Bedford County supervisors adopt broad zoning text amendments after debate over beekeeping, lot splits and planning authority

Bedford County Board of Supervisors members voted to adopt ordinance O011325-9, the implementing ordinance for text amendment TA24-0006, after extended discussion and a last-minute amendment that removed reference to “prescriptive easements” and kept final authority for certain plan-district decisions with the board.

The ordinance package rewrites multiple sections of the county zoning ordinance. Key changes include a new allowance for traditional lot subdivisions tied to access to public utilities, a new definition and permitting framework for urban beekeeping, revised parking standards for multifamily dwellings, renaming private stables to “domestic horses,” and a procedural change that would shorten approvals for certain planned-district reviews unless the planning commission denies an application and forwards that denial to the board.

Why it matters: The amendments affect how many lots can be created from a parent parcel, where beekeeping will be allowed, how many hives are permitted in residential districts, parking minimums for apartments and townhouses, and which body—the planning commission or the elected board—will have the first final say on approvals in planned districts. Those changes can affect development patterns, agriculture and small‑scale urban farming, and enforcement workloads for county staff.

What the ordinance does - Traditional lot divisions: The ordinance adds a “traditional lot subdivision”…