Comprehensive Plan Development

Roanoke has developed six guiding themes to direct Plan 2040. These themes will help to ensure the City’s commitment to achieving a sustainable future by planning for environmental, social, and economic well-being for community members and visitors alike. Each Fact Sheet helps to define theme components and the resources Roanoke currently has to provide for each theme. Citizen working groups were formed in Fall 2018. These groups will help the City of Roanoke’s Planning team describe desired conditions, translate ideas into policies and actions, and work together to validate or modify elements of a draft Comprehensive Plan.

• Livable Built Environment: “Ensure that all elements of the built environment, including land use, transportation, housing, energy, and infrastructure, work together to provide sustainable, green places for living, working, and recreation, with a high quality of life.”

• Harmony with Nature: “Ensure that the contributions of natural resources to human well-being are explicitly recognized and valued and that maintaining their health is a primary objective.”

• Resilient Economy: “Ensure that the community is prepared to deal with both positive and negative changes in its economic health and to initiate sustainable urban development and redevelopment strategies that foster green business growth and build reliance on local assets.”

• Interwoven Equity: “Ensure fairness and equity in providing for the housing, services, health, safety, and livelihood needs of all citizens and groups.”

• Healthy Community: “Ensure that public health needs are recognized and addressed through provisions for healthy foods, physical activity, access to recreation, health care, environmental justice, and safe neighborhoods.”

• Responsible Regionalism: “Ensure that all local proposals account for, connect with, and support the plans of adjacent jurisdictions and the surrounding region.”

Executive Summary

City Plan 2040 is taking shape. The following summary outlines the priorities and policies identified through public outreach. These policies will be refined in the final phases of the planning process to identify action items and ensure consistency.

Community Response Report

Between July and October, the City hosted ten public meetings and launched an online survey to gather feedback and ideas from Roanoke community members. The following report summarizes the feedback that the city received through that outreach process.

Peer Cities Assessment

In preparation for Plan 2040, it is important to visualize Roanoke’s status. Performance was measured along metrics correlated to Plan 2040’s six guiding Themes in order to understand Roanoke’s standing among its peers. The Peer Cities Assessment helps to identify areas where Roanoke is performing well, and areas of improvement.

State and National Comparison

This comparison provides a quick snapshot of how Roanoke is performing compared to state and national numbers. This reference guide provides an overview of how Roanoke measures in vital city demographics, such as educational attainment, income, and diversity.