Bristol, Va., comprehensive plan needs citizen input

By: | TriCities.com
Published: October 14, 2008

Early next year, Bristol, Va., will update its comprehensive plan, a document that aims to guide land use, development, transportation and other needs.
Too often citizens don’t come out for these meetings. It’s often hard to get people excited about zoning or long-range goals or ideas for how their city might look into the future.
But updating the plan is required every five years and Bristol is, admittedly, a bit behind since its last update in 2002.
During a work session last week, members of the Planning Commission talked about ways to spark public involvement. “If people are educated about what a comprehensive plan is – and what impact it can have – they will be more interested,” Commissioner R.L. Light told the Herald Courier.
The comprehensive plan is the overall blueprint for a city’s growth. It helps determine where businesses should grow, where houses should be built, where new roads are needed. Building a comprehensive plan is key to well-planned growth and development.
City officials are considering promoting the planning process by putting notices in utility bills, hosting a series of meetings at schools and City Hall, and by visiting neighborhood watch groups. They also may develop a short survey.
Officials will remind you – through the mail, with a survey, and certainly through this newspaper. But do your part, too. Go to the community meetings, listen and offer your thoughts. The comprehensive plan for Bristol needs to be built with the ideas and offerings of many of its citizens.

Bristol, Va., comprehensive plan needs citizen input

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