Community Developments

The Department of Community Development would like to thank David Holladay for over 24 years of service to Roanoke County, and wish him well as he embarks upon new adventures.

David grew up in Buena Vista, VA, and attended Virginia Tech in Communication Studies, focusing on graphic design. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he moved out west to work for the hotel concessionaire at Old Faithful, in Yellowstone National Park; gaining experience with a wide range of staff from around the country, and guests from all over the world. After returning to Virginia, David began graduate school at Virginia Tech, earning a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning.

David began his career with the Town of Vinton in 1994. The following year, he became an Associate Planner for Roanoke County. In the mid-1990s, the County was experiencing a growth spurt, and David was busy doing code enforcement, plan reviews and land use cases. He recalls at the time, very few staff had cell phones, and email was a novelty. David advanced from Associate Planner to Planner, then Senior Planner and Interim Zoning Administrator, and ultimately Planning Administrator of the long range planning division. A wealth of knowledge, David enjoyed taking newer Planners out in the field to show them far and high reaches of the County, frequently taking the least traveled and roughest routes. The majority of his time in recent years has been devoted to transportation planning, program and project management, and acting as liaison to VDOT.

Early in his career, David did not think he would be a local government planner for 25 years. However, he found it very rewarding to find creative ways to help residents solve their land use challenges. He admires the County’s family atmosphere, and strong support for its citizens, and has no regrets as he reflects on his career.

An outdoor enthusiast who enjoys camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, fly-fishing, cross-country and telemark skiing, David has his sights set on upcoming adventures. This winter he plans to become a certified adaptive ski instructor to help disabled skiers enjoy the snow-covered slopes. Next summer’s adventures are still forming. Looking into the future David is likely to live close to family in and around the Roanoke Valley, while enjoying extended trips to points north, south, east and especially west.

David will be greatly missed not only by his coworkers, but also by his local government and VDOT colleagues and by the many residents he assisted over the years who called him on a regular basis.