Powhatan citizens working group maps Route 60 parcels to pursue 85/15 tax-split goal

Powhatan County's citizen working group spent much of its Feb. meeting reviewing a draft strategic plan implementation approach aimed at shifting the county's tax base toward the board's stated 85/15 target by encouraging more light-industrial development along the Route 60 corridor.

The subcommittee presented a GIS map and an accompanying spreadsheet that identifed parcels the group labeled "economic priority" (EP) for light industrial uses and tested how converting or emphasizing those sites could move the county's assessed-value mix away from predominantly residential tax burden. Members stressed this was an advisory exercise, not a rezoning or final county action.

Why it matters: the county's strategic plan calls for a higher share of commercial and industrial assessed value to ease the residential tax burden and support job growth. Subcommittee members said clearer future-land-use labels and targeted ordinance reviews could help economic development staff market appropriate properties to manufacturers and similar employers.

The subcommittee's work focused on the Route 60 corridor east to Jutes Ferry and identified multiple parcels (shown in a shared GIS map) for potential emphasis as light-industrial sites. Presenters said the spreadsheet applies recent assessed-value data,…