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Sportsbackers outlines Fall Line Trail vision, highlights regional connections and economic benefits
Summary
Will Dixon of Sportsbackers presented the organization’s role in Fall Line Trail placemaking, noted the trail will connect 95 schools and two HBCUs within two miles, and said the group is convening partners to maximize community and economic benefits.
Will Dixon, representing Sportsbackers, told the Central Virginia Transportation Authority that the Fall Line Trail project will do more than lay asphalt: it will connect communities, support economic development and provide regional recreation and transportation benefits.
"The fall line, it is a this thing is big, guys. It is big," Dixon said, describing the ribbon cutting earlier in the week and the project’s broader placemaking goals. He said the trail corridor has 95 schools within two miles, including six colleges and two historically Black colleges and universities (Virginia Union and Virginia State), and noted the project’s potential for trail-oriented development and storytelling about regional history.
Dixon described four elements that make a trail "world class": quality (safety and wayfinding), career-oriented development (new businesses and residences opening onto the trail), connectivity (the trail as a spine linking neighborhoods and destinations) and placemaking (public art and community activation). He outlined Sportsbackers’ role as convener and catalyst rather than primary funder and described a Fall Line placemaking collaborative of two dozen organizations to coordinate programming, public art and sustainability.
Dixon also highlighted Sportsbackers’ programs—Bike Walk RVA, Active RVA, Fitness Warriors and kids initiatives—and said events such as the Richmond Marathon (which he said produced about $30 million in economic impact last year) are part of the organization’s broader regional economic and health strategy.
Dixon said construction momentum continues: he expects ground to be broken on the southern segment (DB2) next year and work in Richmond’s Braelawn/Bridal Park area to begin late this year or early next. By 2027, Dixon said, the Fall Line Trail is expected to provide about 13 contiguous miles from Bryant Park in Richmond to Carter Park in Ashland.
Board members thanked Sportsbackers and reinforced local interest: several members said the trail is already influencing housing decisions and local placemaking activities. No formal action or funding decision was taken by the authority at the presentation; the segment was informational and focused on coordination between the nonprofit, jurisdictions and VDOT.
