Many Speakers Talk Potential Future Housing Options at '2025 Housing Summit'
| By Jennifer Bailey
Staff Writer | Clifton Forge, VA (Aug. 14, 2025)— Yesterday, Mountain Gateway Community College hosted the "2025 AHEDC [Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation] Housing Summit" at the Moomaw Center. The event was held between 8 a.m.—around 3:30 p.m. and featured several guest speakers, breaks for networking, breakfast, lunch, and a reception.
Speakers included Dr. John Rainone, President of Mountain Gateway Community College; Chris McNamera of Virginia Housing; Tyler Sizemore, Deputy Director of the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation and organizer of the event; Ariel Goldring of S. Patz & Associates, Ray Lipes, manager of Lumos Networks; Morgan Romeo with the Greater Roanoke Workforce Development Board; Julia Boas with the Roanoke Regional Partnership; Jarrod Elwell with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond who also acted as Keynote Speaker; Robert Fralin, owner of R.P. Fralin Inc.; Lee Downey, Director of Economic and Business Development for the Greater Richmond Area; Matt Weaver of the Department of Housing & Community Development; Beth Stull, Zoning Official and Administrator of Stormwater Management at Alleghany County Public Works; Eric Tyree, Building Official for the City of Covington; Dr. Maria Saxton, Director of Planning and Community Development for the Town of Clifton Forge; and Ken McFayden, Alleghany County Administrator.
The purpose of the event was to showcase several acres of land currently for sale in Alleghany County, discuss their potential uses, and highlight older, dilapidated houses and buildings with a focus on potential repairs or rebuilds.
It was noted during the hours-long event that the population in Alleghany County has been on a constant decrease since the early 2000's, with around 125 people moving out of the area each year. It was also noted that the majority of owned houses were occupied by seniors, taking up more than 60%.
The highly informative event was free to the public, thanks to the following sponsors: Alleghany County, the City of Covington, the Town of Clifton Forge, the Town of Iron Gate, Highlands Community Bank, Alcova Mortgage, Peoples Bank, Garten Trucking, Union Church Millworks, Mountain Gateway Community College, the Alleghany Foundation, and Alleghany Highlands Public Schools.
The food and beverage providers were Kanawha Cafe, 42 Deli, and The Friendly Fork.
(Editor's note: to view the complete housing study document, click the link to view the pdf file:
Comprehensive Housing Analysis)
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