1990 Comprehensive Plan
ENVIRONMENT
Montgomery County has a vast supply of rural land
characterized by its rugged terrain, majestic scenes of rolling fields, and
mature forests. Clean water and clean air is abundant and cherished. Many cultural
features and historic places are located throughout the county. These natural
resources and symbols of our heritage are assets in the quest to improve the
quality of life for all citizens. Responsible management of these assets includes
preservation, regulation, an controlled development. Goals, policies and strategies,
which describe actions, which will guide responsible management include:
GOAL EN 1.0.0
Prevent the pollution of air, surface water and groundwater resources of Montgomery County.
POLICY EN 1.1.0
Require all landowners in designated Agricultural
and Forestal Districts to have either a conservation plan or a forestry management
plan in order that all residents of the County benefit from good stewardship
of the land.
POLICY EN 1.2.0
Utilize Best Management Practices developed by
the Virginia Division of Forestry with industry and public support when harvesting
timber within the County.
POLICY EN 1.3.0
Encourage Best Management practices for the minimization
of odors from agricultural origin.
POLICY EN 1.4.0
Emphasize the importance of erosion and sediment
control.
STRATEGY EN 1.4.1
Review and possibly strengthen the County’s
Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance in order to better control and
monitor erosion.
STRATEGY EN 1.4.2
Consider a comprehensive control system rather
than a site-specific, piecemeal approach to stormwater management because
a comprehensive approach gives more consideration to overall watershed drainage,
reduces pollution better and is more cost-efficient.
STRATEGY EN 1.4.3
Give the County engineer more responsibility
and input into this process.
POLICY EN 1.5.0
Protect the County’s water resources for the
future including the New River, Roanoke River and groundwater resources.
STRATEGY EN 1.5.1
Participate in the programs of the Skyline
Soil & Water Conservation District.
STRATEGY EN 1.5.2
Participate in the regional Roanoke River Corridor
Study and work to implement the recommendations of this study that are applicable
to the County.
STRATEGY EN 1.5.3
Encourage widespread public education on water
pollution including clean-up programs such as adopt-a-stream.
POLICY EN 1.6.0
Continue to enforce applicable county, state,
and federal regulations within the designated 100-year floodplain.
GOAL EN 2.0.0
Encourage and plan for the long-term
protection of the rural environment of Montgomery County that has not been designated
as an Expansion Area.
POLICY EN 2.1.0
Inform and encourage property owners to take
advantage of available preservation and conservation measures.
STRATEGY EN 2.1.1
Support conservation easements as a counter
to federal estate tax laws because such laws can work against the conservation
of important privately held land.
STRATEGY EN 2.1.2
Support a land trust for the New River Valley
that can accept conservation easements and facilitate other land conservation
transactions (donations, direct purchase, etc.)
STRATEGY EN 2.1.3
Publicize and implement the A-2 Agricultural
& Conservation Zoning District.
POLICY EN 2.2.0
Review the County Subdivision Ordinance with
respect to the required dedication of open space land. (See also EN 5.1.2)
POLICY EN 2.3.0
Encourage the preparation of an open space plan
for the county that would identify natural and cultural resources and would
include a conservation overlay zone.
STRATEGY EN 2.3.1
Continue to preserve the rural character of
US Rt. 460 from Blacksburg north to the Giles County line.
POLICY EN 2.4.0
Identify and delineate areas of environmental
sensitivity such as:
- Karst terrain
- Unstable slopes
- Unstable soils (high shrink-swell potential)
- Ridgeline areas and scenic vistas
- Habitat for endangered species
- Important fossil beds,
in order to discourage harmful development practices.
(See also HO 5.3.0)
POLICY EN 2.5.0
When appropriate, purchase land with the intent
of land banking for recreational and open space needs. (See also CF 1.4.0)
POLICY EN 2.6.0
Encourage and recognize historic preservation
in the County.
STRATEGY EN 2.6.1
Consider state and federal designation of historic
districts and structures that are found to be qualified for such designation.
STRATEGY EN 2.6.2
Investigate and pursue designation of the County
as a Virginia Certified Local Government.
STRATEGY EN 2.6.3
Support local and regional archaeological resource
surveys.
GOAL EN 3.0.0
Retain prime and important agricultural
land of Montgomery County in active production and discourage its conversion
to other land uses.[9]
POLICY EN 3.1.0
Support the initiative of the active farmer and
call attention to the fact that the State of Virginia has right-to-farm legislation.
POLICY EN 3.2.0
Discourage the conversion of prime and important
farmlands to non-agricultural uses.
POLICY EN 3.3.0
Consider the future impact upon present and future
agricultural operations when making land use decisions in identified agricultural
areas.
STRATEGY EN 3.3.1
Use the LESA (Land Evaluation and Site Assessment)
system, as revised, as a tool when deciding which areas and under what conditions
farmland should or should not be converted to non-farmland uses.
STRATEGY EN 3.3.2
Recognize and take into account Agricultural
& Forestal Districts when making land use decisions on land lying within
or next to established Agricultural & Forestal Districts.
POLICY EN 3.4.0
Work to expand the County’s Agriculture &
Forestal District program.
STRATEGY EN 3.4.1
Inform citizens of the program. Regular promotion
of the goals and benefits of the district needs to be done.
