THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503240022
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
Hampton Roads' Plan 2007's goals for Southeastern Virginia envision a more-vibrant, more-prosperous region in the 21st century. The plan, which is a dynamic blueprint for action, is already nudging Hampton Roads toward that future.
Plan 2007 proclaims that in the year 2007 - four centuries after the planting of the first permanent English settlement in America - Hampton Roads will be:
The Eastern Seaboard's ``premier'' port.
The defense establishment's primary strategic center on the East Coast.
A maritime complex possessing unique shipbuilding and ship-repair capabilities.
A center of advanced technological research, engineering and manufacturing enterprises.
A globally competitive tourist destination.
A leader in acting to assure all inhabitants a decent standard of living, adequate access to health-promoting programs and medical medical services, safe neighborhoods, adequate nutrition and quality education.
These are realistic goals shaped by a series of meetings involving more than 400 Hampton Roads residents over many months. Sponsored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Plan 2007 is supported by Forward Hampton Roads (the economic-development arm of the chamber), Christopher Newport University, Future of Hampton Roads, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, Old Dominion University, Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Peninsula Economic Development Council and the Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce. How's that for mobilizing regional resources to chart a course to general prosperity and improved quality of life?
Hampton Roads' assets - as the foregoing list suggests - are far greater than many living within the region appreciate.
Hampton Roads already is a busy, well-equipped and world-famous port and major military complex. Its shipbuilding and ship-repair facilities are extensive.
The region's colleges and universities continue to grow to meet expanding demand for education, research and expertise.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Langley Research Center and the Continuous Electronic Beam Accelerator Facility, both on the Peninsula, place the region on the cutting edge of science and technology.
Hampton Roads' tourist enticements - Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens and Virginia Beach foremost among them - are already substantial.
And Eastern Virginia Medical School, major hospitals in South Hampton Roads and on the Peninsula, public-health departments, the large congregation of physicians, nurses, medical technicians and other health-care personnel and the Hampton Roads Health Coalition constitute an immense resource dedicated primarily to the healing arts and sciences but rich in knowledge and experience that could support a neighborhood-by-neighborhood program to upgrade health and safety.
Among the constructive responses to the challenges Plan 2007 has identified, staff writer Mylene Mangalindan reported in the March 19 Sunday Business section of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, were formation of a maritime/university consortium to establish a Center for Advanced Ship Repair and Maintenance, creation of a database of equity-capital sources and investor network to service entrepreneurs, and assembly of a team to help employees of the Naval Aviation Depot in Norfolk - which the Navy is closing - to find new jobs.
The list of accomplishments is longer than three examples cited above, and more accomplishments are certain. Plan 2007 is fostering increased cooperation between the business and professional communities on each side of Hampton Roads.
The private sector, which is the moving force behind Plan 2007, recognizes that the Hampton Roads region must be marketed as a whole to increase its visibility on the national scene. Enhanced visibility is the key to competing effectively against other regions for favorable attention from investors, entrepreneurs, companies looking to relocate or construct satellite branches, offices, warehouses and tourists and conventioneers.
Now the local governments, which spend nearly $8 million annually to promote economic development, have become involved in the Plan 2007 effort through the Mayors and Chairs Caucus. The campaign for a greater Hampton Roads is evolving in an orderly, productive manner. Onward and upward, say we. by CNB