The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a special public hearing on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. on a Zoning Ordinance Amendment. The public hearing will be held in the Board Room of the Government Center, 1 Harrison St. SE in Leesburg.
The public hearing is the next step in the multiyear Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project. The Planning Commission completed its review of the Zoning Ordinance last month and forwarded its recommended Draft Zoning Ordinance to the Board of Supervisors for consideration, revision and adoption.
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 district regulations that reflect the land use policies in the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan.
The Planning Commission’s Draft Zoning Ordinance that the Board will consider on July 26 is the result of a multiyear effort by the Board-appointed Zoning Ordinance Committee, Planning Commission and county staff. The Planning Commission held two public hearings and more than 20 work sessions since August of 2022 to develop its recommended zoning ordinance. The process has been informed by thousands of comments from stakeholders and other members of the public that have been submitted through focus groups, public meetings, letters and emails, by phone and online comment forms.
Review the Draft Zoning Ordinance
The complete text of the Planning Commission’s Draft Zoning Ordinance is available for review on the county website at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite. The staff report for the July 26 public hearing includes a summary of the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project.
The county’s existing zoning ordinance, the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, is posted at loudoun.gov/zoningordinance. Once adopted by the Board of Supervisors, the new zoning ordinance will replace the existing ordinance.
Comment on the Draft Zoning Ordinance
Members of the public may provide input on the Planning Commission’s Draft Zoning Ordinance to the Board of Supervisors in person or remotely by phone during the July 26 public hearing.
- Speakers may sign up in advance by calling 703-777-0200 no later than noon on July 26.
- Anyone also may sign up to speak in person on a first-come, first-served basis at the public hearing, beginning at 5:30 p.m. on July 26.
- Members of the public who would like to provide input to the Board remotely during the public hearing should call 703-880-8534 at the start of the meeting.
More information about providing input during the Board of Supervisors’ public hearings is posted at loudoun.gov/signuptospeak.
Members of the public also may provide input on the Draft Zoning Ordinance to the Board at any time by submitting this online comment form.
The public hearing will be televised on Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon Fios Channel 40 and livestreamed at loudoun.gov/meetings.
Next Steps
Following the public hearing, the Board of Supervisors will consider potential revisions to the Draft Zoning Ordinance during a series of work sessions before ultimately adopting a new Zoning Ordinance. The schedule of the work sessions will be posted at loudoun.gov/calendar. All the Board’s public meetings are televised on the county’s cable channel and livestreamed on the county’s website.
More Information
More information about the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite, including links to the draft ordinance being considered by the Board of Supervisors and the online comment form, may be found at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite.
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