• Introduction
• Demographic Profile
• Legal Basis for Comprehensive Plan
• Quality of Life
• Vision for the Future
• Plan Development Process

Plan Development Process

Shepherdstown appointed a Comprehensive Plan Committee to oversee the Comprehensive Plan update. The Town issued a national request for proposals and selected a comprehensive planning consultant to assist the Comprehensive Plan Committee with the preparation of the updated Plan. The committee began work on the plan in August 2013 by formalizing the process and schedule for the plan update.
The general process included:

• Comprehensive Plan Committee Meetings
  
• Stakeholder Meetings / Interviews
  
• Public Survey
  
• Public Meetings
  
• Plan Drafting
  
• Plan Adoption

The plan update steps are listed in Figure 1.4: Major Steps in the Process. The descriptions of the public meetings and workshops are described below with the detailed results listed in the appendix.

Committee Review of the Draft Plan

During the months of February and March, the Comprehensive Plan Committee met to review and guide the development of a draft plan for public review. Once the public input draft was prepared, a meeting was held on May 1 for the public to provide comments for the preparation of the final update to the comprehensive plan.

May 1 Public Review Meting

At the public input meeting on May 1, residents reviewed the draft plan presented by the consulting team. After the presentation, meeting participants provided feedback and direction for how the Comprehensive Plan Committee should move forward with developing the final draft. The consulting team answered questions along with committee members at stations around the room where art boards were on display with illustrations, maps and information from the draft plan.

Plan Adoption

The consulting team collected additional feedback from the Comprehensive Plan Committee and prepared the final draft of the plan. The Comprehensive Plan Committee provided final direction and endorsed the final draft, sending it forward to be considered by the Planning Commission at a public hearing.

The Planning Commission held a public hearing on (TBD) to review the plan and made a formal recommendation to the Town Council. After receiving the Planning Commission’s recommendation, the Planning Commission presented the plan to the Town Council. After the Planning Commission’s presentation, the Town Council scheduled and held a public hearing on (TBD) and adopted the plan as recommended by the Planning Commission.

Plan Overview and Organization

The Comprehensive Plan is organized into 12 main sections:

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

This section of the plan contains the overview and basic information concerning why and how the plan was developed.

SECTIONS 2-11: COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ELEMENTS

Sections 2 - 11 discuss the key elements of the Comprehensive Plan. Each element includes a brief overview followed by recommended goals and strategies to guide future decision-making and actions in furtherance of the plan.

Comprehensive Plan Elements

• Land Use and Community Character
• Housing
  
• Economic Development and Tourism
• Transportation
  
• Public Services and Infrastructure
• Parks and Recreation
  
• Natural and Environmental Resources
• Historic Preservation
  
• Cultural Resources
• Intergovernmental Coordination
  

SECTION 12: IMPLEMENTATION

Section 12 sets forth a framework for implementing the plan. An implementation matrix highlights the priorities and the responsible parties needed to implement each goal and strategy identified for each Comprehensive Plan element.

APPENDICES

The appendices includes a detailed summary of the public input survey and public input meeting held during the beginning of the planning process. The results of the survey and public meeting contributed significantly to the overall goals and strategies that are included in this document.

• Introduction
• Demographic Profile
• Legal Basis for Comprehensive Plan
• Quality of Life
• Vision for the Future
• Plan Development Process