Planning Department

A Guide to Comprehensive Planning in Chesterfield County

What is Planning?

Planning is the process by which a community attempts to deal with present situations and provide for future needs. Though most often associated with guiding future land development, local government planning efforts can also include such activities as planning for public facilities and service needs, historic preservation, the environment and economic development. While the planning process can take many forms, some of its most important steps include:

• Collection and analysis of information;
• Development of objectives;
• Formulation of goals and recommendations;
• Consideration of alternative courses of action;
• Adoption of a plan, and
• Adoption of measures to implement the plan.

Why Plan?

The primary reason Chesterfield County undertakes planning is to prepare for and cope with change. Change is inevitable, and whether it is a positive or negative force may depend on the effectiveness of the county's planning efforts. Planning can be used to guide and coordinate the changes the county is experiencing by providing for:

• The wise use of land and resources;
• A good environment for people to live in;
• Anticipated future needs;
• Beneficial development patterns, and
• The most cost effective use of tax dollars

Planning is a necessity if a community wants to have any control over its future. In the absence of monitoring or guidance, change will occur haphazardly without any assessment being made of its impact on the whole community. Planning gives local government the means and opportunity to establish its own community development goals and objectives, and to enact ordinances necessary to attain them. The planning process also gives each citizen an opportunity to participate in the development of local plans, thus increasing the likelihood that the plan reflects the ideas of the community.

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

The primary reason for having a comprehensive plan is to enable local government officials and citizens to anticipate and deal constructively with changes occurring within the community. Though its format varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, the comprehensive plan is a broad effort to address a wide range of community issues and concerns, understanding the important relationships between each part. Virginia State law requires that all local governments have an adopted comprehensive plan. Typical topics addressed in a comprehensive plan include the analysis of population change, land use and economic trends, natural and environmental features, housing, transportation systems and community facilities and services.

The Plan For Chesterfield

Chesterfield County's first comprehensive plan was approved in 1967. The original components of Chesterfield County's current comprehensive plan,  The Plan For Chesterfield, were adopted by the Board of Supervisors between 1983 and 1987. Originally made up of five area plans addressing issues mainly relating to land use and transportation, recent amendments to the Plan For Chesterfield have taken a much more detailed approach to addressing area concerns.

What is The Relationship Between the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning?

The comprehensive plan forms the foundation for all zoning in Chesterfield County, and can be considered a "blueprint" for future zoning decisions.  While land use plan designations are only recommendations of possible future use, they are used as an important guide for the changing of any zoning classification.