Contents:

Introduction
Summary of Findings
Blacksburg
Christiansburg
Radford
Virginia Tech
177 Corridor Plan (City of Radford and Montgomery County)
Telecommunications Towers
Joint Concerns for Montgomery County, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, & Radford

Task Number 5* in the consultants scope of work is to review the comprehensive plans of neighboring jurisdictions and major institutions, and to compare and contrast these with Montgomery County's Comprehensive Plan in order to identify issues and opportunities for increased coordination and effectiveness between the various jurisdictions. The comprehensive plans, institutional and regional planning efforts reviewed and discussed in this report are:

1. Executive Summary Complete List of All Findings of this Report

2. Town of Blacksburg Comprehensive Plan (page 8)

3. Town of Christiansburg Comprehensive Plan (page 17)

4. City of Radford Comprehensive Plan (page 26)

5. Virginia Tech Planning Documents (page 34)

6. 177 Corridor Study (City of Radford and Montgomery County) (page 41)

7. Regional Approach to Telecommunication Towers (page 47)

8. Joint Concerns of Montgomery County, Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Radford (page 50)

* Due to scheduling needs and other factors in the planning process, the sequence of work does not match the numbering of the tasks and thus Task 2 was the first task undertaken and Task 5 is the second task undertaken in the consultants work program.

Summary and Findings (Blacksburg Plan)

The Blacksburg Plan is an excellent model of a comprehensive plan.

1. Like the Town, the County should compile relevant and recent economic and population data to estimate how much residential, commercial and industrial land will be needed to handle projected growth.

2. There are numerous policies and action strategies in the Town Plan that should be considered as the County moves forward with its Comprehensive Plan update, and vice-versa. Both jurisdictions have undertaken various successful and sophisticated planning initiatives in recent years and thus each can benefit from the others efforts.

• It makes sense for the County to encourage growth in and around existingTowns where employment centers are located and where infrastructure is available. Development in Blacksburg and in certain areas surrounding the Town has long been supported by the County's planning documents.

• The County and the Town have a history of participation in regional planning efforts and both plans support continued Town/County cooperation, particularly within the extraterritorial area identified by the Town. Careful consideration of these issues will allow the County to identify shared goals and action strategies for this portion of the County.

• The use of proffers to offset development costs should be explored by the County and the Town, despite the fact that much of the land planned for residential within the Town has already been zoned for residential, thus limiting the opportunities for proffers.

• The County and the Town should pursue detailed joint planning efforts for border areas and allow these areas to be incorporated into the Town through friendly boundary line adjustments.

• The Prices Fork area may be the next most logical area for a truly collaborative corridor planning process, much like the pioneering effort between the County and the City of Radford with the 177 Corridor Plan.

• The Town and County should jointly re-evaluate the policies for the Toms Creek Basin area. While the Town's Plan understandably designates this area for relatively low density residential development, from a long term regional planning perspective such low density development within the Town boundary is an inefficient use of land, runs counter to smart growth concepts and normal growth management strategies, and may cause leap frog and sprawl development beyond the Town's boundaries.

3. A detailed review of the Town's sector plans should be undertaken as the County begins work on its land use element.

This will ensure coordination of land uses on either side of the invisible boundary dividing the County from the Town to create the seamless transition envisioned by the Town, and resolve potential conflicts between the two Plans as discussed above. The concept of a seamless boundary should be re-examined to determine whether every edge should be seamless, or whether some boundaries should have the traditional hard edge between Town and County.

4. The County should ask the Town for a Geographic Information System (GIS) file of the Town's future land use map so that the Town's planned land uses can be superimposed on a County map database.

This would allow for a quick visual comparison of how the 1990 County plan and existing uses relate to the new Town Plan and would highlight areas where revisions may be appropriate.

Summary and Findings (Christiansburg Plan)

1. Explore Supplements to the Annexation Agreement through a Joint Planning Process

The Christiansburg/County annexation settlement agreement is perhaps a more important document than the Town Plan in defining the Town/County relationship. The framework it provides for the provision of public utilities to the areas surrounding the Town, as well as the policies in the subsequent 114/460 Corridor Plan, have guided the land use decisions that have been made by both jurisdictions in these areas. Moreover, the Town and County have completed two friendly boundary line adjustments since the 1987 annexation and are presently considering two more adjustments. Thus, any future supplement to this agreement as the planned expansion areas become fully developed is an important future issue for the Town and County. Future negotiations between the County and Town should address appropriate boundaries for future commercial and industrial growth in the east of Market Place area, Houchins Road area and Falling Branch Road areas.

While both jurisdictions have adopted the land use plan recommended by the 114/460 Corridor Advisory Planning Council, the County places much more emphasis on limiting the expansion of strip commercial development as well as in the Falling Branch and 460/I-81 interchange areas.

This presents the opportunity for a collaborative joint planning process for these areas between the Town and County to serve as the policy basis for any supplements or modifications to the annexation agreement, as discussed in finding number five, below.

2. Coordinate with Blacksburg on the Linkages between the Three Jurisdictions

The County and Town should also consider the ultimate growth pattern between Blacksburg and Christiansburg in cooperation with Blacksburg. As suggested above, this could include a discussion of the feasibility and desirability of identifying a greenbelt or other defining area that can serve to separate and protect the individual identities of both Towns.

3. Pursue Greater Coordination and Commitment on Development Standards

There are several other issues that would benefit from greater County/Town cooperation and/or a closer alignment of Town policies with those of the County. As discussed above, the County and Town would both benefit from a greater commitment by the Town to quality development standards and historic preservation/downtown revitalization. Gains in traffic flow through improvements in and around the Town are also threatened by the lack of Town Plan policies to effectively control commercial strip development and commercial and industrial access points along major arterials within the Town. The County could insist upon stronger Town development standards as part of any future annexation.

4. Allow or Encourage New Urbanism Development Principles

As part of the effort to coordinate and improve development standards, new urbanism principles could be incorporated either as a mandatory or optional method for designing new neighborhoods. This form of urban development could generate many benefits for both the Town and County in terms of growth management, economic development and aesthetic quality.

5. Encourage a Robust Update of the Town's 1993 Comprehensive Plan

The County should also encourage the Town to undertake a comprehensive update of its 1993 Plan. According to Town staff, only a limited update is envisioned this summer. This would allow an update of Town statistics, which might reveal additional planning issues in need of attention by the Town. Most importantly, if the County could be represented in such an update process, the County would have the opportunity to discuss some of the issues outlined here and provide suggestions to the Town for addressing these issues in a manner that will benefit both the County and the Town. Similarly, the Town should be actively included in the County's comprehensive planning process.

Further, such an update process could include a collaborative, joint planning effort for the areas at the Town/County boundary, in conjunction with the expiration of the annexation agreement in 2003.

Summary and Findings (Radford's Plan)

1. The 177 Corridor Plan is a Model for Further Joint Planning Efforts.

Radford's Plan recognizes the importance of cooperative projects with the region and with the County specifically. The joint Comprehensive Plan for the Route 177 corridor establishes an important framework for cooperative County/City decision-making concerning major development in this corridor, and City support for this planning effort should continue in light of the importance of this corridor as a major gateway to the City. This joint Plan should provide a model for cooperative planning in other areas adjacent to the City, including planning for university-related growth issues should they eventually spill over into the County in a significant way.

2. Conduct Further Discussions for Coordinating Land Uses Adjacent to the City.

As with Christiansburg, the County and City would also benefit from discussions of the desired ultimate growth pattern surrounding the City. As suggested above, this could include the feasibility and desirability of defining physical features that can serve to provide a hard edge for the City. This would be in keeping with the County's desire to preserve the active and productive agricultural lands found within the Riner/Bethel Planning Area adjacent to the City and its urban expansion areas.^Town New Urbanism design principles could be a central part of achieving this objective. The City is not promoting great growth outside of its boundaries other than recognizing the development pressures from Radford University, so it may be easier to approach this topic with the City than with Christiansburg.

3. Share Information and Experience in Planning for the University.

The growth of Radford University, while not of the same magnitude as that of Virginia Tech, poses continuing planning challenges for the City, particularly in the provision and maintenance of housing and in downtown commercial development adjacent to the university. The City and County would both benefit from some lessons learned discussions between the City and Blacksburg and some future cooperative planning in areas of mutual interest, such as the provision of student housing and multi-modal, inter-jurisdictional transportation systems.

4. Coordinate Planning for Open Space and River Corridors.

The City's ambitious plans for the New River waterfront should be more closely coordinated with County recreation and open space preservation plans for its river corridors. Wherever possible, potential open space linkages between the City and County river corridors should be identified and pursued as important parts of a broader regional open space network.

5. Coordinate Planning for Heritage Tourism.

Likewise, the City and County would both benefit from cooperative heritage tourism efforts to capitalize on each jurisdictions commitment to historic preservation. The TEA-21 grant program and the Virginia Certified Local Government Program provide potential sources of future funding for such efforts.

6. Further Explore Regional Governance Structures

Radford's indirect recognition in its plan of the fiscal problems associated with City status may make the City open to discussions with the County and other jurisdictions about alternative regional entities to address local and regional fiscal and economic issues. The County should take the opportunity to open a dialogue with the City and any other potentially interested jurisdictions regarding the desirability of exploring such alternatives. Formalizing such a effort either as an independent process or as a specific part of the Comprehensive Planning process for both jurisdictions would help keep attention focused on these opportunities.

