The New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) is hosting a kickoff meeting to discuss regional housing needs from 6-8 p.m. Monday, September 9, in Room C of the Raleigh County Convention Center.
“We are inviting all stakeholders to attend this important session to create a housing needs assessment for the New River Gorge region,” says Jina Belcher, NRGRDA executive director. “This is a prime opportunity for community leaders and citizens to share their insights and ideas about the future of housing in Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, and Summers counties.”
NRGRDA has identified Bowen National Research, a firm accredited by the National Council of Housing Market Analysts (NCHMA), an organization that sets market study standards for housing studies, to conduct the study. The housing needs assessment process blends Bowen’s expert guidance with local input. It starts with a kick-off call that will allow NRGRDA and all county partners to review the scope of work. Bowen will then initiate housing data collection and analysis for the four-county region including evaluation of census and locally sourced employment data, housing supply analysis, stakeholder surveys to understand the NRG housing market, housing demand (gap analysis) and conclusions/recommendations.
In addition to the standard housing assessment services, NRGRDA feels the following four optional elements are crucial to supporting economic development in the region: seasonal workforce analysis, residential development opportunities, barriers to development (regulatory and development costs) and housing program identification.
Participants interested in attending the housing kickoff meeting can register by visiting https://nrgrda.org/events.
