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HomeMy Public PortalAboutTown Plan Update Staff MemoDate of Council Meeting: January 27, 2020 TOWN OF LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL WORKSESSION Subject: Town Plan Update Staff Contact: Susan Berry Hill, Director Scott E. Parker, Senior Planning Project Manager Rich Klusek, Senior Planner Council Action Requested: Provide feedback/guidance to the Consultant and Town staff on the direction of the Town Plan going forward as it relates to items contained within the Joint Worksession Workbook (attachment 1) including a planning context statement, guiding principles, and the three growth scenarios as presented and explained by the Consultant team. The Consultant will facilitate a discussion with the Town Council and the Planning Commission. The goal of the meeting is to have the Town Council and the Planning Commission discuss these items in order to build consensus on the topics and concepts presented, or revise, as needed, the information to better reflect the expectations for writing the first draft of the document. Staff Recommendation: No staff recommendation at this time. Commission Recommendation: Not applicable at this time. Fiscal Impact: Not applicable at this time. Work Plan Impact: The Town Plan update is part of the anticipated work plan of the Department of Planning and Zoning. Executive Summary: As part of the ongoing Town Plan update process, the consulting team and Town staff held a Design Charrette from November 7 through November 11, 2019 at Ida Lee Park Recreation Center. The Charrette was intended to be a collaborative effort between various stakeholders including the public, businesses, interest groups, elected/appointed officials, and staff in order to develop a general framework of the plan, and was the culmination of significant public input and market/data assessment analysis. The result was the creation of guiding principles from the themes that emerged. At this juncture, the consultant team is ready to take all of the information they have gathered, and begin writing a draft of the plan, but they need guidance on the key items referenced above in order to begin writing the draft plan. The Consultant has provided a Joint Worksession Town Plan Update January 27, 2020 Page 2 Workbook that outlines these key items for discussion (Attachment 1). They have also included as Attachment 2 a Background Resource Document that compiles information on the work accomplished to date. A full version of the Market Assessment is also attached (Attachment 3). Much of this information was presented at the closing presentation of the Design Charrette. A video of the entire closing presentation is available on the Legacy Leesburg website (legacy.leesburgva.gov). Town Council and the Planning Commission should review the content of the Joint Worksession Workbook in advance, and be fully prepared to participate in a discussion of:  A Planning Context Statement  Guiding principles  Three alternative growth scenarios The Consultant team and Town staff, will use the guidance and feedback provided by Town Council and the Planning Commission to create the general framework of the plan as well as to develop draft language and graphics which is anticipated to be presented at a Community Workshop event scheduled for the spring of 2020. The Community Workshop will provide additional opportunities for input, discussion, and vetting as the plan continues to move forward. Each body will be presented with a document summarizing the results of the January 27 work session at their respective next meetings. The Town Council and Planning Commission will be asked to provide any additional comments or feedback to Town staff after further reflection of the topics presented, and they will be asked to approve the summary as well. An approved summary will set expectations, and give the project team confidence in the desired general direction of the plan when writing the first draft of the document. The summary document will also make the project team aware of any issues or concerns that should be addressed as the planning process proceeds. The Town Council and Planning Commission will have further opportunities to comment and provide feedback as the public outreach process continues. Members of both bodies are encouraged to participate in any forthcoming public activities including the public workshop scheduled for this spring where it is anticipated that draft recommendations will be presented. Per the Consultant’s tentative schedule and contract, the next formal opportunity for the Planning Commission and Town Council to work on the document will be at their respective public hearings. However, the Council and Planning Commission may request additional work sessions with Town Staff to discuss any additional issues as they deem appropriate. Staff will also make both bodies aware of any key milestones with information items as appropriate. Background: The Town Plan was last comprehensively updated in 2012. In 2018, the Town Council directed Town staff and the Planning Commission to conduct an update of the Town Plan, and appropriated money to hire a consultant to assist with the project. Town Plan Update January 27, 2020 Page 3 Work began on the creation of the new Town Plan on July 2, 2019 when staff engaged the services of Stantec Architecture, Inc., through the signing of the final contract on May 28, 2019. Stantec has partnered with several sub-contractors to complete the project including City Explained, Inc. and W-ZHA, Inc. Public input and public engagement has been at the forefront of the efforts to date, and has been serving as a cornerstone from the outset. The Town Plan is a document to guide the Town into the future, and it is eminently important to hear from as many voices as possible in order to guide the formation of the document, reach adoption, and implement the vision. At this point in the process, numerous outreach efforts have been undertaken. A significant number of residents, businesses, property owners, students, and other various stakeholders have participated. A website dedicated solely to the project (legacy.leesburgva.gov) was developed and implemented, and is the portal for communication, documents, and news related to the project. The efforts to date have included a Community Workshop and a Design Charrette with all of the activities to date leading to the creation of the general framework for the Town Plan document subsequent to this work session. Attachments: 1) Joint Worksession Workbook. 2) Background Resource Document. 3) Market Assessment.