Henrico officials receive community input on proposed comprehensive plan update

Henrico NEXT, the county’s new comprehensive plan detailing what the future may hold for the area in the next 20 years, has entered the next stage of development – gauging community input on proposed goals through a course of community listening sessions and surveys.

The initial goals of the plan are the product of citizen feedback from a number of surveys conducted from late 2021 through early 2022, a community visioning event in March of 2022, numerous community events and more, according to Henrico Principal Planner Anthony Greulich.

From there, county officials synthesized this feedback into goals in areas such as environment, land use, public facilities and services, transportation and mobility, recreation and parks, community character and others.

Now, the planning department is seeking initial feedback on the plan through community listening sessions around the county, the third of which was held Aug. 12 at Tuckahoe Area Library. At these sessions – one of which being held in each district – community members are invited to read boards detailing plans based upon previous feedback and speak with county officials to learn more. After that, attendees are asked to complete a survey to gauge their opinions on the direction of the plan.

“The idea with the boards is that this is the initial feedback we got, and we want people to tell us, when [they] read these boards, what [they] think,” Greulich said. “What would you like to tell us that you think should happen? What are things that are happening now that you don’t think should be happening?”

Following these meetings, the planning department will adjust the goals and information presented on the boards to better reflect both the survey data and consultant input. The updated plan ultimately will be brought to the Henrico Planning Commission for consideration, then to the Henrico Board of Supervisors for adoption at about this time next year – though the exact timing depends upon how many changes occur between now and then, Greulich said.

One-year Henrico resident Racheal Cooper attended this week’s meeting to learn more about the county and how it may look in the future.

“I want to know how we can assess the past and where we have gone since [the last comprehensive plan],” Cooper said. “What have we achieved? We have big ambitions, but what is the reality of those ambitions?”

Cooper is interested in seeing the plan when it is more fully drafted and more data is available to show how these goals can be turned into tangible results, she said.

Anne-Marie Leake, a Henrico resident for more than 50 years and associate director of the Henricopolis Soil and Water Conservation District Board, voiced similar thoughts.

“What I personally am looking forward to is when the full drafts are released to the public,” Leake said. “I think that is going to be really important for people to get engaged.”

For now though, Leake said that she thinks county officials are doing a tremendous job getting citizens involved in the planning process through events like the community listening events.

The first two listening sessions occurred late last month at the Fairfield Area Library and Libbie Mill Library, and the final two will take place Aug. 19 at the Varina Area Library and Aug. 20 at the Twin Hickory Area Library, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. each day.