Prince Edward planning commission highlights Longwood partnership, identifies housing and jobs as hurdles to retaining graduates

Prince Edward County planning commissioners said the county received recognition from a county association for a multi-semester partnership with Longwood University that informed the county’s comprehensive plan and engaged hundreds of students. Commissioners described the effort as part of a strategy to address a persistent outflow of younger residents.

A planning commission member said the project involved Longwood students over three semesters and engaged roughly 250 to 300 students at a time during a symposium. Commissioners said students worked in small groups on ideas to make the county more attractive to college graduates, and that housing and jobs emerged repeatedly as central obstacles. "We heard lots of feedback on things like housing. Jobs is certainly one of them," the planning commission member said.

Commissioners noted that the county faces long-term demographic challenges: the transcript recorded a projection that Prince Edward County’s population would grow by about seven people by 2050, while several neighboring rural counties are projected to lose population. Commissioners said the exercise produced concrete ideas the county will consider, including possible housing supports and education-to-employment incentives; participants discussed concepts such as tuition or housing assistance to encourage recent Longwood graduates to live and work locally, and multi-year teacher recruitment incentives tied to housing or tuition support.

County officials said they will form working groups to begin implementing elements of the comprehensive plan in coming months and that potential zoning-code adjustments are likely to be considered next year. The commission did not take formal policy votes at the meeting; the remarks were an informational update on the comprehensive plan effort and state recognition.

County Administrator Doug Stanley was mentioned as a presenter who would provide additional details; the transcript indicates staff and commissioners will follow up with working groups and possible code changes early next year. Commissioners also emphasized schools and housing as priorities for further action.

No formal actions or budget commitments were announced at the meeting; commissioners described the recognition as an acknowledgment of outreach and student engagement during the comprehensive-plan process.