Zoning Update

By Charles Houston

You Should Not Ignore Zoning

I know, I know. Zoning sounds as dull as dirt. Put this in the proper context and you’ll see why it’s critically important. When it’s approved, the new zoning ordinance will govern how much Loudoun should grow, what it will look like, and whether western Loudoun will be ruined by sprawl and commerce, or if we can save its special character. It will govern what you can build, where you can build it, and how you can use your property and how you can’t. 

Gestation

Our new zoning ordinance is taking a long time to birth. 

The effort started way back in October 2016. An early task was to get public comments through the “Envision” process. (Thank consultants for that somewhat-irritating trendy term.) 

Next came a new General Plan, a guide for how the county should develop by a 2040 horizon. This plan was adopted in June 2019 and now is being translated into a new Zoning Ordinance. Commercial interests had undue influence over the General Plan but the good guys are working hard to get zoning that reflects the desires of residents, such as slowing growth, stopping sprawl and fighting commercialization. 

Staff Starts Work

With the General Plan in hand, Staff and consultants started a comprehensive zoning rewrite process. The first step was to examine all 1,025 pages of the old zoning code to see what was worth keeping and what needed changing in order to align with the new General Plan. That done, the first sections of zoning text were presented to the Zoning Ordinance Committee this past January. 

I am a member of ZOC (rhymes with “rock.”)  We have no actual power. During the rewrite process we offer ideas and suggestions to Staff. Some of our comments make it to zoning text, others are rejected. Later ZOC will make formal, comprehensive recommendations to the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. 

Staff continues to work section by section, promulgating chapters like “Zoning Districts” (e.g., the suburban area or the rural west) and “Uses” (setting out what can go where.) These are important, fundamental sections of any zoning ordinance. 

Protecting the West

Western Loudoun is the Rural Policy Area. It’s important that legitimate agriculture is always not just allowed, but encouraged; it’s equally important that inappropriate uses (e.g., hotels, sawmills and so on) are kept out. There is still significant debate on several uses. Breweries, for example, are particularly controversial for residents since they can seem awfully close to roadhouse bars. No one – not even myself – is seeking to remove any of the 28 or so existing breweries, but we are terribly afraid of more new ones. (Neighbors seem to go berserk when they hear that a brewery plans to move in.) The General Plan calls for “farm breweries,” that grow their own ingredients. This prescription is never followed, and western Loudoun could be on the way to becoming a drink-and-drive destination with nary a nod to farming.

From Mountains to Parking to Cluster Subdivisions

ZOC’s seen a number of sections that Staff has drafted, like as Parking, Overlay Districts such as one to protect mountainsides, Development Standards (e.g., lighting, parking controls,) and Signage. Special attention was paid to short-term rentals and whole-house rentals.

Because most of Loudoun’s undeveloped land is in the western area, and especially because growth and commercialization threaten rural Loudoun, ZOC has spent an immense amount of time discussing a number of issues, and especially clusters. A lot is at stake: Will mountainsides remain as undeveloped forests that are the backdrops for many of our scenic views? Will sprawl and growth erase farms? Simply, will western Loudoun stay as nice as it is?

Final Approval Late in 2022

When Staff presents its complete zoning rewrite, a ninety-day review starts, with comments from ZOC and the public. After any revisions, the proposed zoning ordinance goes to the Planning Commission and finally to the Board of Supervisors planned by the end of next year.

Have you followed the dates? Start in 2016, finish in 2022. Hmmm.

Input and Influence

Consider the number of people and groups who have been involved and that timeline is more understandable. Varied input is a good thing but is time consuming:  When ZOC sees the new text produced by Staff, eighteen members opine at our twice-monthly meetings, while the public can submit written comments. The most visibly active groups are rural preservationists, conservation easement donors, farmers, owners of developable land and breweries. 

Business interests seem to be busy behind the scenes, meeting with politicians and with senior County people. They have strong governmental allies: The Department of Economic Development, the Rural Economic Development Council, and Visit Loudoun. Has anyone ever listened to western Loudoun citizens to see just how much “economic development” they really want? That question must be asked. After all, Loudoun belongs to its residents, not business.

Charles Houston developed more than six million square feet of office buildings throughout the South for an Atlanta-based firm. He lives in Paeonian Springs.