Summary and Findings (Virginia Techs Plans)

1. The County can reflect proposed Virginia Tech expansion in the updated County Plan.

The County should work closely with the Office of the Architect to develop an updated map showing newly constructed and proposed facilities. According to the University Architect, Virginia Tech is already moving into areas of the campus that were not expected to be developed until after 2004. The County should, based on historic data, try to determine what spillover effects might be associated with the University's expansion plans.

The County should also take an active role in the proposed 2003 Virginia Tech Master Plan update, particularly to coordinate transportation improvements, bike and greenway extensions and to evaluate opportunities for sharing public facilities such as libraries and recreational facilities.

The County should review plans for the Whitethorne property to determine the potential for public access to water and to assure the County's updated plan promotes and permits a full range of appropriate uses at the site. Similarly, the County should coordinate with the University about plans for the Fishburn property and the Prices Fork Research Center to determine if there have been any revisions to the expected long-term use of these facilities.

2. The County should coordinate with the University and the Town to develop unified land use policies aimed at conserving important scenic areas such as ridgelines.

The County's current Plan and the Virginia Tech Master Plan do not propose any specific implementation strategies for protecting these ridgelines. This is a delicate issue since some of the most critical areas are privately owned. The County would need to provide compelling incentives or financial investments, or enact strict land use regulations or some combination of these in order to preserve the scenic views. It would be useful for the County to seek assistance in achieving this goal from the University, as well as from the Town. The University's Fishburn Tract could be a starting point since it covers the western ridgeline of Prices Mountain.

3. The County should take a lead role in applying the higher corridor standards for landscaping and signage that were first developed for the 177 Corridor to the gateways of Blacksburg and Christiansburg.

Design and landscape guidelines for major County roads leading toward Virginia Tech should be considered to reinforce the gateway and entrance concepts that are important to the University's identity.

Summary and Findings (177 Corridor Plan)

1. As noted in the discussion of the Radford Comprehensive Plan, the 177 Corridor Plan establishes an important framework for cooperative County/City decision-making concerning major development in this corridor.

This Plan represents an important early step in interjurisdictional collaboration in the region and is beginning to demonstrate the potential mutual benefit of such efforts.

2. This joint plan also provides a good precedent for cooperative planning in other areas adjacent to the City and to the Towns within the County.

The Plan's insistence that the Future Land Use Map not be the sole determinant of the appropriateness of development proposals seems to be a new theme not echoed in the present County Plan, but one that should be considered and possibly expanded for other growth areas in the County.

3. The most unique feature of this plan is the Test for Adequate Facilities to be implemented as part of the joint review of site plan and rezoning applications.

The relative success of this attempt to tie the availability of water and sewer facilities to the approval of most new development within the corridor will help the County determine whether or not this approach should be expanded to other County growth areas. At present there is no method to track and evaluate the results of the Adequate Facilities Policy or the other development standards in the Plan. An annual report on development activity within the corridor would be a first step in establishing such an evaluation process

Summary and Preliminary Findings (Telecommunications Policy)

1. Use Consistent Terminology

Adjust the title of this element so that consistent terminology is used in naming and describing it (policy/approach; consistent/uniform).

2. Urge All of the Five Jurisdictions to Formally Adopt the Policy

Urge the remaining jurisdictions that have not yet formally adopted the regional approach to telecommunications towers to follow-through with formal adoption of it as part of their Comprehensive Plans, as Montgomery County has done.

3. Put the regional approach to telecommunications towers on the agenda of regular interjurisdictional discussions in order to monitor progress and effectiveness.

4. Conduct a scan of all local planning issues in the region to identify other kinds of policy elements that would lend themselves to this level of regional coordination.

Make a priority list for developing uniform or coordinated policy guidelines for those elements. As part of this initiative, consider defining a project of regional impact and create a standard process for coordinating the review of such projects among the jurisdictions.

Review of Town of Blacksburg Comprehensive Plan
Blacksburg 2046 adopted November 27, 2001

1. Introduction and Overview

The Town of Blacksburg Comprehensive Plan was developed with extensive community participation beginning in early 2000 as an update to the Town's 1996 Comprehensive Plan. Blacksburg 2046 encompasses a very long-term planning horizon based on a portrait of what the Town of Blacksburg should be like in 45 years. The communitys vision was developed based on a list of key values that evolved during community meetings and that represent quality of life to the residents of Blacksburg. The Comprehensive Plan for Blacksburg seeks to protect the following elements that create the quality of life cherished by residents:

• SmallTown atmosphere

• Natural surroundings and open space

• Attractive community appearance and cleanliness

• Open government

• Community partnerships

• Public Safety

• Quality land development

• Moderate cost of living

• Varied employment opportunities

• Planned growth and development

• Recreational opportunities

• Community diversity

• Intellectually stimulating community

• Sound financial management

• Citizen involvement

The plan includes detailed analysis and action strategies aimed at achieving this community vision and maintaining the quality of life. This well researched, extensive, and thorough plan is divided into two major elements. The first element of the plan addresses thirteen issues of importance to the entire Town including such topics as community design, the natural environment and open space, historic preservation, economic development, utilities, transportation and human services among others. Each topic section includes the following elements:

• A review of background information and current conditions

• Opportunities and challenges unique to the topic area

• An overview of changes that will affect future decisions

• An overriding goal and general policies specific to the topic area

• Action strategies and implementation steps to be accomplished by theTown within the next 5 to 25 years

The second component of the Plan focuses on nine geographic planning sectors. These sector plans include the following elements:

• An overview of existing land uses

• A summary of the unique characteristics of the sector

• Critical issues important to the sector

• An overview of individual neighborhoods and related critical issues

• A vision for the sector

• Proposed revisions to the land use map intended to implement the vision.

The final element of the Plan addresses implementation. The Plan includes several maps, including a future land use map for the entireTown, sector maps and an extraterritorial map that includes recommended land uses for a large portion of Montgomery County that surrounds the Town.

Future land use needs are based on a set of growth assumptions and projections outlined in Appendix A (p. 503). Appendix A indicates the Town can accommodate projected growth without needing to take in additional land. Key assumptions used as the basis of the plan include:

• that Blacksburg will remain a Town and will not seek city status,

• that the student enrollment at Virginia Tech will gradually increase to 30,000 by 2010 (despite the current cap of 25,000 students noted in the University's plan),

• that there will be no construction of additional on-campus student housing,

• that the proportion of students to non-students residing in the Town will remain at approximately 63% students to 37%, and

• that the non-student population will grow at a annual rate of between 1% and 1.9%.

The Town's population is projected to be 46,750 by 2010 and 57,400 by 2046.

2. Comparison to the Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan

A. Scope/Approach

The Montgomery County and the Town of Blacksburg Comprehensive Plans are similar in that both address traditional planning issues and topics. However, Blacksburg's plan is based on a much longer planning horizon than the typical 10 to 20 year time frame used in most jurisdictions and in Montgomery County. The Portrait of Blacksburg Tomorrow: 2046 A.D. (p. 38) presents a vivid image of what the Town is trying to achieve through planning. This approach may be a more effective way of helping residents, elected and appointed officials begin with the end in mind than the usual list of goals found at the front of most plans. Blacksburg's Plan is more proactive in general than the County's current plan.

Both the County and Town plans include goals, policies and strategies for specific planning issues and geographic areas. One major difference between the Town and County's Plan is that the Town has developed a series of fairly specific action strategies for each topic area addressed in the Comprehensive Plan. These action strategies include general and long term actions and a set of priority action strategies to be addressed in the next five years. The action strategies, especially those to be addressed in the next 5 years, provide Blacksburg a way of assessing and measuring how well the plan is being implemented.

The Montgomery County Plan is outdated since it has not been subject to major revisions since its adoption in 1990. The Montgomery County Plan update is well timed to coordinate with the recent adoption of Plans in Blacksburg and Radford and planned 2003 updates to the Virginia Tech Master Plan and the Christiansburg Comprehensive Plan.

B. Major Goals, Policies and Implementation Strategies

Public Utilities: The Town currently provides sewer and water service to areas beyond its corporate limits. Both the Town and the County encourage regional cooperation and the use of water and sewer agreements to provide cost effective and reliable sewer and water service in areas designated for development. The County's Plan recommends that the County develop a water and sewer service agreement between the County and Blacksburg (p.16). The Town's Plan states that in the coming years the Town should Develop a comprehensive utility agreement with Montgomery County to establish an ultimate service area for theTown system and a process for service requests in areas adjacent to the Town. Such an agreement would be similar to the service area agreement developed between the County and Christiansburg as part of the 1987 annexation agreement.

Natural Environment, Open Space and Greenways: The County and the Town Plans share similar goals seeking to preserve the network of open space and environmental features that enhance the quality of life for Town and County residents. The County and the Town both seek preservation of agricultural land and the use of incentives to keep property in farm use. The Town and the County participated in a joint open space planning effort in the mid 1990s. The final plan was never adopted by the County. The Town amended its Comprehensive Plan in 1994 to include elements of the open space initiative. The Town also amended its Comprehensive Plan in1995 to include a Greenway System Master Plan. Information from these plans has been incorporated into the 2001 plan.

