The Go Virginia State Board on the quarterly meeting approved updates to regional growth and diversification plans and took action on nine Go Virginia project applications, including a contentious decision to approve the Homeworks talent development project for Region 1 despite staff recommendation to defer.

Department of Housing and Community Development staff briefed the board on evaluation criteria (economic impact, regional collaboration, project readiness and sustainability) and reviewed each application and work group findings. Staff recommended approval for several projects, deferral for others that raised sequencing or sustainability questions, and approval of a planning grant for the Blue Ridge Innovation Corridor.

After public comments in support of Homeworks — including in‑person testimony from community college and K–12 leaders and industry (Steve Jones of VFP, Adam Hutchison of Virginia Highlands Community College, Keith Perrigan and Jenny Nichols) — board members discussed the application’s readiness. Staff recommended deferral for Homeworks because the production facility that would employ many graduates is not yet developed and some dual‑enrollment arrangements were not fully defined. Delegate Terry Kilgore moved to approve the Homeworks per‑capita application instead of deferring it; Jim Chang seconded the motion. During the roll call, one member said they would abstain and one member registered a dissenting vote, but the motion carried and the board approved the project.

The Blue Ridge Innovation Corridor planning grant (a multi‑region planning request) was approved in a separate vote after two members recused themselves from that item; another member signaled they would abstain because their organization is a project sponsor.

The CyberBytes Foundation’s AI Mobile Unit, a competitive project that proposes mobile AI training workshops and CompTIA AI credentials for school divisions and workforce centers, drew substantial written and oral support from industry and students. Work groups raised questions about the certifications’ market adoption, sustainability after the grant period and potential overlap with a Virginia Department of Education‑led AI literacy RFI. Staff recommended deferral for the AI mobile unit and the board moved to defer that application to allow more time for clarification and alignment with DOE efforts.

Board members discussed improvements to materials presented to members — including requests for clearer region labels on plan matrices and for cost‑per‑output metrics (for example, cost per trained person or per credential) to help evaluate larger grants. DHCD staff said they are assembling FY25 performance data and cost‑per‑output analysis and will provide it to the Program Performance and Evaluation Committee.

The board also adopted a consent block that included minutes from the Sept. 9 meeting and the readoption of Board Policy Number 2 (procedures for virtual meetings). Several committee chairs delivered brief reports, and DHCD presented FY25 highlights, noting about $11.8 million awarded in the grant year and a public performance dashboard showing closed‑project outcomes.

What happens next: DHCD will proceed with post‑award contracting for approved projects, work with applicants on sequencing questions for projects previously recommended for deferral, and report additional performance and cost‑per‑output data to board committees in coming months.

Quotes from the meeting

"This project benefits the region in 2 ways, providing training for additional skilled labor for our region and providing precision built homes at an affordable price," said Steve Jones, executive vice president of VFP, during public comment in support of Homeworks.

"We would be honored to have Go Virginia as a partner in this work," an early applicant presenter said when introducing the Homeworks project.

Closing note

Board members agreed to continue refining presentation materials and to improve communication between regional councils and DHCD staff so members have clearer context when projects are presented for board action.