The Botetourt County Planning Commission and the Department of Community Development are currently updating the county’s Comprehensive Plan. The January 13 meeting focused on Planning Commissioners’ comments on a review of “Chapter 6 – Housing” and “Chapter 7 – Land Use.” Staff took comments and suggestions from the Planning Commissioners and will continue to work incorporating feedback into the plan for presentation at the next work session on February 10 at the Botetourt County Administrative Offices in Daleville.
The Comprehensive Plan is the guiding document for the county and has long-reaching land use and policy implications. Virginia Code directs local governments to adopt a comprehensive plan, prepared and recommended by the local Planning Commission. State code further directs the Planning Commission to review the plan once every five years. The last full update to the county’s Comprehensive Plan was conducted in 2010, while some chapters have since been updated. A full update to the plan is necessary to ensure the continued success of Botetourt County.
“We did update the plan in 2016 with the adoption of the Gateway Crossing Area Plan and designation of Urban Development Areas, and updated a few chapters since then,” Director of Community Development Nicole Pendleton recently shared. “We are moving towards a full update that we hope to send for adoption this year. We’ve actually held quite a few work sessions with the Planning Commission regarding an upcoming comprehensive update. The plan stalled during COVID, but we’ve faced staffing constraints since then that have limited our ability to move this forward.”
According to the county, “Envision Botetourt 2040” is Botetourt County’s newest Comprehensive Plan and will be driven by the citizens, drafted by the Department of Community Development, and directed by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. The goal is to produce a plan that will serve the county and citizens well through the year 2040.
Housing that is right-sized and affordable to the citizens of Botetourt is incredibly important for meeting the needs of the county. Chapter 6 provides an overview of housing in Botetourt, including statistics on the total number of housing units, average age of housing units, the type of housing found in the county, tenure and vacancy rates, and housing value and affordability. The chapter reviews community engagement efforts, as well providing a high-level discussion of survey responses. A section on housing studies reviews information from the 2016 and 2019 housing studies. The 2019 housing study analyzed housing opportunity areas and identified four key housing objectives for the county.
Staff reviewed the current goal after feedback from the Planning Commission members. The revised goal de-emphasizes preservation of the rural character of the county, as preservation of rural character is heavily featured in other chapters.
“The Planning Commision is excited to update the Comprehensive Plan this year,” Planning Commission Chair Beth Leffel shared. “We have discussed some parallel work sessions with the Board of Supervisors to expedite the process. I hope that the community participates in the process because we really need input from citizens, especially on the Land Use map.”
Current Goal: Ensure the availability of affordable and high-quality housing stock that meets the needs of current and future residents while retaining the county’s rural character.
Revised Goal: Ensure the availability of affordable and diverse housing options that provide residents of all ages, means, and backgrounds the ability to reside in Botetourt County now, and in the future. This approach is intended to create a Botetourt that all can call home.
The Land Use chapter builds off the 2010 Land Use chapter, bringing forward future land use categories and updating the planning context from that earlier edition.
Future Land Use categories are defined and described in this chapter, with categories such as agriculture and conservation, several residential categories, several types of commercial categories, and an industrial category. New to this Comprehensive Plan is the inclusion of the “Village” land use category, which encompasses established community areas that have established street grids and village centers. Much of the area identified in the Village category has access to at least public water, with some also having limited access to public sewer.
This chapter ends in a needs assessment that echoes needs listed in other chapters, such as protecting agricultural land from development pressures, developing a network of interconnected trails and greenways, promoting redevelopment and infill, updating market studies, and working to encourage public involvement in land use decisions.
Current Goal: Encourage a harmonious balance of land uses in the county that serve to enhance one another, support the needs of a growing community, and accentuate the existing character of development throughout Botetourt.
Revised Goal: Encourage proven, place-based, forward-thinking land uses that work together to preserve existing character, encourage economic and cultural investment, and reflect the needs of a growing community now, and in the future. By doing this, growth can be guided and ensure orderly development moving forward.
Staff will work to incorporate the Planning Commission’s suggestions and provide those results at the next work session. The work session will also include the next two chapters for discussion.
To read more about the Comprehensive Plan, please visit www.botetourtva.gov/361/Comprehensive-Plan.
~ Fincastle Herald staff report