Generally, the Town Plan places more emphasis on preservation of rural views and ridgelines than the current County Plan. The Town Plan promotes regional cooperation and collaborative planning for natural resource protection in general (p. 88) and for specific purposes. The Town seeks to work with Montgomery County, the U.S. Forest Service and various utility agencies to protect ridgelines identified as important visual resources from unnecessary clear-cut timbering, utility placement, and other highly visible landscape-marring activities (p. 87). The Town Plan recommends development of a regional stormwater management approach (p.90). This approach is supported by the Virginia Tech Master Plan and by the County Plan on p. 7, in Strategy EN 1.4.2.

Economic Development: Blacksburg envisions that there will be significant regional cooperation among neighboring jurisdictions to coordinate economic development efforts. This is echoed in both the County's Comprehensive Plan and the draft Strategic Plan for Economic Development developed by the County in September. Both the Town and County Plans acknowledge the importance of Virginia Tech as a catalyst for research and development and the spin-off effects for growing new businesses in the Town and County. Since the Town has limited opportunities for industrial development, it envisions that most large scale uses will locate in the County or in other locations where sufficient land is available. New industrial uses that are suited to the Town will be directed to Blacksburg's 160 acre industrial park and adjacent property. The Town and County both view the Route 460/114 area as the primary commercial center serving the region. Commercial development in the Town will be limited to specialty and neighborhood retail. The Town plan also focuses on keeping its downtown vibrant and viable.

Transportation: The Blacksburg Plan includes an extensive transportation element that is difficult to compare to the County plan because of the difference in scale between the Town and the County. Most of the proposed improvements are local or pertain to improving pedestrian access, parking and circulation in downtown Blacksburg. The Town Plan also addresses neighborhood traffic congestion and the provision of new or improved roads to act as collectors and arterials in congested areas. A few of these proposed road improvements/additions are planned to extend to the Town boundary, and should tie into the County to function adequately. One major planned improvement that will have implications for the County is Southgate Drive/Southgate Extension. It involves the construction of new road segments and improvement of existing road sections to create an arterial road connecting South Main Street (and the Airport Road) to a new interchange at Route 460 and ultimately into the Prices Fork/Merrimac area of the County. Portions of this road have been constructed in the Town. This road improvement is generally discussed, but not mapped, in the Prices Fork/Belview area of the County (p.50). The Town's Plan also includes polices seeking regional cooperation for major transportation improvements and to expand transit opportunities and to coordinate walkway/bikeway and greenway connections between the Town and the County.

Community Facilities and Services: The Town of Blacksburg provides its own Police Department, parks and recreation facilities and emergency service facilities. The Town is served by the County school system; library services are provided by the Montgomery/Floyd regional library system. The Blacksburg Plan contains detailed planning recommendations for the expansion of Town services within the Town's boundary.

The Town also promotes regional cooperation for the provision of community facilities and human services. Both the Town and the County Plans contain policies recommending that the County, Town and Virginia Tech work together to develop shared facilities and to promote joint use of existing facilities. The Town includes within its 5 year action strategy that it will Develop a plan designating future school sites in Blacksburg and a set of location and development criteria these sites should meet (p. 362). The Town also proposes to establish level of service standards for all basic public services (p.361). The County has recently discussed developing such standards for County services.

Land Use. The Blacksburg Plan contains an element that specifically addresses the Extraterritorial Area surrounding the Town. This area includes portions of the County's Mid-County Growth Area, the Mt. Tabor Planning Area and the Prices Fork/Belview Planning Area. This part of the Blacksburg Plan (p. 473 to 480) identifies unique characteristics of the portion of the County that surrounds the Town and identifies what the Town believes will be the critical issues that will influence development in the vicinity of the Town. Chief among these concerns is that development pressures, utility line extensions and road improvements will contribute to suburbanization of mountainsides and agricultural areas surrounding the Town.

In addition to the loss of significant natural and scenic resources, the Town is concerned that such suburbanization at its borders would unduly burden the Town's street network and result in County residents seeking Town services. The Town is also concerned that regional road improvements will increase pressure for development if new interchanges are permitted in conjunction with these improvements.

The County's current plan calls for the Mt. Tabor area (located in the northeastern quadrant of the County and adjacent to the Town of Blacksburg's eastern boundary) to remain predominantly rural with some residential development adjacent to the Town where public utilities are available. The Mid- County growth area, located primarily between theTowns of Christiansburg and Blacksburg, was designated an urban expansion area by the County in the 1990 plan. This area has experienced significant commercial and residential development. The Prices Fork/Belview planning area covers the northwestern quadrant of the County, west of Blacksburg and west of Price Mountain. Portions of the Prices Fork/Belview area were designated as rural expansion and urban expansion areas, respectively, and are served by sewer and/or water on a limited basis. Development pressures are increasing and new a water line being designed.

The area around Blacksburg has experienced significant development pressure since the adoption of the County Plan in 1990. As Blacksburg has built out and Virginia Tech has grown, housing prices have risen because large numbers of homes have been converted to rental units. The area immediately adjacent to the Town has become increasingly attractive to buyers seeking single family homes within commuting distance of Tech and other employers in Blacksburg. Development pressure around the Town is expected to continue and possibly increase as Virginia Tech expands its research focus.

3. Implications and Opportunities for the Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan

A. Regional Growth Management

It makes sense for the County to encourage growth in and around existingTowns where employment centers are located and where infrastructure is available. Development in Blacksburg and in certain areas surrounding the Town has long been supported by the County's planning documents. The County and the Town have a history of participation in regional planning efforts and both plans support continued Town/County cooperation.

The Comprehensive Plan update provides the County an opportunity to reevaluate its overall growth strategy to determine if its current plans and policies are still appropriate. The current plan is outdated and does not address many of the concerns and issues raised by the Town of Blacksburg, particularly within the extraterritorial area identified by the Town. Careful consideration of these issues will allow the County to identify shared goals and action strategies for this portion of the County.

Close coordination between the County and theTowns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg is needed to reevaluate the area formerly known as the Mid-County growth area. Much of this area has already been developed and there is little separating Christiansburg's northern boundary from Blacksburg's southern boundary. The County should carefully consider land uses and urban design issues along this portion of the Route 460 Corridor to determine how to help theTowns maintain separate identities, or alternatively, to create a unified design package for the 460 corridor to be used by all three jurisdictions. If this alternative is preferred, the Towns could still maintain a unique sense of identity by establishing gateway features marking the entrances to their traditional downtowns. With the demise of the 114/460 Corridor Advisory Planning Council in 1993, a third option is for the County to consider allowing a friendly boundary line adjustment to include this no mans land in either Blacksburg or Christiansburg or to divide it between the two Towns.

B. Fiscal and Economic Implications

There is little discussion of the fiscal impacts of development in the Town or the County Plans. Typically, growth in aTown would generate significant impacts to a county sinceTown children attend county schools. Blacksburg is somewhat atypical in that such a large proportion of the Town's housing units are rented to college students. Generally, college students do not have school age children.

Future development of the Toms Creek basin may have fiscal implications for the County since the area is now planned for low density development. This largely undeveloped area of the Town will likely be owner-occupied single family residential homes, possibly at a relatively low density. This area is too far away from the Virginia Tech campus to be attractive to most students. The Town Plan contains little or no discussion about the role of development proffers made through the conditional zoning process to help offset the costs of new development. The use of proffers to offset development costs is common in other areas of the State and should be explored by the County and the Town. Proffers would have to be coordinated between the two since some development costs such as schools fall on the County, whereas other costs such as fire and rescue fall on the Town. Further, much of the land planned for residential has already been zoned for residential, thus limiting the opportunities for receiving proffers from developers.

C. Infrastructure and Utilities

It is important that the Town and County complete sewer and water agreements for land at the periphery of the Town if the County wants to encourage new development to occur in certain locations. The County and the Town may want to explore the possibility of detailed joint planning efforts for these areas and adoption of a friendly annexation agreement to allow these areas to be incorporated into the Town through boundary line adjustments. Although the Town has not expressed an interest in annexing additional land, it may make sense from a planning and service delivery for these areas to be part of the Town. This is particularly true for areas in the County such as Murphy and Cedar Orchard subdivisions that are accessed only from the Town street system.

D. Land Use and Environment

The Town has identified a very specific vision for its future that depends in part on what happens beyond its borders. In particular, the Town and the County will have to work together to find incentives for preservation of the scenic views that help define the Town but that are in private ownership. Blacksburg is so concerned about how land beyond its borders will develop that the Town Plan includes a vision and recommendations for the land uses beyond the Town's boundary. As the Montgomery County Plan update moves forward, the County should review these recommendations to determine if the Town and the County share a common vision for the extraterritorial area.

There is one area of potential conflict between the Town and County plans that should be evaluated. In 1973, the Town annexed the Toms Creek Basin area. Since the construction of sewer service to the Toms Creek Basin area was a condition of the annexation, it is presumed that the County expected for this to be a future growth area that would eventually help offset development pressures in rural areas of the County. The Town's Plan designates this area for relatively low density residential development.

