What Should Grow Along The Metro Line? Urban Land Institute To Present Land Use Analysis Thursday

Loudoun County:

“As a part of the Board of Supervisors-initiated Comprehensive Plan amendment for the area around Loudoun’s future Metro stations, the results of an Urban Land Institute analysis of planned, zoned and existing land use in Loudoun County’s Metrorail Service District will be presented to the public at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 8, in the board room of the county government center, located at 1 Harrison St. SE in Leesburg.

The county asked a ULI Technical Advisory Panel of 10 people representing various fields related to land use and real estate development to conduct an analysis of the area and identify any issues and recommendations. The goal is for the county to determine whether the Revised General Plan provides a planned land use mix within the Metrorail Service District that strikes a desired and beneficial balance between:

• prompt realization of tax revenues to support future Metrorail operations,
• maximizing future employment generation,
• achieving the desired land use pattern, and
• minimizing demands on the county’s transportation infrastructure.”

~Writes  Leesburg Today

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For information on the Silver Line CPAM, go to www.loudoun.gov/silverlinecpam.

Work starts on strategic plan for Rockfish Valley

Nelson County:

“At the Nelson County Planning Commission meeting last week, Director of Planning & Zoning Tim Padalino announced the start of work on the Rockfish Valley Area Plan — a strategic plan for the area suggested by the Nelson 151 business group at a meeting in March.

The organization said the Rockfish Valley needs a strategic plan to prepare for future business development. The plan will be a county planning project, Padalino said. He said a recently formed working group for the project was scheduled to meet last week to discuss the scope of the project, as well as a timeline and budget.

The working group includes Padalino; County Administrator Steve Carter; Nelson County Director of Finance and Human Resources Debbie McCann; clerk of the board of supervisors Candy McGarry; Sara Turner, the secretary of the county administration office; and Director of Economic Development and Tourism Maureen Kelley.

Commissioners Philippa Proulx and Linda Russell said they would like the planning commission to be involved in the planning process. Padalino said county staff is ‘being proactive’ but it might be awhile before they have a draft plan to share.”

~Writes Katherine Lacaze of the Nelson County Times

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Rt.3 vision moves forward

Orange County:

“Last week’s two-and-a-half day Rt. 3 visioning charette brought together experts and key stakeholders to determine the corridor’s challenges, strengths and steps needed to move forward in an effort to achieve smart, sustainable growth in the county’s eastern end.

Originally planned for February, but moved to last week due to inclement weather, the charette focused on aligning the vision for Rt. 3 with viability in terms of land uses and what the market will support all while keeping in mind typography, environmental and financial constraints.”

~Writes Gracie Hart Brooks of the Orange County Review

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Click here to learn about the Route 3 Strategic Visioning Initiative

Comprehensive Plan looks towards summer completion

Albemarle County:

“As Albemarle County’s review of a revised Comprehensive Plan moves forward, the Board of Supervisors is going to work overtime to ensure the process gives the public an opportunity to voice its concerns. The review process begins with a look at the vision statement and then each of the chapters’ vision statements before digging into the details of those chapters.

‘We would like to get a good idea of the vision, because everything in this plan is connected to the vision,’ Wayne Cilimberg, the county’s director of planning, told the board at a recent meeting. The decision to review the plan chapter by chapter was made last month after a public hearing. At the time, the board heard from groups such as the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Jefferson Area Tea Party and residents of the Glenmore area.

The board will meet twice a month for about two hours in the late afternoon, a time that they hope will allow more people to attend.”

~Writes Effie Nicholaou of Charlottesville Tomorrow

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Port Royal surveying residents about town’s future

Town of Port Royal:

“The Town of Port Royal is in the process of updating its comprehensive plan, and the Planning Commission has some questions for residents. The commission has developed a survey asking the community where it would like to see itself in the next 20 years. Survey participants can indicate what they would like Port Royal to look like in the future, what they would like to change about the town, and other information to help the commission revise the comp plan.

All Virginia localities are required by law to review their comprehensive plans every five years. The comp plan is a planning document designed to guide a community’s growth over a 20-year period. It does not establish any laws.

Copies of the survey are available at the Port Royal Post Office and Town Hall, and planning commissioners will be making other efforts to distribute them to town residents.”

~ Writes The Caroline Press

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Group hopes to plan a vision for the 151 corridor

Nelson County:

“The Nelson 151 organization is seeking for the Rockfish Valley to undergo a strategic planning process to help produce a community vision for the area, with an emphasis on the Virginia State Route 151 corridor. George Hodson, chairman for Nelson 151 and general manager of Veritas Vineyard & Winery, asked the Nelson County Board of Supervisors at its March 11 meeting to support the project, which would help the community prepare for future business development.

‘What we want to make sure we’re doing is [ensure] that the businesses that come to this corridor are doing things the right way, reflect well on the existing businesses that are here and also are well-supported by the community,’ Hodson said. ‘That’s who we are and that’s what we want to do.’ Nelson 151 is an organization of business owners that comprises seven wineries, three breweries, a cidery and a distillery, as well as several other partners located in the Rockfish Valley area near Virginia 151.

Hodson said the group feels the Nelson County comprehensive plan does not adequately capture the current economic success and development patterns on the corridor, which could leave the county and its businesses and residents unprepared for future scenarios related to Virginia 151.”

~ Writes Katherine Lacaze of the Nelson County Times

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Developing a strategic plan for the town of Culpeper

Town of Culpeper:

“Elected officials are working to create a strategic plan for the town of Culpeper. Development of the written document could involve use of an outside facilitator, costing up to $25,000. Culpeper Town Council convened Wednesday in town hall for a special meeting on the matter of strategic planning with an end goal of producing a mission statement, goals and objectives and an implementation process for achieving an agreed-upon strategy for the town related to taxation, utilities and tap fees, capital needs, investment zones, future development and other key topics.

Culpeper Town Manager Dewey Cashwell, in his decades in public service, worked with various localities — including San Antonio, Texas — on developing strategic plans. At Wednesday’s meeting, he said the town of Culpeper already has an award winning comprehensive plan, adopted in 2012, that could serve as a blueprint.”

~Writes Allison Brophy Champion of the Star Exponent

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