By Debbie Adams
Vinton town staff, consultants, and citizen volunteers, along with Town Council and the Vinton
Planning Commission, have spent a little over a year putting together the Town of Vinton 2050
Comprehensive Plan which will plot the town’s course for the next 25 years.
The new plan replaces the Comprehensive Plan adopted by Town Council in 2004. It is now in
its final draft, ready to be unveiled to the town in June and adopted by council.
Consultants 3TP Ventures, led by President Mike Callahan, was selected to work with the town
in developing the plan. Callahan has been assisted by Vlad Gavrilovic from New Paradigm
Planning.
Comp Plan 2050 kicked off at the 2024 Dogwood Festival with consultants and the Vinton
Planning and Zoning staff setting up a display at the Vinton Munipal Building to solicit opinions
from citizens about what they found great about Vinton, what needed to be changed, and specific
suggestions for the town’s future leading up to 2050.
At this year’s 2025 Dogwood Festival, Callahan, Vinton Planning and Zoning Director Anita
McMillan and Asst. Director Nathan McClung once again set up in front of the Municipal
Building to share the nearly finished plan with those attending the festival and asking for help in
fine-tuning the document. Over 100 residents stopped by and shared their input.
Vinton residents have also been able to give feedback and input at a community meeting and
through online surveys during the process.
The Comp Plan is the guiding document for growth, development, preservation, and investment
in the Town of Vinton 25 years into the future. Comp Plans are required by the Code of Virginia.
The new Vinton Comp Plans contains vision principles, a future land use plan, a future
transportation network and “big moves” – the high priority actions for the town to take in the
coming decades to achieve their goals.
Town Council and the Vinton Planning Commission have met in joint sessions to assist with
development of the plan.
A Citizens Advisory Committee has met seven times to help develop and then review plans for
Vinton’s future. The committee includes those who live, work, or own property/businesses in the town: Councilman Keith Liles, property manager Seth Wilkinson, property owner and business
owner Stephanie Brown Mead, property/business owner Anthony Conner, Vinton
resident/property owner/artist/ Jonathan Murrill, Vinton resident/property owner James Wright,
longtime Vinton resident/property owner/former council member and Vinton’s citizen
representative to RVTV Ray Sandifer, Vinton resident/property owner Tiffany Rawling, and
Vinton resident/property owner Kerry Werner.
The Advisory Committee held its seventh meeting on April 30 to review the final draft, including
10 vision principles that are the bedrock of the plan. The principles envision the Vinton of 2050
as a “sociable and welcoming small town, with a thriving and authentic downtown, which serves
as an outdoor recreation hub for the region, and has housing available for all phases of life, along
with safe and connected streets for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, and public transportation.”
The plan also sees Vinton as an environmental stewardship leader with clean, safe restored
streams for fishing and recreation, and a tree canopy along major streets, minus invasive species.
There will be parks for all residents within a ten-minute walk, ballfields, playgrounds, and
greenways, connected by new sidewalks and trails.
The future Vinton will retain its small-town feel, not “frozen in time,” but adaptable, so that new
businesses find it easy to set up shop and find success. Older buildings can be adapted for
modern uses and preserved for future generations.
Vinton is already well-known for its well-maintained infrastructure (streets, water, sewer, and
stormwater). Town investments have made the town resilient. Staff are recognized for being
accessible and responsive.
Vinton is at the heart of the Roanoke Valley region and partners with other localities to solve
regional problems of homelessness, water quality, air quality, traffic, and greenway connectivity.
That will continue into the future.
The notable “Big Moves” developers of the plan have selected involve:
- Improving vehicular traffic patterns, improving streetscapes on Lee Avenue and South
Pollard Street and activating downtown alleys to create a more walkable downtown
district - Expanding public gathering space downtown by updating the Farmers’ Market, building
a Glade Creek Greenway trailhead, and, long-term, exploring options for the fire and
rescue station and post office - Master plans for the War Memorial area and Glade Creek/Gearhart Parks, including
potential new street and trail connections - Investing in stormwater infrastructure improvements that reduce flooding, protect critical
infrastructure, and support redevelopment - Investment in green infrastructure starting out downtown, adding trees, landscaping, and
rain gardens to absorb rainwater - Build the Gish Mill Greenway to Vinyard Park Greenway connection
- Update the town’s zoning code to encourage housing development, bring the
Comprehensive Planning and Zoning Code in alignment, and modernize standards - Invest in a “close the gaps” sidewalk program focused on streets that are identified as key
bicycle/pedestrian routes - Build a direct walking and bicycling connection between downtown Vinton and the River
Park area - Make gateway improvements including murals, wayfinding signage, landscaping, and,
long-term, placing utilities underground.
Callahan hopes the town will set the Comp Plan 2050 in motion quickly once it is finalized and
adopted.
