Fredericksburg Comprehensive Plan
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FREDERICKSBURG COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Fredericksburg, Virginia ADOPTED September 25, 2007 CLARION ASSOCIATES | MCBRIDE-DALE CLARION | MARTIN/ALEXIOU/BRYSON Fredericksburg Comprehensive Plan FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA Adopted by the Fredericksburg City Council September 25, 2007 ADOPTED – SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 FREDERICKSBURG COMPREHENSIVE PLAN LAND USE i Acknowledgments City Council City Administration & Staff Thomas J. Tomzak, M.D., Mayor At-Large Phillip L. Rodenberg, City Manager Kerry P. Devine, Vice Mayor At-Large Kathleen Dooley, City Attorney Deborah L. Girvan, At-Large Beverly R. Cameron, Assistant City Manager Marvin J. Dixon, Ward 1 Raymond P. Ocel, Jr., Director of Planning George C. Solley, Ward 2 Erik Nelson, Senior Planner Matthew J. Kelly, Ward 3 Edwin L. Allen, Jr., Fire Chief Hashmel C. Turner, Jr., Ward 4 Robert K. Antozzi, Director of Parks, Recreation, and Public Facilities Planning Commission Kathleen M. Beck, Transit Manager Karen Hedelt, Acting Director of Tourism and Vincent C. Ramoneda, Chair Business Development Edward F. Whelan, III, Vice-Chair Kevin Gullette, Director of Economic Mary Katherine Greenlaw, Secretary Development and Tourism Paul D. Ware, M.D. David W. Nye, Chief of Police Roy E. McAfee Doug Fawcett, Director of Public Works Joseph D. Henderson, Sr. Phillip K. Brown, Graphics Coordinator Roy F. Gratz Consultants Roger Waldon, FAICP, Clarion Associates Leigh Anne King, AICP, Clarion Associates Chris Duerksen, Clarion Associates Dorothy Ariail, Clarion Associates Greg Dale, FAICP, McBride-Dale Clarion George Alexiou, PE, Martin/Alexiou/Bryson Than Austin, AICP, Martin, Alexiou/Bryson ADOPTED – SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 FREDERICKSBURG COMPREHENSIVE PLAN i TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I: SETTING THE STAGE…………………………………………………...3 Preface.............................................................................................................................................................................3 Chapter 1: Vision.........................................................................................................................................................7 Chapter 2: Fredericksburg Today .........................................................................................................................15 PART II: KEY AREAS…………………………………………………………….. 25 Chapter 3: Downtown..............................................................................................................................................27 Chapter 4: Rappahannock River .............................................................................................................................33 Chapter 5: Corridors ...............................................................................................................................................37 Chapter 6: Neighborhoods.....................................................................................................................................41 Chapter 7: Suburban Business Districts...............................................................................................................45 PART III: KEY ISSUES……………………………………………………………. 47 Chapter 8: Transportation and Mobility..............................................................................................................49 Chapter 9: Public Facilities & Services..................................................................................................................59 Chapter 10: Environmental Protection................................................................................................................65 Chapter 11: Community Appearance ..................................................................................................................69 Chapter 12: Historic Preservation........................................................................................................................73 Chapter 13: Housing.................................................................................................................................................78 Chapter 14: Institutional Partnerships .................................................................................................................79 Chapter 15: Sustainability........................................................................................................................................85 PART IV: LAND USE…………………………………………………………….. 91 Chapter 16: City Land Use Map ............................................................................................................................89 Chapter 17: Planning Areas ....................................................................................................................................95 PART V: ACTION PLAN……………………………………………………… 151 Chapter 18: Actions with Priorities................................................................................................................... 153 Chapter 19: Monitoring ........................................................................................................................................ 163 PART VI: PLAN BIBLIOGRAPHY AND GLOSSARY ………………………… 165 A Technical Appendix with supporting data is provided under separate cover. ADOPTED – SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 FREDERICKSBURG COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Page intentionally left blank. ADOPTED – SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 FREDERICKSBURG COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SETTING THE STAGE 3 PART I: SETTING THE STAGE Setting the Stage: The City Council has adopted a Vision Statement that describes Fredericksburg as a city animated by a sense of unmatched, irreplaceable history, shaped by civic involvement and economic vitality. The Comprehensive Plan provides a blueprint for the community to achieve that vision - - addressing current conditions, visions and goals for the future, and strategies designed to achieve that future. This is Part I of Fredericksburg’s Comprehensive Plan, setting the stage with a clear statement of vision for the future, and facts describing the present. Preface Chapter 1: Vision Chapter 2: Fredericksburg Today ADOPTED – SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 FREDERICKSBURG COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 4 SETTING THE STAGE Page intentionally left blank. ADOPTED – SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 FREDERICKSBURG COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 5 SETTING THE STAGE Preface Fredericksburg, Virginia. June, 2007. This Comprehensive Plan has been prepared as a guide to decision-making, to help the City of Fredericksburg move toward its 300th Anniversary in manner that embraces local values and achieves the City’s vision for its future. The Fredericksburg City Council most recently adopted a comprehensive plan in 1999. A lot has changed since then - new growth, new energy in downtown, increasing demands for parking, new public facilities, increases in regional commuting, changes at the university, new facilities at the hospital, shifting transportation patterns, and increasing concern about neighborhood and environmental protection. But the core values of the community remain intact, as recently re-confirmed by the Fredericksburg City Council in a bi-annual Vision Statement. There has also been a lot of work to help shape the form of Fredericksburg’s future. The Economic Development Authority completed a landmark initiative called JumpStart! (more on that below). There is a major new plan for sidewalks and bikeways called Fredericksburg Pathways. Consultant studies are underway for the Princess Anne Street corridor and a design firm is preparing plans for a portion of the riverfront. Parking studies have been completed, and there is work underway to reevaluate historic district guidelines . The City’s Planning Commission has been working on short-term and long-term issues, and a Planning Advisory Committee was established to help guide work on this Comprehensive Plan. Along the way, there have been multiple visioning initiatives to help citizens articulate concerns about the present and hopes for the future. Of particular note is the JumpStart! initiative. This document includes current market research and projections of economic activity, and pulls together a vision of mixed-use developments along Fredericksburg’s key corridors. Design concepts are included, along with an action plan to guide implementation. This is the type of work that is best placed and best implemented within an overall, comprehensive policy framework for the whole City. ADOPTED – SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 FREDERICKSBURG COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 6 SETTING THE STAGE This updated Comprehensive Plan provides that policy framework, establishing the context for decision-making on projects like JumpStart!, and helping the community set priorities for action. There is much more that can be done though. This Comprehensive Plan suggests how the issues in different topical areas connect and reinforce each other (e.g., economic development and transportation), and also suggests priorities for attention, resources, and action (short-term, medium- term, and long-term). The plan both sets forth the long-term vision, and serves as a resource for day- to-day decision-making. This Comprehensive Plan is organized as follows: • Part I describes current conditions and the City’s vision for its future. • Part II discusses the issues that focus on particular geographic areas of the City. • Part III discusses the issues that are city-wide in nature. • Part IV refreshes the City’s land use map and designation of planning areas. • Part V pulls together a Comprehensive Action Plan, with suggested priorities. At the beginning of each part of this plan,