Subject:
Title
Return of the Draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan to the Planning Commission for Reconsideration
Body
DATE(S) OF PRIOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF THIS ISSUE:
April 20, 2026 – Joint Town Council and Planning Commission work session
May 4, 2026 – Town Council public hearing
May 18, 2026 – Town Council work session
June 1, 2026 – Town Council work session (item deferred because of the late hour)
July 6, 2026 – Town Council work session
Sept. 14, 2026 – Town Council work session
Sept. 21, 2026 – Town Council work session
EXPLANATION AND SUMMARY:
The Comprehensive Plan is the Town's long-range policy document. It guides land use, transportation, economic development, parks and recreation, public facilities and infrastructure, and environmental sustainability. The Draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan is a comprehensive update of the plan adopted in 2016 and amended in 2020. The Planning Commission completed its recommended draft on Feb. 25, 2026.
The Town Council and Planning Commission held a joint work session on April 20, 2026, and the Council held a public hearing on May 4, 2026. Since then, the Council has held a series of work sessions to review the draft. The Council worked from a table of issues drawn from public comments, staff recommendations, and Council Members' comments, and gave staff guidance on each item. At its Sept. 14 and 21 work sessions, the Council discussed how the plan’s strategies should be handled.
Staff recommends that the Council remand the draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan and return it to the Planning Commission for further review and consideration under § 15.2-2227.
To guide the Planning Commission's review, the following items are submitted for the Council's consideration:
Issues Table with Town Council Guidance (Attachment 01)
Revised Wireless Communications text (Attachment 02)
Guidance on the strategies (described below; the current draft Plan’s goals, policies, and strategies are provided as Attachment 03)
Issues Table...
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