Loudoun staff preview interactive online zoning ordinance with search, maps and calculators

Loudoun County planning staff on May 8 previewed a new interactive online version of the county zoning ordinance that will replace the existing PDF files and add search, mapping and calculator tools designed to make the ordinance easier to use.

The preview was presented by Judy Burkett, deputy director of planning and zoning, and Teresa Miller, the county zoning administrator. Burkett said the project has been underway for several years and the commission was being given a “courtesy viewing” before the site goes live. "We've been working towards launching the online zoning ordinance for a few years now and we're so excited to give you a just a brief preview," Burkett told commissioners.

Staff said the online ordinance will present the official ordinance text exactly as posted on the county website but in an interactive format. Key features demonstrated included a full-text smart search with Boolean operators, a land-use lookup that shows where particular uses (for example, "data center") are allowed and whether they require special exception approval, an embedded interactive zoning map, chapter-level calculators (for yield, density and similar tabulations), a visible amendment history linking to staff reports and draft text, and the ability to print or export selected sections.

Teresa Miller demonstrated how underlined terms will function as hyperlinks: hovering will show a definition pop-up and clicking will open the defined term in a side window. She showed the amendment history tool that links to the staff report and draft text for ordinance changes, and the calculator tab that can tabulate development yield for a selected district and lot size. Miller also noted users will be able to compile “regulations by district” pages and save or email them.

Commissioners asked several questions about archival materials and other documents. Commissioner Combs asked whether older codified materials (for example the Revised '93 documents previously available through Encode Plus) would be accessible inside the new platform. Burkett said archived versions will be linked from the site but are not integrated into the interactive platform at launch: "What we're doing at this point, just so that we only have one document to maintain, is provide links to the archived zoning ordinance," she said.

Staff clarified that parcel-level, property-specific information will remain available in the county's primary mapping tool, WebLogist, and that the interactive zoning map in the new tool is meant as a zoning-district support tool rather than a replacement for WebLogist. Burkett said the county will continue to link to the Code of Virginia, the comprehensive plan, Landmark and other key resources from the new site.

Commissioners praised the accessibility features in the demo — including increased font size and bookmarking — and asked staff to consider bringing additional county documents onto the platform in the future so the search function could span multiple documents. Staff said the goal is to expand resources over time, but did not provide a firm timeline for the public launch of the site.

The demonstration concluded with staff taking no formal action; the preview was informational and commissioners received the demonstration for review.