Staff proposes removing ARB duties from zoning ordinance, asks supervisors to postpone action for public comment

Fauquier County planning staff on Thursday previewed a zoning-ordinance text amendment that would transfer most responsibilities of the county's Architectural Review Board to community development staff and remove several ARB references from Articles 4, 11, 14 and 15 of the zoning ordinance.

The proposal matters because the county currently has no historic area districts under the ordinance, and staff said the ARB has not been required to perform its primary statutory duties. Kara Marshall, county planning staff, told the commission that the Code of Virginia allows but does not require localities to establish a local review board for historic-area permits and that the ARB — established in 1976 — has had “no historic area districts” to administer.

Marshall said staff reviewed which boards, commissions and committees are required by the Code of Virginia and which are active and providing…