Pittsylvania Comprehensive Plan Update Kickoff

Visioning Open House

Come join us to learn about the Pittsylvania County Comprehensive Plan Update (Pittsylvania 2047) and share your input on what matters most in the County both today and in the future. Snacks will be provided!

Date: March 25, 2026

Time: 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Location: Pittsylvania County Community Center: 115 South Main St. Chatham, VA 24531

PITTSYLVANIA2047

The Comprehensive Plan lays out the future vision for Pittsylvania County. The Plan identifies goals for where the County should grow and develop and what areas of the County should be preserved and protected. It also identifies steps that the County should take to implement the vision, both in the short term and long term. 

Plan. Progress. Preserve.

Shaping Our Future: The Planning Process

Why Your Voice Matters

The Comprehensive Plan, or ‘Comp Plan’ for short, is a blueprint for the County’s future. It establishes a long-term vision that guides infrastructure investment, land use policy, and the protection of our natural resources. But a plan is only as strong as the community that builds it. By setting this vision in place, the Comp Plan directs how the private market develops and where the County invests. To get the vision right, we need the people who live here to lead the way.

Public Participation Framework

Community engagement isn't "one size fits all." We’ve designed a multi-layered approach to make sure everyone has a way to participate that fits their schedule and comfort level. Each phase of the project will feature multiple ways to participate and make your voice heard. We will rely on the following key tools to gather community input throughout the planning process.

Public Meetings & Open Houses

  • The Vibe: Interactive and informative.

  • The Goal: These are your opportunities to see the data, talk one-on-one with planners, and mark up maps with your ideas. Open houses are "drop-in" style, so you can stay for ten minutes or the full time.

Online Surveys

  • The Vibe: Quick and convenient.

  • The Goal: We know life is busy. Our digital surveys will allow you to weigh in on specific topics—like housing, transportation, or land use—from your phone or laptop.

Stakeholder Focus Groups

  • The Vibe: Deep dives.

  • The Goal: We will sit down with specific groups (small business owners, farmers, environmental advocates, etc.) to understand the unique challenges and opportunities within specific sectors of our economy and environment.

Pittsylvania County Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (PCCPAC)

  • The Vibe: Resident-led oversight.

  • The Goal: The PCCPAC will serve as a sounding board for the planning team. Composed of a cross-section of County residents, this group will meet at key milestones to review draft policies and ensure the plan reflects the community’s unique character. PCCPAC is one voice in the process but they do not replace public input. Part of their role is to also help ensure that input is woven into the final document. They will be asked to help us expand our reach and to help identify new opportunities for engagement throughout the process.

  • PCCPAC Selection Process: The County put out a call for applications in late 2025, which yielded an incredible response. To maintain a fair and unbiased selection, a staff panel conducted a blind review of all submissions, scoring each application against the following criteria:  

    • Ability to represent identified stakeholder groups and to help reach demographics that have been historically underrepresented in County planning processes

    • Expressed interest in participation and planning/development challenges

    • Ideas and ability to think about what's best for the County over personal self-interest

  • PCCPAC Makeup: The final committee is composed of the top two ranked applicants from each election district, ensuring that the long-term vision for the County is shaped by equal representation from every magisterial area.

Opportunities to get involved are coming soon!

Please check this page for updates, or subscribe below to stay informed via email.

Project Timeline

The Comprehensive Plan Update Process is anticipated to take about 18-months. Our work is organized into four phases. The timeline graphic below includes a summary of the milestones and topics included in each step of the update.

Frequently Asked Questions

    • Often called the ‘Comp Plan’ for short.

    • Sets a long-term vision for what parts of the County should be developed for housing, businesses, and civic uses as well as what parts of the County should be preserved for farms and forests.

    • Includes a list of short-term actions that serve as a to-do list related to policy changes and investments in public infrastructure and facilities, such as where to improve roads and locate new trails and parks.

    • Serves as a guide to help property owners and developers determine where to locate new housing, businesses, and which areas of the County should remain undeveloped.

  • The name Pittsylvania County 2047 highlights the Plan’s purpose: to imagine what the County could become over the next 20 years. It lays out a shared Vision for the future and the actions that will guide the County toward that Vision.

    We expect the Comprehensive Plan to be fully adopted in early 2027, which means the 2047 plan looks forward 20 years from then.

    • § 15.2-2223 of the Code of Virginia requires local governments to adopt a Comprehensive Plan.

    • § 15.2-2230 of the Code of Virginia requires local governments to review the Comprehensive Plan every 5 years to determine if an update is needed, and if so, to complete a Plan update.

    • § 15.2-2232 of the Code of Virginia requires that public facilities, buildings, streets, utilities, and other public features be reviewed by the Planning Commission and be found to be “substantially in accord” with the adopted Comprehensive Plan prior to being established or changed.

    • The Pittsylvania County Comp Plan covers portions of the County that are outside of the City of Danville and County’s three towns (Hurt, Gretna, and Chatham). Danville and the towns each have their own Comp Plan and each has jurisdiction over land use and zoning regulations within their boundaries.

    • The County, Danville, and towns are close partners. Through the Comprehensive Plan update process, the County will work with each entity to ensure the Plan identifies common goals related to land use, transportation, and economic development.

  • Pittsylvania County is updating its Comprehensive Plan to guide its future decisions related to growth, development, and protection of resources. The existing Pittsylvania County Comp Plan was adopted in 2010. As the County has welcomed new industry and employment opportunities in the last decade, coupled with expanded infrastructure, a new Comprehensive Plan can help the County to plan for emerging and future needs of the County.

  • Adoption of the Comprehensive Plan is the responsibility of the County Board of Supervisors with a recommendation from the Planning Commission. However, community input is pivotal to the update process to ensure that the Plan reflects the community’s vision for the future of the County.

    The update process includes 4 phases of work. The phasing graphic above summarizes the steps and topics we will cover within each phase of the project. The overall timeline is anticipated to be about 18-months.

    • The Pittsylvania County Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (PCCPAC) is comprised of County residents who will advise County staff and the Consultant Team on Comprehensive Plan recommendations and community engagement approaches.

    • The Committee will also support community outreach efforts by sharing information within their local networks and neighbors.

    • Committee members were selected through an open application process at the start of the project in early 2026

    • While this committee provides vital resident-led oversight, it is only one of many ways we are gathering input. Visit the Planning Process section above to find the engagement method that works best for you.

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