Legal Notices

Public Hearing

The LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room on the first floor of the County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following:

ZOAM-2020-0001 ZONING ORDINANCE REWRITE

(Zoning Ordinance Amendments)

Pursuant to Virginia Code § 15.2-2204, the Board of Supervisors gives notice of its intent to consider and to adopt a proposed ordinance that will repeal the existing Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance (commonly known as the “Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance”), amending, replacing, renumbering, re-ordaining, and re-codifying it as the new Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance (“Zoning Ordinance Amendments” or “Zoning Ordinance”).

Purpose and Intent of Zoning Ordinance Amendments

The public purposes of these amendments are to implement the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan (2019 GP); to implement applicable provisions of the Virginia Code; and to achieve the purposes of zoning as set forth in Virginia Code §§ 15.2-2200 et seq., including, without limitation, furtherance of the public necessity, convenience, general welfare, and good zoning practice and facilitating the creation of a convenient, attractive, and harmonious community. Proposed amendments establish new regulations; revise or delete existing regulations; and/or incorporate provisions from the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance with revisions necessary to clarify requirements, to implement and maintain internal consistency, to correct typographical and grammatical errors, and to update formatting and cross-references. The draft Zoning Ordinance also incorporates three-standalone amendments recently adopted by the Board of Supervisors, updated as necessary to conform to the format and terminology of the draft ordinance: ZOAM2022-0002 Amendment to Add “Ground Mounted Solar Energy Generation Facility” as a Permitted Use in the Planning Development General Industrial Zoning District (adopted December 6, 2022); ZOAM2021-0002 Airport Impact Overlay District (adopted January 17, 2023); and ZOAM-2018-0001 Short Term Residential Rentals (adopted on April 4, 2023).

New Format and Numbering for the Zoning Ordinance

The draft Zoning Ordinance has been reorganized and renumbered into Chapters 1 through 12, with Appendices A through C. An overview of new organization and format of the draft Zoning Ordinance is provided below.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

• Includes provisions regarding the purpose and intent of the Zoning Ordinance; application of the Zoning Ordinance (e.g., prior approvals, conflicting provisions, Route 28 Transportation Improvement District, vested rights, condominium development, etc.); requirements for nonconforming uses, structures, and lots; and interpretation of the Zoning Ordinance and the Zoning Map (including zoning district and overlay district boundaries).

CHAPTER 2: ZONING DISTRICTS

• Consolidates regulations for all zoning districts into one chapter, organized into the following categories: Urban Zoning Districts, Suburban Zoning Districts, Transition Zoning Districts, Rural Zoning Districts, Joint Land Management Area Zoning Districts, Office and Industrial Zoning Districts, and Planned Unit Development Zoning District.

• Retains 18 existing zoning districts that closely resemble place types in the 2019 GP ο Eight of the retained districts have been renamed to remove the phrase “Planned Development” from the name. ο One retained district has been renamed to correspond with the name of the applicable 2019 GP place type – i.e., Planned Development – Transit Related Employment Center changed to Urban Employment; no property is currently zoned to that district.

• Creates nine new, unmapped zoning districts to implement the 2019 GP; property owners may request to rezone to one of these new districts.

• Identifies 25 existing districts that do not align with the 2019 GP as “legacy districts;” properties currently zoned to a legacy district will retain their zoning designation, but no expansion of these districts is permitted.

• Retires the Planned Development-Countryside Village Zoning District; no property has ever been rezoned to this district.

• A summary document identifying each of the retained, renamed, new, and legacy zoning districts is available at www.loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite.

CHAPTER 3: USES

• Consolidates tables and general regulations for principal, accessory, and temporary uses for all zoning districts into a single chapter.

• Organizes use tables for principal uses by zoning district as follows: ο Urban and Suburban Zoning Districts ο Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts ο Transition, Rural, and JLMA (Joint Land Management Area) Zoning Districts ο Legacy Transition, Rural, and JLMA Zoning Districts ο Office and Industrial Zoning Districts

• Organizes use tables into seven use classifications; classifications are further divided into use categories, with multiple specific uses in each category. Use classifications and categories are listed below:

Employment

Warehousing, Storage, and Distribution

Infrastructure Transportation/Parking

Utilities

Communications Facilities

Waste-Related

Agriculture n/a

CHAPTER 4: USE SPECIFIC STANDARDS

• Prescribes standards and regulations applicable to specific uses; organized by the use classifications identified in Chapter 3.

• Prescribes standards for adaptive reuse of historically significant structures.

CHAPTER 5: OVERLAY DISTRICTS

• Prescribes regulations for seven overlay districts, including Airport Impact Overlay District, Floodplain Overlay District, Mountainside Overlay District, Limestone Overlay District, Quarry Notification Overlay District, Village Conservation Overlay District, and Historic Overlay District.

• Retains the Route 28 Corridor Overlay District as a legacy district; elections to develop under the optional regulations of this legacy district will no longer be permitted after adoption of the Zoning Ordinance Amendments.

CHAPTER 6: NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES (NER)

• Prescribes regulations, including use permissions and development standards, for steep slope areas and River and Stream Corridor Resources.

CHAPTER 7: DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

• Consolidates into a single chapter, standards governing site development (e.g., density requirements, lot, yard, and building requirements, etc.); open space; tree planting, replacement, and preservation; landscaping, buffers, and screening; light, noise, and vibration; parking; transportation; utilities; and owners associations.

• Prescribes development standards for the Rural Hamlet Development Option in the A-3 and A-10 Legacy Zoning Districts.

CHAPTER 8: SIGNS

• Establishes content neutral sign regulations based on various factors including sign type (e.g., ground, sidewalk, light post, wall, window, murals, art displays), dimension and location, digital display and illumination, and zoning district.

• For purposes of sign regulations, zoning districts are grouped into the following categories: Urban, Suburban Mixed Use, Neighborhood, Commercial, Employment/Industrial, and Rural. Permissible sign types, size, and other characteristics may differ depending on the applicable zoning district category in which the sign is located.

CHAPTER 9: ATTAINABLE HOUSING

• Prescribes regulations for three attainable housing programs – Affordable Dwelling Units, Unmet Housing Needs Units, and Affordable Housing Units.

CHAPTER 10: PROCEDURES

• Establishes procedures for applications and other processes administered under the Zoning Ordinance, including determination, administrative modifications, zoning permit, sign permit, site plan,