The New River Valley Regional Commission, a local development district in Appalachian Virginia, is using ARC support to renovate an unused school building in the rural Prices Fork area into a multi-use commercial and housing facility. The partnership boasts over 20 public and private partners.

The ARC funded part of the project covers architectural, engineering and building costs for a 1,600 square foot commercial kitchen incubator for food entrepreneurs, and 2,000 square feet of companion tenant/retail space. A local non-profit will run the kitchen and host additional technical assistance and training. Several new businesses and dozens of jobs will be created from this investment.

This project is part of a larger historic preservation project supporting entrepreneurs and creating affordable housing to revitalize the Prices Fork community.