“We do a lot of planning in Charlottesville.” With this statement of the obvious, Jim Tolbert opened the Charlottesville strategic planning forum Wednesday night. He then proceeded to lay out various City blueprints: neighborhood plans, department plans, a comprehensive plan, and—the plan for which this brainstorming session for local concerns and ideas was called—a strategic plan for 2011.
Between 60 and 70 locals from the city and county attended the event. “This is intended for us to hear you, rather than for you to hear us,” said Tolbert, before participants broke up into a “world café,” choosing issue-centered tables dedicated to topics like education or regionalism. During discussions, facilitators recorded suggestions on giant post-its to help guide the committee.
That strategic planning committee, composed of 20 citizens and guided by 13 City managers, is midway through a yearlong process. Thus far they have crafted a vision statement that includes verbiage about affordable housing, lifelong learning, good jobs, diverse transportation modes and environmental preservation.
When the strategic plan is ready for City Council’s approval in December, it will supposedly include measurable goals and objectives for housing, environment, transportation, community, government, and economic and residential development. This year marks the first all-inclusive City planning done with both a citizens’ committee and larger scale public participation. (Note that the “strategic plan” is still distinct from the official “comprehensive plan,” a document legally required by the State.) Will this process grow even more Byzantine as the year progresses? You can plan on it. —Will Goldsmith
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