Vision

Blacksburg has quality residential neighborhoods, committed and engaged citizens, enlightened town government, idyllic mountain settings, unique university opportunities, and challenged retail districts. In short, Blacksburg has almost everything necessary for premier living experiences, except shopping and dining to commensurate with the needs of its residents.

The Town of Blacksburg commissioned and completed the Downtown Master Plan and a separate Economic Development Strategy in August 2001. The economic plan analyzed and reported baseline data and set out certain job and retail development strategies. The downtown plan recognizes that the heart of any town must maintain its commercial viability, but also expands the vision of a downtown to include other commercial distrcits. The plan addresses traffic, parking, events, retail and commerical development, and the notion of communal gathering places. Both plans suggested the creatian of an organization to implement some of th recommendations and be the lead agency for commercial economic development in the town. This is the role of the Blacksburg Partnership.

The Partnership believes that vibrant commercial and retail sectors are essential to modern living. A town should offer diverse shopping and dining opportunities for citizens and visitors. Retail is the driver of downtown vitality. But a town’s character is much more than shopping. Downtowns and other commercial sectors create specialized spaces for communal interaction. They are places to gather, enjoy entertainment, and participate in civic life.

The Partnership seeks to give action and vaoice to many recommendations in the master plan. It will focus on downtown revitalization, business corridor improvements, and retail and urban economic development.

The Partnership seeks to revitalize and optimize underused existing commercial properties within town limits in order to preserve green space and prevent leapfrog development. Blacksburg’s commercial corridors along North Main Street, Downtown, and South Main Street, along Prices Fork Road, and along University Center Boulevard can and should offer much more to her residents in the form of retail, commercial, and entertainment opportunities.

Quality of life issues often undergrid economic development decisions. The Partnership will seek to create or support projects that may not have a commercial model or create tax revenue, but that improve the overall quality of life in the Balcksburg community. This is consistent with 21st century economic development pronciples where high quality talent and high quality businesses are drawn to areas with natural beauty, that value their surroundings, and that support overall quality of life.

The Partnership adopts the over arching goal to help create full service business districts offering a wide array of opportunities and services for Blacksburg residents and visitors. This will be accomplished by marketing the town to appropriate retailers and to retail/commercial developers. The Partnership will facilitate the development process by assisting others or by actively creating development activities of its own accord. It will catalyze comprehensive high quality development that might not otherwise happen.