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Working group finds thousands of vacant residential parcels in Powhatan County, members question buildability and affordability
Summary
Members reviewed county parcel data and a spreadsheet from a resident showing roughly 1,400 vacant, residentially zoned parcels but debated whether those parcels are buildable, on the market, or likely to deliver affordable homes.
A Powhatan County citizens working group discussed a county parcel analysis and a supplementary spreadsheet from resident Darlene that together identified more than 1,400 vacant parcels zoned for residential use across the county.
The group heard that the team pulled 593 vacant, residentially zoned parcels from 2024 tax-map data, representing roughly 2,655 acres; Darlene’s spreadsheet added another 861 parcels and roughly 1,664 acres, producing what participants described as about 1,454 vacant residential parcels in total and “a little more than 4,300 acres” of land that could theoretically accommodate residential construction.
Why it matters: committee members said raw counts do not by themselves show whether parcels are buildable, affordable, or available on the market — issues central to the county’s housing goals.
During the discussion, Bob (participant) displayed GIS layers showing zoning, service-district boundaries and areas such as Holly Hills and Branchway Springs, and said many of the purple/pink parcels on the map are small subdivision lots that “would easily accommodate a small house.” He noted the parcel dataset used the county occupancy code indicating vacancy and that the base parcel pull used 2024 tax-map data.
Several members pushed back on equating the number of vacant parcels with available, buildable, affordable lots. One member said zoning categories such as A-10 (10-acre minimum) do not permit new dwellings by right on parcels smaller than the zoning minimum unless lots were already carved out earlier; another member said many vacant parcels are privately held by investors or builders and therefore not on the market.
Members flagged engineering constraints and costs that can make otherwise vacant parcels impractical. One participant recounted a recent purchase of a 1.9-acre lot that required about $15,000 for a driveway and about $10,000 for septic work before starting construction, and estimated total on-site development and a small house could push end costs toward the $400,000 range in some places — far above many residents’ means.
The working group returned repeatedly to three separate points: (1) the raw parcel counts show land exists that is zoned residential and vacant, (2) buildability and market availability vary by neighborhood and by parcel (topography, private roads, utility access, financing, private ownership), and (3) the presence of buildable lots does not automatically produce socioeconomically diverse or affordable housing without additional policy tools.
Quotes from the meeting included: “I think it's a reasonable assumption” (on most small lots being buildable) and “If they're not for sale, they're not available,” reflecting the two sides of the discussion.
Ending: The committee agreed the parcel analysis is useful background to include in its report, but several members asked staff and volunteers to follow up with more detailed availability, buildability and affordability analyses (for example, whether lots are held by builders, whether topography or private roads preclude development, and typical site-development costs).
