Prince Edward County adopts updated comprehensive plan; VDOT edits to be incorporated

Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt an updated comprehensive plan after a public hearing and a recommendation from the county planning commission, directing staff to incorporate edits requested by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

The plan, drafted by the Berkeley Group and discussed at a joint series of work sessions, is intended as a 20-year strategic guide for land use, housing, transportation, economic development and natural-resource stewardship in Prince Edward County. Rebecca Cobb of the Berkeley Group told the boards the draft replaces the county's 2014 comprehensive plan and is meant to guide local policy, not to act as zoning or code: "The comprehensive plan is a community guided vision for the future," Cobb said.

Why it matters: The comprehensive plan sets the county's policy priorities and provides an implementation matrix linking strategies to responsible parties, time frames and rough cost estimates. County and planning officials said they will use the plan to evaluate future development applications, align capital budgets to priorities and coordinate with state agencies.

Presentation and key contents Berkeley Group consultants described a multi-year engagement that began in October 2023 and included six focus groups with roughly 30 organizations, two public open houses in March and a community survey that drew 715 responses. The draft contains nine chapters covering: plan overview; county profile; natural and historic resources; housing and livable communities; economic growth; community facilities and services; transportation;…