Document Type

Professional Plan Capstone

Original Publication Date

2026

Client

Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission

Location

Southern and Southwest Virginia

Date of Submission

May 2026

Keywords

Rural economic development, Capacity building, Virginia Tobacco Region, Organizational capacity, Project implementation, Regional revitalization, Asset-based community development, Institutional collaboration, Pre-development planning, Grant-making strategy

Abstract

Virginia's Tobacco Region possesses meaningful community assets including committed local leadership, established social networks, and demonstrated resilience, yet many localities consistently struggle to translate those strengths into high-impact economic development projects. The gap is not one of vision or funding, but of organizational capacity: the ability to develop, manage, and implement complex projects over time.

This capstone plan was developed for the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission (TRRC) to address that gap directly. Drawing on semi-structured stakeholder interviews, document and case analysis, and comparative institutional assessment, the research identifies the structural, relational, and process-based conditions that distinguish successful projects from those that stall. Key findings reveal that project impact is driven by process quality: successful projects originate from authentic community need, involve 18–24 months of pre-development work, have a named project owner with decision-making authority, and secure dedicated project management before implementation begins.

Five goals structure the plan's recommendations: (1) building stronger project development systems through funded pre-development and peer learning; (2) shifting TRRC's evaluation criteria to reward process quality; (3) closing the planning-to-implementation gap through transition grants and implementation-ready planning outputs; (4) strengthening regional coordination by resourcing boundary-spanning intermediaries such as Planning District Commissions and the Foundation for the Advancement of Southern and Southwest Virginia; and (5) restructuring TRRC's funding tools to reduce barriers for the lowest-capacity communities. Taken together, these recommendations reposition TRRC from a reactive grant maker to a proactive regional development partner.

Rights

© The Author

Is Part Of

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

Recommended Citation

Plisko, E. (2026). Turning local strength into regional change: An operational plan for capacity building and rural transformation in Virginia's Tobacco Region. L. Douglas Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs.

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