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Nelson County adopts Fork Mountain Agricultural and Forestal District covering roughly 2,559 acres
Summary
The Board unanimously created the Fork Mountain Agricultural & Forestal District to protect working farms and forestland in the Montebello/North Fork area; the voluntary district covers about 2,559 acres (core 1,773.7 acres) and carries five-year review terms and restrictions on intensive redevelopment.
Nelson County supervisors voted unanimously Sept. 10 to create the Fork Mountain Agricultural and Forestal District (AFD), a voluntary program intended to preserve agricultural and forestry uses across a broad swath of the county’s West District.
The ordinance (O2024‑01) establishes the district with a corrected total acreage of roughly 2,559.324 acres and a core of 1,773.714 acres after the Board removed one 117.54‑acre parcel from the application and accepted the addition of a 245.03‑acre Potomac Conference Corp. parcel and one 17.07‑acre parcel. Property owners voluntarily agree to restrictions spelled out in the ordinance, including that no parcel be developed to a use more intensive than that existing at enactment (except for agricultural/forestal intensification), subdivision rules tied to family transfers until the next review, and a five‑year initial review period.
County planning staff explained that AFDs offer incentives to landowners — eligibility for land‑use taxation, protection from eminent domain and municipal annexation, and modest protection from nuisance complaints — and are intended to preserve open space, scenic views and working lands. The Planning Department and the AFD Advisory Committee recommended approval; the Planning Commission also forwarded a favorable recommendation with the advisory committee’s suggested exclusions of several parcels more than a mile from the AFD core.
Susan McSwain, secretary of the AFD Advisory Committee, told the Board Nelson’s ordinance (adopted in 2002) has led to five existing AFDs covering more than 8,300 acres and that the Fork Mountain district would be the first in the West District, expanding county conservation coverage.
The board action formalizes voluntary agreements from participating landowners. Supervisors noted the application process allows additional parcels to join during annual filing windows (deadline June 1 each year) and that membership does not preclude construction of a home or normal farm buildings under county regulations.
What happens next: The county will record district membership in the real estate records; staff will manage the five‑year review schedule and notify owners about enrollment windows for future additions or withdrawals.
