Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Public Hearing Set

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

Loudoun County Supervisors have set a tentative schedule for their work on the new county zoning ordinance, starting with a July 26 public hearing on the latest draft of the ordinance.

The board typically does not meet in August, and county planners said they intend to offer supervisors briefings on the new zoning ordinance draft during that time. In September, county planners anticipate supervisors will begin two months of meetings on the zoning ordinance.

The proposed meeting schedule would see supervisors going through the draft zoning ordinance in 10 meetings, starting Sept. 7 and wrapping up Nov. 13, aiming to adopt the new ordinance on Nov. 20.

The Zoning Ordinance Rewrite has been underway since Sept. 19, 2019, when the previous Board of Supervisors voted to revise the regulations after passing a new county comprehensive plan. County planners then penned the first draft of a new, completely overhauled ordinance, catching it up to modern development and aiming to make it more flexible, and easier to read and interpret.

The Planning Commission handed up the draft ordinance after working through 25 meetings and two public hearings, starting on Aug. 30, 2022, and wrapping up June 8.

Supervisors have been divided on how urgently they need to pass a new zoning ordinance, with some content to let the project stretch into the next board’s term while prioritizing work such as on new standards for data centers and where they may be built. And there is more work to be done on both the zoning ordinance and the county comprehensive plan outside of that project. County planners have several other amendments to zoning and the comprehensive plan underway parallel to the main Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project. The Planning Commission also sent the draft zoning ordinance to the county board with a recommendation to take up several other planning projects, including new environmental standards for data centers and developing rules for community-scale solar facilities.

A tentative schedule presented to the

Supervisors also remain divided on whether they should even try to get the zoning ordinance rewrite done before their terms are up at the end of the year.

“These are, to me, hot-button issues that we really need a lot more, in my opinion, focused public comment on and more focused thought on, instead of trying to push some of these things through during this board’s term,” Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) said during a county Transportation and Land Use Committee update on the zoning ordinance work June 21.

Chair Phyllis Randall (D-At Large) argued it’s important to get the county’s zoning ordinance in line with its new comprehensive plan quickly. She said a new Board of Supervisors next term “would have to almost start all the way over getting all the information, and that would probably take them at least a year, maybe

ZONING ORDINANCE continues on page 7 board’s Transportation and Land Use Committee sees supervisors working their way through the draft ordinance by chapter:

• SEPT. 7: Chapter 1, Introduction, and Chapter 2, Zoning districts

• SEPT. 11: Uses in Urban, Suburban, Office and Industrial Zoning Districts, Chapters 3, 4 and 12

• SEPT. 25: Uses in Rural, Transition, and Joint Land Management Area Districts, Chapter 3, 4 and 12

• OCT. 2: Chapter 5, Overlay Districts, and Chapter 6, Natural and Environmental Resources

• OCT. 12: Chapter 7, Development Standards

• OCT. 16: Chapter 8, Signs

• OCT. 23: Chapter 9, Attainable Housing

• OCT. 30: Chapter 10, Procedures; Chapter 11, Officials, Boards, and Commissions; and Appendix C, Flexible Regulations

• NOV. 3: Post the board’s draft zoning ordinance with revisions up to date (not a meeting)

• NOV. 13: Wrap up, any additional revisions

• NOV. 20: Vote to adopt the new Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, including any grandfathering rules. n

Parks and Rec Offers Pavilion Rentals

Loudoun Parks, Recreation and Community Service is offering the more than 30 pavilions at county parks and community centers for rent.

Pavilions can be reserved for a half-day or full day online at loudoun.gov/pavilions. The website provides detailed information on rentals and availability, information like maximum occupancy and location, and photos of the pavilions. Reservations may also be made in person during business hours at a parks and recreation office, including the PRCS Administrative Office, recreation and community centers, the Claude Moore Park Visitors Center, the Franklin Park Office, and the Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park Administration Building.

Prices range from $135 for a full day, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., for a large pavilion on a weekend day, to $70 for a small pavilion for a half weekday. For more information go to loudoun.gov/pavilions.

Free Solar Assessments Available

The Solarize NOVA program has returned to Loudoun. Through Aug. 31, Loudoun homeowners can sign up to learn more about solar power options for their property and take advantage of streamlined installation and financing.

The program offers free satellite solar assessments, discounted pricing on solar systems, and connects participants with information about the current 30%

ON THE AGENDA continues on page 7