By Grace Mamon, Cardinal News
Danville and Pittsylvania County are expecting dramatic growth in coming years, bringing significant changes to the area. According to its residents, the region is ready for some of these anticipated changes, like increased tourism, and unprepared for others, like rising demands for broadband, child care and housing.
At four events between December and April, residents could participate in The Big Sort, an exercise that asked them to weigh in on trends that the region can expect to see in the next 20 years.
The workshops — two each in Danville and Pittsylvania — were organized by the Partnership for Regional Prosperity, an organization focused on how to prepare for the growth in the region.
On Wednesday, the community learned the results of the workshops. These results identified the region’s level of preparedness for each trend, according to the opinion of the participants.
“This is good information that can feed into something like an updated economic strategic plan or an action in public policy,” Beth Doughty, manager for the Partnership for Regional Prosperity, said at Wednesday’s event.