Henrico officials planning for what comes 'NEXT'

No one knows what the future will bring, but Henrico County planners are envisioning a 2045 version of the county in which neighborhoods, retail shops, office parks and natural parks are interwoven through a plethora of trails, bike lanes and multi-use paths.

So too, it appears, are a number of Henrico citizens.

County officials, nearing the conclusion of the second phase of the their five-phase comprehensive plan update process (dubbed “HenricoNEXT”), held a March 23 public meeting, at which their consultant walked participants through an overview of the effort and invited them to complete an interactive survey.

Once adopted by the county’s board of supervisors sometime in 2024, the updated plan will serve as a guide to future land use in Henrico, suggesting a potential best-case scenario as envisioned by county officials and citizens. County officials undertake the process every few decades; the last time they did so was 2009, with a plan focused on the 2026 version of the county.

“You can’t totally predict the future, but you’re trying to put out there what you’re hoping you will find and hoping you will see,” Henrico Board of Supervisors Chair Pat O’Bannon said March 23 of the county’s visioning process. O’Bannon cited the words of Lewis Carroll, in his famous Alice in Wonderland, who wrote, ‘If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.’

“We need and want to know where we are going,” O’Bannon said.

The survey originally was scheduled to close April 13 but has been extended through April 22 and may be completed online.

The county’s process comes during a time when Henrico’s growth rate has slowed – unsurprisingly, according to a consultant who’s leading the effort – in recent years, according to U.S. Census data. It grew by about 20% in the 1990s and by 17% between 2000 and 2010 but only by about 9% between 2010 and 2020, as land available for new housing development began to shrink. Its median household income also slipped slightly from 2010 ($70,521) to 2020 ($70,307).

One eye-catching component of the plan – the draft Henrico County Bike Plan – shows an explosion of shared-use (bike and pedestrian) paths throughout the county, along with numerous additional bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, paved shoulders, signed bike tours and enhanced routes, among others.

The idea: to connect Henrico in ways that don’t require motor vehicles.

Though the plan itself can’t mandate any private development projects, the network of bike and shared-use paths may well develop as envisioned by county officials, since many of those shown on the plan could be funded by local or state government or potentially included as proffered elements of private development. (Proffers, though technically voluntary commitments from developers, typically involve items or design qualities strongly recommended by county officials.)

And judging from some of the initial responses to the citizen survey, respondents would welcome the additions.

Asked to describe Henrico’s biggest challenge in 1 to 3 words, a number of citizens responded with variations of these:

• “Too car dependent”
• “Lack of sidewalks”
• “Too many cars”
• “Multimodal transportation needs”
• “No bike lanes.”

Similar themes came from a question asking respondents to describe their ideal vision of Henrico.

One described a community in which “walking and biking are available readily and safely all over the county.” Wrote another: “Progressive, walkable, connected, equitable, sustainable.” A third wrote: “Pedestrian centric and environmentally sustainable.”

Other common themes among responses centered on desires for:
• the preservation of natural resources;
• housing affordability;
• less development, or controlled growth;
• diversity and inclusion efforts;
• excellent schools.

The survey also asks citizens for their thoughts about the county’s future economy, parks system, natural and historic resources, public infrastructure and future growth in general.

The second phase of the process – during which officials are analyzing trends and conditions – will conclude shortly. The third phase, designed as a chance to evaluate growth options, will run from spring until sometime this winter. The fourth phase, development of the plan, will follow and last until sometime in the fall of 2023, with the fifth phase – adoption and implementation of the plan – anticipated by spring of 2024.

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To learn more about the HenricoNEXT process, visit https://www.henriconext.us.