2026 Conference Program 

High Stakes & New Horizons: Planning With Purpose for Virginia's Communities

Sunday, July 26

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9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

APA Virginia Board Meeting

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11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Registration

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1:00 PM - 5:00 PM 

Exhibitor Setup

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2:00 PM - 5:00 PM 

Leadership Academy Class

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5:30 PM - 7:30 PM 

Welcome to Danville Reception

Monday, July 27

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7:30 AM - 8:30 AM 

Leadership Academy Breakfast

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8:30 AM - 9:30 AM 

Welcome and Opening Keynote

Join us as we kick off the 2026 Conference with welcoming remarks from Danville Vice Mayor James Buckner and APA National President Sue Schwartz.  Ben Hitchings, Region 2 Representative for APA will also provide the Opening Keynote Address sharing a practical, action-oriented framework to help local governments navigate uncertainty and plan for the future. Drawing from his work with the UNC School of Government, he will explore key drivers of change shaping communities and introduce a methodology for translating emerging trends into tangible strategies. Through the concept of a “Community Readiness Plan,” this session will demonstrate how organizations can proactively build resilience, prioritize investments, and better position themselves to manage disruption in an increasingly complex environment.

9:30 AM - 9:45 AM 

Transition Break

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9:45 AM - 12:15 PM

Recreation Economy for Rural Communities:  Leveraging the Power of Outdoor Recreation for People and Place (Deep Dive Session)

Housing, Economic Development, and Community Revitalization Track
Outdoor recreation is reshaping rural economies across the country—strengthening local businesses, attracting visitors, and enhancing quality of life for residents. This session highlights lessons and success stories from the federal Recreation Economy for Rural Communities program, which helps small towns integrate outdoor recreation with main street revitalization. Participants will explore real-world examples Virginia and across the country where communities have leveraged trails, natural assets, and main street investments to strengthen local economies and quality of life. Presenters will share planning tools, community engagement strategies, and implementation frameworks used through the federal partnership. Attendees will participate in interactive exercises to help identify opportunities for recreation‑based development in their own communities. Come ready to be inspired and equipped with ideas you can bring home.

Presenters:
Amanda Poncy, AICP | EPR PC

Steph Bertaina | U.S. EPA Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
Cora Gnegey | Giles County

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM | Concurrent Sessions

Rethinking Resilience Planning in the Crater Region
Environmental Resources, Sustainability, and Resilience Track
 

This presentation introduces a new model for resilience planning that moves beyond traditional flood‑focused approaches and instead aims to embed resilience into everyday planning practice across disciplines. Using the Crater PDC’s regional resilience plan as an example, it highlights how centering equity and capacity building can create more inclusive and effective outcomes for diverse communities. The session emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, showing how resilience planning can break down silos and connect environmental, infrastructure, and community priorities. Attendees will learn how this framework can be applied at both regional and local scales to support cooperative, co‑beneficial strategies, and participate in a series tabletop exercises that demonstrate approaches to goal setting within this framework. Ultimately, the presentation offers planners a practical path for integrating holistic resilience into long‑term implementation and funding efforts.

Presenters:

Kit Friedman, CFM, CBLP | Crater Planning District Commission

Erin Herock, AICP, LEED Green Associate | Weston & Sampson

Elizabeth Suffa, WEDG, AICP Candidate | Weston & Sampson

Retrofitting Suburbia: The Power of Small Area Plans to Drive Change
Planning and Community Engagement Methods and Tools Track

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How can you transform the suburban areas of your city to maximize their full potential and create broad public, private, and political support for change? The Greenbrier Area Plan, a small area plan developed by Chesapeake, Virginia, exemplifies how to bring concept to reality. Greenbrier, the suburban center of the City of Chesapeake is not unlike many other parts of the US. The area was developed in the 1970s in a suburban form with a variety of uses such as single-family residential, apartments, shopping centers with expansive surface parking, and a mall that is no longer a major destination. In this session, you will learn where to begin transforming suburbia, how to gain the support of community stakeholders, and explore tools to drive implementation such as zoning overlays, transfer of development rights, and transportation impact fees, and design guidelines.

Presenters:
Jimmy McNamara | City of Chesapeake
Nat McCormick, AIA | City of Chesapeake
Devin Simpson, PE | Kimley-Horn

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“No One’s Ever Done This Before” – The Strange and Unusual Pathways to a Successful Planning Career
Professional Development and Career Upskilling Track

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“Wait…you do what?
[long pause, with a puzzled look]
How’d you get into that?” 
 
For planners who don't review development applications, hold community meetings, or update small area plans, this is a familiar line of questioning. They know that there are many great jobs in planning, but many more that are unknown! Don’t miss this entertaining roundtable of planners who have charted uncharacteristically different career paths! Come with questions and curiosity, hear how they built their careers, and leave with a broader awareness of what’s possible for your first - or next - job!

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Presenters:

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Nick Rogers, AICP, CZA | Arlington County

Randy Selleck, AICP | Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation
 

Bernard Suchicital | Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh, P.C. 
 

