New River Gorge Communities, West Virginia

Creating better curb appeal for local businesses, buildings, and downtowns can greatly enhance a community’s economic development and tourism efforts. To illustrate how this can be accomplished, the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) contracted with Anderson Associates and Frazier Associates to create an educational community development website for the four-county area of New River Gorge, West Virginia.

This Toolkit for Revitalization provides ideas and recommendations for beautification, storefronts, signage, public improvements, and design guidelines. Photosimulations throughout the Toolkit show how property owners can add such elements as planters, new awnings, and better signs to improve the appearance of their buildings and businesses. The Toolkit, funded with grant money from the Benedum Foundation, is available on the NRGRDA website at: http://www.nrgrda.org/images/toolkit/index.html