Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Subdivision Open Space topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission weighs Chapter 9 subdivision overhaul and open-space sliding scale
Summary
The commission heard a subcommittee report on a draft Chapter 9 (subdivision), compared a Berkeley Group sliding-scale approach to a percentage-based open-space proposal, and debated incentives, conservation easements and how to guarantee preserved open space.
The Page County Planning Commission heard a detailed subcommittee report on a proposed overhaul of Chapter 9 (subdivision rules), including options to preserve open space while allowing predictable land division.
Subcommittee staff presented a draft with distribution tables, suggested open-space minimums for different districts (examples discussed included an 80% target for prime agricultural areas and a 60% target for a rural residential district), and noted the draft was intended to conform the county's subdivision approach with the 2020 Virginia code.
Commissioners compared two approaches: the Berkeley Group's lot-count/sliding-scale model and the subcommittee's acreage-percentage model. Supporters of the percentage model said it better guarantees open space by focusing on the area preserved on the parent parcel rather than simply counting lots. "You're taking you're creating large lots," one commissioner said in favor of percentage-based open space, while others noted that different soil types, slopes and local infrastructure mean exceptions are necessary.
The commission discussed implementation mechanics to ensure open space is preserved in practice. Options raised included requiring a permanent conservation area or conservation easement on the parent parcel, tracking development units for a parent parcel to prevent re-division, and limiting or phasing family-division exceptions. Commissioners warned that Board of Zoning Appeals decisions or variances could undermine strict protections if not carefully drafted.
Staff and commissioners also discussed where growth should occur and the role of the zoning map and comprehensive-plan designations. Several members argued rezonings or sanitary-district investments should be targeted to town-adjacent areas to support workforce housing and services, rather than allowing piecemeal development across prime farmland.
Next steps: staff will continue to refine Chapter 9 language, explore mechanisms to tie open-space preservation to parent parcels and report back to the commission and the comprehensive-plan subcommittee. Commissioners were invited to participate in upcoming subcommittee meetings to align zoning map changes and incentives with the county's goals for housing and economic development.
