West Virginia state law requires local governments to update their comprehensive plans every ten years. Jefferson Couty’s current plan (Envision Jefferson 2035) was adopted in January 2015. The county intends to adopt the updated plan (currently designated as 2045 Comprehensive Plan Update) in early December 2024.
The Future Land Use Map is a key element of the comprehensive plan. This map designates a classification (rural, residential, commercial, industrial, etc.) for every parcel in the county and will guide how development in Jefferson County will unfold over the next ten years.
[Draft Future Land Use Map (2024 May 10) – downloadable PDF]
[Draft of the 2045 Comprehensive Plan (2024 July) – downloadable PDF]
KEY DATES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
The Jefferson County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on August 27, 2024 in the auditorium of Washington High School (300 Washington Patriots Drive, Charles Town). The public hearing will begin at 7:00 pm. All county residents are invited to make comments during the hearing.
Immediately preceding the public hearing, the planning staff will hold a Q&A session from 6:00 to 7:00 pm outside of the auditorium. During this hour-long session, staff will be available to answer questions from the public (during the public hearing, the commissioners are not permitted to respond directly to any of the public comments).
Comments about the draft comprehensive plan can be emailed to Luke Seigfried at Complan2045@JeffersonCountyWV.org.
Timeline For the Updated Plan
The Planning Commission expects to update the schedule in September, pending its review of the comments received at the August 27 public hearing:
August 27 – Planning Commission public hearing
September TBD – Planning Commission review session
September TBD – Planning Commission votes to recommend final draft of plan
TBD – Planning Commission & County Commission joint workshop session
TBD – County Commission public hearing
TBD – County Commission review session
TBD – County Commission votes to adopt plan
News & Updates
- Public Hearing on August 27 (Observer – Aug 1 2024)
- Draft Future Land Use Map Proposes New Preferred Growth Areas (Observer – May 12 2024)
- Critical Time for Public Input on Future Land Use Map (Observer – Mar 27 2024)
- County Survey Seeks Comment on Zoning & Land Use (Observer – Feb 5 2024)
- County Planning Commission Takes Comment on Future Land Use (Observer – Sep 28 2023)
- Planning Commission to Collect Input from Residents at County Fair (Observer – Jul 28 2023)
- Comprehensive Plan Survey Open for Public Comment (Observer – Jul 1 2023)
- Public Input Session for Comprehensive Plan Update (Observer – May 30 2023)
- Jefferson County Seeks Public Comment on Comprehensive Plan Update (Observer – Jan 28 2023)
Published Mar 30 2024; Updated Aug 1 2024.