If you hear about “pop-up events” this January or February concerning Martinsville’s comprehensive plan, don’t be surprised.
Creating a new comprehensive plan will be on the Martinsville Planning Commission docket for its 4 p.m. Wednesday meeting at the municipal building.
The comprehensive plan is defined by the planning commission staff as “a tangible representation of what the City of Martinsville desires for the future.”
It consists of various objectives and projects officials feel should take priority over the coming years.
Martinsville partnered with the Berkley Group, a Virginia consulting firm, which will spend the next year helping the city create a comprehensive plan.
A tentative timeline of events is among the items planning commission members will look at on Wednesday. The timeline currently includes possible pop-up events in January or February, public surveys and workshops, among other events toward the start of the year.
The timeline also has the first review draft scheduled for June of next year. The public hearing for the final draft is scheduled for October under the current timeline.
One of the timeline’s earliest suggested tasks includes a tour of the city by Berkley representatives.
“The City tour is an opportunity to highlight the assets of Martinsville and identify priority areas for future investment and development,” reads information included in the timeline detailing specifics of a city tour. “It is recommended to allot 2-3 hours for a tour, building in time for stops along the route for photographs and a lunch break if needed.”
Information provided by staff also details how the city council could take part in the planning process.
“The Berkley Group team is scoped to conduct 2-on-2 interviews with all City Council members; these should occur on the same day as the joint kickoff meeting,” reads part of Wednesday’s agenda.
