Montgomery Matters

Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan 2045

Montgomery County Planning Department

Montgomery Matters

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The County is working with stakeholders and community members to create Montgomery Matters. Montgomery Matters is a Comprehensive Plan, which means it is a long-range guide for growth and development in the County. The plan addresses various topics, including land use, housing, economic development, and transportation. The plan will also contain Small Area Plans for the six Villages in Montgomery: Belview, Elliston and Lafayette, Plum Creek, Prices Fork, Riner, and Shawsville. It will establish a vision for the future of Montgomery and objectives and goals to achieve this vision.

Process Matters

The process to create Montgomery Matters follows a 5-step structure that overlaps with public and stakeholder engagement. The process is as listed below:

Data Gathering and Analysis & Review Past Plans

Wise policies arise from valid data and reliable analysis. Data is the core to all chapters and their subsequent policies, goals, objectives, and recommendations. Analysis of data leads to better understanding the County’s issues and needs.

Identify Community Needs

The planning process solves problems, mitigates threats, and takes advantage of opportunities. Montgomery Matters will identify and catalog community needs with valid and reliable data analysis.

Visioning

Information from the previous steps helps the community identify its vision, goals, and objectives. These guiding statements will direct the development of specific recommendations and policies. Setting the right vision is imperative and should result from considerable information and deliberation.

Develop and Evaluate Recommendations

Referring to community needs and its overall vision, Montgomery Matters will produce detailed recommendations and guiding policies to steer the County’s efforts over the coming years. The plan should be specific and tangible to bring structure and clarity to decision-makers’ difficult job of local governance.

Plan Development

The previous step elements will combine to create the main Comprehensive Plan and the various Village Plans.

Completing Montgomery Matters does not signify the end or the “finish line.” Completing a planning process brings a community to the beginning, or the “starting line.” With final adoption, tangible implementation work begins.

Current Land Use to Future Land Use

Engagement Matters

To support the ongoing planning process, the team has compiled the report Engagement Matters, which provides key insights into the rationale behind Montgomery Matters. Review this report to better understand the "Why?" behind the plan's development.

Continue to check back and review additional documents that affect goals, actions, and village planning!

How to use the online document feature: Use the side arrows to read the report, and click the top right arrow to view it in a new tab. Manipulate the report with the taskbar at the bottom of the document. Features include download or install, zoom functions, view in full screen, share, return to cover, and automatically flip to a chapter with the table of contents.

Phase 1 Engagement Report

This report summarizes the first round of engagement efforts. Engagement will inform upcoming goals and actions.

Community engagement is the foundation of Montgomery Matters. We are working with multiple groups and communities to establish a vision for Montgomery County with achievable objectives and goals. Who we are listening to is listed below.

Citizen Steering Committee: The steering committee is a small group of Count citizens that will help define community goals, oversee the development of community actions and recommendations, help the consultant team identify and reach essential stakeholders, and review and edit Montgomery Matters. This group includes current residents, property owners, and other partners.

Stakeholders: Stakeholder meetings will take place throughout this process to bring awareness and help with survey distribution, help craft goal statements, and brainstorm and review recommendations to implement these goals. Stakeholders in this process include businesses, neighborhood groups, community groups, and other organizations involved in Montgomery County.

Elected Officials: The Board of Supervisors and others will be a part of the process and will be a part of the final adoption and implementation.

Staff & Consultants: Montgomery County Planning Department is partnering with EPR, PC to help develop this plan.

The Public: There will be five (4) Countywide meetings the public can be involved in:

Community Open House

Provide feedback on community needs Completed June 13th, 2024

Community Open House

Choose What Matters to You! An open house event to help envision the County's future. Completed November 20th, 2024

Community Workshop

Detail recommendations and identify preferred actions Scheduled Spring 2025

Community Open House

Plan finalization Scheduled Fall 2025

Each Village will also have its own group of stakeholders to inform the development of its Small Area Plans.

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Prices Fork

The pattern of roads and settlement in the Prices Fork area was influenced by the underlying landforms. The primary east-west axis of Prices Fork Road straddles the backbone of the ridge between the Toms and Stroubles Creek. Prices Fork initially developed as a rural, crossroads trading center at the fork leading to the New River ferry crossing at Peppers Ferry, Whitethorne, and McCoy. Prices Fork also includes a historical district and Prices Fork Elementary School.

Belview

Belview is a small rural community nestled between Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford, at the intersection of Peppers Ferry Road (Route 114) and Prices Fork Road (Route ). The area takes its name from the Belview Elementary School, which is located at its core.

Plum Creek

Plum Creek derives its name from a small creek that runs through its boundaries and empties into the New River. U.S. Route 11 has always served as the focal point for development in the Plum Creek Village. The Village is predominantly rural in character, with several important commercial establishments located along the Route 11 corridor. The Montgomery County Public Service Authority provides both water and sewer to Plum Creek. The public water is supplied through an agreement with the City of Radford. Plum Creek Park is within the Village of Riner, and in the future Auburn Park will be as well.

