The Town Comprehensive Plan calls for the creation of various plans for specific areas and for improvements to public infrastructure including the Town transportation network and public utilities. Links to, and information about, these separate planning documents can be accessed below.
Transportation Master Plan
In November 2019, the Town Council approved funding and the scope of work for the creation of a Town-wide, multi-modal Transportation Master Plan. The Town has enlisted the help of EPR, P.C., located in Charlottesville, Virginia, to develop the plan by the end of 2020. EPR is a Virginia-based, multidisciplinary firm focused on the integration of transportation, land use, and community design to create effective and lasting plans and designs for their clients.
This scope and work process is divided into three phases in order to structure the work process based on developing the answers to three basic questions. The first phase would begin in the winter and spring of 2020 and would entail tasks that answer the question “where are we now?” These include background data collection and analysis tasks. The second phase would involve public and stakeholder engagement tasks to answer the question “where do we want to be?” The second phase will begin with an initial public “project kickoff” meeting held by the Lovettsville Planning Commission to obtain citizen input about future visioning and goals, existing and proposed transportation infrastructure, and the mobility needs of the Town generally. Then, in the late spring/early summer of 2020, the Town will prepare and distribute public opinion questionnaires and related materials to gauge the public’s priorities. The final phase will address implementation tasks that answer the question “how do we get there?” including those related to plan preparation and identification of specific capital improvement projects to implement transportation system improvements recommended in the plan. This phase would begin in the late summer of 2020.
| PROJECT PHASE & TASK | BEGIN DATE | END DATE |
| Phase 1 – Data Collection and Analysis | ||
| Task 1.1 Project Orientation | December 1, 2019 | February 15, 2020 |
| Task 1.2 Existing Conditions Summary | February 16, 2020 | March 20, 2020 |
| Phase 2 – Community Engagement | ||
| Task 2.1 Project Kickoff Meeting | March – April 2020 | Same |
| Task 2.2 Community Engagement and Citizen Input | May 2020
|
June 30, 2020 |
| Phase 3 – Plan Assembly and Implementation | July 1, 2020 | September 18, 2020 |
| Distribution to Public | September 2020 | Same |
| Planning Commission Public Hearing & Recommendation | November 2020 | Same |
| Town Council Public Hearing & Action | Spring 2021 | Same |
Opportunities for citizen input will be available throughout the process using both digital and non-digital formats. Residents and business owners interested in participating in this process are encouraged to periodically check back here as well as the Public Meetings, News and Town Hall Videos links on the homepage for information about upcoming meetings and participation opportunities. Your participation in this process is both encouraged and greatly appreciated. Help us plan, prioritize, and build a complete and safe transportation network for the Town of Lovettsville!
For more information about the Transportation Master Plan Document, please click below:
Transportation Master Plan
Town Square Master Plan
The Town began undertaking a study and plan for the Lovettsville Town Square Planning Area in early 2017 in accordance with the policies of the Comprehensive Plan (amended in 2017). The purpose of the plan was to create a Master Plan, including illustrative plans, for the center of Town based on an analysis of this area as a whole, including pedestrian and vehicle routes through Lovettsville’s “Squirkle” and potential improvements to the Town Square Park to improve its functional relationship to future uses of land surrounding it (including the Lovettsville Town Center Phases 2 and 3). Public participation in this planning process was achieved by distribution of a public opinion survey to Town residents in November of 2017. The survey was also available online for participation by all interested citizens.
- A combination of development scenarios featuring Option 2A (for the Lovettsville Town Center Phase 2 Area) and Option 3A (for the Lovettsville Town Center Phase 3 Area). Option 3A was the most popular of the three scenarios (39% favored it), which differed from Option 1 only in terms of proposing a smaller-footprint, retail building on LTC Phase 3. Option 2A was preferred by the Town for LTC Phase 2 because it was most in keeping with the “new downtown” concept the Lovettsville Town Center project was originally intended (and designed) to represent; it also locates the new commercial buildings farthest from existing residences. This preferred concept features no drive-thru facility for either area in accordance with the results of the survey;
- With respect to the Town Square Park, the Town implemented the public’s preferred approach that “less is more” with respect to adding amenities to the park. Only outdoor seating and a performance area/shade structure achieved more than 50% support from respondents. The final plan includes permanent outdoor seating across from existing and proposed restaurants in the Lovettsville Square Shopping Center, a small, raised circular stage for street performers, and permanent metal fencing to enclose the park for the safety of the public.
- The plan recommends eliminating the two “free rights” where the Town Square meets North and South Berlin Pike. These are the dedicated right-turn ramps that allow north- and south-bound traffic to yield only (not stop) while traveling on Route 287 through the northwest and southeast corners of the “Squirkle.” The purpose of this recommendation is to further slow traffic on Route 287, making it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to negotiate these areas.
The Overall Concept Plan and Town Square Master Plan Report were approved in May of 2018 by the Town Council and can be accessed by following the links below. By establishing its preferred “master plan” for the Lovettsville Town Square and surrounding properties, the Town of Lovettsville seeks to ensure that any future plans submitted by property owners or developers for site development in the center of town substantially conform to the goals and recommendations of the adopted plan.