It is understandable that the Town would like to create a greenbelt and to preserve open space resources within its boundaries; however, from a long term planning perspective, such low density development on public utilities within the Town boundary is an inefficient use of land from a regional perspective and runs counter to smart growth concepts and normal growth management strategies. The unintended consequence may be leap frog and sprawl development in agricultural areas beyond the Town's boundaries to satisfy demands for house associated with economic expansion in the region. This trend may be further compounded if land and development costs are significantly lower in the County relative to the Town. A recent example of this issue was the multi-family housing request for student apartments in the Prices Fork community of the County. This potential conflict will take some effort to resolve in a way that produces a win-win solution for both localities.

Another area of potential conflict between the Town and County regarding land use objectives is the issue of the land use pattern along the edges of the Town. The Town envisions a seamless transition between the fabric of the Town and that of the County. To the extent that sewer and water utilities (which support urban development densities) serve both sides of the boundary, this seamless pattern is possible and desirable. In places where utility service stops at the Town boundary, it may be more appropriate to create the classic hard edge defined by the difference between higher density urban development and lower density agricultural and rural residential patterns served by well and septic. Further, in places where the seamless transition of urban uses is feasible, close coordination between the two jurisdictions regarding urban design standards for street sections, sidewalks, setbacks, land uses, densities, unit types, etc., would be necessary in order to accomplish this objective.

Finally, as is the case in many areas of the County, there are opportunities to create modern development patterns that have some of the same desirable characteristics as traditionalTown development, while avoiding some of the disadvantages. The concept of creating such neo-traditional development patterns is called new urbanism and features such things as mixed-uses, narrow streets, interconnected grid street networks rather than cul-de-sacs, buildings set close to the street with larger rear yards, on-street parking, garages and parking areas located behind buildings, sidewalks and street trees, and other features that create a human-scale environment.

4. Summary and Findings

The Blacksburg Plan is an excellent model of a comprehensive plan.

1. Like the Town, the County should compile relevant and recent economic and population data to estimate how much residential, commercial and industrial land will be needed to handle projected growth.

2. There are numerous policies and action strategies in the Town Plan that should be considered as the County moves forward with its Comprehensive Plan update, and vice-versa. Both jurisdictions have undertaken various successful and sophisticated planning initiatives in recent years and thus each can benefit from the others efforts.

• It makes sense for the County to encourage growth in and around existingTowns where employment centers are located and where infrastructure is available. Development in Blacksburg and in certain areas surrounding the Town has long been supported by the County's planning documents.

• The County and the Town have a history of participation in regional planning efforts and both plans support continued Town/County cooperation, particularly within the extraterritorial area identified by the Town. Careful consideration of these issues will allow the County to identify shared goals and action strategies for this portion of the County.

• The use of proffers to offset development costs should be explored by the County and the Town, despite the fact that much of the land planned for residential within the Town has already been zoned for residential, thus limiting the opportunities for proffers.

• The County and the Town should pursue detailed joint planning efforts for border areas and allow these areas to be incorporated into the Town through friendly boundary line adjustments.

• The Prices Fork area may be the next most logical area for a truly collaborative corridor planning process, much like the pioneering effort between the County and the City of Radford with the 177 Corridor Plan.

• The Town and County should jointly re-evaluate the policies for the Toms Creek Basin area. While the Town's Plan understandably designates this area for relatively low density residential development, from a long term regional planning perspective such low density development within the Town boundary is an inefficient use of land, runs counter to smart growth concepts and normal growth management strategies, and may cause leap frog and sprawl development beyond the Town's boundaries.

3. A detailed review of the Town's sector plans should be undertaken as the County begins work on its land use element.

This will ensure coordination of land uses on either side of the invisible boundary dividing the County from the Town to create the seamless transition envisioned by the Town, and resolve potential conflicts between the two Plans as discussed above. The concept of a seamless boundary should be re-examined to determine whether every edge should be seamless, or whether some boundaries should have the traditional hard edge between Town and County.

4. The County should ask the Town for a Geographic Information System (GIS) file of the Town's future land use map so that the Town's planned land uses can be superimposed on a County map database.

This would allow for a quick visual comparison of how the 1990 County plan and existing uses relate to the new Town Plan and would highlight areas where revisions may be appropriate.

Review of Town of Christiansburg Comprehensive Plan
Town of Christiansburg, Virginia 1993 Comprehensive Plan Update Preliminary: September 13, 1993

1. Introduction and Overview

The Town of Christiansburg's current Comprehensive Plan is a 1993 update prepared by Ken W. Poore & Associates of a 1984 Plan prepared by the New River Valley Planning District Commission and a 1988 addendum by John I. Cofer and Associates, Inc. The Plan covers a twenty-year planning period, 1993-2013, and was the result of renewed efforts by Town leaders and citizens to direct positive, orderly growth in the Town and surrounding urbanizing areas of Montgomery County.^Town

The Plan provides background data on the Town's environmental resources, population, housing and economic conditions, although the data is based largely upon 1990 Census data, which is now out-of-date. An analysis of existing land use, transportation and public services leads to a summary of major planning factors/key issues for future development. These include:

• Christiansburg's role as the New River Valleys regional retail center;

• Location of County seat in downtown;

• Industrial development opportunities near I-81 inside Town and in adjacent county areas;

• Impacts of Virginia Tech and Radford University on Town housing demand and economic development;

• Strained transportation system with convergence of major regional routes 460 and 114 and access from I-81; and

• The constraints of steep topography on the provision of public utilities and future growth in certain directions, particularly to the east.

The major objectives identified in the Plan to address these issues include:

• Maintain the Town as the primary focal point for regional retail development in the area;

• Maintain County government offices in the downtown area and promote downtown revitalization;

• Work with the County in developing industrial/business uses in the Falling Branch and I-81 interchange areas;

• Implement transportation improvements in the 114 Corridor and the 3A Bypass;

• Promote cooperation with the County in the development of areas adjacent to the Town and the provision of services to these areas in accordance with the 88 annexation settlement agreement.

According to Christiansburg Town Planner Randy Wingfield, the 93 Town Plan was reviewed by the planning commission in 1998 and 1999, but no changes were recommended. He indicated that the commission will be reviewing the Plan again this summer, and has expressed an interest in adding some more commercial land to the Future Land Use Map in the 114/Peppers Ferry Road Corridor with the expected completion of the 3A bypass some time this fall. He also noted some concern with recent business losses in the downtown, including the Kroger grocery store, Helig-Myers department store, a CVS pharmacy and several restaurants, but believes that these are just temporary vacancies. The jurisdictions are currently considering two boundary line adjustments (BLA).

2. Comparison to Montgomery County Plan

A. Scope/Approach

Both Comprehensive Plans cover all of the major planning issue areas, but the Town Plan is much more traditional in approach. In the Christiansburg Plan, background data and analysis of existing conditions leads to a listing of goals, objectives and strategies for each major issue area (e.g., environment, transportation, housing, public services, and economic development), followed by a Future Land Use and Transportation Plan Map. There is a recognition of different planning issues facing various parts of the Town, but these differences are obviously not as dramatic as those among the County Plans five planning areas. The primary difference in approach between the Christiansburg and County plans is that the Town Plan looks to promote growth opportunities within recently annexed or planned annexation areas of the County, while the County Plan tries to contain these growth pressures by creating growth areas, including the Mid-County Growth Area between Christiansburg and Blacksburg.

B. Major Goals, Policies and Implementation Strategies

Public Utilities. The strongest area of agreement in the Christiansburg and County Plan goals and policies is in the provision of public utilities to areas adjacent to the Town. Both the Town and County Plans recognize the 1988 annexation settlement agreement as the major guide to the provision of water and sewer services within the Christiansburg service areas identified in the agreement. The primary area of coordination with the County noted in the Town Plan is in planning the extension of Town utilities to the Falling Branch urban expansion area on the south side of I-81 just outside the Town limits. This objective has been achieved with the recent development of the Falling Branch Corporate Park.

Transportation. Christiansburg's transportation goal is very general in nature, focusing on the physical aspects of providing a Town transportation system that will provide safe, convenient and reliable movement of people and goods.^* This leads to objectives that are primarily focused on improvements to Town streets, highways and adjacent parking areas. Implementation strategies rely on VDOT construction plans. Cooperation with the County in seeking VDOT funding for transportation improvements is specifically mentioned with regard to County plans for the Falling Branch urban expansion area.

The County Plan transportation goals and policies, in contrast, are much more planning oriented. The four County transportation goals emphasize the need to improve transportation planning through a better focus on the transportation impacts of land use decisions, improving development and access patterns along arterials, a closer relationship between transportation planning and the County Comprehensive Plan, and the creation of a regional transportation authority.

A major area of past cooperation in transportation planning between Christiansburg and the County was the 1988 Route 114/460 Corridor Plan, although the County Plan indicates that the transportation recommendations of the corridor plan were never adopted. In response, the County's Mid-County Growth Area Plan includes detailed transportation recommendations to fill the void left by the non-adoption of transportation improvements from the Corridor Plan.^Town While the Town Plan lacks the detail of the County Plan, both plans acknowledge the need to widen Route 114 to four lanes through Christiansburg and into the County, as well as completion of the Bypass connector.

The Christiansburg Plan identified the Falling Branch area as a high priority for future transportation improvements in light of the County designation of this area for urban expansion, which have now been completed. The Town Plan recommended that the County and Town jointly seek full funding for the widening of Falling Branch Road from VDOT.

