Dec 15

Board of Supervisors Adopts New Zoning Ordinance

Posted on December 15, 2023 at 12:20 PM by Nancy McCormick

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has adopted a new zoning ordinance, completing a nearly four-year process that included extensive public engagement with a broad range of stakeholders. The new Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, adopted by the Board following a public hearing December 13, 2023, is effective immediately and replaces the previous ordinance known as the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance

“This new ordinance is modern, streamlined, and provides much-needed updates to regulations on land use in the Loudoun County of today,” said Chair Phyllis J. Randall. “The Board’s unanimous vote illustrates our endorsement of an ordinance that is both good for Loudoun and recognizes this significant milestone in the Board’s history that could only have been achieved through the collaboration of countless critical partners. Those critical partners include the county’s zoning experts, business leaders, developers, environmental protection advocates, property owners, interested citizens, and many more. This effort could be a blueprint for future efforts, ensuring that in addition to being heard, stakeholders feel heard.” 

The text of the newly adopted Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, which includes revisions to the county’s noise study regulations, is online at loudoun.gov/zoningordinance

In addition to adopting the new ordinance, the Board of Supervisors established grandfathering rules (PDF) to allow certain types of pending development applications (accepted for processing but not yet approved) to continue being reviewed and approved under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance

The Board also approved an interim process (PDF) for implementing the Loudoun County Facilities Standards Manual technical standards and Loudoun County Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance regulations until updates are made to these documents. The county also will now update the Loudoun County Codified Ordinances to update references to the new Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance.

Notable highlights of the Board’s updates to the ordinance are summarized for each chapter of the ordinance and posted online at loudoun.gov/ZORsummaries.

The Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance regulates land use throughout the county and is the primary implementation tool of the land use policies described in the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan, a policy document that provides guidance for governmental decision-makers regarding where and how the community will grow over many years.

Future Amendments

Following adoption of the new ordinance, the county will continue to update the ordinance and Comprehensive Plan through future amendments that will address a number of needs that were identified during the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project. Future updates include additional considerations for data centers, land use in western Loudoun, and the prioritization and preservation of prime agricultural soils to support the long-term viability of farming. More information about planned efforts in the future are available in the November 9, 2023, staff report, Department of Planning and Zoning Work Plan (PDF).  

About the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Project

The Board of Supervisors’ adoption of the new Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance is the culmination of four years of work, which began in 2020 with an audit of the previous ordinance. The Board appointed a Zoning Ordinance Committee that conducted thorough reviews, engaged the public and provided initial recommendations for updating the ordinance. Beginning in 2022, the Loudoun County Planning Commission subsequently reviewed and revised the ordinance, held public hearings, and forwarded a draft ordinance to the Board of Supervisors for review in the summer of 2023. The Board held another public hearing and further revised the draft ordinance with additional stakeholder input. Detailed information about the multiyear Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project is available on the county’s website at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite.

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Dec 01

Summary of Final Draft Zoning Ordinance Changes Now Available; Public Hearing Dec. 13

Posted on December 1, 2023 at 4:23 PM by Nancy McCormick

Following nearly four years of work by a broad range of stakeholders, Loudoun County’s Final Draft Zoning Ordinance is now published for review and a public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for December 13.

In advance of the public hearing, members of the public are encouraged to read summaries that highlight changes from the county’s existing Zoning Ordinance. The summaries are posted on the county’s website to help the public better understand the updates to the Zoning Ordinance that the Board of Supervisors is set to approve later this month following a final round of public comment. Once adopted, the ordinance will replace the current ordinance known as the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. The new ordinance will be titled the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance.

Review Highlights of Changes

During a series of work sessions in September and October 2023, the Board of Supervisors tentatively approved more than 125 motions directing staff to revise the previous Draft Zoning Ordinance that the Planning Commission endorsed last summer, which resulted in the final draft. Notable highlights of the Board’s revisions are summarized for each chapter of the Final Draft Zoning Ordinance and posted online at loudoun.gov/ZORsummaries. Also posted is a summary of a draft Grandfathering Resolution. 

Complete summaries are online at the hyperlinks below:

  • Chapter 1: Introduction – States the purpose of the Zoning Ordinance to promote the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of Loudoun County; addresses nonconformities; and interprets the Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map.
  • Chapter 2: Zoning Districts – Establishes Loudoun’s various Zoning Districts and requirements for each district, such as density, setbacks and building heights. 
  • Chapter 3: Uses – Specifies which uses are permitted by-right, by minor special exception, or by special exception, and in which zoning districts. 
  • Chapter 4: Use-Specific Standards – Establishes standards for specific uses to minimize impacts upon neighboring properties, such as noise, lighting, traffic, and scale through mitigating measures, such as setbacks, landscaping, screening and limited hours of operation. 
  • Chapter 5: Overlay Districts – Establishes Overlay Districts that provide special regulations in designated areas the county, such as near airports and quarries, or on land with environmental or heritage resources.
  • Chapter 6: Natural and Environmental Resources – Identifies, establishes and regulates River and Stream Corridor Resources.
  • Chapter 7: Development Standards – Provides site development requirements, such as minimum open space, minimum parking and maximum lighting and noise levels. 
  • Chapter 8: Signs – Establishes content-neutral standards for freestanding, attached, incidental, historic and digital signs, as well as for murals and art displays.
  • Chapter 9: Attainable Housing – Provides regulations for three attainable housing programs: Affordable Dwelling Units, Unmet Housing Needs Units and Affordable Housing Units; also specifies how many of which type of attainable housing units a developer must provide as part of a development project. 
  • Chapter 10: Procedures – Establishes the procedures used to administer and enforce the Zoning Ordinance.
  • Chapter 11: Officials, Boards and Commissions – Establishes the duties and powers of the Zoning Administrator to administer, interpret, and enforce the Zoning Ordinance, and the powers and duties of the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Historic District Commission.
  • Chapter 12: Definitions – Defines the uses and terms used in the new Zoning Ordinance.
  • Grandfathering Resolution – Would allow certain pending legislative and administrative applications to continue being reviewed and approved under the existing Zoning Ordinance.  


