Board discusses revisions to subdivision and land‑division ordinance; staff to add 90‑day delay and functional right‑of‑way option

At a lengthy agenda item on subdivision and land‑division amendments, the Page County Board of Supervisors debated several changes aimed at clarifying how family divisions, minimum right‑of‑way widths and VDOT entrance approvals are handled. The discussion produced direction to staff to draft clarifying language and to return a consolidated ordinance draft in coming months.

Why it matters: proposed changes affect how rural landowners can divide property, what frontage or engineer‑certified right‑of‑way they must provide, and the county’s interaction with VDOT entrance approvals — matters that influence development, farm succession and public safety on county roads.

Public comment: Jerry Baldwin, speaking during public comments, urged the board to “stress the emphasis on the time frame once it is approved for people to complete their applications on land divisions,” suggesting 45 to 60 days for applicants to finalize materials.

Key issues discussed: planning staff and supervisors focused on three interlocking topics: whether to exempt family divisions of 25 acres or greater from certain requirements; whether to keep a hard 50‑foot right‑of‑way requirement or allow a measured “functional” alternative certified by an engineer; and whether the ordinance should include a brief delayed effective date so residents with pending applications have time to comply.

Planning staff explained that VDOT’s entrance approval is separate from the width of a property’s right‑of‑way and that VDOT will evaluate entrance location, sight distance and trip generation. Board members and staff agreed the county cannot compel VDOT to meet a fixed review deadline, although supervisors discussed an escalation process where unresolved entrance reviews would be brought back to the board for attention.

After extended debate, supervisors instructed staff to revise the amendment packet to add the option that applicants may either provide a 50‑foot right‑of‑way or submit engineer‑certified functional right‑of‑way plans; to include a 90‑day delayed effective date for any final ordinance to give applicants time to act; and to clarify how family divisions (including the 20‑foot state‑preserved family division provision) will be treated in the consolidated draft. The board also asked staff to aim to return a consolidated draft of the comprehensive rewrite by the fall (target: August–September) for review and public hearings.

What was not decided: Supervisors did not adopt a final ordinance at this meeting. Staff and the planning commission will continue drafting the consolidated document and incorporate the board’s instructed changes.

Quotes from the meeting: “If somebody has a bunch of lots, it could be in their interest to go ahead and do that because they may generate 2 more lots that they can sell,” a board member said during debate; planning staff added that VDOT “review[s] it for 2 weeks and then they may or may not require engineering from the applicant.”

Next steps: county planning staff will prepare an updated amendment packet that introduces the 50‑foot or engineer‑certified functional option, inserts a 90‑day delayed effective date, clarifies family division language and returns a consolidated draft to the board and planning commission for further review and public hearings.