Commission considers limited flexibility to 500-acre ET district minimum
Summary
Commissioners discussed the origin of the 500-acre minimum for ET districts and asked staff to draft options that would allow case-by-case consideration of smaller parcels while keeping 500 acres as the baseline.
Commissioners questioned how Surry County’s 500-acre minimum for an Emerging Technologies (ET) district was established and whether smaller projects could be accommodated. Perkins and staff said 500 acres was chosen originally to encourage a campus-style development appropriate for data centers and similar uses.
Perkins said staff are not proposing to replace the 500-acre requirement with another fixed number; instead, they plan to retain the 500-acre baseline while creating a process and parameters to allow case-by-case exceptions. “We’re looking instead to create flexibility, leave the 500 there, but create that opportunity,” Perkins said. Commissioners asked staff to return draft language explaining the mechanics—whether via rezoning with additional conditions, conditional use, or other processes—so smaller but suitable parcels can be evaluated without changing the baseline standard countywide.
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