Roanoke County Administrator B. Clayton “Clay” Goodman III took on the role as the County’s chief executive on March 16, 2009.

Clay Goodman has more than 30 years of experience in local government, 19 of which were spent working for localities in or near the Roanoke Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Since December 2003, Goodman has served as county administrator of Montgomery County. Prior to his move to Montgomery County, Goodman worked as town manager of Vinton from April 1993 to November 2003 and city manager of Buena Vista from August 1988 to March 1993. He held similar positions in Georgia and West Virginia.

Goodman and his wife, Connie, reside in Roanoke County.

Janet Scheid will be present with Clay.

Janet Scheid

Janet Scheid is the greenway planner for Roanoke County, Virginia.  She has held various management positions with Roanoke County and has worked extensively on Blue Ridge Parkway-related planning issues. 

Janet has a Master’s degree from Virginia Tech and an undergraduate degree from American University in Washington, DC. 

She is president of the Western Virginia Land Trust, a non-profit organization that promotes the preservation of western Virginia’s natural and cultural resources.  She is also vice chair of the Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission. 

Presentation

Last Chance Landscape Re-visited: 1998-2010

In 2002-2003, the 28-mile segment of the Parkway in Roanoke County was named one of Scenic America’s top ten “Last Chance Landscapes.” Prior to that, the local Blue Ridge Parkway landscape in Roanoke County was being transformed by adjacent commercial and residential development in the metropolitan area. Blue Ridge Parkway officials met with local government leaders to discuss how to preserve the scenic qualities along what is the Parkway’s most urban adjoining community. Working with planners, this segment of the Parkway was studied intensively and the landscape viewsheds mapped and prioritized. Initially it was the thought that the threat to viewsheds should be addressed through zoning regulations and design guidelines; however it became apparent that these would be only minimally effective and that a more proactive approach was required. Ultimately, a combination of approaches would be needed and many partners assembled to champion the cause.