The Bedford Bulletin, September 18, 2002
Why Do We Need a Comprehensive Plan?
Bedford County is in the process of creating a new comprehensive plan that will be the county’s guide for how we grow. It is comparable to a corporate management plan and, as noted in last week’s column, it should be a byproduct of civic input. The county’s comprehensive plan is not legally binding, but serves a vital function by providing a guide to public and private decision-making in order to help a community avoid costly mistakes that might occur if no plan existed. In the words of one rural planning expert, Walter Zitzman, a comprehensive plan is “a realistic program for describing where we are, where we want to go, and how we are going to get there.”
Bedford County, like all other localities in the Commonwealth, is required by Virginia Code to develop this “management plan” or blueprint. The code requires local government’s planning commissions to “prepare and recommend a comprehensive plan for the physical development of the territory within its jurisdiction.”
The law specifies that the comprehensive plan “shall be made with the purpose of guiding and accomplishing a coordinated, adjusted and harmonious development of the territory which will, in accordance with present and probable future needs and resources, best promote the health, safety, morals, order, convenience, prosperity and general welfare of the inhabitants.”
A key concept expressed in the law is that the plan’s purpose is to provide a guide to “coordinated, adjusted and harmonious” development. Rather than making decisions in a piecemeal fashion without the benefit of a clear view of the destination (what we want Bedford County to be in the future), the existence of a good comprehensive plan encourages coordinated decision-making so that each decision that is made (for example, regarding water lines, zoning or roads) is part of an overall vision and set of goals.
The Bedford County Planning Commission is charged with the responsibility of developing the comprehensive plan, as well as with making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on rezoning issues and other zoning matters. Within one year of being appointed, members of the planning commission are required to complete the Virginia Certified Planning Commissioners’ Program, a training program at Virginia Tech, to be prepared for their important role in the community. This program consists of a two-day educational conference focusing on planning, zoning and legal issues, followed by a 10-week home study session and a concluding two-day conference. In addition, some commissioners attend an annual two-day Institute for Planning Commissioners, also offered by Virginia Tech.
The Bedford County Planning Commission is an advisory body to the Board of Supervisors, the county’s elected officials. It makes recommendations and advises the Board of Supervisors, which makes final decisions. For example, on August 5, 2002 the commission voted 6-0 to approve a strategic plan drafted by the Atlantic Group of Companies for wireless cell towers in the county. This plan, “The Strategic Plan for Commercial Wireless Telecommunications Facilities,” is a guide for the placement of hundreds of towers to be located throughout the county. It will be one part of the overall comprehensive plan for the county. (This plan does not place a height limit on cell towers, which will require a special use permit from the planning commission, allowing the commission to limit tower height on a case-by-case basis.) The commission’s recommendation to approve this plan went to the Board of Supervisors on August 26, 2002 where it was approved in a 6-0 vote. Generally, but not always, the Board of Supervisors approves recommendations made by the planning commission.
The Bedford County Planning Commission consists of a representative from each of Bedford’s voting districts and one representative from the Board of Supervisors who serves as a liaison. The Board of Supervisors appoints members of the planning commission to four year terms. Members work with the county’s staff planner, Philip Thompson, in drafting the comprehensive plan and in dealing with zoning issues.
Mr. Thompson was hired in January 2000 as Bedford County’s new Director of Planning. He has a Master’s Degree in Planning from the University of Virginia (and is soon to complete a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Virginia Tech). He was Senior Planner for Stafford County, Virginia, prior to assuming his present position. Mr. Thompson also serves as the Zoning Administrator and until recently served as Erosion and Sediment Control Administrator for the county. As staff planner, Mr. Thompson coordinates the work of the planning commission and reports to the Board of Supervisors.
Bedford Citizens for Land Preservation (BCLP) has regularly attended planning commission meetings in 2002. BCLP has discovered that one problem Bedford’s planning commission faces is a common problem in localities that are growing rapidly and that do not already have a current comprehensive plan in place to guide that growth. The commission is so busy dealing with requests for zoning changes and other routine (but important) matters that it is difficult to gather and analyze the information required to begin a process of planning for the growth. There are just so many hours in a day!
Are there ways to “buy time” for planning? BCLP is gathering information on how other localities have addressed this common problem and we will be sharing that information with you in future articles later this year. We will also explain the rules and procedures that relate to public comment at planning commission meetings.
Many other rural counties across the nation, which often do not even have a planning staff, struggle with this problem. Although planning is a top priority, it takes second-place to addressing pressing, immediate zoning issues. Meanwhile, short-term decisions may be made that seem appropriate at the time, but that may have long-term social and fiscal consequences that would be rejected if the decisions had been made with the benefit of a good comprehensive plan.
Planning commission meetings are held on the first Monday of every month and are open to the public (except certain specific exempt topics identified in the Virginia Code.) The meetings generally begin at 6:00 PM and are held in the conference room across from the Department of Planning on the bottom floor of the County Administration Building, 122 East Main Street, Bedford. It is a good idea to call ahead to confirm meeting dates, times and location. Call the Department of Planning at 586-7616 or visit the county’s web site: http://www.co.bedford.va.us.
Because land use and development are critical components of a comprehensive plan, next week’s column will examine the nature of “rural character.”
Editor’s Note: Bedford Citizens for Land Preservation (BCLP) is a citizen-based, public foundation with the mission of supporting responsible growth in Bedford County while maintaining its rural qualities of life. BCLP is seeking volunteers for its committees and for its neighborhood-based “Pride of Place” project.
To review information BCLP has gathered on growth and land use topics, visit the BCLP Resource Cart at the Bedford Central Library.
