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Planning Commission endorses zoning updates to allow wireless colocation at capped fees
Summary
The commission recommended revisions to Part 1, Article 25 of the zoning ordinance to align Lancaster County's rules for colocating wireless telecommunications facilities with recent changes in Virginia law, including a statutory cap on colocaton fees.
The Lancaster County Planning Commission voted to recommend revisions to Part 1, Article 25 of the zoning ordinance, updating county siting rules for wireless telecommunications facilities to comply with state code changes.
Miss Hall, a county staff planner, told the commission the proposed draft revises previous 2024 code language and focuses on colocation requirements. "These changes are revision to the previously adopted code at a prior meeting in 2024," Hall said, adding the updates address co-location only and include a $500 cap on colocaton fees where state law now limits local charges.
The commission opened and closed a public hearing on the revisions without public comment, then voted to forward the proposed ordinance language to the Board of Supervisors for approval. A motion to recommend the proposed revisions carried by voice vote.
Hall said the revisions were prepared to ensure the county's ordinance complies with the General Assembly's changes to applicable Virginia statutes. Staff included redline language in the packet for commissioners and confirmed the changes apply to colocations rather than to siting of new towers; fees that earlier had been uncapped in county code are adjusted to conform with the state-imposed cap.
Commissioners did not request additional amendments at the hearing; the staff recommendation was that the Board of Supervisors adopt the proposed Part 1 code language to achieve state-code compliance.
