A community workshop held at Staunton High School Wednesday evening gathered further public input and feedback on what Staunton residents want in the city’s next comprehensive plan.
“I’m thrilled about it so far,” said Will Cockrell, Principal Planner for EPR, PC of Charlottesville, the city’s consultant in the comprehensive plan process.
He said that attendance at a January workshop and Wednesday workshop were pretty good as far as comprehensive plan processes go. Meeting of the steering committee and stakeholder groups have also been beneficial.
“We’re not done yet. We still have a long ways to go,” Cockerell said of the process, which has seen “amazing engagement” from the community and will continue through the fall when EPR begins to draft strategies and find options for how the city can move forward.
The 18-months-long process will wrap up by January 2026, however, EPR will remain available in case the city needs further assistance in the process.
“Once these plans are done, it’s great to celebrate that. But, once you’re done [with the process], it’s just starting,” Cockerell said of the next phase of taking gathered feedback and information and actually creating a feasible plan for the city’s future.
EPR will ensure that City of Staunton | HomeStaunton has a clear vision and the necessary tools to make that vision a reality.
“The comprehensive plan is the policy document in local government and anything really starts with this plan,” Cockerell said of the city’s future plans and initiatives.
Cockerell said he hopes to see even more involvement from the community in the process the rest of the year. Most have so far been on the same page about what they want the city’s focus on, including multi-modal transportation options and more areas of the city and to improve on options already available. 
“The challenge, too, is infrastructure is really expensive. I’m thrilled with the feedback we’re getting. It’s what’s going to make that conversation easier,” Cockerell said.
Essentially, the city will eventually have to prioritize what areas of growth or improvement are most important to meet the needs of the community.
“I’m really impressed with the amount of community involvement,” said Meggie Taylor, who joined Staunton as Long Range Planner six months ago. Her position allows her to oversee the process of the city developing its next comprehensive plan and she said the best part of that process is when members of the community provide feedback.
The last workshop, held January 22, drew 125 community members and Wednesday evening’s workshop, Taylor estimated, drew even more. the next workshop, which will follow an online community survey, will be in the fall. A date has yet to be scheduled.
In her role, Taylor has worked with the city’s consulting firm and arranged stakeholder meetings for each of the 10 chapters of stakeholders such as the city’s Economic Development department.
Steering committees have also been a part of the process and they are made of members of Staunton Planning Commission and several members of the local community.
“We’ve really done a push to make sure the community knows how important the process is,” Taylor said.
Among the most prevalent feedback Taylor has heard from community members is a need to focus on the city’s infrastructure, including water and roads, and regular maintenance of recreational opportunities.
“Very happy. We once again had a very great turnout. The public is engaged. They’ve provided a lot of great comments,” said Staunton Director of Community Development Rodney Rhodes.
Rhodes said that the gathering of data and feedback, and working on city goals and visions will ultimately reveal to city staff and EPR a common theme for the city’s future.
“It’s for the city. It’s the residents’ plan, not just for the consultant or city staff,” Rhodes said.
The fall community meeting, according to Rhodes, will not be an open house format like Wednesday’s community workshop but some other format for gathering feedback, perhaps an opportunity for community members to meet in discussion groups.
Rhodes and city staff previously worked on and developed the city’s West End Revitalization Plan and Uniontown Neighborhood Action Plan. The comprehensive plan is similar, but more involved because it includes the entire city’s needs and future goals. The comprehensive plan will also include Uniontown‘s and the West End’s plans.
The city’s comprehensive plan will also include something about housing, a greenways plan, and a Bike & Pedestrian Plan.
Related stories:
Staunton to host community meeting to update Comp Plan
Staunton: Residents, property owners invited to second Comp Plan workshop
Share
Rebecca Barnabi