Ashley Peace | Tract
 

Emily Gibson | Virginia Tech

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM

Networking and Transition Break

East Prefunction - Transportation Planners Networking 

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

Environmental Resources, Sustainability and Resilience Quick Takes
Environmental Resources, Sustainability, and Resilience Track

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This quick takes session includes brief presentations on the following topics:
Collaborative Planning for Resilient School Campuses: Lessons from Menchville High School:  This session will use the Menchville High School courtyard revitalization project in Newport News, Virginia, as a case study to illustrate how meaningful and collaborative community-focused planning enhances campus aesthetics and sustainability; creates a modern, flexible outdoor learning and gathering space; and improves long-term functionality for the community. Presenters will discuss how The Menchville High School courtyard was transformed into a multifunctional open community space—designed with areas for improved outdoor learning spaces, native plantings, seating and gathering spaces, and improved drainage. This courtyard serves as both an outdoor classroom and a model for sustainable, resilient site design. Presenters will also discuss the added impact of how mission-driven projects can deepen both community benefits and professional development. Information in this session will be relayed using 3D visualization and visual concepts and design plans.

Framework for Funding Urban Nature: Increasingly, local governments are turning to nature-based solutions to provide efficient, cost-effective, and multi-beneficial responses to these priorities. These solutions often require initial external funding, and a critical question for funders is how to most effectively focus support on projects that will have the greatest impact and leverage additional investment in urban nature and the public and private benefits that it can generate. Funders need a framework for evaluating and deciding among promising projects based on the current state of knowledge, best practices, opportunities for replication, and track record of success.
Biophilic Cities is engaged in a current project to develop a framework for supporting investments in urban nature, which is engaging a range of stakeholders planning and designing urban nature projects in three focus cities of different scales. This short, Quick Take session will introduce the research project, the process for engagement that has taken place to date, and lessons learned. The session will invite planners in jurisdictions across the state to consider similar collective planning prioritization for a much-needed area of investment that can bring myriad benefits to urban landscapes.

Before the Storm: Building a Pre‑Disaster Voluntary Acquisition Program in Henrico County: Most buyouts start after a flood. Henrico County chose to act before the next one, and this presentation explains how the County is advancing a comprehensive, community centered, inland, pre disaster Voluntary Acquisition Program. The goal is to reduce flood risk, enhance public safety, and create lasting community benefits. Led and funded by the County, with support from Virginia’s Community Flood Preparedness Fund, the program treats acquisition as one strategic tool in a larger resilience toolbox alongside floodproofing, drainage upgrades, green infrastructure, and targeted outreach.

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This session will provide an overview of the Acquisition Program, including strategies and templates for community outreach, incentives to property owners, lessons learned for other localities, and a summary of the data-driven tool the County developed to prioritize potential parcels for acquisition.

At the Water’s Edge: Planning a Resilient and Inclusive Future for Cape Charles Beachfront: The Cape Charles Beachfront Master Plan showcases how a historic Chesapeake Bay town is planning for coastal resiliency, public access, and economic vitality while preserving its distinct character. This session highlights how Cape Charles balanced shoreline protection with community life and tourism for full-time residents, absentee short-term rental owners, and regular nearby visitors. Presenters will describe a multi-channel engagement strategy, including beachfront meetings on weekends and weeknights, online polling, mailed questionnaires, and a project website that communicated evolving concepts. The session will also examine how the plan addressed the town’s unique reliance on golf carts as a primary mode of transportation, alongside pedestrians, cyclists, and automobiles, to create an implementable and broadly supported resilient waterfront vision.

Presenters:

Richard (Ricky) Wiatt, PLA | VHB

Chris DeWitt, AICP | VHB

JD Brown, J.D. | University of Virginia

Ross Weaver, AICP, CFM | Henrico County

From Pedals to Programs: Designing a Bikeshare Blueprint That Works
Transportation Policy and Planning Track

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Many communities are exploring bikeshare and broader micromobility, but struggle to know where to begin or how to establish a program that can be sustained long-term. This session presents a step-by-step blueprint that municipalities can adapt regardless of scale or market maturity. We’ll walk through a current feasibility effort for the City of Virginia Beach, illustrating how to (1) evaluate demand using layered datasets (network readiness, demographics, points of interest, equity factors), (2) compare docked, dockless, and hybrid operations, (3) right size service areas and station/parking design, and (4) build the governance, policy, and funding scaffolding to support launch and long term operations.

This session shows how to move from feasibility to an actionable, adaptable program—covering mode selection (bikes/e-bikes/scooters), demand analysis, station siting, funding, governance, policy changes, and operations. In this session, attendees will also hear insights from vendors and programs of peer cities gathered through interviews. Participants will leave with clear guidance on how to translate technical findings into a decision framework and create a staged roadmap from pilot to expansion.

Presenters:

Devin Simpson, PE | Kimley-Horn

Steve Lambert | City of Virginia Beach

We're Still on Schedule...Right? Building Better Public-Private Relationships 
Professional Development and Career Upskilling Track

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This moderated panel brings together locality staff and private consultants to share practical lessons on managing consultant-led planning projects. Through real-world examples across a range of project types, panelists will discuss common friction points in locality–consultant relationships, including misaligned expectations, scope creep, communication breakdowns, and political or public-facing challenges. The session will emphasize applied, experience-based learning, highlighting what actually leads to successful outcomes. Attendees will gain actionable strategies for improving collaboration, strengthening public messaging, and building long-term partnerships that deliver trusted, technically sound, and on-schedule projects.

