Summary of the Feb 25th Worksession

Final discussion of the Administrative Policies Chapter. The Commission had minor edits.

Further discussion regarding the "planning area" and purpose of the areas of interest in the surrounding non-incorporated areas.

Presentation & Discussion of the Environment Chapter. Most notably, staff has suggested the implementation of LEED Green Building Standards by:

• Encouraging private developers to engage in these standards.


• Having the Town seek Green Building Certification for all future public projects, where feasible.


• Studying the LEED for Neighborhood Development Standards. This is a pilot program, and it should be noted that high density is a key component. Staff is suggesting that the Commission consider some of the standards suggested by these standards, as some of these may not be appropriate to Ashland.

(for a really quick overview of LEED - see what Wikipedia says by clicking here.)

Presentation & Discussion of the Parks and Recreation Chapter. The Town's Parks and Recreation Committee will also review this chapter.

Set the meeting date of March 27th, at 7PM for the Planning Commission worksession. The next regular meeting will be on March 12 at 7PM.

February 13 Planning Commission Meeting

At the February 13 Commission meeting, staff presented its revised draft Administrative Chapter to the Commission.

Click here for the Administrative Chapter. Please feel free to comment!

January Planning Commission Update

During the January Meetings, staff presented the Administrative Policies to the Commission for review. These policies will administer how we use the plan, as opposed to making specific recommendations on land use or transportation.

See the current draft of this chapter in the next posting.

Proposed Comprehensive Plan Format

The Commission early on agreed with a format for this new plan. The plan will consist of three sections:
I. Policies II. Maps and III. Apendix

SECTION I - POLICIES
This section of the Comprehensive Plan sets forth the guiding principles for the
physical development of the Town. Policy areas include:
1. Administration
2. Growth Management
3. Land Use
4. Transportation
5. Economy
6. Housing & Neighborhoods
7. Environment
8. Parks & Recreation
9. Community Facilities
10. Community Character & Design

SECTION II - MAPS
This section will consist of maps that are incorporated into the plan by policy. Some maps will be zoomed in on certain areas of town for more detail, whereas some will be comprehensive and cover the entire town for more broad-based concepts.
Subject areas of the map will include:
􀂉 Future Land Use
􀂉 Development Phasing (i.e. growth management)
􀂉 Transportation
􀂉 Economic Development Zones
􀂉 Community Character Zones
􀂉 Utilities (availability and priorities for expansion)
􀂉 Parks & Greenways
􀂉 Natural Systems

III. APPENDIX
The appendix will house all supporting information for the plan. Census data, historic background information, traffic data, etc.

First Steps for the Revised Plan

Early on, staff realized that we could handle most of the task of tackling the comprehensive plan in-house with our own resources, however there were three subject areas where we definitely needed assistance:

1. Economic Analysis
2. Transportation Analysis
3. Design Considerations and Analysis

The critical part of the plan that will form the basis for the rest of the document is the Economic component. How will we know how much land we will need for residential, commercial, schools, roads, etc, if we can't answer important questions regarding demographics, markets that the town serves, and overall what our role in the overall Metro Richmond area will be.

That being said, the Town has been pursuing a firm to provide an economic and demographic analysis, which will help form the basis of the plan.

The Town intends to have this firm hired within the next few weeks. An interim and a final report will be forthcoming from the firm who is hired.

The Town seeks to have input from the business community to assist the economic analysts.

2008 Comprehensive Plan Update

This blog is setup as a forum for the Ashland Community to provide information regarding the comprehensive plan, and to provide an opportunity for the public to provide feedback.

This is an exciting time for the community, and offers all of us a chance to help shape Ashland's future.

What is a Comprehensive Plan?
The comprehensive plan is an official document adopted by the Town to guide decisions about growth and development.

The Plan is a collection of policies, maps, and recommended actions.

• Policies are used to guide decisions


• Maps depict an ideal future, or build-out of the town.


• Recommended actions tell us what we need to do to make this ideal future happen.

The Plan tells us how Ashland became what is is today, but more importantly...the Plan tells us what Ashland should be in the years to come.

Once we understand what the community values, then we develop strategies to preserve and enhance the best parts of Ashland, and to seek postitive changes in areas that need redevelopment.

To summarize: The plan says, in effect, When we encounter this situation, we will act this way for these reasons.

The Planning Commission began reviewing the existing plan in Fall 2007.

It was agreed that the old 2003 plan lacked the detail and direction needed to address tomorrow's needs and opportunities.

The Planning Commission agreed to the following:

The revised plan will focus on:

• Clearly-articulated Policies
• Detailed recommendations
• Regional scope, seeking to maximize Ashland's role in the Richmond Region.

To summarize, the goal of this plan update process is to produce a plan that is:

• Policy Driven
• Geographically Detailed
• Forward-Thinking
• Easy to Use and Reference