Board approves $143,556 work order to update zoning and subdivision ordinances

Nelson County supervisors on June 11 approved a work order amendment with the Berkley Group to begin Phase 2 of ordinance updates, consolidating zoning and subdivision codes and updating uses, definitions and design standards.

Planning Director Dylan M. Bishop told the Board the diagnostic report identified compliance gaps with state code (zoning 50–70% compliant, subdivision 50–80% compliant in the report’s matrix) and recommended reorganization of the ordinance into a clear structure addressing administration, permits, district standards, a use matrix, community design standards and nonconformities. The update will consider short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units, green infrastructure, overlay districts (mountain ridge, tourism, and a Route 151 corridor overlay), and codifying frequently granted special-use permit conditions as by-right provisions where appropriate.

The Berkley Group amendment totals $143,556 (including non-direct expenses). If approved, staff and the consultant will begin a public engagement process similar to the comprehensive plan work that produced the 2042 plan: workshops, focus groups, joint work sessions, an open house and public hearings. Bishop said the kickoff would be scheduled for July 2024 and the project could take about 18 months with a tentative adoption in Spring 2026. The Board approved the amendment unanimously.

The ordinance rewrite aims to improve clarity for applicants, incorporate updated definitions from the comprehensive plan glossary and provide modernized standards intended to implement the county’s recently adopted 2042 Comprehensive Plan.