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Presenters:

Caroline Vanterve, AICP | Berkley Group

Savannah Newbern, CFM | Berkley Group

Julia Hensley | Augusta County

Tyler Klein, AICP | Frederick County

12:15 PM - 1:30 PM 

Networking Lunch

 

1:30 PM - 1:45 PM 

Transition Break

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1:45 PM - 2:45 PM | Concurrent Sessions

Mentoring for Students and Emerging Planners
Professional Development and Career Upskilling Track

Students and emerging planners are invited to come and engage with experienced Virginian planners, Planning Department Directors as well as nationally-recognized planners to discuss a wide variety of topics including: obtaining a first job; specialization vs generalization; public vs private sector employment; and other general advice gleaned from decades of experience in planning. Format will depend on attendance and may be a panel discussion or a series of more intimate conversations.

Lessons from Charlottesville’s Affordable Housing Strategy
Housing, Economic Development, and Community Revitalization Track

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The City of Charlottesville began requiring affordable units in new development projects in 2023. However, slow uptake during a time of major policy and market change is raising the question of whether the policy needs adjustment or if market conditions are to blame. The City is now exploring a number of tweaks and creative solutions to boost affordable housing production to support a major zoning update. In this session, we will explore the different strategies Charlottesville is considering and present the analysis being done to test the financial feasibility of these interventions from a developer’s perspective.

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Presenters:

Kellie Brown | City of Charlottesville

Amanda Klepper, AICP | Line and Grade

Jeremy Goldstein | Line and Grade

Growing Urban Tree Cover for Clean Water, Clean Air, Less Heat and Resilient Communities
Environmental Resources, Sustainability, and Resilience Track

 

Planning for healthy urban tree cover is essential to combating climate change and urban heat islands, creating vibrant downtowns and livable neighborhoods, and building resiliency. This session will showcase how the Community Forestry Revitalization Program helped build new city programs, supported the growth of others and ensured a strong data driven foundation for planning decisions. It will provide the key ingredients to launch this approach in other Virginia communities who are faced with the challenges of urban heat islands, loss of open spaces, flooding, and declining air and water quality. 
 

Presenters:

Karen Firehock, AICP | Green Infrastructure Center, Inc.

Jessica Huang | Green Infrastructure Center, Inc.

Stefanie Jackson | City of Danville

Roanoke’s Road Buffet: A Story of Community Engagement, Countermeasures, and Pilots in Roanoke
Transportation Policy and Planning Track

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This session will cover Roanoke’s Envision Williamson project – an effort to address safety on Williamson Road, a high crash corridor in Roanoke. Beginning as early as 2015, the City of Roanoke recognized Williamson Road as a major safety concern and made several attempts to address safety with a road diet project, but the City had challenges implementing and executing the design concept due to a combination of project timing (covid pandemic), an over-designed solution with high costs, and a strong opposition group. Then, in 2023, with assistance from USDOT’s Thriving Communities Program, the City of Roanoke went back to the drawing board with an extensive community engagement effort to re-introduce the challenges and issues of the corridor and create a community-led vision. Using this vision, Roanoke and consultants from the USDOT Thriving Communities Program educated the community on safety countermeasures and gave the public an opportunity to vote on options for implementing a short-term pilot that would address road safety on Williamson Road. The pilot tests the road diet and safety improvements at a low cost. This session will wrap with an update on the pilot’s findings and next steps for Williamson Road. 
 

Presenters:

Sophia Constantine, AICP | Nelson\Nygaard
Dwayne D'Ardenne, CGM, CPWP-M, ENV SP | City of Roanoke

Rebuilding Community Relationships in Richmond’s Southside – Lessons Learned from the Oak Grove-Bellemeade Community Planning Process
Planning and Community Engagement Methods and Tools Track

 

Come learn about how the City of Richmond overcame community mistrust, changing stakeholder priorities, and an evolving regulatory landscape to rebuild trust, tackle gentrification pressures, and address a lack of community-serving retail and services in the small but close-knit Southside communities of Oak Grove and Bellemeade. This 60-minute session will involve a short presentation, followed by a robust panel discussion and Q&A session. We will focus on lessons learned throughout this process in building community trust and buy-in; identifying plan champions and leaders; and adapting / “pivoting” as new challenges arose. We will provide a toolkit of best practices that session attendees adapt and apply to their own communities, which may be facing similar challenges.
 

Presenters:

Sarah Richards, AICP, Assoc. DBIA | AECOM

Marianne Pitts | City of Richmond

Sean Crippen, M.B.A. | Crippen and Associates, LLC

Facilitator: Erica A. Banks | City of Richmond

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM 
Transition and Networking Break

East Prefunction - Rural and Small Town Planners Networking

3:15 PM - 5:30 PM 
Beyond the Peak: Evaluating the All-day Performance of Complete Streets (Deep Dive Session)
Transportation Policy and Planning Track

Conversations about how we use our roadway space often spark lively debates among planners, engineers, and community members. Transportation professionals have tools and standards to understand the needs of different modes and street uses, but there are few resources available to evaluate tradeoffs between these uses. Instead, unspoken assumptions about roadway priorities—often in direct conflict to stated vision and goals—govern what options are on the table and how decisions are made.

NCHRP Report 1036, Roadway Cross-Section Reallocation: A Guide provides a framework for decision-making that promotes transparency and helps support community priorities. This resource quantifies the impacts of street cross-section changes on safety, access to opportunity, environment, economy, and quality of life. Join members of the Research Panel and Team to collaboratively apply the NCHRP 1036 decision-making framework, including a compelling new method for evaluating all-day traffic conditions.   

