Council weighs zoning and floodplain changes for Town Branch to encourage downtown redevelopment

Leesburg staff told the Town Council Oct. 6 they are exploring zoning and floodplain ordinance changes and a focused floodplain study for the Town Branch corridor to reduce redevelopment constraints along South King Street and near the W&OD Trail.

The presentation, led by planning staff member Brian Boucher, noted that the Town’s existing floodplain overlay is more restrictive than FEMA guidance in some respects and that parts of the downtown floodplain are the result of historic channel relocation and features such as an old bridge abutment that cause backwater. “A lot of this floodplain is back on areas that have been developed, encompassing pavement,” Boucher said, describing a mix of gravel lots, some buildings and other developed parcels in the affected area.

What staff proposed Staff outlined three near‑term ordinance changes for council consideration: allow mixed‑use development as a permitted use in the town’s major floodplain (with nonresidential uses at ground level and residential above, subject to floodproofing and FEMA approvals); permit parking lots as a temporary permitted use in the major floodplain subject to use standards; and remove a council-only special‑exception requirement for placing fill in the downtown floodplain so long as FEMA and state review are satisfied. Boucher cautioned any changes must ultimately be reviewed by FEMA and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation because the local floodplain ordinance has been federally reviewed.

Longer-term options Boucher and other staff described a possible follow-up path: add a more detailed Town Branch‑area floodplain/resiliency study to the broader floodplain resiliency work the town is pursuing (the staff report noted a $1.7 million DCR grant tied to a resiliency plan), then use engineering analysis to consider whether targeted capital improvements — for example, addressing hydraulic restrictions such as the old bridge abutment near Church Street — could reduce mapped floodplain or otherwise lower development constraints on certain parcels.

Council discussion and concerns Council members raised several concerns: that temporary parking should not become a long-term underuse of downtown land; that any fill or grade change must not increase flood risk on neighboring residential lots; and that floodproofing and FEMA alteration approvals remain necessary for any development in floodplain. Councilmember Wilt questioned the wisdom of allowing temporary parking and whether “temporary” would simply become permanent; staff replied that surface materials and imperviousness would be controlled through site-specific stormwater and floodplain reviews and BAR (Board of Architectural Review) review where applicable. On hydraulic restrictions, staff confirmed the choke point near Church Street (an old abutment on the W&OD Trail/Nova Parks property) is a potential target for engineering study.

Council direction Council agreed it supported further work: staff was asked to draft ordinance amendments for council initiation (to align the B‑1 district and the town floodplain overlay with the FEMA model ordinance where appropriate), to return with scope and costs for a focused Town Branch floodplain/resiliency study and to evaluate potential capital improvements that might reduce backwater/floodplain impacts. At the close of the item the mayor asked whether four council members would support moving forward; a majority indicated support and staff said it would bring back proposed language and cost estimates.

Ending Staff will return with ordinance amendment language, the proposed scope and cost for a Town Branch floodplain/resiliency study and, if advisable, cost estimates for targeted capital solutions. Any ordinance amendment that changes the local floodplain rules must undergo state and federal review and cannot take effect until DCR/FEMA concurrence is obtained.