In terms of alternative transportation improvements, the Town Plan and the County Bikeway/Walkway Plan both recommend the completion of the Huckleberry Trail between Christiansburg and Blacksburg as an important link between the existing Huckleberry Trail and the Mid-County Park. There is also one Town implementation strategy relating to mass transit, which is to promote use of the Two Town Trolley between the Town and Blacksburg.

Housing. Both plans support the goal of providing affordable housing in the New River Valley, but the Christiansburg housing goal emphasizes the provision of housing to meet the needs of Town residents, while the County Plans housing goals have a slightly more regional reach. Christiansburg's Plan identifies a need to provide more senior housing options for the Town's growing elderly population and to address some lingering substandard housing problems. The latter goal is consistent with the County Plan housing goal to upgrade or replace substandard housing from the regions housing stock.

^Town

Both County and Town Plans also promote improved residential development techniques in the case of the County Plan development practices that lead to wise use of the land and a reduction in site development costs^Town. Christiansburg's Plan addresses residential development practices under its land use goals, recommending that the Town, Promote safe, environmentally sound and aesthetically pleasing development.^Town. Yet these terms do not appear to be defined, and this presents a good opportunity for the Town and County to evaluate and compare what kinds of standards they expect for residential development to be environmentally sound and aesthetically pleasing, and to incorporate such definitions into their plans as appropriate.

Environmental and Historic Resources. Christiansburg identifies conservation areas containing steep slopes, floodplain and karst topography and recommends clustering and use of planned unit developments to minimize the impact of development on such areas. The County Plan concurs in these recommendations, but also includes major farmland and open space protection goals and policies.

The Town Plan also notes the importance of preserving the historic resources of the Town, but recommends voluntary restoration of historic properties through proffers and donations as the principal implementation tool to accomplish this goal. Although voluntary design guidelines for historic restorations are available, the Plan acknowledges that they have not garnered widespread collective support from downtown property owners.^Town In contrast, the County Plan notes its multiple existing historic districts and its intent to continue identifying historic and archaeological resources for protection and its desire to become a Virginia Certified Local Government for its historic preservation program. However, to date, this desire has not been acted upon.

Community Facilities and Services. Both the Christiansburg and County Plans recommend continued cooperation in the provision of community facilities and services in areas such as fire and rescue, parks and recreation, and solid waste disposal. The Town Plan acknowledges County services to the Town for schools, libraries, parks, supplemental fire fighting equipment, and solid waste disposal at the County landfill.

Land Use. The Christiansburg Plans land use goals, policies and implementation strategies focus on orderly, compatible and efficient growth^Town in areas annexed by the Town over the past decade, as well as the annexation of areas planned for future growth in the 88 annexation settlement agreement with the County. The Town includes a specific strategy to advise and coordinate with Montgomery County in land use planning for the urbanizing outlying areas adjacent to the Town.^Town The provision to advise and coordinate with the County for the outlying areas presents an opportunity for collaboration. A specific process for carrying out such a collaborative approach could be developed and implemented through the plans of both jurisdictions.

All five County planning areas touch the Christiansburg Town limits, but the Mid-County Growth Area along the Town's northern boundaries is perhaps the most important for Town/County relations. This planning area was designated as a result of the 87 Town/County annexation settlement agreement, in which both jurisdictions agreed to participate with Blacksburg in the development of the 1988 Route 460/114 Corridor Plan under the supervision of an Advisory Planning Council. Most of the recommendations of that Plan are included in the County's Mid-County Growth Area Plan and the Christiansburg Plan.

A comparison of the major related land use recommendations from the County Plan and the Town Plan for adjacent areas is provided below.

Residential Land Use

Town:

• Expansion of low-density residential uses in northwest and eastern areas and south of I-81; and

• Encouragement of higher-density residential development in and near the downtown.

County:

• Promotion of wide variety of housing types, including mobile homes; and

• Use of the planned unit development concept (PUD) with larger developments characterized by variety of housing types and densities, recreational amenities, coordinated vehicular/bicycle/pedestrian transportation network and neighborhood-oriented commercial services.

Note that neither document addresses the potential benefits of new urbanism design techniques, which encourages pedestrian-friendly, human-scaled development by incorporating some of the features of traditional neighborhoods such as smaller building setbacks, narrow street pavements, street trees, sidewalks, on-street parking, parking behind buildings, etc. Some of these techniques may be appropriate for PUD development.

Commercial Land Use:

Town:

• Expansion of regional downtown at Peppers Ferry Rd. (Rt. 114)/460 Intersection and abutting the new 460 bypass connector;

• Continuation of retail, service and office uses within the downtown;

• Consolidation and upgrading of strip commercial development along Routes 8 & 11, at Route 8/I-81 interchange, and along Roanoke Street near the Bypass/I-81 interchange; and

• Additional commercial growth on the east side of Falling Branch Road.

County:

• Agree on expansion of regional downtown around the Rt. 114/460 intersection, but also inclusion of new arterial access roads parallel and perpendicular to 460 and 114 as development occurs;

• Discourage strip commercial development along the 460 and 114 corridors; focus commercial development west of Christiansburg in the 177 Corridor and south and east of Town in existing communities with no further expansion adjacent to Christiansburg.

Industrial Land Use:

Town:

• Minor expansion of industrial uses near the Corning facility;

• Consolidation of major industrial uses north of commercial strip near Bypass/I-81 Interchange and on Roanoke Street adjacent to the railroad in the Depot Street area.

• Cooperation with County in developing the area near Falling Branch Industrial Park

County:

• Falling Branch area designated as an Urban Expansion Area, and industrial uses to be concentrated in the industrial park to be developed under Planned Industrial District with adequate buffers for adjacent residential uses and the elementary school.

• Most other industrial development is to be encouraged at the Elliston/Lafayette Industrial Park, possibly near Ironto, both east of Christiansburg, and some small-scale development in the Plum Creek Expansion area near Radford.

3. Implications and Opportunities for Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan

A. Regional Growth Management

A growth management framework for the areas around Christiansburg was provided by the annexation settlement agreement between the Town and County. This agreement prohibits further annexation actions by the Town until 2003. The Town's aggressive growth policies for areas both within the current Town limits and for areas planned to be annexed by the agreement have resulted in the County's designation of several growth areas adjacent to the Town, including the Mid-County Growth Area and the Falling Branch Urban Expansion Area.

As these designated growth areas reach build-out, pressure from the Town to continue its expansion and, consequently, on the County to expand urban expansion areas adjacent to the Town is likely to increase. This will raise issues regarding the ultimate jurisdictional boundaries between Christiansburg and Blacksburg and whether or not some sort of defining greenbelt is desirable or possible to maintain a hard edge in the County separating the two Towns.

While Christiansburg's Plan promotes Town coordination with other jurisdictions in the New River Valley, the Plans lack of detailed regional cooperation policies leaves Town officials with little guidance in identifying and pursuing specific regional projects. The County, on the other hand, is much more dependent upon such cooperation in the implementation of its planning goals and identifies regional efforts in many areas, including planning for transportation improvements, bikeways, public utilities and community services.

B. Land Use and Environment

One of the most significant land use issues between the County and Christiansburg is how to guide the expansion of commercial areas such as the regional downtown at the Routes 114/460 Intersection. While both jurisdictions have adopted the land use plan recommended by the 114/460 Corridor Advisory Planning Council, the County places much more emphasis on controlling the quality of the development that takes place within this corridor and on limiting the expansion of strip commercial development. This is also true for County and Town policies for future commercial and industrial growth in the Falling Branch area and the 460/I-81 interchange area. These areas also present opportunities to encourage pedestrian-friendly, human-scaled development using the new urbanism model¹ .

Basic agreement between County and Town policies for environmentally sensitive areas should support County efforts to preserve its green infrastructure. The Town's laissez-faire attitude toward historic preservation and downtown revitalization, however, has an impact on the quality of development in the County seat. This may have a negative impact on both County and Town tourism and economic development efforts.

C. Transportation and Utilities Infrastructure

Cooperative transportation planning between the County and Town for the Peppers Ferry Road (Route 114) corridor and the Bypass Connector is providing both jurisdictions with hope for major relief from the traffic congestion in this central portion of the County. The degree to which Christiansburg controls access to its commercial and industrial areas will affect the future capacity of Route 114, as well as Falling Branch Road to the south and Route 11 along the eastern side of Town. The current Town Plan lacks the strong commitment to access control and limitations on strip commercial development contained in the County Plan.

The coordination of public utilities between the two jurisdictions is governed by the terms of the annexation settlement agreement. The extent to which this agreement identifies the ultimate water and sewer service areas of the Town will affect the County's future utility planning and growth management efforts surrounding the Town.

D. Fiscal and Economic

Planned residential growth within the Town will impact the County budget, especially school costs. Further, like Blacksburg, much of the land planned for residential has already been zoned for residential, thus limiting the opportunities for receiving proffers from developers. This will be offset somewhat by the planned commercial expansion and, to a lesser extent, growth within the Town. The cooperative provision of public utilities should balance the costs of utility service in the Christiansburg area between the County and Town, but the Town will remain dependent upon the County for the provision of schools and library facilities, the demand for which will continue to increase with planned Town growth.

The Town's commitment to continued commercial and industrial development will have a positive impact on the County economy. Greater emphasis by the Town on commercial and industrial development standards and on downtown revitalization would be advantageous to the County from an economic development standpoint.