 

3:15 PM - 4:15 PM | Concurrent Sessions

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Planning and Community Engagement Methods and Tools Quick Takes
Planning and Community Engagement Methods and Tools Track

 

This quick takes session includes brief presentations on the following topics:

Storymap Collections: Bringing Comprehensive Plans to Life: Storymap Collections: Bringing Comprehensive Plan Chapters to Life. Will Teeples of Summit Design & Engineering details the process of creating a storymap collection in the context of comprehensive planning.  Storymaps are excellent storytelling devices, making it easy for planners to write about a topic and include media and interactive maps to help illustrate the point. Storymap collections act almost like a book binder, bringing together a number of storymaps and other media into one cohesive online tool, enabling a user to quickly understand the interconnectedness of a multitude of different storymaps and other media. These ESRI tools often sit on the shelf, but they’re incredibly useful to bring a comprehensive plan to life and make it accessible to a wider audience. 
 

Beyond the PDF: Modernizing Planning Documents with ArcGIS StoryMaps: Continuing to communicate planning initiatives after adoption is an important effort to reenforce transparency, stakeholder engagement, and successful implementation. This session will explore how the City of Chesapeake is utilizing ArcGIS to transform its planning documents from static PDFs to interactive, visually compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences. Participants will learn how to leverage StoryMaps to illustrate their adopted plans through innovative features and properly showcase their locality’s work in a way that is accessible and engaging.  

Seeing Communities from New Horizons: Drone Technology in Planning and Zoning:  Drones are increasingly being used by planners, local governments, and private developers to capture a new perspective on sites, infrastructure, and development activity through high-quality aerial imagery. This session provides a practical introduction to how drones can enhance planning analysis, GIS mapping, and development review while also improving public-facing documents, presentations, and outreach efforts. Attendees will learn how aerial photography and videography can support zoning, as well as inform other local government departments such as public works, parks, and emergency management. The session will address the legal framework governing professional drone use, including privacy considerations and appropriate applications in a zoning context. Participants will also receive an overview of FAA Part 107 requirements and the certification process for public- and private-sector users. This session is designed for planners, GIS staff, planning directors, and developers interested in responsibly integrating drone technology into planning practice and public communication.

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Technology's Physical Footprint: Analyzing Public Policy and Community Deliberation in Data Center Siting: The rapid influx of data center demand due to AI has placed unprecedented pressure on the public policy process. This session, a collaboration between Virginia Tech’s Myers-Lawson School of Construction and the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), examines the deeper urban planning implications of this "physical footprint" on Virginia's communities. We analyze governance frameworks and public deliberation processes in Northern Virginia. We specifically center the community's role, examining how resident concerns are negotiated alongside economic and infrastructure goals. Participants will leave with a toolkit for navigating high-stakes digital infrastructure projects with a focus on purposeful, inclusive planning.

 
Presenters:

Will Teeples, AICP | Summit Design and Engineering
 

Rebecca Benz, GISP | City of Chesapeake
 

Bailey Thompson | City of Fredericksburg
 

Eunju Mankung, MPA, CSM | Virginia Tech

Stormwater Strikes Back - Part 2
Environmental Resources, Sustainability, and Resilience Track
 

Planning professionals are often put in a difficult position when guiding agencies on long-term goals related to stormwater management and its influence on the built environment—despite having a limited understanding of the stormwater code.
Stormwater Strikes Back – Part 2 will offer planning professionals the opportunity to deepen their understanding of stormwater management code applicability and how this code fundamentally affects the built environment. This presentation will equip planners with key insights into the overlap between stormwater management and community planning, with an emphasis on intentional integration.
By the end of this presentation, you will be able to use terms like “Time of Concentration,” “Hydrologic Unit Code,” and “Saturation Coefficient” with ease and confidence.
 

Presenters:

Daniel C. Hyer, PE | Line and Grade

Kendra Moon, PE | Line and Grade

Jeremy Goldstein | Line and Grade

AICP Information Session
Professional Development and Career Upskilling Track

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Join the Chapter’s Professional Development Officer for an overview of the AICP preparation process, including tips and tricks for the AICP Certification exam.

 

Presenter:

Cailtin Aubut, AICP | APA Virginia Professional Development Officer

 

4:15 PM - 4:30 PM 

Transition Break

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM | Concurrent Sessions

Building Opportunities on Main Street

Housing, Economic Development, and Community Revitalization Track
In 2025, the Appalachian Regional Commission sponsored a series of 10 Building Opportunities on Main Street (BOOMS) real estate analyses that included small-scale property owner site visits. Join this session to learn more about how Place + Main Advisors, the Friends of Southwest Virginia and Virginia Main Street collaborated with local Main Street programs to 1) build geospatial databases of their real estate opportunities, 2) focus in on high potential redevelopment projects, and 3) engage community stakeholders and property owners to identify realistic redevelopment scenarios in market reality.

Presenters:

Courtney Mailey | Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
 

Joe Borgstrom | Place + Main Advisors

Jessica Lawrence | Friends of Southwest Virginia

Todd Wolford | Downtown Wytheville, Inc.

 

From Brain Drain to Brain Gain: High-Stakes Planning to Reverse Rural Population Decline
Planning and Community Engagement Methods and Tools Track

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Many rural Virginia communities face declining population, workforce shortages, and the outmigration of young professionals, often referred to as “brain drain.” Addressing these challenges requires intentional planning efforts that align housing, employment, and quality-of-life strategies with the priorities and needs of future residents. However, local governments often struggle to meaningfully engage younger populations whose perspectives are critical to long-term community sustainability. To address this gap, Prince Edward County partnered with Longwood University and consultants from Berkley Group to incorporate meaningful student input to maximize their staying potential into its Comprehensive Plan update. This session will share lessons learned from that collaboration and highlight practical approaches for engaging college students in local planning to inform policy direction and support long-term population and workforce goals.
 

