Board adopts zoning change allowing project-level floor-area-ratio calculations

The Goochland County Board of Supervisors on June 4 adopted an amendment to the county zoning ordinance (ZOA-2023-2) to allow floor-area ratio (FAR) to be calculated on a project basis where a proffered or conditioned master or conceptual plan has been approved. The change preserves FAR as a regulatory tool but permits averaging across a project area rather than strictly per recorded lot.

Planning staff and the applicant, Kerry Hutcherson, said the amendment responds to a practical issue: projects approved through a master plan — such as the Extra Attic/Parkside Village example presented at the hearing — may be constrained if FAR is enforced per subdivided lot after zoning approval. Hutcherson told the board the amendment "retains FAR as a land-use planning tool" while providing flexibility for phased commercial development and eventual lot sales to different end users.

Nearby residents voiced concerns about buffering, traffic and whether project-level measurement could be used to intensify development; one resident who lives adjacent to the project said the amendment "reads like a lot of words but not much meat." Supporters said the amendment does not change approved building footprints, setbacks or buffers; it only enables lot subdivision that aligns with an already-approved master plan while maintaining the project-level FAR cap.

Planning Commission recommended approval (5–0) after public hearings and a community meeting; the board voted to adopt the amendment. Staff said project definitions and the master-plan linkage are intended to ensure the FAR cap applies to the entirety of the approved project and will remain enforceable when lots are later subdivided or sold.

What’s next: Staff will apply the amended FAR definition in future zoning and site-plan reviews and enforce project-level FAR calculations through the master-plan and zoning conditions associated with each approval.