Pittsylvania County, VA

Key Points

• Pittsylvania County has contracted with the Berkley Group, a local government consulting firm, to conduct a complete rewrite of the County Zoning Ordinance, which was created in 1991 and hasn’t seen a major update since. The current zoning regulations and land development standards will be evaluated, reviewed, updated, and revised as guided by the boards and the citizens to ensure that all zoning regulations are modern and user-friendly.
• After a public input period in August of 2022, the Berkley Group is working to analyze and rewrite the ordinance. This new ordinance, which the Board of Supervisors will have the opportunity to formally adopt in the spring of 2024.  
• The Berkley Group is hosting bi-monthly joint work sessions with the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals to discuss the ongoing revisions.

December 20, 2022 Update

The second worksession between the Board of Supervisors, Planning
Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals was held on December 20, 2022. Articles I, II, III, and IX were discussed during this work session. Edits were provided and have been incorporated into the
draft articles.

February 9, 2023 Update

The third work session between the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals was held on February 9, 2023. Articles IV and V were discussed during this work session. Edits were provided and have been incorporated into the draft articles.

April 12, 2023 Update

The fourth work session between the Board of Supervisors, Planning
Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals was held on April 12, 2023. Article VI was discussed during this work session. Edits were provided and have been incorporated into the draft article.

June 8, 2023 Update  

Representatives from the Berkley Group met with the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals during a joint meeting June 8, the fifth work session to date as part of this process. The meeting covered the following topics:

•Use performance standards (Article 8): The group discussed performance standards for new uses such as agritourism, mobile restaurants, battery storage facilities, intensive and residential agriculture, short-term rentals, home occupations, special events and large, utility scale solar facilities. Also considered was if any existing performance standards need to be changed.

•Use performance standards are used to regulate the location, design and intensity of a use based on the characteristics of an area and potential impacts of the activity. Use performance standards can apply in addition to the underlying zoning district regulations.

•Examples include standards concerning appearance, such as height, setbacks, buffering and screening. They can also include standards based on use, such as hours of operation, the number of daily vehicular visits and restrictions on noise, odor, lighting, smoke and other items.

You can also watch the presentation here.

August 10, 2023 Update 

The Board of Supervisors hosted a joint meeting August 10 with the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Planning Commission to review the draft of Article VIII, Community Design Standards, and associated definitions (Article X). Edits were provided to the Berkley Group and are reflected in the public draft Zoning Ordinance. The presentation can be viewed here.

You can also watch the presentation here.

October 11, 2023 Update

The Board of Supervisors met with the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Planning Commission on October 11 to review the full draft Zoning Ordinance, along with development concepts from the Berkley Group's partners at LPDA to show hypothetical development scenarios under the current Zoning Ordinance and draft Zoning Ordinance. Edits were provided to the Berkley Group and are reflected in the public draft Zoning Ordinance. The presentation can be viewed here.

You can also watch the presentation here.

Zoning Ordinance Open House December. 14, 2023

The Berkley Group met with residents on Thursday, December 14, 2023 to introduce the draft update of the Pittsylvania County Zoning Ordinance and to indicate where major changes are being made.

Highlights include a general reorganization of the existing ordinance to make it more user-friendly, as well as making it compliant with the Code of Virginia. The draft Code contains 10 articles covering topics such as district standards, permits and applications, community design standards, use performance standards, among others.

The draft also includes uses that have appeared since the Zoning Ordinance was initially conceived more than 30 years ago, such as battery storage facilities, data centers and agritourism.

New standards have been added to the draft for lighting, landscaping and screening, as well as new provisions for signage.

Another feature is a primary zoning district matrix in table form that makes it easier to see what uses are allowed in each of the County’s primary zoning districts. 

To view the draft Zoning Ordinance, click here.

To view the presentation from the Open House, click here.

For additional information concerning the draft Zoning Ordinance changes, click here.

To complete a survey about the draft Zoning Ordinance, scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the button "Zoning Ordinance Exit Survey."

January 23, 2024 Update

The Berkley Group met with the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 to review and discuss community feedback received on the draft Ordinance, as well as several recommended edits to the Ordinance based on that feedback. 

Public hearings for the draft Zoning Ordinance have been pushed back to June and July to allow additional time for internal review and editing. 

To view the presentation, click here.

To watch a video of the meeting, click here.

What is Zoning? 

Zoning is the primary tool for regulating the use of land. Each property in Pittsylvania County has a zoning designation with rules and standards for use, placement, spacing, and size of land and buildings. These regulations determine the direction and intensity of development while minimizing the impacts.

Zoning helps protect property owners by regulating uses and ensuring that future development is compatible with the area. An effective zoning ordinance should:

• Regulate the use of land and structures, including factors like size, height, location, and area
• Ensure conveniences and safety
• Protect light and air quality
• Facilitate public services and amenities
• Protect County residents and property owners from destruction, obstruction, congestion, dangers, and adverse impacts.  

Why Change the Ordinance? 

Pittsylvania County is undergoing this major project because the current zoning ordinance does not sufficiently regulate and protect modern development and land uses. Many of the regulations included in the current ordinance are outdated, inefficient, unclear, and ineffective. 

The Berkely Group and Pittsylvania County are working together on this project to complete the following goals: 

• Ensure compliance with all relevant State Codes
• Clarify unclear language 
• Address modern zoning issues
• Consider zoning flexibility, including new uses
• Ensure compatibility with the Pittsylvania County Comprehensive Plan 
• Reorganize to streamline and make it user-friendly 

Project Timeline

The new Pittsylvania County Zoning Ordinance is expected to be adopted by the Board of Supervisors in the Spring of 2024. To get to that point, this project is being completed in three phases: 

• Investigation 
• Content Development 
• Adoption 

During the investigation phase, the Berkley Group met with County staff, reviewed the County’s current Zoning Ordinance and the Comprehensive Plan, met with the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission, and conducted public outreach through a survey and community stakeholder meetings. 

The Berkley Group will take about a year for the actual development of the new ordinance, which will touch on everything from district standards to permit and application provisions to zoning maps. The Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission will be involved in bi-monthly meetings with the Berkley Group throughout this process. 

Before the Board adopts the final ordinance, there will be multiple opportunities for public education and input. 

Public Input and Education 

During the late Summer of 2022, Pittsylvania County opened this process up to the public in several ways: 

• Public Survey: A public survey regarding zoning, understanding, and priorities was open for the month of August, 2022. 
• Public Workshop: The County and the Berkley Group hosted a public input workshop on August 18 at the Pittsylvania County Community Center to hear from constituents and focus on specific zoning concerns.
• Stakeholder Listening Sessions: The County and the Berkley Group hosted listening meetings with community experts from four groups: (1) business and economic development, (2) real estate agents and attorneys, (3) historic and agriculture, and (4) surveyors and contractors.

There will also be public education and input opportunities after the full draft of the updated ordinance is presented in the fall of 2023. 

Presentations

• Project Overview Presentation - July 19
• Joint Meeting with Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals - October 1