Presenters:

Doug Stanley, AICP ICMA-CM | Prince Edward County

Tori Haynes| Berkley Group

Cecile Gaines, AICP | Berkley Group

 

Inside the Role of a Private Planning Consultant: Expectations, Challenges, and Best Practices
Professional Development and Career Upskilling Track

This panel session provides an inside look at the role of a private planning consultant through the perspectives of 3–4 consultants from different firms and at varying stages of their careers. Panelists will discuss the practical, day-to-day realities of consulting, including managing client expectations, balancing project schedules and budgets, and working within regulatory and political constraints. The session will highlight how private consultants interact with public-sector planners, elected officials, and multidisciplinary teams to deliver planning outcomes that serve community goals. Panelists will share lessons learned, common challenges, and best practices drawn from real project experience across a range of community contexts. The discussion will also address professional growth, ethical considerations, and skills critical to success in consulting roles. Time will be reserved for audience questions and facilitated discussion.
 

Presenter:

Mike Callahan, AICP | Line and Grade

Taylor Parker, AICP | Timmons Group

Lorna Parkins, FAICP | Michael Baker International

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM 
Emerging Planning Professionals Reception

Tuesday, July 28

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7:30 AM - 8:30 AM 

Planning Directors Breakfast

 

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM | Concurrent Sessions

 

Building a Connected, Walkable, and Resilient Waterfront: The Colonial Beach Downtown Connectivity Plan

Housing, Economic Development, and Community Revitalization Track

The Downtown Connectivity Plan for Colonial Beach, commissioned by Downtown Colonial Beach (DCB) and funded through the DHCD Virginia Main Street program, sets out a bold, community driven vision for enhancing safety, walkability, and economic vitality in the town’s waterfront district. The session highlights how the Plan integrates recommended multimodal improvements—such as ADA compliant sidewalks, bicycle and golf cart networks, and upgraded trolley service—with placemaking strategies, unified wayfinding, and streetscape concepts that strengthen the town’s coastal identity. Drawing on a market analysis and redevelopment opportunities, the Plan outlines actions to support small business growth, extend the tourism season, and improve key gateways and corridors. Attendees will also learn how the Plan structures phased implementation, potential tactical urbanism pilots, and funding alignment to guide future investment. Although implementation has not yet begun, the Plan offers a replicable framework for communities seeking to connect transportation, placemaking, and economic development within a cohesive, locally tailored strategy.

 

Presenters:

Thomas Ruff, PE | Timmons Group

Charlotte Cole | Town of Colonial Beach

 

Nature-Based Storytelling for Inclusive & Resilient Planning
Natural Resources, Sustainability, and Resilience Track

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Storytelling plays a powerful role in how people understand complex information, connect across differences, and make decisions, yet it is often underutilized in planning and public engagement contexts. This session explores how planners can apply storytelling tools and strategies – grounded in multidisciplinary research around narrative cognition, decision-making, and behavior change – to strengthen public engagement and improve understanding of planning initiatives, environmental challenges, and nature-based solutions. While planners are highly skilled in quantitative analysis, technical data, and policy frameworks, this session positions storytelling as the human-centered “soft data” that complements those strengths by capturing lived experience, local knowledge, and community values to create a more complete picture of a place. Using multimedia case studies, including Richmond’s Urban Forest Master Plan engagement process and the Nature-Based Stormwater Solutions Explainer Video for Elizabeth City, NC, presenters demonstrate how community-based storytelling can translate technical concepts into relatable, human-centered narratives. The session highlights how narrative approaches can foster empathy, reduce polarization, and support more inclusive participation. Attendees will gain practical, research-informed strategies that complement traditional planning methods and apply across a range of planning contexts. An optional show-and-tell of professional, cost-effective cameras, audio, and drone equipment will be available for attendees to see, handle, and discuss as practical tools for producing effective multimedia on limited budgets. 

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Presenters: 

Asa Eslocker, ASLA | Weston & Sampson

Bella Purdy, AICP | Weston & Sampson

Erin Herock, AICP,  LEED Green Associate  | Weston & Sampson

Railways and Regulations: Navigating Environmental Policy in Rail Planning
Transportation Policy and Planning Track

How should planners consider environmental impacts and regulatory compliance in railway planning? Join Victoria Holmes, AICP and Rupsha Ghosh from Kimley-Horn, and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority’s (VPRA) Director of Planning, Christine Fix, AICP as they delve into successfully navigating environmental policy and planning for regulatory compliance in rail planning initiatives. 

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This session includes a detailed overview of environmental regulations, their purpose, and applicability in planning. While National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance will be emphasized, to the session also discusses the applicability of environmental laws under NEPA’s purview, including Section 106 (historic resources), Section 7 (endangered species), Section 4(f) (publicly owned parklands), Section 6(f) (Land and Water Conservation Act sites), and Section 404/401 (Waters of the US). 

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The session will present a case study on VPRA’s Transforming Rail in Virginia (TRV) program, which proposes a series of rail infrastructure enhancement projects within the 123-mile rail corridor between Washington, DC and Richmond, VA. For compliance with NEPA, the environmental effects of the TRV program were analyzed in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) approved by the Federal Railroad Administration in 2019 acknowledging that NEPA re-evaluations must be prepared as projects are implemented. The case study will highlight the purpose of the EIS and subsequent NEPA re-evaluations, the technical studies and agency coordination involved, and VPRA’s strategy for re-evaluating the EIS as TRV projects advanced towards design and construction.