4. Summary and Findings

1. Explore Supplements to the Annexation Agreement through a Joint Planning Process

The Christiansburg/County annexation settlement agreement is perhaps a more important document than the Town Plan in defining the Town/County relationship. The framework it provides for the provision of public utilities to the areas surrounding the Town, as well as the policies in the subsequent 114/460 Corridor Plan, have guided the land use decisions that have been made by both jurisdictions in these areas. Moreover, the Town and County have completed two friendly boundary line adjustments since the 1987 annexation and are presently considering two more adjustments. Thus, any future supplement to this agreement as the planned expansion areas become fully developed is an important future issue for the Town and County. Future negotiations between the County and Town should address appropriate boundaries for future commercial and industrial growth in the east of Market Place area, Houchins Road area and Falling Branch Road areas.

While both jurisdictions have adopted the land use plan recommended by the 114/460 Corridor Advisory Planning Council, the County places much more emphasis on limiting the expansion of strip commercial development as well as in the Falling Branch and 460/I-81 interchange areas.

This presents the opportunity for a collaborative joint planning process for these areas between the Town and County to serve as the policy basis for any supplements or modifications to the annexation agreement, as discussed in finding number five, below.

2. Coordinate with Blacksburg on the Linkages between the Three Jurisdictions

The County and Town should also consider the ultimate growth pattern between Blacksburg and Christiansburg in cooperation with Blacksburg. As suggested above, this could include a discussion of the feasibility and desirability of identifying a greenbelt or other defining area that can serve to separate and protect the individual identities of both Towns.

3. Pursue Greater Coordination and Commitment on Development Standards

There are several other issues that would benefit from greater County/Town cooperation and/or a closer alignment of Town policies with those of the County. As discussed above, the County and Town would both benefit from a greater commitment by the Town to quality development standards and historic preservation/downtown revitalization. Gains in traffic flow through improvements in and around the Town are also threatened by the lack of Town Plan policies to effectively control commercial strip development and commercial and industrial access points along major arterials within the Town. The County could insist upon stronger Town development standards as part of any future annexation.

4. Allow or Encourage New Urbanism Development Principles

As part of the effort to coordinate and improve development standards, new urbanism principles could be incorporated either as a mandatory or optional method for designing new neighborhoods. This form of urban development could generate many benefits for both the Town and County in terms of growth management, economic development and aesthetic quality.

5. Encourage a Robust Update of the Town's 1993 Comprehensive Plan

The County should also encourage the Town to undertake a comprehensive update of its 1993 Plan. According to Town staff, only a limited update is envisioned this summer. This would allow an update of Town statistics, which might reveal additional planning issues in need of attention by the Town. Most importantly, if the County could be represented in such an update process, the County would have the opportunity to discuss some of the issues outlined here and provide suggestions to the Town for addressing these issues in a manner that will benefit both the County and the Town. Similarly, the Town should be actively included in the County's comprehensive planning process.

Further, such an update process could include a collaborative, joint planning effort for the areas at the Town/County boundary, in conjunction with the expiration of the annexation agreement in 2003.

Review of City of Radford Comprehensive Plan

2001 Radford Comprehensive Plan, Radford, Virginia, May 2001

1. Introduction and Overview

The 2001 Radford Comprehensive Plan, adopted May 2001, was prepared by the Radford City Planning Commission with the assistance of the New River Valley Planning District Commission. The Plan includes detailed studies and Major Findings concerning the City's history, environment, population, economy, housing, community facilities and land use. The Major Findings include:

• The growth of Radford University and several industries have been the primary force in the City's strong population growth during the past decade;

• Radford University has helped to stabilize the City's economy with its steady growth in recent years, but has had a tremendous impact on the City's housing market, particularly in the East End;

• Providing quality community facilities and services with a reasonable tax levy is a never ending challenge ;

• Radford's land use planning is intertwined with that of the University and Montgomery County; and

• As the heart of the New River Valley, Radford is committed to regional cooperation and expects more collective resource seeking and cost sharing in the future.

City-wide Strategic Initiatives in response to these major findings include:

• Design and implement a riverfront development and protection plan;

• Invest in financially promising regional development outside the City to provide new jobs and revenue sources;

• Develop strategic master plans collaboratively with Radford University;

• Develop downtown Radford

• Address transportation needs that promote City growth and development; and

• Fully engage all City residents and businesses in implementing these initiatives .

The Plans Future Land Use Map covers both the City and the 177 Corridor within the County. A Joint Comprehensive Plan for the Tyler Avenue/177 Corridor was adopted by the County and City in 1993 and updated in 2000. An appendix to the City's Comprehensive Plan includes amendments to the Joint 177 Corridor Comprehensive Plan which implement changes to the joint review of development proposals within the corridor to add specific criteria and Level of Service standards for the evaluation of rezoning applications.

2. Comparison to Montgomery County Plan

A. Scope/Approach

The City Plans goals and objectives for future growth were developed in a collaborative style with input from City residents, businesses and organizations. The results of neighborhood and organizational brainstorming sessions around the question of What needs to exist/happen in Radford in the next 5-10 years? are included as an appendix to the Plan. The County Plan demonstrated a similar commitment to citizen participation in plan development through its Future Issues Ballot and Ad Hoc Citizen Committees.

A major difference in approach between the City and County Plans is the lack of a specific transportation element and transportation goals in the City Plan. Transportation recommendations are sprinkled throughout the other subject areas of the City Plan, with the only major recommendations being included in the 177 Corridor Plan and the City Bikeway/Walkway Master Plan, both in the Plans appendix. Due to its urban environment and the presence of a university, there is greater emphasis on pedestrian access improvements in the City Plan than in the County Plan.

Radford includes references to regional cooperation throughout its Plan. Strong evidence of the Plans commitment to regional cooperation starts in its Introduction, which notes that City planning is closely tied to the development of the region as a whole. As a result, the Plan addresses opportunities and goals for collaboration outside the City's …. Borders^Town. Its Major Findings section also includes a discussion of past regional studies and organizations in which the City has participated, most of which are also mentioned in the County Plan. This section states that the City is an effective and collaborative player in these efforts.

B. Major Goals, Policies and Implementation Strategies

Many of the County goals closely related to Radford are contained in the Riner/Bethel Planning Area section of the County Comprehensive Plan, which applies to the area surrounding the City's eastern and southern boundaries. The 1993 Joint Comprehensive Plan for the Tyler Avenue/177 Corridor Area, included in the City Plan and discussed further below, is also incorporated into the County Plan.

Public Utilities. The principle area of public utility cooperation noted in both the Christiansburg and County Plans is in the provision of water and sewer services to the Route 177 corridor, based upon the 1993 Route 177 Corridor Agreement between the two jurisdictions and the Montgomery County Public Service Authority (PSA). This agreement governs the extension of public utilities within the Route 177 corridor between Radford and the I-81 Bethel interchange. Cooperative utility extensions are also noted in the County Plan within the Plum Creek Urban Expansion Area northeast of the Route 177 Corridor along Route 11.

The City and County both participate in the Peppers Ferry regional sewage treatment plant, which serves both the Route 177 and Plum Creek areas. The City depends upon water from the New River, and both the City and County Plans indicate that the City and County PSA water distribution systems are to be interconnected within the Route 177 corridor, connecting the Radford system to the County system in Bethel.

Transportation. As noted earlier, Radford's Plan does not contain a detailed transportation element such as that found in the County Plan and most other Comprehensive Plans. There is a discussion of the City's existing transportation system in the Basic Studies section of the Plan that lists road improvements planned in conjunction with VDOT. The Plan includes a goal to Seek opportunities for innovative and effective transportation systems within the City and connecting the City to the region and the state.^Town Objectives to achieve this goal include re-evaluating a trolley system for the City, supporting a public/private partnership for passenger rail service with a station in Radford, and developing bike routes for commuting in the City. Other related objectives in the Plan recommend implementation of the City and regional Bikeway/Walkway Master Plans, expanding sidewalks, pursuing a regional mass transit program, and fully engaging in regional airport development.

There do not appear to be major transportation planning conflicts between the current County and City Plans. In fact, the joint Comprehensive Plan for the 177 corridor included in both Plans provides a framework for cooperative transportation planning between Radford and the County. The joint Plans major transportation recommendation is the Entrance Plan that limits entrance locations onto Route 177 to maintain the capacity of this important arterial as the corridor develops. The County was not able to achieve this same consensus on access limitations with Christiansburg in the joint plan for the Route 114/460 Corridor Plan.

One major transportation recommendation included in the City Plan that is not echoed in the County Plan is the City's desire to explore the possibility of a second bridge crossing linking the City to the region. This may reflect the City's closer orientation than other jurisdictions in Montgomery County toward other New River Valley communities to the south, such as Dublin and Pulaski.

Housing. Both Plans support the goal of providing affordable housing, but the Radford Plan struggles with the provision of adequate and properly maintained housing within the City in collaboration with Radford University, while the County Plans housing goals have a broader and more regional reach. Radford's Plan maintains the City's commitment to provide Section 8 housing, but notes conflicts between single-family and multi-family neighborhoods in the East End caused by increasing multi-family development, single-family conversions, and a university housing crunch. Related goals focus on better code enforcement, a rental registration/evaluation program, and elimination of residential blight. The latter goal is consistent with the County housing goal to upgrade or replace substandard housing from the regions housing stock.

