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Richmond County, Virginia

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

VISION WORKSHOP SUMMARY

On the evening of January 28, 2010 approximately 30 citizens attended a public session at the Northern Neck Technical Center aimed at creating a vision of Richmond County in the next 10 years.

The workshop, facilitated by Jonathan Doherty and Todd Janeski of NEMO (Network for the Education of Municipal Officials), was the 7^th public meeting in the last 13 months, designed to engage citizens in the planning process.  The aim of this visioning workshop was to elicit participants’ individual points of view as to the primary characteristics they would like the County to exhibit in the next 20 years and then to focus on the ones everyone could agree on in order to form a consensus view of the County’s future.

Citizens were randomly assigned to tables resulting in about 7 tables composed of 5-7 group members each.  Seven categories were listed on the board – Landscape & Development Patterns; Natural Resources & Environment; Heritage, Culture & Recreation; Economy & Business; People & Community; Services & Public Facilities and Governance. Each person was asked to work independently and to write down the top 2-3 characteristics of Richmond County he or she would like to see in place by 2020.  The characteristic had to be described in only 3-7 words.  They were then asked to pick their top 2 characteristics and share these with their table group.  From this point the group members moved from their individual backyards to their neighborhood – their table.  At the table these neighbors had to discuss, explain or clarify these viewpoints.  Only the 5-6 commonly held viewpoints, in priority order could be brought to the board. (Click on the link  final wall. Use your zoom, scroll and side scroll buttons to view the wall.)

As first priority, most groups listed Jobs or Economic Development.  Following closely behind was Public Recreation Development.  Many other ideas were put on the board with the audience choosing which categories these priorities best fit.

The audience as a whole also valued protection of Natural Resources, particularly waterways for fishing, water quality and public access.  The way local government is run generated responses that included:  reducing county government; limiting government control over land use; responsible planning; sensitivity to the will of the people; and enabling a business friendly environment.

As the evening ended, the question was asked:  “Where do we go from here?”

NEXT STEPS

So, where do we go next?  The Comprehensive Plan Review Committee will look at all the citizen responses and comments it has received over the past 13 months in its public engagement process to develop a short narrative or story of what the inhabitants of this County want their ‘home place’ to be or become in the next 10 years.  From the 500 respondents to the citizen survey to those who faithfully attended the public workshops, the Committee thanks you for your participation.

This narrative or story will appear on this website later this month and will also be released to the Northern Neck News.  It will also be reported to the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.  This consensus view will guide the Comprehensive Plan and its writing by the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee.  Goals and objectives, policies and recommendations in the Plan must meld this vision with the legal requirements for planning the orderly physical development of the County’s territory as well as with state legislation regarding affordable housing, Chesapeake Bay Area Preservation, transportation networks and stormwater management.

Drafts of the Comprehensive Plan will be brought before the Planning Commission in its work sessions, which are open to the public.  The first such session should be in March. The Commission may approve, reject or revise the draft writing.  Once these individual parts of the Plan have been approved in whole by the Planning Commission, it will advertise a public hearing for consideration of a the new Richmond County Comprehensive Plan.  Once the Commission approves the Plan they will send it forward, in its entirety, to the Board of Supervisors.  The Board will review the Plan, most likely in parts, during its monthly meetings, which are again, open to the public.  The Board will advertise a public hearing once they have made their final revisions to the draft.  Look for the new Richmond County Comprehensive Plan to be enacted no later than December 2010.

For your information, the Planning Commission meets on the Monday immediately preceding the 2^nd Thursday of the month, at 7pm, in the Public Meeting Room of the former court building, 101 Court Circle.  The Board meets the 2^nd Thursday of the month at 9am in the same room.

If you have any questions call Robin Markham, Director of Planning and Zoning at 804-333-3415.

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This page was last updated on Wednesday, February 03, 2010