Key takeaways from the presentation will include a high-level overview of the TRV program and strategies for regulatory compliance. Additionally, we will share a high-level explanation of the NEPA process applicable to various infrastructure planning initiatives.
 

Presenters:

Victoria Holmes, AICP, PWS | Kimley-Horn

Christine Fix, AICP | Virginia Passenger Rail Authority

Rupsha Ghosh | Kimley-Horn

CODE Danville: Bridging the Gap Between Planning and Zoning
Planning and Community Engagement Methods and Tools Track

After adopting its 2024 PLAN Danville Comprehensive Plan, the City of Danville partnered with ZoneCo to execute an ambitious 12-month overhaul of its 20-year-old zoning ordinance. This session explores how the City "bridged the gap" between visionary policy and legal regulation by creating a modern code that visually and technically mirrors its planning goals. Attendees will receive a deep dive into the administrative mechanics required to compress a multi-year rewrite into a single year, including the restructuring of use permissions and the modernization of development standards. Key topics include the technical process of eliminating parking minimums, updating sign regulations, and transitioning toward a framework that prioritizes special districts. Furthermore, the presentation highlights how innovative branding and graphic design can be leveraged in step with public engagement to increase document legibility and maintain community buy-in. The session concludes with a Q&A focused on the practical challenges of balancing expedited timelines with local issues and national best practices.
 

Presenters:

Renee Burton | City of Danville

Sean Suder, Esq., LEED AP | ZoneCo

 

9:30 AM - 9:45 AM 

Transition Break

9:45 AM - 12:15 PM

Planning Commissioners Training

Presenter:  Will Cockrell, AICP | VCU Land Use Education Program

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9:45 AM - 10:45 AM | Concurrent Sessions

New Growth: Applying Planning Principles to Grow an Agricultural Economy 
Housing, Economic Development, and Community Revitalization Track

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Many counties across the Commonwealth have both a long history of agriculture and a present increasing suburban development pressure. How can rural localities look holistically at their oldest and most important industries in order to strengthen their economies and protect their identities? How can a planners’ skillset and perspective help create this path? How can more projects like this help achieve funders’ goals for a more vibrant rural economy across the state? 

Starting with one project in Cumberland County funded by both the Virginia Tobacco Fund and an AFID grant, we are proposing this session to share the lessons learned and the potential for this type of project in more localities and regions across the state. 
 

Presenters:

Stephen Versen | Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission 
 

Anne Darby, AICP| Summit Design and Engineering
 

Jason Espie, AICP | Revive Strategies

Mentoring for Mid-Career Planners
Professional Development and Career Upskilling Track
Mid-career planners are invited to come and engage with APA Virginia's Leadership Academy instructors and other esteemed leaders in the planning field to discuss how to take the next steps from planner to positions with leadership responsibilities including supervision and large project management. Format will depend on attendance and may be a panel discussion or a series of more intimate conversations.

Planning for Data Centers and Energy Infrastructure
Natural Resources, Sustainability, and Resilience Track

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As the digital age continues to flourish with incredible amounts of information available at the click of a button and intensive machine learning programs becoming widely available, the infrastructure to make it all possible is resulting in major land use changes, resource constraints, and infrastructure expansions. While growth within the major data center hub of northern Virginia continues at a fast pace, communities throughout Virginia are now starting to see more proposals for data centers. We are at a critical point in this global transformation and planners will have a key role in this transition to a digital future. This session will cover trends in data center development, forecast for energy demand in Virginia, and land use impacts and externalities of data center development along with  recommendations for proactive collaboration with the local utility on data center planning, establishment of clear policies that minimize land speculation, zoning language and conditions to help mitigate impacts on communities and environment, and practices that can help maintain the public trust.  
 

Presenter:

Julie Bolthouse, AICP | Piedmont Environmental Council

Commercial Corridor Studies and the Ripples of Benefits
Transportation Policy and Planning Track

The tension between economic development, land use and stakeholder desires is one that many planners face.  On a 4 mile corridor in the City of Norfolk, we explored the potential to introduce new businesses, increase density and reimagine the future of the area, which is located next to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story and also near Naval Station Norfolk, regional shopping destinations, the Norfolk International Airport and the I-64 corridor.  With so much going on, it felt like the East Little Creek Commercial Corridor needed some additional analysis to help integrate the future development with the overall NFK2050 Comprehensive Plan.  

This session will highlight the importance of market analysis, looking for market leaders and laggers, emphasizing highly visual stakeholder engagement opportunities and linking multiple City departments to deliver a cohesive project. 
 

Presenters:

Victoria Holmes, AICP, PWS | Kimley-Horn

Lynne Keenan, AICP | Kimley-Horn

Chris Whitney, AICP, CZA, CFM | City of Norfolk

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10:45 AM - 11:15 AM 
Transition and Networking Break

East Prefunction - Housing Professionals Networking

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM | Concurrent Sessions

FXBG Forward: A Systems-Based Approach to Comprehensive Planning
Planning and Community Engagement Methods and Tools Track

In most comprehensive planning efforts, we start with community vision and the Future Land Use map is the most essential component leading to meaningful change. FXBG Forward was initiated in the midst of ongoing Small Area Plans covering the entire city, with  active neighborhood participation in each plan. Therefore, the City and the planning team were challenged with re-imagining what a comprehensive plan means, how it might be used and evaluated, and how the public could be engaged without suffering from engagement fatigue. What resulted was a plan based on systems, which knitted together the small area plan areas, various neighborhoods, and areas of vastly different built character across Fredericksburg. A complex collection of Storymaps helped bring the plan to a wider audience, made it more digestible, and will help the community track its progress over the years.
 

