DICKENSON COUNTY, VA- Dickenson County Director of Economic Development, Dana Cronkhite, was invited to present alongside Virginia Housing at the American Planning Association Virginia Chapter, annual conference in Roanoke, VA on July 17, 2023.

The 2023 conference focus was “5 Points to Build a Sustainable Community for All”, which included components from Economic Development, The Great Outdoors, Infrastructure, and Housing.

Chris McNamara and Suzanne Armstrong from Virginia Housing, along with Cronkhite, presented “It Takes MORE Than A Village” to conference attendees.  The presentation showcased the collaborative response to opioid addiction, workforce development, and affordable housing at the Wildwood Recovery Center project in Dickenson County.  Cronkhite’s portion of the presentation focused on the many organizations partnering to lay the framework for how they will play a part in transforming the state’s healthcare and economic future.

Another topic of conversation and theme across many presentations Monday was housing.  Lack of housing across the spectrum and all price points is an identified issue across Southwest Virginia and the Commonwealth.

“Dickenson County is not unlike most counties in Virginia with regard to the housing issue, but we do face added barriers being in rural Appalachia.  Many of the reasons that we love calling Dickenson County home also make it difficult to find affordable and attainable solutions. Dickenson County and the Dickenson County IDA are committed to continuing to work with state partners to create creative solutions to this problem,” said Cronkhite. “We appreciate Virginia Housing and their support of the Wildwood Recovery Center project, and for allowing Dickenson County to have a voice at a large venue such as this. We look forward to partnering with Virginia Housing on future phases of the project and as we move forward with a strategic plan to tackle the housing shortage in Dickenson County.”