“This plan is like no other that the city of Danville has produced,” said Danville Planning Director Renee Burton.
Residents can take a peek at Danville’s draft comprehensive plan that guides the city’s approach to land-use development, zoning and development priorities.
Officials gave this latest plan a more expanded vision, aiming for a document that addresses areas not mentioned in past plans.
“The document covers topics that were previously not covered in our comprehensive plan, such as environment, community and culture,” Burton said. “This plan takes a more holistic approach to the development of our home. It looks not only at the development of the land, as required, but at the development of community and the individuals that live within our community.”
The draft was developed after a two-year public engagement process known as PLAN Danville, which included 75 events and input from more than 13,000 residents, according to a news release from the city.
Pre-planning for the new comprehensive plan began in January 2023, and Burton, the city’s consultants and several assigned ambassadors who live in the city sought input from residents for the plan over the following year and a half.
A dozen years have passed and Danville has undergone transformation since city officials last developed a new comprehensive land-use plan.
Since 2012, the city has seen enormous changes as the result of events including Tropical Storm Michael in October 2018, thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment announced, transformation of the downtown River District, a nationwide COVID-19 pandemic and a Caesars Virginia casino resort that is currently being built.
The city’s comprehensive plan is a 20-year document that must be reviewed every five years. This newest draft plan is roughly 400 pages.
While each comprehensive plan or review of an existing plan has allowed citizens to provide input during an after-hours meeting or at a planning commission of city council meeting, the process for the most recent document took things a step further, Burton said.
“We … actively went into the community to seek public input,” Burton said. “The public input we received developed the priorities that became the eight areas of focus, or the eight chapters of the plan.”
City officials launched a social-media campaign, conducted a survey, appointed community ambassadors and held several dozen events, Burton pointed out.
The eight chapters include:
- Community: Focusing on empowering community members and city leadership to collaborate and take action;
- Land use: To promote thriving neighborhoods where residents have easy access to essential services;
- Transportation: Building a multimodal transportation network that supports freedom of mobility, economic vibrancy, social equity and improved health outcomes;
- Infrastructure: Building high-quality, well-connected and resilient infrastructure;
- Housing: To enhance housing accessibility and affordability;
- Economy: Support diverse and equitable economic growth and prosperity;
- Environment: Encouraging open spaces and natural systems that can adapt to the various needs of the community;
- Culture: Preserve shared history and celebrate people’s unique cultures.
The release of this draft is a milestone in our journey, and we encourage all residents to review it and offer feedback,” City Manager Ken Larking said in a prepared statement. “Your input is critical in ensuring that this plan reflects our collective vision for Danville’s future.”
Residents who have any questions or comments while reviewing the draft document are encouraged to share them by email at hello@plandanville.org.
“This plan consolidates all the data collected and offers a vision for what the future of Danville could look like,” Burton said in a prepared statement. “We invite residents to explore the document and see how your voice has helped shape the proposed roadmap for our city.”
Read the original article here (Register and Bee, John Crane)