2024 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Resources

ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT (ZOAM) — RESOURCE PAGE OVERVIEW

This page is designed for organizations and the general public to review Zoning Ordinance Amendments (ZOAM) that impact districts throughout Loudoun County. In an effort to improve transparency, this page provides information and key documents containing input from residents and stakeholder organizations county-wide. Project management and information gathering is directed by Walsh-Copeland Consulting LLC, with shared input hosted by LCPCC for facilitated public access in a public-friendly format. To access Loudoun County Staff information (documents, schedules and meeting information) go to the County Staff’s Zoning Ordinance Rewrite webpage HERE.

Note: Some hyperlinks may have been “’broken” after the decommissioning of LOLA (Loudoun Online Land Application).

2026_04-27-Laura TeKrony-WLRUS BOS DIRECTION MEETING

2026_05-04-WLRUS BOS DIRECTION Motions-DOs & DONTs

2026_04-29-PEC-WLRUS BOS Direction Notice

2023_06-2 ZOR 2023 PUBLIC INPUT SURVEY RESPONSES

2025_12-17-WLRUS TLUC Direction Meeting Request

Kimley Horn ZOR Public Input Analysis – July 7, 2023

BOS 7/26/2023 Public Hearing Packet: Staff Report/Issues list, ZOAM list

ZOR Future CPAM-ZOAM Master List–Dec-5-2023

2015 – 2019 INPUT: BOS/TLUC/PC – Policies, Actions & GOALS Stated to Residents & Stakeholders

TOPIC	BOS/TLUC/PC — Policies, Actions and GOALS Stated to Residents & Stakeholders
Requests for review of use-specific performance standards and definitions	2016-Sept. BOS Strategic Planning Retreat included goals
	“Improving the rural economy in a way that maintains the quality of life for current residents,” to improve the balance and ensuring high quality of life for residents.
	2015-0006 Rural Uses ZOAM (Zoning Ordinance Amendment)
	Stated purpose to amend zoning ordinance text for errors, fixes and “incorporate revisions recommended by the public” to “make rural use performance standards equitable, ” and “increase the consistency and uniformity in regulations across rural economy uses.”
	2014_11-21-TLUC-Recommendations-VABCAgProcessing
Planning Commission requested to review performance standards compatibility.	2016-April. ZOAM-2015-0006 Rural Uses – Planning Commission Public Hearing
	Review of uses in open spaces, in villages and near residential, Staff stating, “Uses may not be in keeping with the scale and intensity of the other agricultural and passive uses currently permitted, and may create conflicts with noise, lighting and traffic on private roads that adversely affect existing residents.”traffic on private roads that adversely affect existing residents.”
Case studies	2017-May. Rural Uses Case Study
	Concluded: 1) zoning inconsistency, and2) location/intensity impacts (noise, traffic, use enforcement) were primary factors impacting “balance.” Matrix of use inconsistencies developed.
	2018-May. Case Study presented to ZOAG & County Senior Staff
	Identified issues for Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance Rewrite.
Specific policies related to evaluating use specific standards, compatibility and consistency included in the 2019 Comprehensive Plan and Project Plan.	2019-June. Comprehensive Plan included RPA Policy 3, Strategy 3.1
	Ensure compatibility of rural economy uses through the evaluation of the scale, use, intensity, and design (site and building) of development proposals in comparison with the dominant rural character and adjacent uses.
	2019-Sept. Project Plan: Goals of Zoning Ordinance Rewrite
	· Consistency audit: analyzing existing standards and striving for consistency within the document and across zoning districts when feasible.
	· Opportunities and challenges: evaluating input from stakeholders about the current Zoning Ordinance and making improvements where appropriate.
*Transportation Land Use Committee (TLUC) reviewed the need for new definitions including “farm”*	2019-November. TLUC recommendation to BOS:
	“Add new definitions for ‘Agricultural Operation,” “Agricultural Products,” and “FARM.” “The Zoning Ordinance currently does not define the terms; however, these terms are consistently referenced throughout the Zoning Ordinance. Code of Virginia statutes that apply to certain agricultural activities and local regulation of such agricultural activities (e.g., Limited Distillery, Limited Brewery, Farm Winery, and Agricultural Processing) also reference these terms. The proposed amendment intends to establish new definitions for these terms in order to: 1) clarify the distinction between the types of agricultural properties and functions, 2) maintain consistency with the Code of Virginia, and 3) ensure that these terms are used consistently in the Zoning Ordinance.”

2020 – 2023 INPUT: ZOR Public Input Received from Residents and Stakeholders/Organizations

