Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Lot Size Review topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Charlotte County planning commission debates reducing three‑acre minimum but tables action
Summary
Commissioners and staff discussed proposals to reduce the General Agricultural District minimum lot size (currently three acres) to 1.5 or 2 acres to encourage homebuilding; concerns about septic/well feasibility, accessory‑dwelling financing and impacts on nonresidential uses led to a motion to table for more data.
The Charlotte County Planning Commission spent a substantial portion of its May 16, 2024 meeting discussing whether to lower the General Agricultural District minimum lot size, currently three acres. Supervisor Hazel Bowman Smith told commissioners the Board of Supervisors favored a reduction — she said the Board’s consensus was 1.5 acres, while her personal preference is one acre — to help retain young homebuyers and grow the tax base.
Staff cautioned that the General Agricultural District covers roughly 96% of county land and that reducing lot size would affect all uses permitted in the district, not only residential subdivisions. Staff listed considerations commissioners should weigh: whether changes would increase residential camper use, whether the Virginia Department of Health well‑and‑septic approval rates would remain adequate (staff said approval rates exceed 90% under three acres), and whether accessory dwelling unit rules and financing limits would create unintended consequences for tenants and relatives.
Commissioners raised practical concerns. Commissioner Miller Adams warned of potential future drainfield failures on smaller lots. Commissioner Belinda Strom recounted conversations with an Appomattox County planner describing complaints tied to smaller lot sizes in that county. Chairman Andrew Carwile and others suggested expanding Village Center Districts or the General Residential District (which has a 1.5‑acre standard) rather than changing the countywide agricultural minimum.
Commissioner David Watkins, Jr. moved to table the lot‑size and setback discussion until the next meeting so staff could collect building‑permit data and consult the county attorney; Kerwin Kunath seconded. The motion carried with all members present voting yes. Staff said it would gather data from the building official and emergency services, review family subdivision options and other localities’ by‑right uses, and return the item for further consideration before the August 24 deadline for a Planning Commission recommendation.