Presenters:

Mike Craig, AICP | Town of Ashland

Jason Beske, AICP | Stantec

Anne Darby, AICP | Summit Design and Engineering

Bailey Thompson | City of Fredericksburg

Planning for a Flood-Resilient Future
Natural Resources, Sustainability, and Resilience Track

Planning for the future, should consider future conditions.  DCR’s flood resilience resources enhance community capacity and decision-making capabilities by presenting future flood extents and impacts.  Using these resources, local and regional governments can continue to engage with their communities and develop plans that work best for their communities. This session will explore how DCR’s flood resilience resources can support locally driven planning and adaptation solutions.

Presenter:

Matt Dalon, PE, CFM | Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

From Analysis to Action: A Data Driven Multimodal Strategy for Lynchburg’s Future
Transportation Policy and Planning Track

This session introduces the Lynchburg Multimodal Plan, a comprehensive, data driven strategy that evaluates every street in the city to identify where safety, access, and connectivity improvements will have the greatest impact. Using a GIS based methodology and a robust public engagement process, the plan integrates technical analysis with community experience to build a tiered network of primary spines, connectors, and neighborhood scale improvements. Attendees will learn how the plan prioritizes high need corridors, commercial districts, and university area connections through metrics related to land use, demand, pedestrian comfort, and transit access. The session explains how regional coordination strengthened the plan’s feasibility and alignment with statewide mobility goals. Presenters will cover implementation strategies that include tactical pilots, funding pathways, policy updates, and long term capital planning. The result is a replicable model for Virginia communities seeking to turn multimodal analysis into actionable investment.

Presenters:

Thomas Ruff, PE, PTOE, AICP | Timmons Group

Kelly Hitchcock | Central Virginia Planning District Commission

12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
Annual Meeting & Awards Lunch

1:30 PM - 1:45 PM

Transition Break

1:45 PM - 2:45 PM | Concurrent Sessions

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Danville Housing Session
Housing, Economic Development, and Community Revitalization Track

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More information coming soon!

Resume Clinic
Professional Development and Career Upskilling Track

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Whether you're looking for your first job, looking to take that next step into a leadership position, or an experienced professional looking for a new challenge, your resume is going to play an important role in getting your foot in the door to allow for an interview with a prospective employer. Come and join a number of Planning Directors with hiring experience and hear what they are looking for when reviewing resumes and how you can strengthen your applications. Format will depend on attendance and may be a panel discussion or a series of more intimate conversations.

You’ve Got the Land, You’ve Got the Power: Local Food, Local Energy
Natural Resources, Sustainability, and Resilience Track

As communities face increasing pressure to balance energy development with agricultural preservation, planners need practical ways to navigate competing land uses. This session examines how food and energy production can coexist on the same land through intentional planning and design. Attendees will learn the fundamentals of agroenergy and agrivoltaics and how these approaches apply across different community contexts. The lecture highlights land-use considerations, regional conditions, and policy implications relevant to Virginia planners. Participants will leave with a clearer framework for evaluating and guiding dual-use projects.
 

Presenters:

Will Cockrell, AICP | EPR PC

Tyler Hinkle, AICP | EPR PC

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Evolving Models of Community Engagement in Planning
Planning and Community Engagement Methods and Tools Track

Community engagement in planning is shifting beyond traditional public meetings toward embedded community builder and network-based approaches that support long-term implementation. This session, designed by the Institute for Engagement & Negotiation (IEN) at UVA team, highlights innovative models currently underway across Virginia, including the Eastern Shore of Virginia Livability Hub, Climate Collaboratives in Southwest Virginia, and a developing Community Network Builder initiative in the Northern Neck focused on housing and workforce development. Through these case studies, the session demonstrates how governance structures, advisory systems, and cross-sector partnerships can strengthen sustained collaboration. Attendees will gain practical insights into designing engagement systems that move from short-term input to ongoing implementation support. The session offers replicable strategies for planners working in rural, coastal, and regionally complex environments. 

Presenters:

Ozlem Edizel-Tasci, PhD | University of Virginia

Tanya Denckla Cobb | University of Virginia

Awards Quick Takes
More information coming soon (pending selection of award recipients)!

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM 
Transition and Networking Break

East Prefunction - Urban and City Planners Networking

3:15 PM - 4:15 PM | Concurrent Sessions 

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Leveraging Your Land: Brownfields as a Tool for Redevelopment & Revitalization
Housing, Economic Development, and Community Revitalization Track
 

This session will focus on strategies and resources to help localities leverage their valuable and finite resource – land. By highlighting the work of Boones Mill, Virginia and their reuse planning efforts for the former North American Homes site, we will illustrate the community-wide benefits of brownfield redevelopment. This session will also spotlight tools for identifying brownfield sites and securing funding for environmental assessment and reuse planning as part of a locality’s broader revitalization strategy. 

