Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Text Amendment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission backs zoning change to count floodplain acreage toward minimum lot sizes for new lots
Summary
The commission recommended approval of a countywide zoning amendment to stop excluding floodplain acreage from minimum lot‑area calculations for newly created lots, while retaining subdivision‑level buildability review and floodplain protections.
On July 7 the Powhatan Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a zoning ordinance amendment that would count floodplain acreage when calculating minimum lot area for newly created parcels. Staff said the change restores a gross‑acreage approach used historically while retaining subdivision‑level buildability review and existing floodplain protections.
Staff emphasized that the amendment applies only to newly created lots and does not change floodplain permitting, riparian buffer requirements, wetlands protections, or the county’s subdivision standards that require adequate buildable area outside of floodplains. Illustrative examples in the staff presentation showed roughly 10‑acre parcels where building envelopes remain outside mapped floodplain areas even if floodplain acreage is counted toward lot size.
Commission discussion was brief because no public commenters appeared at the hearing; one commissioner voted no. The commission’s recommendation will go to the Board of Supervisors for consideration.
