Bristol, VA Hosts Final Open House for New Comprehensive Plan

On Thursday, the city of Bristol, Virginia, held the third and final open house to discuss its new comprehensive plan. This series of open houses has aimed at gathering valuable input from the community, ensuring that the city’s future direction represents the residents’ needs and desires.

Jay Detrick, the Community Development Director for Bristol, emphasized the significance of community involvement in the planning process. “The plan is for the entire city of Bristol, Virginia, and the region to a lesser extent,” he explained. “The people who live here need to have input in the plan. If we don’t get input from the citizens of Bristol, Virginia, it just kind of becomes a city staff plan.”

Among the many citizens who participated in all the open house meetings was Liesa Jenkins. She highlighted several critical areas that the plan should address, with housing being a top priority. “One of the big challenges for Bristol is housing, affordable housing,” Jenkins mentioned. “We have three vacant elementary schools, and I see great opportunity to turn those into housing of different types that would help meet some of the needs.”

In addition to affordable housing, Jenkins shared her vision for better sidewalks and community gardens. “For example, in my neighborhood, there are five churches within a block of me and several vacant lots,” she said. “So I’m wondering, can the youth be involved in helping a community garden that would provide fresh vegetables for food banks or for their church to give away, or even for the people who live in the neighborhood.”

Detrick noted that public feedback significantly influenced the current goals in the plan. He pointed out that they received numerous comments about public transportation, affordable housing, and the recent opening of the new Bristol Intermediate School. Moreover, he expressed enthusiasm about potential updates related to land use and new types of developments.

“Maybe some more mixed-use development or something different that we haven’t had in Bristol, that might come because of the casino or any of the other economic development actions we’ve taken,” said Detrick.

Jenkins also voiced her interest in having public transportation at the Bristol Train Station and learning more about the Virginia Intermont College property. “I’m really excited for the future of Bristol,” Jenkins said. “I think we’re at a turning point for our community. We obviously have very strong tourism right now, but what we also need are the types of jobs that people can earn a living, not just minimum wage plus tips.”

Moreover, Jenkins hopes that some development opportunities will focus on workforce sectors like solar energy. She underscored the need for a collaborative effort between Bristol, Tennessee, and Virginia to achieve these goals.

“What I hope they will do is form teams like Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol, Virginia, and residents of the neighborhoods in the cities or whatever to actually implement those goals,” Jenkins observed.

A draft of the comprehensive plan is set to be presented to the planning commission on Monday, Aug. 19. The plan must be approved by both the planning commission and the city council before becoming official. A public hearing will also take place to ensure continued community involvement.

For more information about Bristol, Virginia’s comprehensive plan, residents are encouraged to check the city’s website.

The citizens of Bristol, the planning commission, and the city council now anxiously await the comprehensive plan’s next steps, knowing that their collective efforts will shape their beloved city’s future.