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Powhatan subcommittee seeks to align comprehensive-plan economic chapter with board strategic priorities and to fold EDA work into objectives
Summary
Committee members asked staff to reorganize the economic development chapter of the comprehensive plan to match the boards strategic priorities (including a new priority for rural heritage) and to incorporate an active Economic Development Authority (EDA) function into top objectives.
Powhatan Countys economic development subcommittee spent part of the meeting reviewing proposed edits to the comprehensive plans economic development chapter and agreed to re-order and update objectives so the chapter reflects the Board of Supervisors strategic priorities, including the recently added Priority 6 on rural heritage and resource preservation.
Committee members said Objective ED-4 (the 85/15 site development priority) should be elevated in the chapters ordering, and they recommended folding the creation of an active Economic Development Authority (EDA) and an EDA plan into the top-ranked objectives. Staff and several members voiced support for reorganizing objectives so the chapter emphasizes site development, site readiness, and workforce-quality jobs.
Roxanne (committee member) said she would draft proposed rearrangements and edits to the economic development chapter and circulate them to the group. Members encouraged changes that avoid simply repeating older language and instead reflect current departmental work and measurable priorities. The committee also recommended the draft link the strategic plan priorities to chapter objectives and identify responsible implementing departments.
Why it matters: aligning the comprehensive plan text with the boards strategic plan and with the countys economic-development work should make county goals clearer to developers, the planning commission and the public. Committee members said that clarifying roles (for planning, economic development and administration) will help when the county moves from map designations to specific zoning and ordinance changes.
Directions and next steps: the committee asked Roxanne to prepare a revised economic development chapter draft that (a) elevates site-development objectives (including the 85/15 emphasis), (b) folds the EDA initiative into top priorities, and (c) highlights broadband and demographic trends the staff should monitor. Members also suggested the committee assign specific objective-responsibilities (departments or programs) in the draft.
No formal vote was recorded on the text changes; the group instructed staff to produce a revised draft for consideration at a future meeting.
