Introduction Statement To Comprehensive Plan

At their regular meeting of June 11, 2008, the Planning Commission agreed by consensus that the following will serve as the Introduction
to the Comprehensive Plan. This is based on the Town's existing vision
statement, and community input from the April 10th Community Forum. The Planning Commission reviewed this statement at their May meeting, and provided staff with additional comments. Please provide any feedback you may have! Community input is vital!

This statement is intended to demonstrate the values and principles to be supported by the Comprehensive Plan:

Ashland is a community that appreciates and embraces its strong sense of community identity; diverse population; natural, historic, cultural and educational resources; human potential, economic vitality; and interdependence of citizens and businesses.

Ashland takes great pride in its unique identity. This unique identity is based on:

• The beauty of our historic neighborhoods, historic railroad downtown, and historic college campus.
• The quality of our neighborhoods, their scale, density, walkability, compactness, and relationship to downtown.
• Our existence as a great American small town.
• Our rural setting, as a town in the Richmond region, Ashland also acts as a service center for more outlying rural areas.
• Attractive centers of commerce that provide a diverse job base and a variety of shopping opportunities.

To protect these values, we will adhere to the following principles:

• We value planning, and in looking forward to the future, we will adhere to the guidance set forth in our Comprehensive Plan for decision-making. We also value the energy and inventiveness of private initiatives, so we seek a balance and collaboration between community planning efforts and the initiatives of residents and businesses, and in doing this, we will also maintain a strong relationship with Hanover County government in its planning processes.
• We will be a community that accepts reasonable change and growth, however we will be careful to ensure that change and growth will not harm the quality of life or community character that contribute to our dientity. We will preserve or enhance the sense of place within our existing developed areas, and ensure that newly developed areas are
  interconnected with the existing town, are based on the very qualities that make us special, and create a positive link to our edges.
• We will manage our transportation network to minimize congestion, and make every effort to ensure that our community continues to be walkable, bicycle-friendly, and accessible to passenger rail.
• We will continue to have a diverse and thriving business environment, with emphasis on making the best use of our location, tourism, providing needed services and goods, and quality job creation.