Leesburg Town Council votes to allow accessory rooftop uses in downtown

The Leesburg Town Council will allow accessory uses in rooftop structures in the downtown B-1 business district pursuant to a minor special exception approval process.

At its Nov. 12 meeting, the Council was considering a Zoning Ordinance text amendment that would allow by-right accessory uses in rooftop mechanical penthouses based on specific criteria. The text amendment arose from a stated request from a downtown property owner to pursue the placement of a food and beverage prep area and bathrooms in a rooftop mechanical penthouse. Currently, uses within such structures are limited to HVAC and similar equipment.

At the meeting, the Council voted 6-1 to instead require that applicants file a minor special exception application for these accessory uses in rooftop mechanical penthouse structures. Such uses will only be considered in the downtown B-1 district on commercial properties fronting King, Loudoun, or Market Street, and will be subject to specific use standards. Council Member Patrick Wilt voted against.

All minor special exceptions are reviewed by staff with ultimate approval resting with the Town Council after a public hearing.