Planning Commission reviews draft changes to accessory-structure rules in A-1 agricultural districts

New Kent County zoning staff on Feb. 20 presented draft amendments to Chapter 98, Article 1, Section 98-10 of the county code that would change how the county counts and limits detached accessory buildings in A-1 (agricultural) zoning districts.

Angela Lefflett, the county zoning administrator, told the Planning Commission the rewrite would replace the current 3,000-square-foot aggregate cap for accessory structures on A-1 lots with a formula: up to 5 percent of the lot area behind the front-setback line but not to exceed a cumulative total of 10,000 square feet, and with a limit on the number of detached accessory buildings on smaller parcels. "The total number of accessory buildings cannot exceed 5 on a single lot," Lefflett said, adding staff may recommend applying the five-structure cap only to lots under a 25-acre threshold and is seeking feedback on whether that acreage cap should be higher or lower.

The draft also would formalize a definition for "accessory building" to make explicit that the cumulative square footage calculation includes covered roofed features such…