Where Are We Now?

Our Worskshop on September 29th at Gandy was well attended! Thank you to the 70+ residents, business owners, and property owners who participated. Some great comments were recieved.

The meeting began with a brief presentation on the history of the development of Ashland, an explanation of the Comprehensive Plan, and some key issues that we are facing as the plan is being updated. Click here for the presentation.

Renaissance Planning Group then led a presentation explaining the scenario planning process they have used in other communities, with examples, and explained the eight focus areas that the Town has been broken up into as part of this Plan update. Click here for the presentation.

Further, a design inventory has been conducted to determine areas that have a cohesive character. Click here to see those maps.

Here are the comments received from the workshop.

Results from our Community Meeting

Below are the results from our community meeting held on April 10 to gather information on our community values. Feel free to comment! We will be using this data to craft an introduction statement to the plan, which we plan to present to the Commission in May.

Community Identity
What contributes to the best qualities of the identity of Ashland?
Support of friends, neighbors and the community
Community events – parades, black history event, street parties, etc
Tolerant community
Train
1940’s physical atmosphere
Architecture and Town layout
Historic Town
Town services – leaf removal, street clearing, trash collectionSafe town, good police service
Sense of place
Prettiest place on Amtrak
Being able to walk to the train station

What makes Ashland different from other communities around Central Virginia?
Train in the middle of Town
Sense of self “center of the universe” “full of ourselves”
Traditions: Christmas House Tour, Variety Show, Railroad Run
Low crime rate
Good Town services
Diversity in housing, not so many “cookie cutter” subdivisions
Know your neighbors

What are the threats to the identity of the Town?
Identity of Town is lost the farther you go away from the center core
Introduction of street names that have no connection or bearing on the Town
Surrounding County development
Too much rental
Drug related crime
Loss of Amtrak – do not want to become a freight town
Not thinking creatively about change
Thinking we can stay the same
Traffic brought from outside development
Lack of interest on the part of much of the public
New development out of character with the Town
Need design standards for businesses along Route 1
You don’t want big retail but that’s who has the money to pay for the improvements (i.e. tax revenue)
Sizeable housing developments

What can we do to maintain or get to the desired identity of Ashland?
Preserve neighborhoods
Positive open communication
Define the Town center – pump life into it
Gateways
A good Comprehensive Plan
Leadership programs for youth and young adults
Responsible growth
Keep Ashland from being a “cut-through” area
Transportation next to uses, not residential
Design standards
More community involvement in local government – make people understand that their opinion counts
Redevelopment of vacant properties
Continue cultural events such as Strawberry Faire; Bluemont Concerts; Train Day, Variety Show

How do neighborhoods, college, the railroad, etc. contribute to Ashland's identity?
Immensely!
Cultural events
Railroad makes commuting possible
Collectively they define the Town

Natural, Historic, Cultural, Educational Resources
What are our key resources?
Schools
College
Walkability
Diversity of People, Housing
History
Architecture
Rural surroundings
Trees/Parks/Open Space
Preservation of mature trees
Library
Live music (Coffee/Tea; Iron Horse; Hanover Arts and Activities Center)
Free Clinic
Hanover Arts and Activities Center
Book Store
Natural resources
Pool
Street grid network
Town Hall

What resources are missing, and needed?
Open Air amphitheater
Community gardens
Passive Parks
Diversity of jobs; need more professional jobs
Museums
Conference Center
Cultural entertainment for young people
Community Center
Hospital
Retirement community and health care for seniors
Children’s venue to rival the college “draw” for kids to return
Strict controls of the size of houses

What features do you value, and why?
Victorian Architecture
The train
Cross Bros Grocery
Library
Trees, sidewalks, walkability
Hanover Arts and Activities Center
Library
Parks

What are the threats to these resources?
CSX bypass
Internet – people not relating to each other
Too much development
Loss of elementary schools
Traffic is a threat to walkability
Crime
Not shopping locally
Lack of diversity
Age of existing schools
Too many rental units

How can we best utilize these resources?
Open up the college to more types of students and the community
Empty nester courses at RMC
Better publicity of college cultural events
More publicity for all of the Town’s cultural events both internally and externally
Improving walkability to cultural sites

Economic Vitality
What types of commerce - including retail, offices, and industrial - do we already have throughout Ashland?
Retail, Restaurants, Banks, Auto dealers, Auto repair, Hair salons, Real Estate, Bike shop, Wine shop, Photographer, College, Motels, Warehouses, Mini storage, Insurance companies, Pet supplies, Used books, Agricultural supplies, Coffee houses, Custom cabinetry, Dentists and Doctors offices, chiropractor, physical therapist, Dry cleaners, Lumber supply, Jewelry, Landscape design, Pharmacies, Boat sales/service, Gas stations, Consignment shop, Mail service, Lawyers, Nail salons

What types of commerce would you like to see occur in Ashland?
Bowling Alley and similar entertainment
Art Gallery and space for artisans
High end clothing and shoe stores
Larger Ukrops or organic groceries or Co-op for locally grown produce
Boutique style shopping
Outdoor dance and bandstand and more performance space
Medical Clinic
Movie Theater
Shoe Repair
Hobby & Art Supply Store
High-end restaurants
Good Pub or Grill
Diner for Breakfast and Lunch

Are there needs that you have that cannot be met in Ashland?
Appliances/electronics
Cameras
Children’s shops
Medical specialists/urgent care
Specialty Foods
Non-chain family restaurants
Larger bookstore
High-end clothing/shoes
Would like to see the service businesses on the tracks return to retail
Senior Day Care

What do people shop for in Ashland and what do they shop for outside of Ashland, and is that the right mix?
In Town
Basic Groceries
Restaurants
Auto services
Other Services

Out of Town
Furniture
Specialty Grocery
Seafood
Boutique shopping

What types of commerce would you not like to see occur in the Town?
Adult Book Stores
Tattoo Parlors
Cigarette shops
Check cashing businesses
Pawn Shops
Large Malls
Strip development
Heavy traffic producing businesses
Do not want to loose all the trees to development
Named subdivisions
Cul-de-sac developments

What types of industrial uses would be appropriate or not appropriate for the Town?
Appropriate:
Clean industry
High paying jobs
Computer Service
Small energy efficient companies

Inappropriate:
Heavy Equipment
Truck Stops
Heavy polluting companies

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