The complete text of the Final Draft Zoning Ordinance is posted on the county’s website. Included are marked-up versions of each ordinance chapter, which illustrate the Board’s revisions to the Planning Commission’s Draft Zoning Ordinance.

Resolutions

During the December 13 public hearing, the Board of Supervisors may establish grandfathering rules to allow certain types of pending development applications (accepted for processing but not yet approved) to continue being reviewed and approved under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. 


In addition, the Board also may approve a resolution that would authorize the Director of the Loudoun County Department of Building and Development to implement the Loudoun County Facilities Standards Manual technical standards and Loudoun County Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance regulations through Technical and Procedural Newsletters (Tech Memos) until updates are made to these documents. 


Interim guidance will be necessary until the Board amends these two documents to reflect the new Zoning Ordinance. The Board may also direct staff to initiate a review of the Loudoun County Codified Ordinances to identify references that need to be updated to reflect the new Zoning Ordinance.

Dec. 13 Public Hearing

The public hearing on the Final Draft Zoning Ordinance is scheduled for Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room at the Loudoun County Government Center located at 1 Harrison Street SE in Leesburg. The Board of Supervisors may vote to adopt the new Zoning Ordinance following public input at the December 13 public hearing.

The staff report for the public hearing, which is published on the county’s website, provides a detailed overview of the information that the Board of Supervisors will consider during the public hearing.


Members of the public can sign up in advance to speak to the Board in person or by phone regarding the proposed new Zoning Ordinance. Instructions for signing up to speak are posted on the county’s website at loudoun.gov/signuptospeak

Members of the public may provide input the Board of Supervisors regarding the Final Draft Zoning Ordinance at any time through this online form

The Board’s December 13 public hearing will be televised on the county’s cable channel, Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FIOS 40, and livestreamed online at loudoun.gov/meetings

About the Zoning Ordinance

The Zoning Ordinance regulates land use throughout the county and is the primary implementation tool for the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan, a policy document that provides guidance for governmental decision-makers regarding where and how the community will grow over many years. 

An update to the zoning ordinance was necessary following adoption of the Comprehensive Plan in 2019. The new zoning ordinance is intended to be more modern and user-friendly, with new regulations that reflect the land use policies in the Comprehensive Plan. 

More Information 

Detailed information about the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project, including a history of the process and a link to sign up for email and text updates on the project, is available on the county’s website at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite.

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Nov 27

Final Draft Zoning Ordinance Now Available Ahead of Board’s Public Hearing

Posted on November 27, 2023 at 1:04 PM by Nancy McCormick

The Final Draft Zoning Ordinance to be considered by the Board of Supervisors at its December 13, 2023, public hearing is now available online at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite.  

The final draft includes the revisions to the Planning Commission’s Draft Zoning Ordinance that were directed by the Board of Supervisors during eight work sessions in September and October. A marked-up version of the Board’s Final Draft Zoning Ordinance is also posted on the county’s website to clearly illustrate the revisions made by the Board.  

Public Hearing Dec. 13 

The Board of Supervisors may vote to adopt the new Zoning Ordinance following public input at the December 13 public hearing. Once adopted, the new ordinance will replace the current ordinance, the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance

At the December 13 public hearing, the Board of Supervisors may establish grandfathering rules to allow certain types of pending development applications (accepted for processing but not yet approved) to continue being reviewed and approved under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. 

The Board of Supervisors may also approve a resolution that directs the Department of Building and Development to issue Technical and Procedural Newsletters establishing interim technical standards for the Loudoun County Facilities Standards Manual and interim regulations for the Loudoun County Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance. Interim guidance will be necessary until the Board amends these two documents to reflect the new Zoning Ordinance.  

The public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room at the Loudoun County Government Center located at 1 Harrison Street SE in Leesburg. 

Members of the public can sign up in advance to speak to the Board in person or by phone regarding the proposed new Zoning Ordinance. Instructions for signing up to speak are posted on the county’s website at loudoun.gov/signuptospeak.  

The Board’s December 13 public hearing will be televised on the county’s cable channel, Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FIOS 40, and livestreamed online at loudoun.gov/meetings

Submit Comments to the Board of Supervisors 

Members of the public may provide input to the Board of Supervisors regarding the revisions proposed in the Final Draft Zoning Ordinance any time through this online comment form. Anyone who does not have access to the internet may call 703-777-0246 to submit comments. 

About the Zoning Ordinance 

The zoning ordinance regulates land use throughout the county and is the primary implementation tool for the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan, a policy document that provides guidance for elected officials and other governmental decision-makers as to where and how the community will grow over many years. 

An update to the zoning ordinance is necessary following adoption of the Comprehensive Plan in 2019. The new zoning ordinance is intended to be more modern and user-friendly, with new regulations that reflect the land use policies in the Comprehensive Plan. 

More Information 

Detailed information about the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project, including a history of the process and a link to sign up for email and text updates on the project, is available on the county’s website a loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite.

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