4th Quarter / Winter 1999
As of December 13th, Montgomery County has a new Zoning Ordinance. The revised Zoning Ordinance gives Montgomery County the ability to focus growth in the areas designated for growth in the Comprehensive Plan. This will result in more efficient use of existing and planned infrastructure, and will also help to conserve natural resources.
Perhaps the biggest change is the introduction of the sliding scale to lands in Agricultural districts (A-1 zoning). The sliding scale limits the number of parcels which can be created on lands zoned A-1. A greater number of lots are possible, but the developer would have to have the parcel rezoned to Rural Residential if public water and sewer are not available.
The rezoning process incorporated in the zoning ordinance gives the community the ability to control its own future through its elected officials. In addition, it provides an open forum for addressing important issues, including whether the parcel is an appropriate location for a residential subdivision, and whether the development is compatible with adjoining land uses.
The VA-177/Tyler Avenue Corridor Study Update Steering Committee, which consists of representatives from the two Planning Commissions, City and County staff, and private landowners, is facilitated by the New River Valley Planning District Commission (PDC).
The October meeting covered transportation issues, water and sewer services, and the demand for these services. It was pointed out that the current water and sewer services would eventually require a form of improvement to support the proposed growth.
The November meeting discussed Emergency Services and the future development of the corridor. At this time, it was stated that adjustment of the current zoning map may be necessary.
In the December meeting, tax assessments/tax revenue in the corridor was evaluated and the revenue sharing agreement was examined. It was found that while assessed value increased with new assessment, the tax rate went down. In addition, it was determined that the cost sharing was going extremely well.
The January Meeting will include the following emerging issues: service area boundaries, land use, development restrictions, and transit just to name a few.
Jeffrey Scott, Montgomery County’s intrepid zoning administrator, is leaving the Planning Department in February for a job as the principal planner of Everglades National Park in Florida.
Jeff Scott came to the department in July, 1986, after working for the Bureau of Land Management in Alaska and, locally, for the Planning District Commission.
Looking back on his accomplishments in the Montgomery County Planning Department, Jeff says he’s proudest of the new zoning ordinance, which was passed by the Board of Supervisors this past December. According to Jeff, he will miss the New River and the mountains (since the highest elevation in southern Florida seems to be a fifteen foot sand dune), but he is looking forward to the challenges and responsibilities the new job offers.
Jeff Scott will be missed both for his sense of humor and his knowledge of zoning and planning. The Planning Department wishes him well in his new position. Good luck, Jeff.
Planning
for the new Coal Mining Heritage Park at Merrimac is progressing with the help of
a group of Radford University Anthropology students. Under the direction of Dr.
Mary LaLone, the students spent the fall semester establishing community needs,
researching the historical and scientific characteristics of the park, and designing
a park that reflects the coal mining heritage in Montgomery County.
During the spring semester, the students are continuing their work by writing grants to fund specific projects in the park, helping to design the signage for the area immediately bordering the Huckleberry Trail, and publicly presenting their study from last fall at a public meeting in Merrimac The meeting is tentatively scheduled for March 2nd. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
1999 Year-end
SummaryFor the Montgomery County Planning and Inspections Department, 1999 has marked a year of change, including the adoption of a new Zoning Ordinance in December and staff changes in May and December. 1999 has also marked a year of continuity, defined in large part by both major and minor ongoing projects and by the daily business of answering questions, issuing permits, and handling the special use, rezoning, variance, and subdivision requests.
The biggest change in 1999 was the adoption of the new Zoning Ordinance by the Board of Supervisors on December 13th. The Zoning Ordinance marks a change in how the County handles zoning and land use issues, especially in the Agricultural District, through the use of tools like the sliding scale (see page 6 for a brief explanation of the sliding scale).
In addition, the 1999 Zoning Ordinance gives the County the much needed tools to implement the current Comprehensive Plan and a starting point for creating a new comprehensive plan that will reflect the vision residents have for the future of Montgomery County in the new century. Through the use of the planning process, the development of a new comprehensive plan, and the implementation of the new Zoning Ordinance, Montgomery County residents and their representatives can begin to address issues such as open space, sprawl, and the preservation of the natural, cultural, social, and historical resources that so define the County’s character.
