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Louisa planners approve three Agricultural and Forestal District additions to protect farmland
Summary
The Planning Commission voted to recommend adding multiple parcels to three Agricultural and Forestal Districts (Goldmine Creek, Ellisville and Taylors Creek), citing long-term stewardship by local landowners and county goals to preserve rural character.
The Louisa County Planning Commission on Monday recommended adding dozens of parcels to three Agricultural and Forestal Districts, moves that commissioners said will help preserve working farms and forest land as the county grows.
Commissioners voted to recommend approval of the Goldmine Creek, Ellisville and Taylors Creek AFD additions after staff presentations and comments from applicants and community advocates. Staff described the Goldmine proposal as an original application covering roughly 396.106 acres with a 6.13-acre amended parcel also lodged within one mile of the AFD core, the Ellisville filings as a mix of original and amended applications totaling more than 2,000 acres across multiple parcels, and the Taylors Creek addition as four parcels totaling about 79.87 acres.
The commission heard from landowners and local advocates who framed the applications as voluntary conservation tools that maintain rural character at low public cost. "If our goal is to keep this county rural, the AFDs are the easiest way to do it," said applicant Dustin Madison. Jim Riddell, speaking for the Louisa Ag and Forestal and Rural Preservation Committee, told the commission that "from 2020 to 2025 in Louisa, we've seen approximately 6,000 acres of working lands converted," and urged approval to slow that trend.
Applicants described long-term stewardship and operational constraints that make parcels ill‑suited for residential or industrial redevelopment. Gerald Purcell, an engineer and farmer who spoke during the Ellisville hearing, explained that some parcels carry residential or industrial zoning on maps but lack road access and have been managed as timber and forage tracts for decades.
Commissioners asked staff to clarify technical details on mapping and asked that future AFD applications indicate which parcel is the "core" so that proximity (within one mile) is clear. After discussion, motions to add the parcels to each district were moved, seconded and carried by roll call.
The approvals are recommendations to the Board of Supervisors (the formal AFD inclusions follow the county's review and any board action). The commission's packet and staff reports outline the parcel lists, uses, and the Ag and Forestry Committee's recommendations.
