Clifton council prioritizes playground, walkways and Pink House use limits in strategic planning session

Clifton's Town Council heard broad community support for preserving the town's small‑town character and on Feb. 16 used a public prioritization exercise to single out a playground replacement and improved walkways as top projects to inform the FY27 budget.

Vice Mayor Jay Davis told attendees a rough first draft of the Clifton Town Plan has been completed and reviewed by the Planning Commission; he said consultants will finalize data and that the plan will undergo two public hearings — one hosted by Planning, followed by one before the Council — before adoption. He added that projects aligned with the Town Plan will carry greater priority in future funding decisions.

Councilmembers and residents discussed several specific projects during the session. Councilmember Steve Effros described the Pink House as providing office, meeting and parking space for residents, businesses and visitors, and said grant funding could address much of the financial burden while the Town would assume ongoing maintenance obligations. Meeting participants confirmed the grant restricts use of the property for profit for 20 years.

Residents and councilmembers debated how to balance local needs with visitors when planning the playground replacement. Mayor Lynn Screen said a quote had been obtained to remove aging equipment and expand the play area just enough to meet safety spacing; resident Donna Netschert urged keeping the playground sized to serve Clifton's local children rather than designing it to draw patrons from across the county. The Town Clerk noted there are "only a handful of children that live within Town boundaries," and councilmembers flagged long‑term maintenance and material durability as budget considerations.

Participants also discussed a potential expansion of the parking area behind Villagio along the railroad tracks to increase parking for businesses, but councilmembers cautioned the site would require grading and runoff mitigation and that ownership and jurisdictional questions with the railroad and landowners would need resolution.

On environmental priorities, councilmembers noted ongoing invasive species remediation in the floodplain and suggested coordinating volunteer efforts (including with a local Boy Scout troop) to assist with trails and maintenance; they linked these efforts to a Town Plan goal to develop a tree ordinance and noted the town could engage groups as the state considers a tree cover bill.

The prioritization exercise, in which attendees placed color‑coded stickers to indicate preferences for residents, businesses or visitors, produced a rough ranking that placed the playground and better walkways at the top. Mayor Screen said the Council will take the input into account when preparing the long‑term plan and the FY27 budget; budget meetings are scheduled for March and April and are open to the public.

What happens next: the Town will incorporate the public input into the Town Plan process and proposed FY27 budget, and councilmembers suggested inviting VDOT for a traffic‑calming study to evaluate feasibility for walkways and speed‑control measures.