Page 15 - High Knob Master Plan

MASTER PLAN VISION
High Knob is one of the eight Southwest Virginia Outdoors initiatives of Friends of Southwest Vrginia. The High Knob Regional Master Plan supports the vision and the guiding principles of the High Knob Regional Initiative. The master plan considers the individual communities of the High Knob Region as a singular economic unit, connected by a common theme of outdoor recreation. Together, the communities and their surrounding natural areas will become the destination for an unrivaled outdoor experience: the “High Knob Experience.”
Chapter 1 identifies gateway communities, each with its own distinct set of recreational activities, cultural resources, and economic assets. Each gateway community will serve as the regional destination for its outdoor experience, or theme, developing targeted recreational activities, lodging, and businesses that will uniquely enhance the High Knob Experience. While certain gateway communities are inclined to feature certain activities due to existing asset aggregations, the plan does not preclude similar activities from happening in other communities.
HIGH KNOB REGIONAL INITIATIVE
The master plan proposes several capital improvement projects that will enhance identified gateway community themes. These signature projects will serve as inspiration to entrepreneurs, and should be catalysts for economic development; encouraging private sector investment and providing leverage for future grant funding by attracting visitors to the region.
Broader regional initiatives, such as branding, cohesive wayfinding, and physical connections between gateway communities will augment these signature projects. The master plan provides the High Knob Regional Initiative and its partner agencies with a blueprint for the prioritization and successful implementation of these projects over time.
GATEWAY COMMUNITY THEMES
Adventure Town
Dark Sky
Cultural Center
Guest River Gorge College Town
River Experience/Horse Town ATV Town
Coal Heritage Natural Tunnel/Daniel Boone
The illustrative map graphic above illustrates general theme areas for great outdoors activities, built on the economic strengths of the nearby gateway towns (see Chapter 6).
CHAPTER 3: VISION, PRINCIPLES, AND MASTER PLAN 15