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Residents urge Powhatan planners not to count floodplain in lot‑area calculations; staff to present options in June
Summary
Multiple residents told the Powhatan County Planning Commission that counting floodplain toward lot area would undermine riparian buffers and rural character. Planning staff said they will return in June with options for the commission to consider.
A string of residents and a former Citizens Working Group member told the Powhatan County Planning Commission on May 5 that the county should not change how it counts floodplain when measuring lot area for new lots.
Betty Walters told the commission she wants the "zoning ordinance that's gonna be discussed as it is" to remain unchanged, and Morag Weatherhead called it inconsistent with the comprehensive plan to include floodplain in density studies because that would allow more homes near rivers, wetlands and environmentally sensitive areas. Bob Riley, who said he served on the Citizens Working Group, pointed to CWG recommendations that excluded floodplain from density calculations to automatically create riparian buffers; he warned the change could encourage siting houses on wetland edges to maximize developable upland.
Several speakers also raised practical concerns: Theresa Kelly cited well and septic viability when lots are condensed; Jamie Fisher asked the commission to consider impacts on private easements and emergency access; and public comments repeatedly requested that the county preserve the rural character of Powhatan if it considers revising lot‑area rules.
Planning Director Ligon Webb told the commission the referral is recent and that staff are still developing options. Webb emphasized that the discussion about lot‑area calculations would not supersede existing floodplain or wetlands regulations: "It does not change the minimum lot size requirement… it just says that you could count that as lot area," he said, adding staff will present options in June and that any ordinance change would come back to the commission for public hearing (potentially in July).
Why this matters: how local government counts floodplain in land‑division calculations affects whether conservation buffers are created automatically or whether more development can be concentrated near sensitive areas. Residents argued that changing the rule could increase development pressure on riparian areas and complicate septic and well siting in rural parts of the county.
What’s next: Planning staff will prepare options and analysis for the commission’s June meeting; no ordinance change was adopted at the May 5 meeting.
