By Nicholas Langhorne
The Tidewater News

Isle of Wight County planners got the OK from the Board of Supervisors Monday night to move forward with devising a plan for future development along the U.S. Route 460 corridor.

“The Route 460 corridor, of course, is vital to both the county’s local interests, as well as state and regional economic and development and growth patterns,” said Jamie Oliver, the county’s long-range planner.

County planning staff plans to use background analysis from existing initiatives, such as the Route 460 realignment research from the Virginia Department of Transportation and market studies related to the expansion of the Port of Virginia.

The process includes public meetings in Zuni and Windsor, as well as transportation, market opportunity and community livability assessments.

Oliver said work would begin in January and the master plan would be completed in-house.

“That is amazing,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Phillip Bradshaw said. “Coming from a small, rural county, that says a lot.”

The development of the master plan is expected to be a 12- to 18-month process. A master plan was adopted in January 2010 for the Route 58 Business corridor, and the Route 17 master plan was adopted in 2008.