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Tazewell council begins five-year comprehensive plan update, flags infrastructure and tourism projects
Summary
At a July work session, Town Manager Leanne urged the council to review the Town of Tazewell comprehensive plan ahead of the next required update, highlighting wastewater upgrades, lead-service-line replacement planning, sidewalk ADA work and new tourism projects such as mountain-biking trails.
The Town of Tazewell began a scheduled review of its comprehensive plan at a special July work session, with staff urging the council to clarify five-year priorities that would position the town for grant funding and infrastructure work.
"So our comprehensive plan was last adopted 09/30/2021," Town Manager Leanne said, noting the periodic review schedule and recommending the council decide how the council and planning commission should collaborate on updates. She asked whether to form a subcommittee or work collectively; several councilors favored handling the review as a group.
Leanne and councilors walked through projects already in the plan or tied to grants, including the Clinch River pavilion, North Tazewell revitalization, a Route 460 waterline replacement and wastewater treatment plant work. Council members pressed to ensure Warhola Park and the town’s donation to a nearby medical office were either listed for grant support or documented with letters of support.
A major planning prompt was a federally influenced requirement to inventory and prepare to replace lead or galvanized water-service lines. "We have to have a plan in place to replace anything that is lead or galvanized lines by November 2027," Leanne told the council, adding that implementation of replacement projects is envisioned to be complete by roughly 2037 and that state and federal funds will be available through competitive applications.
Councilors also discussed elevating tourism and recreation in the plan. One councilor suggested adding a standalone mountain-biking facility as a tourism asset rather than folding it into existing park listings; others urged stronger, measurable goals in the plan so the town can show a clear multi-year budget and implementation roadmap.
Sidewalk maintenance, ADA compliance and multiuse recreation facilities — including proposals for multi-size soccer fields and a Buford Court playground — were raised as near-term priorities that could be advanced through planned fiscal-year funding and by including them in the five-year plan.
Leanne said the planning commission will make formal recommendations on what to add or remove and that staff would provide physical copies of the current 188-page plan to councilors. The council agreed to prioritize infrastructure, tourism and recreation language and to return with more concrete, grant-ready language for the planning commission to consider.