Other changes have occurred as well over the past year. In May, both Ed Davis and Kimberly Golden left for other jobs. Ed took a planning job in Minnesota, and Kimberly took a job as a site plan reviewer in Virginia. The department hired two new planners, Meghan Dorsett in August and Kelly Bowers in October. In December, Jeff Scott, the County’s Zoning Administrator, resigned (effective in February, 2000) in order to take the job as principal planner of Everglades National Park (see the brief article on page 2 for more details).
While the passage of the new Zoning Ordinance and the loss and gain of staff mark changes in the Planning Department, there is a strong sense of continuity as ongoing projects evolve, as variances and special use permits are processed, and as the day-to-day routine of the Planning Department continues.
Currently, the Planning
Department is and has been involved in a number of specific projects that cover
the spectrum of planning issues, including the developments and the search for solutions
in the 177 Corridor, the design and construction of the Coal Mining Heritage Park
at Merrimac, continued involvement in the New River Valley Regional Planning Commission
and the Heritage Rivers Association, and the implementation of a new geographic
information system (GIS) for the County.
In addition, the Planning Department has been active in a number of specific projects over the last year. It worked with the Public Service Authority (PSA) and administered the CDBG grant for the Belview Sewer Project last spring and summer. Last January, the department revised the manufactured housing permit procedure to include vehicle identification numbers (VIN) In May, the Board of Supervisors approved a new Subdivision Ordinance Amendment for Asphalt Roads. Over the course of the past year, the Planning Department conducted a number of studies in conjunction with other agencies. The department developed building permit and subdivision lot information for the school enrollment projections consultant and developed information for the County Attorney concerning the Roanoke County Boundary Adjustment, among other studies.
2000 promises to be equally busy. In the coming year, the department has a number of projects on tap, including the implementation of the new zoning ordinance, the development of the Coal Mining Heritage Park at Merrimac, and the design of the County’s new GIS system.
John Smith has a 58 acre
farm. While he still wants to let his daughter farm the majority of the land, he
wants to sell off some parcels in order to help fund his retirement. Under the sliding
scale, he can sell a set number of lots depending on the amount of acreage he owns.
Sliding Scale is one method the county uses to decrease the density of development
in the Agricultural District (A-1).
The maximum gross density is the maximum number of lots one can create by subdividing a parent parcel. Each parcel in the county, which existed when the current zoning law was passed (12/13/99) is considered a parent parcel.
The maximum number of lots one can create is deter-mined by the amount of land in each parent parcel. For example, if you have up to 10.0 acres of land, you can subdivide that land into three lots. A lot must be at least one (1) acre in size. So, if your parent parcel is only 2.3 acres, you will only be able to create two lots.
How you subdivide your parent parcel depends on the size of lots you want to create , on the number of lot assignments you want to assign to each lot, and on the availability of an onsite water supply and and adequate wastewater treatment (which may further limit the number of lots).
Lots which have been created from a parent parcel can not be further subdivided unless more than one lot assignment was made to the parcel during the initial subdivision of the property.
Back to farmer Smith. According to the sliding scale, John Smith can create up to 6 lots on his 58 acre parcel. In addition, John Smith knows that the parcels must be a mini-mum of 1 acre in size and that the remaining acre-age will count as
one of his permitted lots. Mr. Smith wants to leave his daughter 50 acres of farm land and the original house. He subdivides his land so that there are 5 small lots along County Road A and the remaining 50 acres becomes Lot #6.
Once the parent parcel has been subdivided, the parent parcel designation no longer exists. This means that lot 6 can not be subdivided in the future because all of the allowable subdivisions for the original parcel of land were already made. In addition, none of the new lots that were created can be subdivided.
Mr. Smith could chose to create fewer than the six lots allowed by the sliding scale, or he could choose to assign more than one lot assignment to a given lot. However, he can not exceed the initial lot assignment because the number was determined by the total acreage in the parent parcel, not in the created lots. If, for example, Lot #1 was given 10.5 acres, it could not then be resubdivi-ded into 3 separate lots unless Mr. Smith assigned 3 of the 6 lot assignments to Lot #1.
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Last Updated 20 September, 2001
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