Prince George Planning Commission forwards 2045 comprehensive plan to Board with boundary and land-use changes

Prince George County planning commissioners voted Nov. 20 to forward the draft Prince George County 2045 comprehensive plan to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation for approval, subject to three changes approved during the meeting.

Benjamin Tripp, a planner with the Berkeley Group, presented the draft plan and repeatedly reminded the commission and public that “a comprehensive plan is a legally required document under the Code of Virginia” that provides long-range, advisory policy guidance rather than immediate changes to zoning. Tripp walked commissioners through the plan’s chapters — from natural and cultural resources to transportation, housing and an implementation matrix that assigns actions, responsible parties and short-, mid- and long-term timeframes.

During public comment, William Steele of 9921 County Line Road in Desputana urged the commission to postpone any vote until newly elected board members take office, saying residents should have their input considered. “Let’s put it on hold. Let’s wait until we get the new members of the board the commission to come on board,” Steele said, adding that “we spent $200,000 for this plan” and expressing unresolved concerns about the proposal.

Commissioners proceeded with motions that altered parts of the draft plan before forwarding it. Commissioner Anderson moved to forward the plan subject to text changes shown in a handout; the commission then approved a separate motion (referred to in the meeting as “alternative A”) to reduce the Prince George planning-area boundary around Disputana and to change the affected land from a suburban-residential designation to rural. Commissioners also approved a motion to eliminate the separate “rural preservation” future-land-use category and instead retain a single “rural” designation.

After staff summarized the cumulative changes, the commission approved a consolidated motion to forward the plan — dated Nov. 5, 2025 — to the Board of Supervisors with the changes approved during the meeting. The roll-call vote on the final forwarding motion recorded unanimous recorded support among present commissioners, with individual roll calls on specific amendments showing one or two dissenting votes on particular motions.

Staff told the commission the Board of Supervisors public hearing on the plan is scheduled for Dec. 9 at 6:00 p.m. Staff also noted the contracting work to diagnose zoning and subdivision ordinance changes that would follow the plan is expected to resume in 2026. The planning-commission recommendation is advisory; any zoning or ordinance changes required to implement the plan’s policies would require separate, subsequent board action and public hearings.

The meeting concluded after routine communications and a roll-call vote to adjourn.