Powhatan County Comprehensive Plan
A complete copy of the full text of the adopted 2010 Long-Range Comprehensive Plan may be reviewed and inspected at the Department of Planning and Community Development, located in the County Administration Building (3834 Old Buckingham Road), between the hours of 8:30AM and 5:00PM of each business day. If you have any questions, please call 598-5621.
What is a comprehensive plan?
A comprehensive plan consists of maps, policies, goals and objectives and provides a “blueprint” for how a community should grow in the future. A comprehensive plan typically looks 20-30 years in the future and incorporates a wide range of issues and questions relating to land use, including transportation, land use mix, parks and open space, community facilities, community character and identity, housing and neighborhoods, and economic development. Once adopted, elected and appointed officials of the County will use the plan as a guide for their land use and public investment decisions.
The State of Virginia mandates that Powhatan County prepare and adopt a comprehensive plan for the physical development of the land within its jurisdiction under Section 15.2-2223 of the Code of Virginia. The plan must include assessments of existing conditions, trends of growth, and the future needs of the order, convenience, prosperity, and general welfare of the inhabitants. The state code also requires the plan to include transportation and land use components. The land use component is encouraged to provide policies for : the location of future public facilities such as parks, schools, waterworks, and sewage disposal, historical areas, areas for redevelopment, and areas for environmental significance. The plan must also address affordable housing within the County.