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A local citizen’s committee has been meeting and developing an updated Marshall Service District Plan since 2008.The plan covers all aspects of the community and is designed to accommodate residential, commercial, and industrial growth.Marshall is the County’s designated growth area for the Northern third of Fauquier County.The plan includes: history and historic resources, environmental resources, land use plans, and transportation plans. This update was initially presented to the Planning Commission for consideration on 28 April 2010, and has been tabled for 60 to 90 days while the Planning Commission conducts a detailed review.
A comparison of the current plan Land Use Map and Update Neighborhood Map, proposed land use acreage changes, and existing zoning are available in the right hand column of this page.
In many aspects the plan is quite similar to the current plan adopted in 2003.One of the new ideas incorporated into the proposed plan is to have a historic district in order to increase certain protections for historic buildings.The new plan also will create Gateway neighborhoods for the areas along major transportation highways through the community.The proposed plan only encourages higher residential density along the existing Main Street (Route 55) with lower densities further from this down town area. The plan update provides for incentives for higher densities in the down town area for neo-traditional developments.The concept for the incentives was not uniformly supported by the Service District Committee.Some members of the committee believed there is sufficient density in existing zoning to create a vibrant community without further density incentives.
The plan update envisions a future rail service on the existing freight line which crosses Main Street at the eastern end of the down town area.It is assumed that at some point in time that this would be an extension of the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) currently being developed to Gainesville and Haymarket. The plan update indicates a higher dwelling density in the vicinity of the rail depot than is in the current plan.This idea of increased density around the depot was not unanimously accepted by the committee because it is highly questionable when passenger rail service might reach Marshall.
Another new idea in the plan update is implementation of a regional storm water management system for Marshall.Currently each new development proposal must devise a plan for managing storm water runoff from its site.The regional management approach puts forward the concept of shared facilities and ponds to retain storm water runoff.Before such a regional plan is implemented a study would have to be conducted to identify required infrastructure and the costs associated with constructing the infrastructure.Conceptually these costs would be paid for by developers who would contribute to a fund based on their fair share of costs.
Further CFFC analysis of this plan update will be posted as it is developed.
