Town of Rocky Mount, Virginia :: Town of Rocky Mount

The Rocky Mount Community Development Department handles a wide variety of functions helpful to the residents of Rocky Mount and Franklin County. The office oversees revitalization projects, community planning and zoning, mapping and Geographic Information Services, and economic development and tourism activities. In addition, this department oversees facilities management for Mary Bethune and Mary Elizabeth Parks, Gilley's Park, Celeste Park (currently under development), the Farmers' Market at Citizen Square, and the Community & Hospitality Center (old train depot).

It is the goal of the Community Development Department to facilitate the participation of the Town's citizens in the processes involved with maintaining quality neighborhoods and affordable living. Department staff works closely with citizens to guide them through planning and zoning processes which are vital to the health, safety and welfare of the Town and its citizens. The Department also provides staff support to the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Franklin County Veterans' Memorial Commission, Beautification & Urban Design Commission, and a variety of other committees as appropriate.

The Community Development Department also seeks to facilitate economic development in the community by encouraging the growth of small businesses, recruiting other commercial ventures, marketing community assets, and working closely with partners in the County of Franklin. In addition, the Department also works closely with community groups such as the Community Partnership for Revitalization (which is the local Virginia Main Street organization), the Franklin County Retail Merchants Association, and the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce to encourage small business growth within the community.

One avenue for encouraging small business growth in the Town is through participation in the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program. The Community Development Department oversees the Town's Enterprise Zone Program, which allows businesses locating within the zone to qualify for state incentives such as real property investment and job creation grants, and local incentives such as reduced licensing fees, taxes and utility hookup costs.

To aid in recruiting commercial ventures, the Town and County are aggressively marketing Phase II of the Franklin County-Rocky Mount Industrial Park, formerly known as the Cox Farm. The Town and its partners are developing this prime industrial property by adding a rail siding from the adjacent Norfolk Southern railway and developing a new road bed to serve three industrial building sites within the next phase of the Industrial Park. The Community Development Department recently closed the bid process for the road development, and construction of the road bed has begun.

In addition to the Industrial Park, the Community Development Department is currently working on several other exciting projects which will enhance the aesthetic appeal of the Town, promote tourism, and improve the overall quality of life for the community. These projects include:

The Uptown Revitalization Project (a grant supported project through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, which will improve the visual appeal of the Uptown Business District through the removal of overhead power and utility lines, landscaping, and façade renovations);
Phase I of the Pigg River Heritage Trail - Veterans' Memorial Connector Walk (a concrete walk featuring a timber bridge across the Pigg River, connecting the Franklin County Veterans' Memorial Park to Lynch Park);
Development of a whitewater park on the Pigg River (the Town is working closely with the County on this project);
Development of a larger concert venue to host regular bluegrass concerts and other special performance events (to help promote the Town as the Eastern Gateway to the Crooked Road, Virginia's heritage music trail, and to support events such as the Footlights of the Blue Ridge, a twice-monthly bluegrass concert series);
Development of Celeste Park (a 5.5 acre wooded area on Franklin Street which was donated to the Town by T. Keister Greer for use as a community park);
Improvements to Gilly's Park (a park, featuring ponds in a serene setting, located on Trail Drive near Benjamin Franklin Middle School which was developed on land donated to the Town by Lowrie Glasgow two decades ago).

Daily operations of the Community Development Department include review of permitting requests and issuance of permits (zoning permits, sign permits, etc.) erosion and sedimentation control, site plan and subdivision approvals, traffic impact analysis, and other related activities. The Department's professional staff includes the Assistant Town Manager/Community Development Director, Town Planner, GIS/Code Enforcement Technician, and Deputy Clerk/Administrative Assistant.