A public meeting to give Mathews residents a chance to comment on proposed updates to the Mathews County Comprehensive Plan will be held at 7 p.m. next Thursday, Oct. 13, in the historic courthouse.

With the assistance of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission and the Mathews Department of Planning and Zoning, the planning commission has conducted a five-year review of the 162-page document over the past six months, as required by the Code of Virginia.

The most substantive changes to the plan address concerns regarding recurrent flooding, stormwater management, water quality and ditch maintenance. For instance, a key planning recommendation was added that would call for identifying the potential for recurrent flooding in various communities and establishing planning and regulatory solutions to address flooding and mitigate its impacts.

The document also calls for strengthening the county’s tax base by diversifying the demographic makeup, housing choices, and recreat...