Rebranded ‘Plan RVA’ looks to enhance interactions in New Kent, Charles City
New Kent’s Planning Commission got its first look at the rebranding of an organization that will now be known as Plan RVA at its Oct. 21 regular monthly meeting.
Originally known as the Richmond Regional Planning District, Plan RVA is undergoing a transformation as part of a 50-year anniversary. The goal of the organization is to analyze, plan, and collaborate with the nine regions that it covers, including Charles City and New Kent. The rebranding and name change is part of a change to provide a fresh, new respective to the organization.
Sarah Stewart, the planning manager of environmental programs at Plan RVA, provided a brief overview of goals. She talked about a five-year project that focused on capturing the value of the lower Chickahominy River that includes New Kent. As part of the project, data collection, stakeholder outreach, policy development, economic development, and ecologic value are target areas of focus. Ecological significance will span from the James River to the Lower Chickahominy River watershed.
Impact of lands under conservation easements in Charles City and New Kent are often targeted due to a heavier return on their investment. This means that each locality spends an average of a dollar in expenditures, with returns via an audit always higher. For New Kent, that return was $1.21 for every dollar spent, while neighboring Charles City received $1.28 for every dollar invested.
According to Stewart, studies showed that organizations directly related to land conservation in Charles City, New Kent, and nearby James City County contributed directly to 100 jobs in 2018. Over $8 million was generated in regional economic output, with just about 118 jobs paying $2.5 million in salaries, wages, and benefits by Plan RVA. Local governments received an estimated $368,000 in revenues associated with the economic activity.
“Plan RVA is a new look of how a regional organization can interact with the public and member localities,” Stewart said after the meeting. “We can harness the resources that we have and have access to so that we can make life better for everyone.
“I think it’s a refreshed outreach and approach to a better level of resources for approved quality of life,” she concluded.