Environmental and Historic Resources. As with transportation, the City Plan lacks a specific environment or historic resources section. The only directly environmental goal is to Utilize and protect the New River and other natural resources, including objectives to work with adjacent localities to preserve and enhance the riverfront and to protect the mountain views and natural environment around the City.^Town This at least implies cooperation with adjacent jurisdictions in which the mountains are located

The City Plan focuses on compatible development of the riverfront, including preservation of open space for trails and to protect the natural beauty of the river. The County Plan also recognizes the New River as an outstanding feature and recommends preservation of the river through scenic river designation. Due to the location of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant north of Radford, scenic river designation is only recommended by the County for the area north of the plant, thereby leaving a disconnect between the City and County preservation plans for the riverfront.

There are other City environmental objectives, although they are included under other City goals, most of which are related to quality of life and tourism. These include promoting development practices that protect environmental resources and developing City birding sites to promote tourism. The Plan also recommends implementation of the City's Open Space Master Plan to ensure the provision of adequate open space and protection of sensitive environmental areas. The Plan notes that much of the City lies within the 100- and 500-year floodplains.

The Radford Plan has a much stronger historic preservation emphasis than Christiansburg's Plan, making it more compatible in philosophy with the County Plan in this regard. Downtown Radford is protected by a local historic district, and Radford's Main Street Program promotes the compatible renovation of downtown properties. The Plan strongly supports the Main Street Program^Town and recognizes the preservation of both the historic downtown and the riverfront as essential components of a successful heritage tourism program. Implementing the New River Bikeway/Walkway/Blueway Plan 2000 is also supported as a means of promoting regional tourism in the valley, and the City's bikeway/walkway plan includes a connector to the Huckleberry Trail in Christiansburg which is a high priority trail in the County and Christiansburg Plans.

Community Facilities and Services. Most likely due to the City's independent status, County and City goals for the provision of community facilities and services such as fire and rescue, parks and recreation, and solid waste disposal do not mention cooperation between the two jurisdictions. While the City Plan acknowledges its participation in regional special needs transit, solid waste disposal and the regional jail, it provides its own electricity, schools, public safety services, library, and parks and recreation program. The Plan does support regional educational initiatives such as the regional technology magnet school and regional cooperation in the siting of telecommunications towers.

Economy. Radford's Plan includes City efforts to maintain and enhance existing business and industry within the City, but also cites the need to Fully engage with local and regional partners in pursuit of economic benefits to the City. Objectives to pursue this goal include pursuing coordinated regional economic development efforts involving area universities, the regional commerce park, tourism and industrial site marketing.^Town Other economic development objectives with regional implications include participation in regional airport development and a regional consortium to promote technology implementation, including communications technology, in the City and the New River Valley. The County Plan also supports regional economic development efforts through the Regional Economic Development Commission and the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance, but focuses in other economic goals more specifically on cooperative efforts with Blacksburg and Christiansburg.

Land Use. The City's land use goals echo some of the same themes as those found in the County Plan. The City recognizes the need to link appropriate infrastructure and public service development to the City's land use decisions^Town, a theme underlying the County/Town 177 Corridor Plans water and sewer Level of Service standards. The joint County/City review of rezonings and site plans for compliance with these standards under the terms of the corridor plan is similar in concept to the joint review in place between Christiansburg and the County for the Route 144/460 corridor area.

Unlike the Christiansburg Plan, since Radford is a City and under a statewide annexation moratorium, the Radford Plan does not advocate continued expansion. Rather, the City's land use recommendations concentrate on developing and redeveloping within the City and in ensuring attractive and efficient development in the City/County 177 corridor area.

3. Implications and Opportunities for Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan

A. Regional Growth Managemen

A growth management framework for the Route 177 corridor area east of Radford is provided by the joint City/County Comprehensive Plan for this area. The Future Land Use Plan for this corridor and the Level of Service standards, while always subject to review and amendments, do provide both jurisdictions with a coordinated vision for this area and specific criteria to guide future land use and utility extension decisions in the area. The Radford Plan does not make clear what, if any, growth it desires outside of this urban expansion area. There is no mention of the County's Plum Creek urban expansion area in the Radford Plan, even though it abuts the City's northeast boundary, or of any other attempt by the City to influence County growth beyond its corporate limits.

As with Christiansburg, these designated County growth areas will eventually approach build-out. While the same jurisdictional expansion issues facing the County with its Towns will not be present as long as the City annexation moratorium is in place, the County and City will still be confronted with how the ultimate physical edge between the City and County should be defined. As with Christiansburg, this issue invites the opportunity to explore the use of new urbanism design principles for use in these areas.

The Radford Plan is much more specific than the Christiansburg Plan in identifying and pursuing specific regional cooperation efforts, as discussed above. The City is much more dependent upon such cooperation in the provision of certain services and in revenue sharing due to its limited ability to grow. In fact, the Radford Plan recommends assessing the relative benefits and costs of City versus Town status, suggesting that it is feeling the economic pressures of maintaining comprehensive public services for its population. This is born out by findings in its background studies that the City's labor force has expanded without an increase in wages, potentially decreasing business investment as standards of living fall, and that regional shopping opportunities in other jurisdictions are drawing significant amounts of retail dollars from the City.

B. Land Use and Environment

Unless disagreement arises about future development within the 177 Corridor, there are no apparent land use conflicts between the County and City on the horizon. The City has implemented the PUD concept for the development of large vacant residential parcels in concert with the County's endorsement of this approach. In contrast to Christiansburg, Radford's commitment to downtown revitalization supports heritage tourism that will complement the heritage tourism potential of the County's historic villages and sites. The City's preservation of open space along the New River and stated intent to work with other jurisdictions to preserve and enhance the riverfront should strengthen the County's related efforts within its borders along both the New and Little Rivers. Support by the City for the preservation of nearby mountain areas is also in concert with the County designation of such areas for conservation.

C. Transportation and Utilities Infrastructure

The transportation planning recommendations of the Route 177 Corridor Plan should help to protect the capacity of this important arterial for both jurisdictions. The access control recommendations in this plan provide a model for similar efforts by Christiansburg and the County in the Route 114/460 corridor and elsewhere around Christiansburg. The City's recommendation for a second bridge crossing of the New River is not addressed in the County Plan, but could obviously have some major implications for the County highway system. There is also no mention in the County Plan of the passenger rail proposal contained in the City Plan.

The main area of coordination of public utilities between Radford and the County is, as for land use and transportation planning, in the Route 177 Corridor. The City Plan commits to provide surplus service supply to adjacent jurisdictions when possible and appropriate^Town, but other than in the 177 Corridor, there are no guidelines for determining when and where such service extensions would be appropriate.

D. Fiscal and Economic

The City will support County economic growth in the 177 corridor because of its revenue sharing agreement, but it also looks to other revenue-sharing opportunities on the west side of the river. Nevertheless, the City/County fiscal and land use agreements in this corridor provide both jurisdictions with fairly reliable future economic development prospects in a strategic planning area for both the City and County.

The City's downtown revitalization efforts and cooperative planning with Radford University to enhance the riverfront as an economic asset should improve the City's downtown business climate and strengthen the City's economy in the long run. A unique and high quality downtown in Radford will not create negative competition with businesses in the County or its Towns, but should ultimately benefit the County's economy by complementing and reinforcing the County's heritage tourism efforts.

Radford's emphasis on regional cooperation in economic development underscores its dependence on the regions economy and its need to share in regional revenues. This contrasts with Christiansburg, which due to the concentration of regional retail development within its borders and the provision of many community facilities by the County, is not under as much fiscal stress as the City.

4. Summary and Findings

1. The 177 Corridor Plan is a Model for Further Joint Planning Efforts.

Radford's Plan recognizes the importance of cooperative projects with the region and with the County specifically. The joint Comprehensive Plan for the Route 177 corridor establishes an important framework for cooperative County/City decision-making concerning major development in this corridor, and City support for this planning effort should continue in light of the importance of this corridor as a major gateway to the City. This joint Plan should provide a model for cooperative planning in other areas adjacent to the City, including planning for university-related growth issues should they eventually spill over into the County in a significant way.

2. Conduct Further Discussions for Coordinating Land Uses Adjacent to the City.

As with Christiansburg, the County and City would also benefit from discussions of the desired ultimate growth pattern surrounding the City. As suggested above, this could include the feasibility and desirability of defining physical features that can serve to provide a hard edge for the City. This would be in keeping with the County's desire to preserve the active and productive agricultural lands found within the Riner/Bethel Planning Area adjacent to the City and its urban expansion areas.^Town New Urbanism design principles could be a central part of achieving this objective. The City is not promoting great growth outside of its boundaries other than recognizing the development pressures from Radford University, so it may be easier to approach this topic with the City than with Christiansburg.

3. Share Information and Experience in Planning for the University.

The growth of Radford University, while not of the same magnitude as that of Virginia Tech, poses continuing planning challenges for the City, particularly in the provision and maintenance of housing and in downtown commercial development adjacent to the university. The City and County would both benefit from some lessons learned discussions between the City and Blacksburg and some future cooperative planning in areas of mutual interest, such as the provision of student housing and multi-modal, inter-jurisdictional transportation systems.