GOAL EN 4.0.0
Develop a comprehensive solid waste management
program for Montgomery County, which addresses the state’s waste management
hierarchy i.e., planning, source reduction, reuse, recycling, resource recovery,
incineration, and landfilling.
POLICY EN 4.1.0
Develop a countywide comprehensive and integrated
solid waste management plan or participate in a regional plan that meets state
standards.
POLICY EN 4.2.0
Encourage source reduction of waste material
by commercial, private and governmental sectors.[10]
STRATEGY EN 4.2.1
The County, Blacksburg and Christiansburg should
support legislation to prompt manufacturers to reduce packaging through
their Congressional and General Assembly representatives.
POLICY EN 4.3.0
Investigate and consider supporting a regional
resource recovery facility.
POLICY EN 4.4.0
Strictly regulate (based on state standards)
incineration practices for all solid and liquid wastes.
POLICY EN 4.5.0
Increase community awareness by teaching and
informing citizens of good solid waste disposal and recycling practices.
STRATEGY EN 4.5.1
Disseminate information on current facilities
and regulations concerning solid waste disposal.
STRATEGY EN 4.5.2
Support legislation that would allow Montgomery
County to sponsor household hazardous waste collection days and inform citizens
of proper disposal of household hazardous wastes.
STRATEGY EN 4.5.3
Enforce litter control and roadside dumping
ordinances.
STRATEGY EN 4.5.4
Continue to support county clean-up and efforts
by civic groups such as the Montgomery County Improvement Council’s Broomin’
and Bloomin’ and VDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program.
POLICY EN 4.6.0
Bring all County landfills up to new state standards
by 1992.
STRATEGY EN 4.6.1
Develop a construction and debris landfill
in order to extend the life of the existing sanitary landfill.
STRATEGY EN 4.6.2
Cooperate with the New River Valley Planning
District Commission in the preparation of a general map showing suitable
locations for solid waste management facilities throughout the New River
Valley. [11]
STRATEGY EN 4.6.3
Establish policies that address hazardous materials,
asbestos containing materials, tires and other special wastes.
POLICY EN 4.7.0
Develop and implement criteria to evaluate suitable
greenbox sites.
POLICY EN 4.8.0
Encourage recycling as a means of reducing the
waste stream and promoting environmental concerns and safety.
STRATEGY EN 4.8.1
Consider additional landfill tipping fees.
STRATEGY EN 4.8.2
Encourage Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Virginia
Tech to work with the county to exceed state mandated recycling minimums
of 10% by July 1, 1991, 15% by July 1, 1993, and 25% by 1995 on the "total
of household wastes and principal recyclable materials that are wastes from
non-household sources" as soon as possible.
STRATEGY EN 4.8.3
Encourage a countywide composting program that
could:
- Remove yard waste from the municipal waste
streams
- Produce a valuable soil amendments
- Chip limbs and branches for mulch
- Possibly compost domestic sewage sludge
STRATEGY EN 4.8.4
Expand the recycling center to include plastics,
tires, and paper goods.
STRATEGY EN 4.8.5
Explore curbside pickup in the County with
voluntary or mandatory separation.
STRATEGY EN 4.8.6
Recognize and support volunteer and civic groups
that sponsor recycling campaigns as well as private for-profit recycling
efforts.
STRATEGY EN 4.8.7
Encourage recyclable markets and use of recycled
products by the County, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Virginia Tech.[12]
STRATEGY EN 4.8.8
Encourage cooperation in a regional facility
for recycling all recyclable materials on a large scale.
STRATEGY EN 4.8.9
Implement a county government-recycling program
for offices and schools.
GOAL EN 5.0.0
Develop additional recreational facilities and
programs in Montgomery County to meet the needs of an expanding population.
POLICY EN 5.1.0
Encourage the acquisition and development of
additional parklands with the cooperation of Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Virginia
Tech and other related entities.
STRATEGY EN 5.1.1
Provide large regional parks, which serve many
different functions.
- Create incentives to encourage the donation
of quality land for recreation sites.
- Encourage further development of outdoor
parks especially river parks.
POLICY EN 5.2.0
Develop public, multi-use, recreation facilities
in connection with new public facilities such as schools and libraries in
order to capture economies of scale. (See also CF 1.3.0)
POLICY EN 5.3.0
Expand hiking/biking trails (on and off road)
and equestrian trails throughout the County.[13]
STRATEGY EN 5.3.1
Prepare and adopt a biking/walkway plan as
an element of the County’s Comprehensive Plan in order to provide for a
coordinated system of bikeways and trails and allow the County to receive
grant funding.
STRATEGY EN 5.3.2
Encourage the development of equestrian trails
that provide connections to other equestrian trails throughout the county.
POLICY EN 5.4.0
Implement the Virginia Outdoors Plan recommendations
on scenic rivers and by-ways.
STRATEGY EN 5.4.1
Seek Virginia By-way designation for State
Route 693 from State Route 8 to Claytor Lake in cooperation with Pulaski
County.
STRATEGY EN 5.4.2
Seek Virginia Scenic River designation for
the New River from Whitethorne to Bluff City in cooperation with Giles County
and for the Little River from State Route 8 to State Route 787 in cooperation
with Floyd County.
POLICY EN 5.5.0
Investigate the feasibility of a regional cultural
center.
STRATEGY EN 5.5.1
Evaluate the house and grounds of Whitethorn
as a possible location for a center such as the state-owned Reynolds Homestead
in Patrick County.
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