An attempt was made to make the 222-page draft of the "Nelson 2042 Comprehensive Plan" readable, with charts and photos in an attractive layout with modern typography. (See it here.) 

While Virginia requires localities to review their comp plan every five years, this year there was a major overhaul of the Nelson County plan where professionals and county staff attempted to create a current view of what is in place, and what might be needed, in the different areas of the county. Below is some of what has been published in the proposed plan about Wintergreen and Nellysford. 

The Planning Commission will meet for a final review of this draft on January 31 at 7 pm ; the Board of Supervisors will meet on March 20 at 7 pm. Both meetings will be at Nelson County High School.​

Nelson2042.com is a website dedicated to the entire process of reworking the comprehensive plan.

Highlights about Wintergreen and Nellysford in the proposed Nelson County Comprehensive Plan

People and Population

Over half of the population of Nelson County is over the age of 50. The median age of the County has consistently grown higher in the last 20 years. Today, the median age of the County is 51.3 years, significantly higher than the statewide median age of 38.4.

With the Census Tract containing Wintergreen Resort and Nellysford being the most densely populated, it has a significant effect on the aging statistics of the County overall. Page 14

Tourism

Wintergreen Resort, a key tourist destination and major employer for Nelson County, can also benefit from diversification. As temperatures trend warmer, artificial snow-making equipment may struggle to keep up with demand.

The ski resort industry has proactively prepared for potential climate challenges by diversifying recreational offerings in summer months and upgrading facilities with warm-weather amenities such as water parks and mountain bike trails.

Wintergreen has already successfully incorporated year-round resort offerings with outdoor recreation, spa amenities, and dining, while also having capacity to host large professional conferences and events. Continuing to evolve with industry and climate trends will ensure that Wintergreen Resort will remain a tourism and employment powerhouse for Nelson County. Page 148

Short-Term Rentals

A major factor contributing to the housing shortage is short-term rentals, which are a relatively new component of the housing market. The US Census Bureau considers short-term rental units as vacant units for the sake of occupied housing status. Of the 3,821 vacant units of housing in the County, in 2020, 2,328 of them were considered for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use, which includes short-term rental units. The majority of these units are found within the Wintergreen resort area and Stoney Creek which is primarily a seasonal or second-home community.

Of the 2,328 housing units considered for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use, it is estimated that about 2,000 of them are located within the Wintergreen resort area and according to a 2022 Wintergreen Property Owner’s Association survey, with a 40% response rate, approximately 600 of those units are being used as short-term rentals. Without taking into consideration the Wintergreen resort, there are approximately 300 short-term rentals located throughout the rest of Nelson County.

The Commissioner of the Revenue requires operators of short-term rentals to obtain a business license and pay transient occupancy tax. Private homeowners associations may have additional requirements or restrictions for short-term rentals within their developments.

Short-term rentals can have some positive economic impacts by providing a supplemental source of income to the owner and supporting increased tourism in the community. However, they are not without their own planning considerations.

When unregulated, short-term rentals can negatively impact neighborhood character and quality of life with issues such as parking, traffic, and noise.

Short-term rentals also reduce the amount of housing available for long-term residents, which adds to the increased housing and rental prices in constrained markets – a specific concern cited during community engagement.

In addition to licensing and transient tax requirements, the County should also consider defining short-term rentals and specifying performance standards in the Zoning Ordinance to help mitigate negative impacts. Page 89

Road Safety-Crashes

Most automobile crashes occurred along the major roadways within the County - Route 29, Route 151, and Interstate 64. Apart from those that occurred along Route 29, most crashes occurred in the northern portion of the County around Wintergreen, Nellysford, and Afton. These roadways are often heavily traveled by residents, tourists, and pass- through traffic. Large trucks and tractor trailers passing through Nelson County often drive Route 151 and Route 6 to Route 29 to continue south. This contributes traffic volume, potentially leading to additional hazards on rural roads. Page 60

Route 6 & Route 151

Over time, Route 6 and Route 151 have seen a significant amount of increased traffic volume due to the increased development and tourism in the Rockfish Valley and the use of these two roadways as a "cut-through" for both private and commercial traffic to access Interstate 64 from Route 29. This extra volume has put more strain along these roadway corridors and, at times, caused significant safety concerns.

Nelson County is dedicated to working with VDOT in order to find solutions to help increase the vehicular and pedestrian safety along these traffic corridors. Such solutions may include lowering speed limits or restricting allowable commercial traffic. Page 68

Public Water and Sewer Utilities

The Wintergreen area is served by the largest water and wastewater treatment plants in the County.... The wastewater treatment plants in Schuyler and Wintergreen are currently undergoing renovations with an estimated completion by 2024. Page 164

Fire & Rescue

Nelson County staffs two full-time ambulances, based in Lovingston, for emergency medical services (EMS) across the entire County. In addition, there are four volunteer EMS agencies located in Gladstone, Rockfish, Roseland, and Wintergreen. With the exception of Wintergreen Rescue, volunteer staffing for EMS squads has been steadily declining, leading to longer and unequal response times for many areas throughout the County.

In addition to volunteers, Wintergreen Fire Department and Rescue Squad are supplemented with paid professional staff. Both companies respond to calls throughout Nelson County via mutual aid. This partnership has been invaluable and should continue to be supported. A master plan for Wintergreen Fire and EMS created in 2019 explores the status, needs, and goals for these entities up to the year 2024. Page 161

Currently, nearly all training needs for Nelson Fire and EMS agencies are being provided by Wintergreen Fire Department & Rescue Squad. A new state-of-the-art, live fire, multi-story training facility has recently begun construction in Nellysford and will be available to all Nelson County agencies. Page 163

Responding to emergency 911 calls, and the subsequent dispatching of emergency service responders, is shared between the Nelson County dispatch center in Lovingston and the Wintergreen dispatch center in Wintergreen. While calls are handled well and in a timely manner, there has been some duplication in dispatching between the two centers. Operations should be evaluated to help reduce redundancies. Operational improvements include adding additional fire and rescue channels as well as continuing to modernize and renovate dispatching methods with evolving technologies.