TOPIC	ZOR PUBLIC INPUT RECEIVED — CHRONOLOGY
County ZOR Staff received public comments with specific requests to address impacts of high-intensity uses.	2020-April. ZOR Focus Group Input reinforced public input Requests for high-intensity uses and definition of “farm.”
	2020-May ZONING AUDIT PUBLIC INPUT WEBSITE for County Staff Reference
	Includes input from over a dozen organization requests for review of high-intensity uses and definition of “farm.”
	2020-July: Formal Public Input Zoning Audit submitted
	2021-March. ZOR Round 2 Input reinforced public input
Specific issues and standards requiring revision documented to Staff by Zoning Ordinance Committee (ZOC).	2021-May ZOC Text INPUT-Use Matrix-Definitions
List of high-intensity uses and areas of inconsistency provided to Staff	2021-Sept. ZOR-2021-INTENSITY SORT & REVISED Rural Zoning Comparison
Comparisons of how other counties address similar issues.	ZOR-2021–Virginia Counties Ordinance Comparison
Staff DRAFT TEXT for ZOC to review.	2021_Oct. Staff Draft Text was presented to ZOC.
Staff DRAFT TEXT for ZOC to review.	The staff draft text was deleted after complaints of businesses (9/15/2021) A Former DPZ Director stated, “If ZOC recommends that the text that was removed be put back in, then, yes, the public will see that.” Recommendation made by ZOC to PC in July 2022 report.
BOS Advisory Group(s) recommend review and consideration of use standards for high-intensity uses, deleted draft text, and definition of “farm”	2022-July. Rural Economic Development Council (REDC) ZOR Round 3 Public Input REPORT
	2022-July. Zoning Ordinance Committee (ZOC) Findings & Recommendations Report
Comments received in 2022 during the 90-day Public Input for review of high-intensity uses, deleted draft text and definitions including “farm”	2022-Aug. Public Input – General Public Comments 08-02-22
WHITE PAPERS submitted from All Stakeholder Organizations	2024 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Resources

2022 ORGANIZATION WHITE PAPER INPUT	TOPICS/THEMES INCLUDED	WHITE PAPER/SHARED COMMENTS LINK
ADVISORY GROUPS
Catoctin Creek Scenic River Advisory Committee	River & Stream Corridor Resource protection standards – renew and revive	2022-ZOR-DRAFT-TEXT-REVIEW-Catoctin_Creek_Scenic_River_Advisory_Committee_07_10_2022
Goose Creek Scenic River Advisory Committee	Add Scenic River Overlay District, define viewsheds for county scenic rivers.	Goose Creek Scenic River Adv.Cte – ZOR Memorandum
Heritage Commission	Heritage preservation and adaptive reuse	Zoning Ordinance Rewrite, Heritage Commission comments 7-9-2022
Rural Economic Development Council (REDC)	Rural economy uses, ag uses, ag processing, high-intensity use event management, performance standards, definitions (“farm,” “ag operations”)	REDC ZOR Round 3 Public Input REPORT 7-15-2022 REDC ZOR Input to Planning Commission – Jan. 2023
Zoning Ordinance Committee (ZOC)	Report of 18-month review of ZOR draft text.	ZOC Findings & Recommendations Report-July-2022
ORGANIZATIONS
Blue Ridge Mountain Civic Association (BRMCA)	Mountainside Development Uses & Activities	BRMCA ZOR SHARED COMMENTS-6-30-22
Chamber of Commerce	Attainable Housing	Attainable Housing Zoning – Chamber of Commerce
Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountain (FBRM)	Uses and Activities permitted mountainsides, how to describe MDOD, development and design standards, enforcement	MDOD-White-Paper-6-9-22
Goose Creek Association	River & Stream Corridor Resource protection standards – renew and revive	05-18-2022 GooseCreek-Dev Stds Input
Hamilton Station Neighbors	Consistent and equitable protections applied to High-intensity uses in residential area	2022-ZOR-HAMILTON STATION NEIGHBORS-7-10-22
Loudoun Climate Project	Implement 2019 Comp Plan policies, strategies & actions for Sustainability	Loudoun Climate Project Network-Summary
Loudoun County Equine Alliance (LCEA)	Equestrian Event Facility regulations, LPAT requirements, Agriculture Support use, Development standards for Open Space, Parking.	Loudoun County Equine Alliance 2
Loudoun Historic Village Alliance (LHVA)	Village-specific shared comments	2022_07-18-ZOR-LHVA COMMENT SUMMARY
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy	Natural/environmental resource standards, open space protection, tree planting, Dark Sky regulations, high-intensity use regulations, floodplain and mountainside overlay protections.	LWC-ZOR Public Comments Advocacy Alert
Piedmont Chapter of Virginia Native Plant Society	Tree planting, replacement & preservation, NER protection standards	Piedmont Ch. VA Native Plant Society-ZOR Comments
Piedmont Environmental Council	Support protections for natural environment, improve protections for resources, farmland, sustainability, and impacts of high-intensity uses.	PEC – ZOR Public Input Comments-Overview
Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area	Protecting historic villages, districts and resources, reduce special exceptions / high-intensity uses,	Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area-ZOR Public Input
Waterford Foundation	Historic village preservation and adaptive reuse	22 06 28 Waterford Foundation Inc Zoning Rewrite Comments
Farm Bureau		To be published when public
Loudoun Coalition of Homeowners & Condominium Associations (LCHCA)	HOA/owner association regulations, data center use-specific standards	To be published when public

ZOR Public Input to Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission

Public Input

ZOR PUBLIC INPUT RECEIVED

To Board of Supervisors

Online Form: Submitted by members of the public thru ZOR online comment form (PDF. 32 pages)

Letters: Submitted by various stakeholder groups and other members of the public (PDF. 479 pages)

To Planning Commission

Emails: Submitted through email since the project’s launch in September 2019 (PDF. 321 pages)

Online Form Submissions: Received through the online form since April 2021. (PDF. 94 pages)

Letters: Received from stakeholders since the project launch in September 2019. (PDF. 691 pages).

90-Day Comment Period via enCodePlus System:

Between April 18, 2022 and July 19, 2022, individuals could review the April 18, 2022, version of the draft Zoning Ordinance and submit comments through enCodePlus, an online planning tool.

Complete report of public comments received through enCodePlus. (PDF. 634 pages).

2024 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Resources