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Wythe County planning commission to host public forums on proposed land‑use classification ordinance
Summary
Staff told the commission it will hold public forums starting March 30 to gather feedback on a proposed land‑use classification ordinance; forums will include brief staff presentations, maps, and opportunities for submitted questions and public comment and will not be advertised as formal meetings.
Wythe County staff told the Planning Commission on March 2 that it plans a series of public forums to solicit feedback on a proposed land‑use classification ordinance, beginning March 30 at Fort Chisville High School and continuing into April, May and June as needed.
The forums are intended as opportunities for staff, planning commissioners and members of the Board of Supervisors to listen to the public and collect questions and comments rather than to conduct formal board business. "These will be meetings where the board and the planning commission will both be asked to attend. Um, they will not be advertised as official meetings," a staff member said.
Why it matters: the ordinance is described by staff as a "light touch" approach that aims to respect existing property uses while reducing the risk of incompatible uses adjacent to one another. Staff said the draft would allow most property owners to continue current uses without frequent zoning hearings and recommended the forums as a way to test the draft and gather practical feedback before the Board of Supervisors considers any adoption or amendment.
Staff described the planned forum format: a short presentation to explain the draft and the maps, advance solicitation of questions via the county website and social media, stations for viewing maps and the draft ordinance, and opportunities for attendees to ask staff questions or leave written comments. "If we can't answer it, right, then, we we'll get back to folks," the staff member said, describing a follow‑up process for unresolved questions.
A visitor, Tony Floyd of Max Meadows, urged the commission to schedule at least one forum on a weekend to accommodate residents who cannot attend weekday meetings: "I do support that that occur … ideally have time for one of those forums to occur on the uh on a weekend, Saturday, to accommodate folks that may not be available attend during a weekday," he said.
Staff said the draft ordinance and draft map are posted on the county website and that staff will add a flyer with the final schedule and share analytics on public interest; current online engagement on the draft has been modest compared with recent posts about other county events, staff said. Staff also noted outreach efforts to stakeholder groups such as the Farm Bureau and offered to meet with civic organizations by request.
Next steps: staff will finalize locations and dates, post materials and a schedule on the county website, and return to the commission with any substantive feedback collected at the forums. The commission will then continue its role of advising the Board of Supervisors, which will accept, amend, return or reject the commission's recommendation when it takes formal action.