Presenters:

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Alison Eubank, AICP | Stromberg/Garrigan and Associates

B.T. Fitzpatrick III | Town of Boones Mill

Karen Weber, P.G. | Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Centering Descendant Communities in Heritage Trail Planning
Planning and Community Engagement Methods and Tools Track

Join us for an engaging session on partnering with descendant communities to create more meaningful and equitable heritage projects. Using a real-world case study, we’ll walk through how trust was built and how community members were given a genuine voice in shaping a heritage trail. This session moves beyond simply recounting history and focuses on rethinking how planning work is done. Participants will gain practical tools for respectfully connecting with descendant communities, co-creating goals and narratives, and securing funding that centers community priorities within local government decision-making. Ultimately, this session demonstrates that inclusive, community-driven work is not optional—it’s essential. You’ll leave with actionable ideas to help elevate untold stories and create projects that are more honest, impactful, and lasting. 

Presenters:

Tevya Williams Griffin, AICP | City of Williamsburg

Michele Mixner DeWitt, AICP

Transportation Policy and Planning Quick Takes
Transportation Policy and Planning Track

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This quick takes session includes brief presentations on the following topics:

Real Progress: Building a Regional Bus Rapid Transit System: Northern Virginia is planning for a future that must move more people, reduce congestion, support economic growth, and deliver equitable mobility—all while navigating uncertainty around funding, land use, and changing travel behavior. In response to these regional challenges, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority’s (NVTA’s) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Action Plan offers a regional framework to advance fast, frequent, reliable BRT across multiple jurisdictions. The plan evaluated 28 corridors, identified the routes most likely to deliver strong ridership and congestion relief, highlighted the land use and density conditions needed for success, and provided a practical blueprint for governance, funding, and phased implementation across a diverse region.

More than just a planning exercise, this Action Plan created a roadmap to implementation by tying long-range planning to capital funding decisions, identifying governance and operating considerations, and outlining strategies for sustained public and political buy-in.

Ending Impaired Driving: The Safe Ride Approach: This session explores college campus safe ride programs as a transportation and public safety strategy to reduce impaired driving. Using a comparative case study approach, the presentation examines how safe ride programs are structured, funded, and operated, with four focused case studies, including James Madison University. Key findings are translated into practical recommendations, demonstrating how planners can adapt successful program elements across different campus and community contexts. The session connects safe ride programs to broader planning goals such as Vision Zero, transportation demand management, and town–gown collaboration. Attendees will gain actionable insights into evaluating and implementing safe ride programs as part of a comprehensive multimodal safety strategy.

An engineer and a planner walk into a room... Demystifying the roles and relationships of planners and engineers in transportation planning projects:  Today's projects are becoming increasingly more complex and demand greater collaboration between engineers and planners early in the process. In this session, certified Planner Kate Widness and Transportation Engineer David Samba will talk about how they are breaking down the walls between engineering and planning, rejecting the cliches, and leveraging their combined skills to deliver successful transportation planning projects in Northern Virginia. Can engineers talk to people? Do planners know math? Is anyone happy being called a plangineer? Join us and find out.

Taking Charge of the Curbside in DC: The curb edge is where everything in transportation comes together - pedestrians, parking, transit stops, micro-mobility, and so much more. DC is at the forefront of comprehensively managing their curbside, building a reliable process that governs interactions among multiple state agencies, multiple federal partners, Metro and the public. See how DDOT has addressed the curb edge in a comprehensive manner, and view a demonstration of the cutting-edge web prioritization tool developed to complement their curbside plan.
 

Presenters:

Sree Nampoothiri, PhD, AICP | Northern Virginia Transportation Authority 

Makenzie Mann | Mead & Hunt and Virginia Tech

David Samba, PE, PTOE, PTP, RSP2| Kimley-Horn

Kate Widness, AICP CNU-A | Kimley-Horn

Brian J Laverty, AICP | Mead and Hunt

 

Conquering Your Imposter Syndrome
Professional Development and Career Upskilling Track

Imposter syndrome shows up for planners at every stage—from students to seasoned pros. This session takes an honest (and relatable) look at self-doubt in planning, why it happens, and how workplace culture can make it worse. Panelists will share real stories, practical coping tools, and what’s actually helped them feel more confident in their work. Expect candid conversation, shared laughs, and strategies you can use the next day.

Presenters: 

Brea Hopkins, CZA, CTM | Montgomery County 

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4:15 PM - 4:30 PM

Transition Break

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4:30 PM - 5:15 PM
Section Meetings

6:00 PM - 10:00 PM 

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!  APA Virginia Night at the Danville Otterbots

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Wednesday, July 29

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7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

Registration and Breakfast

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8:30 AM - 9:30 AM 

Legislative Plenary Session

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A review of the 2026 General Assembly sessions and the legislation, both passed and contemplated, that are of importance to planners within the Commonwealth. A review of pertinent state and federal court decisions over the past year.

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9:30 AM - 9:45 AM 

Break

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9:45 AM - 10:45 AM 

Plenary Session - “Innovation in Planning”

In December 2025, Richmond's Director of Transportation, Andy Boenau, wrote an article entitled, "The anti-planning heretics can save planning" identifying how many innovations in the field of planning seem to be coming from individuals without a traditional planning background. Join Andy, APA President Sue Schwartz, and others for a panel discussion looking at the drivers of innovation in planning, as well as recent change movements such as YIMBY, Strong Towns and the Parking Reform Network. APA Virginia's Immediate Past President, Andrew Hopewell, will be moderating the panel.

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10:45 AM - 11:15 AM 

Networking Break

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11:15 AM - 12:15 PM 

Ethics Plenary

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More information coming soon!