Land Use applications are applications that require approval from either the Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors following public hearings. The types of applications include Zoning Reclassifications, Conditional Use Permits, Comprehensive Plan Amendments, and Comprehensive Plan Compliance Review, and are summarized below.
Zoning Reclassification (Rezoning) – changing the zoning classification of land from one district to another or amending previously approved proffered conditions (Proffer Amendment).
Conditional Use Permit – special approval required for certain specified uses in each zoning district that may be deemed more intense than other uses allowed by-right. For example, motor vehicle fuel sales use in the B-2, Urban Commercial zoning district requires a conditional use permit.
Comprehensive Plan Amendment – the process of amending the future land use or policy recommendations in the Comprehensive Plan (Plan). This may include adopting or amending entire elements of the Plan or amending portions including policies or future land use map recommendations.
Comprehensive Plan Compliance Review – the process of reviewing planned public infrastructure (water and sewer lines) or telecommunication facilities (cell towers) against the recommendations in the Comprehensive Plan.
Preliminary Conference A preliminary conference with staff from the Department of Planning and Zoning is recommended before submitting a Land Use application. Call (540) 658-8668 for an appointment. The planner you meet with will inform you of the application procedures and deadlines, as well as tentative hearing dates.
When making an appointment for a conference, it is useful to have location information on the property to be discussed available for the planner. Useful property identifiers include tax map parcel numbers or addresses.
The first public hearing usually takes place within three months of the application submission deadline. The rezoning process generally takes four to six months to complete.
Land Use Applications are reviewed by County staff at a monthly Development Review Meeting (DRM). The DRM is an informal meeting that kicks off the review of these applications. Comments are funneled through the project manager to the applicant, and comments addressed by the applicant prior to scheduling of public hearings.
Click here to review recently submitted applications.
