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Surry County amends zoning to allow smaller lots for water and sewer pump stations
Summary
The board adopted a zoning text amendment to create two defined uses for water and sewer pump stations and to allow exceptions to the one-acre minimum lot size where design, setbacks, noise mitigation and public-protection criteria are met.
Surry County staff presented a zoning text amendment during a public hearing on July 2 that creates two new defined uses for water and sewer pump stations and allows exceptions to existing minimum lot-size requirements in some districts. Planner Mister Wade told the board the change responds to practical needs—sewer pump stations often require far less land than the current one-acre minimum in the AR district, and the amendment establishes specific criteria including a 100-foot setback from residences, noise minimization, and compatibility with surrounding character.
"No water or sewer pump station be located within a 100 feet of existing residence," Mister Wade said, describing the setback requirement, and he added requirements that stations be designed to reduce audible impacts and be enclosed when necessary to protect health, safety and welfare. Board members asked for clarification about where smaller lots had already been permitted and how the exception process would interact with the variance process. After discussion the board moved and approved the ordinance amendment.
The amendment is intended to reduce the need for variances in locations where a smaller lot is appropriate for a utility facility while keeping standards to protect nearby residential and commercial properties. Staff said applicants must provide "reasonable assurance" that proposed installations meet the noise and design criteria before a zoning permit will be issued.
