Planning Commission reviews full draft of unified development ordinance; seeks comment ahead of joint work session

Town planning staff presented a full draft of a new unified development ordinance and asked the Planning Commission to review the document and submit comments ahead of a joint work session with town council.

Planner Louis Pancati summarized major changes in the proposed UDO: fewer, consolidated zoning districts; new building-type standards and form-based code elements for nonresidential development; clarified lighting standards to limit off-site light spillage; a simplified parking table and an increase in required parking for single-family homes (from two to three spaces, with at least two exterior spaces); broader, consolidated use categories; and administrative and procedural changes intended to speed routine approvals.

Pancati outlined notable use-category shifts and regulatory proposals. He said tattoo parlors, previously allowed only in industrial districts, would be reclassified as a personal-service use and permitted in commercial districts under the new use table. "Tattoo parlors and tattoos have become far more common and far more accepted than they were when this ordinance was written," Pancati said, noting some boutique tattoo artists seek downtown locations.

The draft moves to allow accessory dwelling units (referred to as "backyard cottages") by right in residential districts where permitted and anticipates possible state action making such allowances mandatory. Pancati said the draft includes tap-fee expectations for ADUs consistent with existing town tap-privilege fee policy and differentiates between home offices (no visitors) and home-based businesses (limited visitors allowed).

Short-term rentals are defined in the draft and would be prohibited in more traditional single-family residential districts and permitted in mixed-use or downtown districts; the draft defines short-term rentals as offering occupancy for fewer than 90 consecutive days. Pancati and commissioners discussed the 90-day threshold and differences among other localities; Pancati said the 90-day definition reflected consultant best-practice guidance and could be revisited.

Other items in the draft highlighted in the presentation include: updated wireless facility regulations to align with state code changes (circa 2018), explicit regulation of drive-throughs and fuel pumps to keep buildings toward street fronts, new beekeeping standards, standards for electric-vehicle charging and solar systems, clarified sign-area measurement and limits on A-frame signage, and language updates to the watershed protection overlay incorporating input from the Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District. Pancati said major subdivisions and site-plan approvals that meet code standards would be handled administratively rather than requiring full Planning Commission approval; the zoning administrator would retain authority to refer items to the commission.

Commissioners asked detailed operational questions: whether private streets differ from alleys, how private-street construction standards compare with public streets, whether utilities are required to be buried for new developments (staff answered burial is encouraged but not currently required), and how the town would handle enforcement of sidewalk snow removal (staff cited town code section 21-25 requiring removal within six hours or by noon after nighttime storms and said the zoning inspector would notify owners and pursue enforcement if necessary).

Pancati said staff would provide a slide deck and asked commission members to submit comments by the Wednesday before the next meetings so staff can tailor the joint work session presentation for council. Public hearings at the planning commission level were proposed for March and April, with town council hearings in May and June, followed by potential council action in June.

No formal vote was taken on the draft during the meeting; the item was presented for review and comment and will return for additional discussion at upcoming work sessions and public hearings.