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County planning staff previews Parts 3–4 of Montgomery Matters comprehensive plan update
Summary
Planning staff presented Parts 3 and 4 of the county comprehensive plan update, outlining goals and priority actions for land use, economic development, housing, transportation, infrastructure, public safety and health/services and a schedule for finalizing the plan and public hearings in March.
County planning staff presented the next installments of the Montgomery Matters comprehensive plan update, focusing on community development (Part 3) and health and services (Part 4).
Justin (planning staff) reviewed citizen feedback and priority actions across multiple chapters. In land use he emphasized balanced growth concentrated along existing corridors and village areas, preserving farmland and natural resources, preparing a zoning ordinance rewrite, and prioritizing capital improvements. Economic development goals included diversifying industry sectors, partnering with education and university partners on workforce and CTE opportunities, and identifying land for future industrial expansion. Housing goals stressed attainable and diverse housing types, support for aging in place, maintaining a housing trust fund, and potential rental assistance and rehabilitation programs.
Transportation items repackaged earlier Transportation Matters priorities — safety, congestion relief, multimodal options, and better use of Interstate 81 exits — and staff indicated projects have been prioritized with funding removing several earlier items from the list. Part 4 covered education, student wellness, library partnerships, food insecurity (identified at ~14% of the county population in peer comparisons), broadband expansion and public infrastructure priorities (water/sewer, private system outreach with Virginia Department of Health), and public safety goals broken into separate police, fire and rescue objectives to reflect stakeholder feedback.
Staff said the planning commission will hold a public hearing March 11 and the board is expected to hold a public hearing on March 23 before adoption of a final plan. Supervisors asked about estimating costs for priority actions and how to translate plan recommendations into budget priorities; staff said some items will be implemented with existing programs or grants while others will require board prioritization and funding decisions.
What happens next: staff will incorporate feedback, present a draft for planning commission public hearing in March, and return to the board for a March 23 public hearing and action toward adoption.
