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restaurants to remain open during times when more people can browse and generate cross sales; and

Economic and community impact review requirements for developers to show what kind of economic impact a large new development would have on the community.

Issue # 3 Transportation

Overall, summit participants ranked transportation as the third priority issue for discussion. Participants discussed changes that may be necessary in order to connect commuters and local workers to their places of work, businesses with their customers and residents with civic and social networks. At present, (according to the US Census Bureau 2000 Summary Tape File 3 data for Berryville, Culpeper,Manassas, Orange, Warnnenton, and Winchester) most of the six communities demonstrate a balance of homes and jobs with 30% or less of residents commuting more than 30 minutes to work each day. This balance may be disrupted in the future if the new residential population swells beyond local job growth in each community. Participants generated the following list of transportation policy tools and practices that to improve access and mobility for all people, including those without access to automobiles.

• Locally oriented, not just commuter, transit systems connecting community destinations;

• Nonmotorized transportation networks to enhance access for pedestrians, cyclists, etc.;

• Mixed use parking decks that blend with the surrounding area, including built in street level retail;

• Delivery truck regulation to coordinate motor vehicle travel and business deliveries small towns;

• Enticing commuters to become members of the local workforce;

• Offering incentives to local insurance companies that offer lower car insurance to drivers who drive less;

• Location efficient mortgages that offer more favorable mortgages to people who live near or tend to rely more on public transportation; and

• Transit oriented development that encourages mixed use centers near transportation centers.

NEXT STEPS

The community leaders represented at the summit greatly benefited from meeting their peers in other communities and sharing their ideas. Several Main

Street organization executive directors met after the Summit to discuss possible followup and collaboration that might build on the discussion. They agreed that the executive summary of the proceedings should be made available for their use in educating their partners and peers locally. In addition to the compilation of the proceedings in the form of a white paper, the executive directors also agreed, in the short term, to personally share information and act as resources for one another’s communities during comprehensive and other planning processes taking place throughout the year. One or two communities would like to consider hosting mini Reality Checks, similar to those being conducting by the Urban Land Institute throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan region. The executive directors also acted in concert by seeking consulting assistance with the development of a regional marketing proposal that emphasized their identity as a group. Virginia Main Street shared this proposal with other communities in the region experiencing similar issues, organized under the banner of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground. This much larger group of communities, spanning three states, brings even greater capacity to heighten awareness of growth and its impacts on small communities at the edges of the Washington exurbs - communities that also steward nationally significant historic places.

For more information:

Courtney Anderson

Community Development Administrator

Virginia Main Street Program

Dept. of Housing and Community Development

The Jackson Center

501 North Second St.

Richmond, VA 23219

(804) 371-7041

Courtney.Anderson@dhcd.virginia.gov

www.dhcd.virginia.gov