What’s your plan?

The town of Culpeper wants you to help create the 2009 Comprehensive Plan.

Last updated in 2002, just before the growth explosion, the Comprehensive Plan provides “a long-range vision statement for a community,” said Maxie Brown, town zoning administrator, at a meeting Friday in Town Hall with other government officials.

About 80 citizens attended public meetings in the Depot Sept. 8 and 9 to offer their input for that vision and it’s that public participation the town hopes to see continue.

Look for a Comprehensive Plan survey coming soon to a mailbox near you; town staff is working on putting that together. Townsfolk can also weigh in on the process at various meetings in coming months.

“The best laid plans are those that have citizen input and so you could actually write, ‘Your Plan,’ across the front,” said Town Planner Bryan Hill.

The existing Comprehensive Plan has 12 chapters, covering topics like the town’s history, population and housing, transportation, historic resources and economic development.

The now-under-development plan will be totally different, Brown said, in that it will have more pictures and less text.

“We’re looking to adopt a plan that is a visual-based plan that’s very easy to understand and very easy to read,” she said.

The Comprehensive Plan is the planning staff’s most important planning tool, Brown said, as it’s referenced during site plan review, land rezoning requests and for most any new development proposal.

Along with the more modern, abridged comp plan version, the traditional, three ring-binder format will be developed, containing updated statistical information and other data required by state law.

But the public also has a chance to have a say in determining the town’s future.

At the meetings earlier this month, town citizens did just that, identifying transportation, historic preservation and job creation at the top of the list of items to be addressed in the new comp plan, which should be ready for Town Council adoption by the fall of 2009.

A 15-member council appointed Steering Committee is also helping to steer the 12-month process along with Clarion Associates, Cincinnati-based consultants charged by council with developing the finished product for a fee of $98,720.

The Steering Committee holds its next meeting Nov. 6 at 3 p.m. in Town Hall to receive an “issues report” from Clarion compiled from citizen feedback.

Such issues include: Main Street congestion, construction of a western bypass road, preservation of older, historic buildings, lack of local train service, conservation of green spaces, housing prices that are disproportionate to local salaries, more sidewalks and bike trails and the preservation of downtown.

Preliminary reports on land use and growth patterns should also be ready by the November meeting, Brown said.

Beyond the issues report compilation, Clarion will develop goals and objectives before hosting another round of public meetings to determine, “Did we get it right?” Brown said.

As for in which areas the town’s borders could possibly expand — an issue now under consideration by Town Council and the Board of Supervisors — getting too specific about that is beyond the purview of the Comp Plan process, said Town Engineer Chuck Stephenson, director of planning.

“As much as we would all like to know exactly what the area is so we can plan while we’re doing all this, we just can’t,” he said, noting that the plan could be updated to incorporate such information when warranted.

Citizens brought up the boundary line adjustment issue at both public meetings, Brown said, “But it is not a focus for a new comprehensive plan.”

So why should the average town citizen care about this process?

“Because it’s not just government officials creating a document of how the community is going to look,” responded town spokesman Wally Bunker. “The stakeholders are the ones who are going to have a say in that.”

Even brand new Culpeper Town Manager Jeff Muzzy, a week on the job, was enthusiastic about the process.

“It’s just so exciting to see citizens really have the opportunity to truly drive the vision for their community,” he said, adding that the best comprehensive plan is one that’s dog-eared after a couple years.

Allison Brophy Champion can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 101 or .