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Orange PC presents mixed results on growth restrictions in the province

Orange PC presents mixed results on growth restrictions in the province

Commissioners recommend rejecting ban on large-scale solar while agreeing to further discussions on limiting rural subdivision

Members of the Orange County Planning Commission recommended to the Board of Supervisors Thursday night approval of two rezonings, including one for Browning Investments, which would allow a boundary line adjustment required before the applicant can apply for a commercial subdivision lot. The other rezoning would change a four-acre parcel in the Wilderness Shores subdivision from general residential to multifamily. A zoning change to ban utility-scale solar in the county did not receive a recommendation from commissioners. MadRapp/GreeneJournal image courtesy of OCPZ.

Orange County planning commissioners met Thursday to discuss possible changes to limit subdivisions in agricultural areas.

Before 2008, subdivisions were legally permitted. Each parcel in the agricultural district could be subdivided into a maximum of four parcels, including the remainder within a period of four years.

Because Orange County lost a lawsuit in 2012 because the legal boundaries for subdivision were in the subdivision ordinance and not the zoning ordinance, the current policy is very lenient compared to neighboring counties and potentially threatens the rural character of the county.

Surrounding counties have much stricter rules for subdivision, and two counties, Culpeper and Spotsylvania, are in the process of making the rules even stricter.

Commissioners discussed the need for farmers to be able to clear a piece of land as a quick source of income.

Because farming is a difficult and unpredictable way to make a living, the ability to split off a piece of land has traditionally been seen as a way to provide for your livelihood and secure your retirement.

Current Orange County ordinances allow subdivisions with a minimum lot size of two acres. There are no restrictions on timed lot phasing, number of lots, and the only requirement is 200 feet of road frontage.

Because farmland can easily be converted to residential areas, it can quickly become a burden on taxpayers. With additional growth comes the need for additional county services, particularly schools.

Current policies have led to a number of unplanned development areas and unplanned growth in parts of the region.

County Commissioner Jordan Marshall warned against major changes in lot sizes and stressed the need for affordable parcels of land that people can build on.

The subdivision regulation does not change the regulations for family subdivisions that fall under another part of the law. Landowners who want to subdivide more than is legally permitted can still apply for SUP and zoning plan amendment to achieve their goal.

Commissioners also held public hearings for two zoning amendment applications and a zoning text amendment (ZTA) – recommending approval to the Board of Supervisors of the two zoning amendments and denial of the ZTA.

27285 Old Office Road redevelopment

In 2019, Browning Investments LLC obtained a conditional zoning change of five acres from Agriculture (A) to General Industrial (I2) at 27285 Old Office Road, allowing the applicant to build an office, retail store and garage for its concrete pumping business.

However, once the infrastructure was in place, the applicant realised that part of its gravel parking lot fell outside the rezoned areas.

Now that he wants to split the six-acre industrial site from the larger agricultural parcel, Browning finds he has run into trouble with the county’s subdivision ordinance.

In implementing the improvement, Browning proposed returning a small portion of the I2 land to agriculture.

The new application for a zoning plan amendment would solve the problem.

Redevelopment of the Wilderness Shores neighborhood

Tricord Inc.’s zoning change application requested that four acres within Section 14 of the subdivision be changed from general residential (R2) to multi-family residential (R4), subject to approval.

The affected area is behind Walmart on Virginia Route 3, at the end of Wilderness Shores Way in Locust Grove.

Change of the sun text

A proposal to limit the use of solar energy, which would lead to a ban on large-scale solar energy in all districts of the province, was not submitted for approval.

A motion was made to deny the ban, which was seconded. By a vote of 4-1, the total ban was ended.

Josh Frederick, the county’s planning and zoning manager, suggested that a supplement to the county’s comprehensive plan for addressing solar energy projects is needed.

The idea of ​​a total ban did not appeal to the group and could be seen as a violation of property rights.

The Commissioners considered that the concerns could be addressed and suitable areas for future projects could be identified.