4. Coordinate Planning for Open Space and River Corridors.

The City's ambitious plans for the New River waterfront should be more closely coordinated with County recreation and open space preservation plans for its river corridors. Wherever possible, potential open space linkages between the City and County river corridors should be identified and pursued as important parts of a broader regional open space network.

5. Coordinate Planning for Heritage Tourism.

Likewise, the City and County would both benefit from cooperative heritage tourism efforts to capitalize on each jurisdictions commitment to historic preservation. The TEA-21 grant program and the Virginia Certified Local Government Program provide potential sources of future funding for such efforts.

6. Further Explore Regional Governance Structures

Radford's indirect recognition in its plan of the fiscal problems associated with City status may make the City open to discussions with the County and other jurisdictions about alternative regional entities to address local and regional fiscal and economic issues. The County should take the opportunity to open a dialogue with the City and any other potentially interested jurisdictions regarding the desirability of exploring such alternatives. Formalizing such a effort either as an independent process or as a specific part of the Comprehensive Planning process for both jurisdictions would help keep attention focused on these opportunities.

Review of Virginia Tech Planning Documents

Virginia Tech Campus Master Plan/1994 Update & Virginia Polytechnic & State University Strategic Plan (Updated August 2001)

1. Introduction and Overview

The 1994 Virginia Tech Campus Master Plan update, prepared by Sasaki Associates, is the most recent update to the 1983-1993 Master Plan. Unlike the 1983 Plan that focused largely on the core campus area, the 1994 plan update provides a comprehensive evaluation of the core campus in context with the contiguous University properties, including those west of the Route 460 Bypass. The Master Plan Update provides a general framework for campus planning and development through 2004 based on projected enrollment figures and programmatic needs. It also provides specific development and design guidelines intended to create a unified design theme for the campus and related properties.

In addition to the Master Plan, the updated Strategic Plan, adopted on August 27, 2001 by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, provides a planning framework for the University. The revised Strategic Plan includes a series of goals to be achieved by 2010 that will also have implications for development of the university and surrounding community, including Montgomery County. Together, these documents provide a sense of how Virginia Tech will change and grow to achieve the University's overall goal that Virginia Tech will be ranked among the Top 30 universities by 2010 (Strategic Plan, p. 1).

The Master Plan focuses primarily on the 2,200 acre main campus and contiguous research and agricultural facilities located within the Town of Blacksburg. The University also owns an additional 326 non-contiguous acres (Turkey Research Station and Moore Farm) in the Town of Blacksburg and three properties in the County, totaling 3,000 acres (Prices Fork Research Center, Fishburn Property and Whitethorne). The 1,750 acre Whitethorne property is the only one of these non-contiguous properties addressed in Master Plan since it is the only property where new facilities were proposed. As of 1994, Virginia Tech had approximately 6.9 million square feet of facilities. Between 1994 and 2000, the University planned to construct an additional 1.9 million square feet on the main campus in Blacksburg. Approximately 23,000 square feet, including a general purpose facility and a repair facility, was proposed for construction to be developed at Whitethorne Farm. According to the University Architect, this property is nearing its ultimate proposed development as an agricultural facility. A Master Plan Update is proposed for 2003.

The Master Plan describes the buildings, infrastructure, open space and environmental features that shape the existing spatial/physical structure of the core campus and related research/agricultural facilities. The Plan is composed of several elements that reflect significant planning themes and issues including: design, transportation and parking, identification of future on campus development sites, utilities and infrastructure, environmental/ecological resource protection, and the relationship of the campus to the surrounding community. Implementation of the University's Six Year Capital Plan is also a major focus of the Master Plan Update.

The Strategic Plan focuses on broader programmatic and educational objectives that may or may not result in the need for new facilities. Both the Master Plan and the Strategic Plan provide information on projected student enrollment. The following key strategic and planning themes outlined in these plans will have direct and/or indirect implications for Montgomery County:

Strategic Goals

• Student enrollment is projected to remain at approximately 25,000 students through the 2010 planning horizon (current enrollment actually slightly exceeds this figure).

• The University is seeking to increase the size and variety of its graduate programs with the intent of achieving a graduate to undergraduate student ratio of 1:4 by 2010.

• To achieve the goals of becoming a Top 30 University and expanding graduate level programs, Virginia Tech will be expanding the quality and quantity of research programs and opportunities, hiring additional staff (200 positions) and constructing additional facilities.

Planning Framework

• The 1994 Master Plan seeks continued concentration of development in the campus core and enhancement of the rural environment at the periphery of the core area to maintain a village/countryside balance (Master Plan, p.30).

• Future campus development is to be concentrated primarily in and around the existing core campus area. There is adequate land to accommodate projected facility needs in the core area. The Plan emphasizes infill development and urban design improvements that will enhance the relationship of the existing campus to the Town of Blacksburg and maintain the existing Town fabric.

• Virginia Tech places a high value on the scenic views and vistas of the regional landscape and the rural character of University owned open space and agricultural areas at the periphery of the core campus. Preservation and enhancement of on campus open space is considered to be central to maintaining the character and historic mission of the campus. At the same time, the preservation and enhancement of surrounding open lands buttresses the relationship of the regional landscape and avoids wasteful sprawl of campus facilities (Master Plan. p. 29).

2. Comparison to Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan

A. Scope/Approach

A master plan for a 2,200 acre university with 25,000 students is obviously narrower in scope than a Comprehensive Plan for a local jurisdiction with a population of 83,000 residents and 380 square miles of land. It also significant differs in that the land addressed in the Virginia Tech Master Plan is controlled by a single institutional entity. Virginia Tech can plan within its boundaries with more certainty and control than a local jurisdiction like Montgomery County that primarily depends on individual private landowners, market forces and incentives or disincentives to implement a community vision. The demand for facilities and services can also be controlled and adjusted by an institution more easily than a local government since the institution controls admission. Both the Comprehensive Plan and the Virginia Tech Master plans address physical aspects of land use planning: environmental elements, utilities planning, infrastructure, transportation and land use. However, there is little or no focus on regional, social or fiscal implications of development in the Virginia Tech Plan. Montgomery County's current Comprehensive Plan does not specifically address future development of the Virginia Tech campus and how it might affect the County.

B. Major Goals, Policies and Implementation Strategies

Long Term Development Pattern: To reinforce the campus as an active village environment and a pedestrian environment, most new development over the 1994 to 2000 period was directed to the core campus area defined by Washington Street, Perry Street and downtown Blacksburg. Construction of facilities in this area has had limited direct impact on unincorporated areas of the County since none of the facilities has been located in or adjacent to the Town/County boundary. The impacts of new development in the core area have been felt much more directly by the Town of Blacksburg. To reinforce the rural feeling of the existing campus, the Plan calls for a hierarchy of formal open spaces such as the Duck Pond and Drill Field and for retention of a greenbelt composed of agricultural and pastoral lands between the Route 460 Bypass and the campus core. Long term growth is planned to remain east of the Route 460 Bypass, near the core campus.

Despite some siting and design issues, the Master Plan provides for future expansion of the airport located on the Virginia Tech campus, just east of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (VTCRC). The VTCRC is a research and development park located adjacent to Techs main campus. It has been the location of significant economic development activity in the Town and is expected to build out in the next ten years. The Virginia Tech Master Plan does not provide for any significant development in or adjacent to unincorporated areas of Montgomery County at this time. Additionally, no unincorporated area of the County was included on Virginia Techs map of priority acquisition properties.

Circulation and Parking: The Virginia Tech Master Plan seeks to provide safe, convenient, barrier free access by expanding pedestrian routes and accessibility, expanding bike paths and minimizing and resolving pedestrian/vehicular conflicts. Parking has also become an issue for the University as the construction of new facilities has displaced surface parking areas. Most of the specific recommendations and improvements included in the Master Plan are limited to the Tech campus and are not of a scale to be considered in the County plan. The University and the Town do coordinate on such improvements where they must be integrated with downtown Blacksburg. The Town and the University coordinate closely on parking and vehicular circulation issues that affect both entities. The Master Plan contains no recommendations for regional road or trail improvements. The Plan does address alternative locations for a proposed Cross Campus Connector which is a high priority for the Town of Blacksburg. This road would be an east-west connector linking east Blacksburg with the 460 Bypass and planned development in the west in the Hethwood area and could be extended into the County.

Utilities and Infrastructure: Virginia Tech does not rely on Montgomery County for utility service. Sanitary sewer service is provided to the Virginia Tech campus by the Blacksburg-VPI Sanitation Authority. Sewage from the University system discharges to the Stroubles Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. This facility is projected to have sufficient capacity to meet the University's planned growth with a few upgrades. The University's water supply is provided by the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-VPI Water Authority and the existing facilities are estimated to have sufficient capacity for immediate growth. The Master Plan does not seek any utility services from the County. Other infrastructure and physical plant needs are met by on campus facilities.

Design: One of the major goals of the 1994 Master Plan update was to develop a set of clear design standards for buildings, landscaping and other site improvements to serve as a design manual for future improvements. The Virginia Tech Master Plan contains nearly one hundred pages of design guidelines that address such elements as building materials, massing, signs, landscape material and design, lighting fixtures, scale, siting, building relationships, etc. This level of detail may not be practical in a larger, more diverse (environmentally, ecologically, socially and economically) community like Montgomery County. There are design elements and relationships that should be coordinated with the Town to assure that transitions between the campus and the downtown are attractive and appropriately desi