Staff: proposed division of tax map parcel 66-2 meets A-2 zoning rules; commission asks staff to clarify ordinance language

Planning Department staff told the Dinwiddie County Planning Commission that a proposed division of tax map parcel 66-2 meets the county’s A-2 (Agricultural General) zoning district requirements and is a by-right subdivision, and commissioners asked staff to consider clarifying certain density language in the subdivision ordinance.

Staff said the application divides the parent tract into four parcels, with the remaining acreage retained as a parent remainder parcel. Under the A-2 density provisions and the parcel’s acreage, staff said each resulting lot would meet the minimum three-acre size and the required 400 feet of road frontage measured at the building setback line. Because the proposal satisfies the zoning and subdivision standards, staff described the division as a by-right action rather than a family division.

Commissioners raised questions about longstanding, internally inconsistent language in the subdivision ordinance that can cause confusion about how many three-acre divisions are permitted on larger parcels. One commissioner asked staff to “clean that up” so the commission would not need to repeatedly address the same interpretive issue. Staff said it would work on clarifying the ordinance language.

No formal vote was required or taken on the plat review; staff indicated the next procedural steps would be handled by staff and the applicant.