Toms Creek Basin Planning Study
Welcome to the Toms Creek Basin Planning Study—a 12-month planning process that will develop a guiding vision for the future of this area. This study will include extensive community engagement and research analysis, conducted in partnership with planning and community development firm Development Strategies.
Take a look at the introduction video below or read more about the project.
The OurTCB Survey has concluded. Thank you for your feedback! Please stay tuned here for more updates as the project continues.
For the latest on the project, see the News Feed below. If you would like to ask a question or submit a comment, please click the Questions & Comments box.
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Presenting the Our TCB Study and Vision
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We are thrilled to present Our TCB: A Planning Study and Vision for the Toms Creek Basin!
Our TCB is a 12-month planning process that is creating a guiding vision for the future of the Toms Creek Basin.
As the Town of Blacksburg continues to grow, the community’s need for workforce housing, recreation, and jobs will need to be balanced with environmental stewardship, open space management, and infrastructure in the Basin. Our TCB is creating a shared vision that aligns these different elements and community needs.
While large natural areas are conserved elsewhere in the mountains, the Basin is unique to Blacksburg residents precisely because it is theirs—both to enjoy and to care for as stewards. Yet Blacksburg’s high quality of life and the desirability it creates is also contributing to development pressure that threatens the Basin’s very existence.
Our TCB: A Planning Study and Vision for the Toms Creek Basin aims to illustrate a workable future in which more of this precious resource is conserved for the benefit of future generations of people, plants, and wildlife.
Our TCB: A Planning Study and Vision for the Toms Creek Basin plan document
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Community Meeting: October 23
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The project team hosted a second community meeting on October 23, where participants learned about some of the potential scenarios taking shape for the future of Toms Creek Basin. The group also explored the Planning Study’s guiding principles, emerging big ideas, and honest conversations about real tradeoffs and limitations that the plan will have to address.
Thanks again to the 40+ people who joined us. The project team will be drawing on these discussions as we continue refining strategies and next steps. If you have more feedback to share in the meantime, you are always welcome to share it here on Let’s Talk Blacksburg!
OurTCB Community Meeting #2 Presentation
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Community Meetings: July 31–August 1
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The project team got to talk about the TCB Planning Study with the Blacksburg community at a Community Meeting on July 31 and a pop-up event at Rising Silo Brewery on August 1. Everyone learned a lot! Thanks again to the 75+ people who joined one or both events. The project team will be using the insights they gathered to build out a framework for next steps. A survey where you can provide more feedback will also be available soon!
OurTCB Community Meeting Presentation
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Project Kickoff: May 6-8, 2024
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The Toms Creek Basin Planning Study kicked off with a tour of the Basin and included a presentation to Town Council and the Planning Commission.
Who's Listening
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Phone 540-443-1300 Email koshea@blacksburg.gov
Videos
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While a central focus of the Toms Creek Basin Planning Study is how to preserve and maintain land in the Basin, some development is going to occur. The opportunity for this plan is to guide where development goes, what it looks like, and how it functions.
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Tom’s Creek Basin is a beautiful and complex ecosystem that is facing a number of challenges. Through careful planning, these can be better addressed in the future. Here we share six environmental issues to be aware of that the planning team is looking at in more detail.
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As you may already know, Toms Creek Basin is a key destination for locals and an important contributor in Blacksburg’s economy. As we think about sustainable ways to better support the Basin’s amenities over time, we can look at the Basin’s potential as a destination for two things: agritourism and recreation.
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In this video, we’re going to talk about a few concepts and tools that can be used to preserve open space, including Cluster Development and Transfer of Development Rights, or TDR, which has the potential to have a profound impact on Toms Creek Basin.
Study Area Map
