Category: Economic development
-
An Innovative Initiative from UVa Shows A Way to Increase Low Cost Housing
by James C. Sherlock In July I published a series of reports here on the lack of sufficient low-cost housing. The University of Virginia is addressing that problem head on in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The innovation at the core of the program can be applied by Redevelopment and Housing Agencies (RHAs) across the state.…
-
The Great Realignment, Best-State-for-Business Reprise, Housing Drags, and Youngkin Popularity
by Chris Saxman If you read one article this week make it this one from Axios – The Democratic electorateโs seismic shift. Just about every presentation I have given over the last 6 or 7 years begins with a statement or slide that says we are living in a historic political realignment and itโs global.…
-
Regulations and the Costs of Doing Business in Virginia
by James C. Sherlock About the only category I found interesting in the โTop States for Businessโ rankings by CNBC, other than the progressive metrics that are featured in many of the categories, is โCost of Doing Business.” Virginiaโs worst score among the six categories of metrics is that one. The methodology used for costs…
-
Wind Farm Threat to Whales is Next Big Argument
by David Wojick The massive offshore wind (OSW) project proposed by Dominion Energy may pose a serious threat to the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale population. A comprehensive environmental impact assessment is required to determine the extent of this threat and the mitigation it might require. The same is true for the other proposed Mid-Atlantic…
-
CNBC Top-States-for-Business Ranking Is Worthless
๏ปฟ by Chris Saxman CNBCโs Top States for Business Ranking is quickly becoming synonymous with Major League Baseballโs best known worst umpire Angel Hernandez. Why? Like Hernandez, CNBCโs Ranking keeps moving the strike zone and they are fast becoming the best known worst ranking. Here is their explanation : We assign a weight to each…
-
The Costs of Avoidable Hospital Visits in Virginia and a Proven Solution
by James C. Sherlock I have written often of the costs of (1) avoidable emergency care and (2) avoidable hospital admissions for chronic diseases. Each type of excess costs could be prevented by timely visits to primary care practitioners and following their prescriptions for treatment. The avoidable costs are largely paid by Virginiaโs Medicaid program…
-
Portsmouth: Chaos + Casino = Chaos
by James C. Sherlock Portsmouth has a lot of problems. Look for them to get worse in February when its new casino is scheduled to open. A key thing you need to know about the casino is that it is the realization of Louise Lucasโ vision. Senator Lucas has spent 22 years promoting a casino…
-
More Solar Generation Approved
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The Charlotte County Board of Supervisors has approved the development of the largest solar project in the Commonwealth and one of the largest east of the Mississippi River. As reported by the News & Record, the 800-megawatt Randolph Project, debated by the board for almost a year, will occupy approximately 6,000 acres.ย …
-
“Richmond Real” and the Cityโs Limited Pool Hours for Kids
by James C. Sherlock On June 9, the Richmond Times Dispatch (RTD) offered a story on Mayor Stoney’s new slogan for the City of Richmond: โRichmond Real.โ The RTD piece offered a positive account of the new marketing slogan devised under what Richmond Free Press (RFP) has called a โsecretive” project led by the West…
-
Virginia Strategic Imperatives: Train and Retain More Teachers and Nurses
by James C. Sherlock Governor Glenn Youngkin wants to make a lasting difference in Virginia. He wants to leave it better than he found it. In the years I have been writing about healthcare and education in Virginia, there is a recurring theme in both fields: not enough practitioners; specifically, registered nurses and teachers. I…
-
Highest Need Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in Virginia
by James C. Sherlock Without adequate primary medical, dental and mental health care, people cannot function properly. They often go through life sick and untreated.ย By “sick” in this case I refer to less well than achievable with proper primary care. Just because there is adequate access to primary care in a particular area does…
-
How Many Pieces Did You Say It Will Take To Build This Plant?
by Dick Hall-Sizemore There is more good news for the Commonwealth.ย As reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Governor Youngkin announced on Wednesday that the Lego Group will invest at least $1 billion to build a new manufacturing facility in Chesterfield County.ย It would be Legoโs only manufacturing facility in the United States. The company projected…
-
Time to Play Hardball
by Carol A.O. Wolf The recent dust-up concerning the fate of the Arthur Ash Jr. Athletic Center is, in the words of the great baseball philosopher Yogi Berra, “dรฉjร vu all over again.” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney is once again pitching a big canโt-lose — this time promising a brand new mini-city complete with state-of-the-art…
-
Commonwealth Set for Major Broadband Expansion
by Dick Hall-Sizemore One of the issues underlined by the pandemic was the need for all areas of the state to have access to broadband internet. Without access to broadband, kids (and adults) in rural areas cannot take advantage of courses offered online. To the extent that more people will be working remotely, rural areas…
-
Virginia Snags Another Fortune 500 H.Q.
by James A. Bacon Waltham, Mass.-based Raytheon Technologies has announced that it will establish its global headquarters in Arlington. Following the recent decision of The Boeing Company to relocate its headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, the move cements Northern Virginia’s standing as the leading defense/aerospace cluster in the United States. “The location increases agility in…