; dbdplanning.com                    Â
The story above first appeared in our May / June 2023 issue.
