A big league move?Business groups believe a Richmond-Hampton Roads megaregion will be a major competitor
PUBLISHED MARCH 1, 2016
BY PAULA C. SQUIRES
Virginia Business magazine
When Tom Frantz envisions the future, he doesn’t see Richmond and Hampton Roads as separate places. He sees a “mega-region” of 3 million people, stretching from the sands of Virginia Beach to the stately columns of Richmond’s state Capitol.
The chairman emeritus of the Williams Mullen law firm and a leader in economic development initiatives, Frantz foresees collaborative alliances in biosciences and advanced manufacturing. They would be supported by transportation systems linking the two metros. People and goods could travel back and forth via a widened Interstate 64, an improved U.S. 460, a high-speed train or a barge on the James River.
With the Port of Virginia in Hampton Roads serving as a global gateway and Richmond’s growing prominence as a logistics hub, Frantz believes both areas would benefit by touting their related synergies.
The idea isn’t entirely new. When Virginia Business began publication 30 years ago, there was talk of a Golden Crescent of prosperity in Virginia, arcing around the Chesapeake Bay from Washington, D.C., to Hampton Roads (see story on Page 43). At that time there wasn’t much development east of Richmond to Williamsburg. That has changed with new housing developments and businesses locating in New Kent and James City counties. So to many people, the idea makes more sense now.