Riner

Prior to 1990, development in the Village of Riner followed the historic crossroad development pattern, with dense development along the secondary road network. Growth occurs in areas where there is sufficient public infrastructure to support the additional development. The village is served by both public water and sewer; has an elementary, middle, and high school; a solid waste collections facility; a fire station; a rescue squad substation; and a post office. The historic core of Riner was designated as a National Historic District and listed in the Nation Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Elliston-Lafayette

Originally two communities, Elliston-Lafayette developed in two different patterns. Lafayette is one of the first planned communities in Montgomery County which was chartered in 1805. Around the 1900's, Elliston developed organically, with most development following transportation infrastructure. The construction of I-81, bypassing Elliston to the north and west, rerouted significant traffic from the US 11/460 corridor. The resulting shifts in traffic levels decreased the development of commercial and travel related facilities within and near both villages. Public water and sewer are served within the Village, there is also waste collection and a Sewage Treatment Plant within the industrial park. Public facilities in the area include, Eastern Montgomery Elementary and High School. The village core area of Lafayette is listed in the Virginia and National Registers for Historic Places.

Shawsville

Shawsville began to develop in the mid- to late-18th century, following transportation infrastructure. In addition to roadways, the railroad also had a major influence on the development of the town. The growth produced a railroad depot, a bank, a hotel to accommodate travelers, churches, and a school house by the late 19th century. Much of the original business district, located along Oldtown Road, is part of a National Historic District, designated in 1991 by the National Trust. Public facilities include Shawsville Middle School, the Shawsville Library, and Creed Fields Park. Shawsville, historically, has had and will continue to have a thriving, mixed-use business district; the presence of natural and manmade obstacles,, including the presence of a major highway and a parallel rail line, steep slopes, and floodplains pose limitations on potential development in Shawsville.

Staff will also be present at select community events, like fairs and festivals.

Click here to view the detailed Public Engagement Plan.

Previous Engagement Efforts

The Montgomery Matters team hosted an Open House event on June 13th, 2024. Thirty community members attended this event. The Open House included a first look at data and activity posters to help inform the planning process. Participants were asked to list assets and challenges with the topics of the Montgomery Matters Plan, validate or express concern with the previous plan's goals, and describe Montgomery County. This event raised awareness of the Comprehensive Plan process and drew attention to the survey. Engagement results from this Open House were analyzed and will be used to help inform the county's goals and actions for 2045.

The Montgomery Matters Survey was open from June 13th, 2024, to August 31st, 2024. The survey included questions about residents' experiences with the different topics of the Montgomery Matters Plan. A map survey was also available for residents to complete. In total, the County received 1,007 paper and online responses. Survey data will help inform the county's goals and actions for 2045.

Data collected from these efforts and first-hand accounts from stakeholders and County staff worked to inform the Public Engagement Report at the beginning of this section. This report also incorporated results from previous planning efforts, including Transportation Matters and the Village Plans.

You Matter

We need your help to ensure that Montgomery Matters will reflect those who live and work in the County. You can influence what Montgomery will look like in the future.

Contact Montgomery Matters:

Or email mcmatters@montgomerycountyva.gov

Explore Montgomery

To support the ongoing planning process, the team has compiled the report below, which provides key insights into the rationale behind Montgomery County's new Comprehensive Plan. The State of the County report is a supporting document to the Public Engagement Report. This document will help inform goals and actions.

Montgomery Matters State of the County

Use the interactive map below to discover more about Montgomery County. Click the button in the bottom right of the map to open the legend, and learn about the features present. Zoom functions are in the bottom left corner. Click the scope icon to see resources in your area!

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Mobility Matters

Interactive map showing transportation infrastructure in Montgomery County, including facilities in Blacksburg and Christiansburg to show connectivity. This map includes VDOT roads, railroads, trails including the Huckleberry Trail, sidewalks in Blacksburg, bike share locations, railroad stations, airports, and park and ride locations.

Safety Matters

Interactive map showing emergency services and courthouses in Montgomery County. Included are the locations of animal control, courthouses, fire stations, and police departments.

Culture Matters

Interactive map showing cultural resources in Montgomery County, including resources in Blacksburg and Christiansburg. This map includes museums and historical districts in the area.

Education Matters

Interactive map showing educational resources in Montgomery County, including those in Blacksburg and Christiansburg. This map includes public schools, universities, and vocational schools.

Health Matters

Interactive map showing health services in Montgomery County, including resources in Blacksburg and Christiansburg. This map includes hospitals as well as social services buildings.

The Environment Matters

Interactive map showing environmental features in Montgomery County. This map includes rivers, streams, lakes, flood hazard areas, conservation easements, and agricultural and forest districts.

Montgomery Business Analyst Dashboard (Open Sidebar for Instructions)

Housing Market Characteristics (ACS 2017-2021)

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions will appear as the site is updated.