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Mount Airy council adopts 2023–2033 comprehensive master plan with technical edits and one assignment change
Summary
The Mount Airy Town Council unanimously adopted the town's 2023–2033 comprehensive master plan on Feb. 3, 2025, approving minor editorial changes and removing the Commission on Aging and Livability (COAL) as the named lead on library matters, which will instead be handled by town staff.
The Mount Airy Town Council voted to adopt the town's 2023–2033 comprehensive master plan on Feb. 3, 2025, approving a late amendment that removes the Commission on Aging and Livability (COAL) as the document's designated lead for library-related responsibilities and directs town staff to take on that role.
Council members and planning commissioners described the adopted plan as the town's policy roadmap through 2033. Planning Commission chair Ralph Ghent, who led the commission’s work on the plan, told the council the document reflected extensive public input and “can guide us to 2033.”
The council’s action followed extended remarks from multiple council members and commissioners praising the planning process and asking for follow-up tools to support implementation. During discussion, at least one council member urged creation of a housing-diversity dashboard and a public-facilities adequacy dashboard so elected officials, commissions and residents can track housing types and infrastructure capacity over time. The council instructed staff to pursue the edits that had been circulated to members and to add an objective from the draft into chapter 9 of the plan.
Council members and town staff credited Planning Commission volunteers, staff and the mayor for the work. The resolution as adopted included the table amendment removing COAL as the lead for the library, the small editorial edits to the executive summary that were circulated at the meeting, and the addition of the item referenced for chapter 9.
The motion to adopt passed on a voice vote; no councilmember recorded an opposition on the floor during the vote. After the adoption, the council noted a plan to use the document as the basis for future budget and project prioritization over the coming decade.
The council also announced two closed sessions at the meeting’s end — one on a public works agreement and another on land acquisition — which were scheduled following the open meeting.
The master plan will now be available as the town’s guiding policy document; the council directed staff to implement the specific edits adopted at the meeting and to coordinate with commissions on next steps and follow-up reporting.
