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Planning commission renews eight agricultural and forestal districts, moves parcels lacking development rights out over time
Summary
The commission reviewed and recommended renewal for eight Agricultural and Forestal Districts, largely agreeing with staff recommendations to remove parcels that do not carry small-lot development rights. The Planning Commission and staff debated policy intent and property-level conservation value during the review.
Albemarle County’s Planning Commission on Feb. 25 recommended renewal for eight Agricultural and Forestal District (AFD) reviews and largely adopted staff recommendations to remove parcels that do not carry small-lot development rights.
What happened: The commission considered district reviews for Keswick, Rivanna/Morrison (Mormon’s River), Kinloch, Fox Mountain, Buck’s Elbow Mountain, Sugar Hollow, Buck Mountain and related parcels. Under county policy, AFD reviews must evaluate whether parcels in a district have small-lot development rights (the rights to create lots smaller than the rural default) — a policy adopted in 2016 aimed at ensuring AFD benefits protect at-risk development rights rather than parcels that already have no such rights.
Staff recommendation and advisory-committee position: Staff recommended that parcels without development rights be removed from districts. Where parcel owners would face a rollback tax if removed immediately, staff recommended…
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