Economic development department officials from four Southside cities shared updates on commercial and residential growth within their locales during a recent presentation at the Hampton Roads Realtors Association’s headquarters.

The panel featured Steven Wright, director of the Chesapeake Department of Economic Development; Toi Wilson, business development manager for the Portsmouth Department of Economic Development; Kevin Hughes, director of the Suffolk Department of Economic Development; and Steve Harrison, business development and research manager for the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development.

HRRA’s Government Affairs Committee, chaired by Terry Gearhart, allows Realtors to participate in the public-policy process at the local, state and national levels. The goals of HRRA’s government affairs program include protecting private property rights, promoting economic development and maintaining a pro-business environment conducive to the practice of real estate.

The government affairs group’s next gathering is at noon May 7 at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center, 3663 Marlin Bay Drive in Virginia Beach, and includes lunch. The featured speaker will be Christy Everett, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Hampton Roads director.

Tours of CBF’s new environmental center, which opened last fall, will be offered to HRRA members attending the gathering. To RSVP, contact Ron Lovell, HRRA local government affairs director, at rlovell@HRRA.com.

For more information on the committee and its activities, visit HRRA.com/legislative.