Frequently Asked Questions

ZOAM-2020-0002

To address this inconsistency the Board of Supervisors initiated a zoning amendment in June 2020.  A series of stakeholder meetings have been conducted by County Staff, and the second draft text document is currently in review.

The Code of Virginia requires a county to provide “clusters,” (but does not require “bonus” density).  The 2019 Comp Plan Rural Residential policies call for clusters to provide “limited development to protect land for agricultural operations, rural economy, equine uses, passive recreation, open space uses; minimize traffic impacts and reduce demand for additional public facilities and services” (Ch. 2, Rural Res. Policy 2, Strategy 2.1).

Prime soils are also the preferred soils for septic/sewage systems in cluster subdivision lots.  Clusters and other development over the past decades have been built on large portions of Loudoun’s prime soils, (with an estimated loss of 67 sq.mi. of farmland* between 2002 and 2017).

* American Farmland Trust / SRL estimate.

I live in the eastern part of the county:
What does this ZOAM have to do with me / my HOA?

1.  The ZOAM is intended to implement the 2019 Comp Plan policies to maintain the rural areas of Loudoun according to the County’s vision as a sustainable community for residents who live there, those who work there (in both rural ag/farming or other work) and for those who play there at any of the many rural tourism venues, and

2.  By managing total growth and related impacts to all county resident’s local tax bill, and county-wide traffic.  Below expands on this second point.

–     “assumes build-out of the RPA” (i.e., when the county has been developed to the maximum extent allowable by law) for the Rural Policy Area, and
–     That all 20+ acre (RPA north) and 40+ acre (RPA south) parcels are “assumed to develop as cluster developments.”

Therefore, the regulations for and the development of clusters has a direct impact on the timing of “build out” of the county (i.e., the point when Loudoun County looks similar to other counties to the east).

Per County P&Z Staff (2/11/2022), there are ~120  20+ and 40+ acre parcels that “once combined” would be approximately 25,000 additional “clusterable” acres.

Modeling using the current cluster regulations, this could equate to an estimated 2500 additional homes or more, not reflected in the 2019 build out $11K assumptions.

Go here to view Staff’s “Potential Development of Prime Farmland Soils within the Rural Policy Area (RPA)”  (Also see map snapshot at the end of this post.)

TIP: Map #2 shows all parcels outside of conservation easements that have development potential to become clusters, including those under same ownership that can be recombined and clustered.  It is a map view of potential “build out” of Loudoun County.

Go here to see the year-by-year building permit applications. (TIP: click on Policy Area tab then Rural to see only western cluster and by-right building permits)

–     Adding:  the potential quantity of houses that may result from clustering parcel recombined under common ownership (estimated based on County information to be in excess of 2500 additional units).
–     Subtracting:  those units built or or removed due to conservation easements – covered later)

Impacts of all new homes include:

–     Every new home produces an estimated 10 car trips/day
–     New Homes incur operating costs for community services (gov’t and school salaries, BOS program, health, animal, parks/rec, fire/rescue services, etc.)
–     Each new home incurs capital facilities costs (for schools, libraries, parks/rec, etc)
–     By-right and cluster subdivisions do not contribute (proffer) funds to off-set capital facility requirements (as done for subdivisions in eastern areas of the county)
–     On the flip side, land preserved for agriculture, livestock, equine and open space requires less capital and community services.

The County’s Comp Plan consultants* reviewed several past studies.

–     A Nov. 2007 study calculated the cost of residential land use to be $1.62 for every $1.00 of tax revenue received.

–     A different study done May 2015 concluded the “housing in Loudoun County costs $1.20 in services for every $1.00 in revenue.

–     However, County consultants in 2018 pointed out that the 2015 study only used operating expenses for county services (i.e., the study did not include the cost of building schools, fire houses, libraries, parks, roads, etc.).  Capital costs should have been applied as development in the rural area does not contribute to (proffer) capital costs.  (*TischlerBise 8/8/2018 review of RCLCO, “The Cost of Housing in Loudoun County,” p. 9-12)

The American Farmland Trust (AFT) has performed Cost of Community Services (COGS) studies in 30+ states and found, on average, the median cost for residential land was $1.16 for every $1.00 in taxes received, and for open space land and working farms was $0.37 for every $1.00.

They confirmed that open space lands generate less revenue than residential, but they also require less capital public infrastructure and fewer community services (schools, social services, health, fire safety, police, etc.).

A Fauquier County COGS study obtained similar results, finding $1.17 for residential land use and $0.22 for agriculture/open space land use.  These results are in line with the $1.20 results using operating costs only.

–     Impacts to Prime soils, loss of farmland and open space;
–     Constraints to developers (where houses and septic can/cannot be placed);
–     Potential impacts to tax credits for conservation easements

Also key will be whether the new cluster ordinance will apply similar regulations as the grandfathered Rural Hamlet option where open space and conservancy (agricultural) lots were placed in permanent open space easements.

If the agricultural and open space cluster lots are not placed in permanent easement in the new zoning ordinance then a future Board of Supervisors could change the zoning to allow further subdivision with a vote of five Supervisors.

County-held development easements (typically managed by an HOA) may be modifiable by vote of the Board of Supervisors.

In recent years there have been philanthropic benefactors who have purchased land and put it into easement, also a voluntary effort.

The estimated completion (as of 2/16/22) is October, 2022, so there is time for additional public input.