fbpx

VDOT/DRPT Public Hearing on May 10

The Commonwealth Transportation Board will conduct a public hearing on the FY 2019-24 Six Year Improvement Plan on May 10 at 4 pm at Holiday Inn Valley View.

Formal comment on highway, rail and public transportation projects included in the plan will be accepted at the meeting. You may also submit written comments to Six-YearProgram@VDOT.Virginia.gov through May 30.

We believe there will also be an opportunity to comment on SB971, which was recently signed into law. This bill directs VDOT to study financing options for I-81, including truck-only tolling measures. Click here to learn more about SB971.

Take the opportunity to attend the hearing on May 10 and offer your feedback on upcoming transportation initiatives.

CowanPerry lawyers included in 2018 Virginia Super Lawyers® list

CowanPerry PC is pleased to announce that the following lawyers have been named 2018 Super Lawyers:

  • David E. Perry
  • James K. Cowan, Jr.
  • Douglas W. Densmore

Rising Stars:

  • Eric D. Chapman
  • Blair N.C. Wood

About CowanPerry PC

CowanPerry is a boutique law firm providing legal services to businesses in the areas of Outside General Counsel; Business & Employment Litigation; Corporate & Tax Law; Labor & Employment Counsel; ERISA & Employee Benefits; Land Use & Commercial Real Estate; Trusts & Estates; and Intellectual Property. If you have legal needs in those areas, we would like to earn your business.

With attorneys licensed in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, we handle the needs of both emerging companies and established businesses throughout the region from our offices in Roanoke and Blacksburg. CowanPerry partners with our clients by defining the scope of work at the outset of each engagement and then utilizes appropriate fee structures to align the interests of the firm with those of the client, including one or more of the following: monthly retainer-based fees, project and milestone- based fees, reduced rates with success fees and traditional hourly rates. We offer nationally recognized expertise and employ state-of-the-art technology to efficiently and cost effectively meet the needs of our clients.

CHAMBER NEWS

28 Gentry Locke Attorneys Named 2018 Virginia Super Lawyers or Rising Stars

Gentry Locke is pleased to announce that 28 of the firm’s attorneys were selected for inclusion in the 2018 Virginia Super Lawyers® list, a national legal ranking. Attorneys were nominated by their peers and recognized for their outstanding professional achievement in several legal practice areas, including civil litigation, appellate law, criminal defense, business litigation, business/corporate law, construction litigation, land use and zoning, employment & labor law and litigation, personal injury, professional liability, and tax law.

Of those selected, 18 of the firm’s attorneys from the Roanoke and Lynchburg offices were named as Virginia Super Lawyers, while 10 attorneys were selected as Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Stars—attorneys who are 40 years old or younger, or in practice for 10 years or less.

New to Super Lawyers this year from the firm are Gregory D. Habeeb, and Rising Stars Justin M. Lugar and Jonathan D. Puvak.

Managing Partner Monica Taylor Monday was included on the “Top 50 Women” list for Virginia. She was also named to the “Top 100” list along with partners K. Brett Marston and Anthony M. Russell.

Super Lawyers, which distinguishes the top 5 percent of attorneys in each state in more than 70 practice areas, recognizes those who have attained significant peer recognition and professional achievement.

2018 Virginia Super Lawyers:

2018 Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Stars:

About Gentry Locke

With more than 55 lawyers practicing across a range of disciplines, Gentry Locke brings uncommon thinking and deep experience to the legal and business challenges of companies, institutions, organizations and individuals—a commitment the firm has met since 1923. Operating from offices in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., Gentry Locke serves clients in Virginia and across the U.S., as well as worldwide as a member firm of the ALFA International Legal Network. Meet the firm’s dynamic attorneys and learn more about its fierce drive to achieve success for its clients by exploring www.gentrylocke.com.

CHAMBER NEWS

Roanoke City Solicits Public Feedback on Spending Plan

Roanoke City Manager Bob Cowell recently released the City’s recommended FY 2018-19 budget to Council. The City has taken steps to ensure the budget process transparent and engaging for citizens by providing resources and soliciting participation in next week’s public hearing.

In a letter to Council dated April 16, 2018, Cowell outlines the strategies and priorities the budget represents. The City’s recommended budget shows a commitment to core government functions, such as education, infrastructure and public safety, as well as investment in community services, livability, economic development, and reserves.

Don’t have time to read through all 172 pages of the budget? Check out this two-page “Budget at a Glance” fact sheet that breaks down revenue, priority allocations, and the capital improvement program.

Citizens are encouraged to provide feedback at the Budget Public Hearing in the Council chamber on April 26 at 7 pm.

Click here to read City Manager Bob Cowell’s budget cover letter.

Click here to view the “Budget at a Glance.”

Click here to review the full budget proposal.

Governor Northam Nominates 212 Opportunity Zones

The 2017 federal tax reform legislation created a new economic development tool that is designed to benefit distressed communities. The provision directed governors in each state to designate 25 percent of eligible low-income, high-poverty census tracts as Opportunity Zones. Long-term private investment in Opportunity Zones will be incentivized through certain tax deferral benefits.

Out of 840 eligible tracts in Virginia, Governor Northam recently nominated 212 to the US Department of Treasury. Click here for a map of census tracts nominated for Opportunity Zone designation.

Reported by the Roanoke Times, “Northam nominated census tracts in the south end of Blacksburg and adjacent portions of Montgomery County; south of U.S. 460 in and near Christiansburg; the southeast corner of Giles County, including Newport; most of Radford; northwest Franklin County; part of Salem; the Wood Haven Road area of Roanoke County; portions of downtown Roanoke; and parts of northeast Roanoke.”

At the state level, the Department of Commerce and Trade oversaw the process, with the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) as the lead agencies.

The administration sought input from localities, potential investors, and the public throughout the process. This program has the potential to have a meaningful impact in the Roanoke Region, spurring economic development in underserved communities.

Click here to read the full release from the Office of Governor Northam.