Vinton’s 2050 Comprehensive Plan wins Virginia Award Plan of the Year

The Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA Virginia) named the Town of
Vinton as the recipient of the 2026 Virginia Award for a locality with a population under
100,000 for its Vinton 2050 Comprehensive Plan.

The chapter’s awards program recognizes exceptional planning initiatives, individuals, and
communities dedicated to building environments of lasting value.

The Plan of the Year Award specifically celebrates the Commonwealths premier planning
documents, recognizing outstanding planning processes, vision, implementation strategies, and
innovative approaches.

This prestigious accolade recognizes Vinton’s commitment to self-reliance and strategic
foresight. As a largely built-out community, the Town of Vinton must maximize its existing
footprint through smart infill development and intentional revitalization to move forward.

While Vinton faces several pressing community needs, including expanding affordable starter
housing, supporting seniors aging in place, increasing family-friendly activities, and driving
economic growth– it lacks the abundant undeveloped land typically required for traditional
expansion.

The Vinton 2050 Comprehensive Plan provides a strategic framework to address these priorities
by encouraging redevelopment, adaptive reuse, and investment in existing assets.

“We are honored to recognize the Town of Vinton with the 2026 Virginia Award,” said Julie
Chop, vice president of External Affairs for APA Virginia. “Vinton 2050 distinguishes itself
through its innovative, vision-driven framework, its bold reimagining of aging commercial
corridors, and its commitment to clear, accessible planning. Its emphasis on implementation,
mixed-use revitalization, and community-centered engagement sets a standard that other Virginia
localities can readily learn from.”

The Vinton 2050 Comprehensive Plan represents a paradigm shift in community planning,
moving away from static municipal frameworks toward an agile, equity-driven, and
implementation-focused strategy. Recognized for its innovative approach, the plan successfully
balances long-term vision with immediate community needs.

The planning awards were presented at the chapter’s annual conference on Tuesday, July 28, at
Caesars in Danville.

According to Planning and Zoning Director Anita McMillan and Assistant Director Nathan
McClung, Vinton must make the best of what it has and support redevelopment and repurposing
of aging buildings.

The 2050 Vinton Comprehensive Plan focuses on protecting what residents value while
addressing the key issues with significant reform. For example, Vinton, like many communities,
has many acres locked up in commercial zoning along aging commercial corridors that no longer
have the same economic value as they did in the pre-e-commerce era. The plan imagines a
different future for these corridors and recommends the zoning, transportation, and housing
reforms necessary to achieve that goal.

The plan is already moving into implementation less than eight months after its adoption. The
town is already working to update its zoning code. Moreover, town staff is working with
property owners on a number of redevelopment projects in the downtown area that will
implement vision themes for more housing, walkability and economic development.

The Vinton plan elevated the public understanding of planning. Early on, town staff and the
consulting team (Mike Callahan of 3TP Ventures, Inc. and Vlad Gavrilovic from New Paradigm
Planning) developed materials to explain what the plan is, and what it is not. The process
included a broad-based advisory committee and focus groups of people and groups with deep
understanding of Vinton’s needs. This included representatives of neighboring jurisdictions, such
as the City of Roanoke and Roanoke County.

The focus groups included representatives of affiliated professions including engineering, parks
and recreation management, economic development, and social services. This process widened
the lens for Vinton’s comprehensive plan, and ensured that regional issues, such as affordable
housing and caring for the region’s homeless population, were not overlooked.

The town and consultants set up engagement opportunities to coincide with popular community
events, such as the Dogwood Festival in April of 2024 and 2025. As a result, Vinton heard new
voices. Many of their insights were surprising and useful, such as widespread support for a new
roundabout on Hardy Road that had been subject to some complaints and concern during the
standard design hearing process. By going to the people, the town got a plan that reflects desires
and hopes for 2050.

The town also provided online forums for engagement, such as a community survey that attained
a significant response rate for a town of Vinton’s size.

Due to the extensive engagement, the town included in the plan many policies and projects
requested by, and to the benefit of, under-represented communities including access
improvements to a park in one of the town’s historically African-American neighborhoods, a call
for investing town and non-profit partner funds into home improvements for low-income and
older residents, greater protection from flooding through stormwater improvements, safer
walking conditions within the town’s core neighborhoods, and more parks and green spaces for  all residents to enjoy. Implementation of this plan will have demonstrable positive impacts on
neighborhoods that may have been underrepresented in the past.

The Vinton Comprehensive Plan can be found at https://www.vintonva.gov/537/Comprehensive-
Plan—Vinton-2050.