Planning commission sets community meeting schedule, names advisory committees for comprehensive plan update

The Fluvanna County Planning Commission set a schedule of community meetings and named members to four advisory groups to guide an update of the county comprehensive plan.

Planning staff and the commission announced four upcoming community meetings: a Cunningham District meeting at Antioch Baptist Church on March 4 at 7 p.m.; Palmyra at Lake Monticello Fire Department on February 27 at 6 p.m.; Columbia at Columbia Baptist Church on March 8 at 1 p.m.; and a community center meeting on February 26 (times as announced). Following the meetings, staff plans to develop a citizen survey. Mr. Fortune said staff hopes to have a draft survey for commission review by the commission’s March 11 meeting and to disseminate surveys—online and in hard copy—later in March or April depending on feedback.

The commission appointed members to four advisory groups that will assist the planning department: rural preservation (Susie Morris, Ravindra Singh, Jeffrey Potter, Chuck Wright, Hayden Parish); historic preservation (Tricia Johnson, Overton McGee, Kathleen Kilpatrick, Joseph Gitz); housing (Tom Diggs, Benetta Roth, Kim Holland, Charles Gregory); and economic development (Steven Hurwitz, Curtis Putnam, Rudy Garcia, Bridal Gray, Loretta Johnson, Morgan). The chair said advisory groups should consolidate viewpoints into a single report for staff to review for legal and ordinance consistency before the planning commission considers final recommendations.

Commission members asked for a focused planning commission work session on vision statements and overall direction to give consistent guidance to advisory groups. Commissioners also discussed committee meeting frequency (staff estimated three to four meetings per committee) and encouraged planning commissioners to “audit” or attend meetings to listen, while avoiding dominating committee deliberations; the chair said committee chairs or community members should lead the advisory groups.

Staff said it will distribute the existing comprehensive plan to committee members and provide ordinance cross‑checks so committees understand where recommendations can or cannot be implemented under state law (the chair referenced Virginia’s Dillon Rule during discussion). The commission discussed holding dedicated work sessions separate from regular meetings to allow extended discussion on comp plan sections and vision statements.

The commission took no formal vote on the comp plan schedule or committee appointments beyond making the appointments at the meeting; staff will circulate materials and confirm schedules.