Louisa County seeking ways to limit residential growth in rural area

There is a growing conversation in Louisa about making adjustments to the county’s land development regulations to find ways to limit the potential of a boom in new homes in the rural area.

“People need to understand there are 8,000 undeveloped parcels in this county that have been zoned, some of them for 30 years, that if they meet the requirements there can a house be built on them tomorrow,” said Duane Adams, the chair of the Louisa Board of Supervisors before a discussion on land conservation held on January 20.

Adams said new homes being built now in the rural area are selling for $340,000. He noted that all of the new residents coming in will need services like public school. He said the county needs to take steps to focus growth into areas where it has been designated.

Part of that includes adjusting land use rules to reduce the number of potential units in the rural area such as increasing minimum lot sizes. Staff in the county’s Community Development Department have been reviewing potential amendments but the process is still at an early stage.

Louisa County has gone from 17,825 residents in 1980 to a 2020 Census count of 37,956. This decade has seen population growth at about three percent a year.

“Countywide, currently recorded parcels that are vacant without a dwelling are 9,347 parcels,” said Linda Buckler, the director of community development. “This capacity exists before counting into other or future subdivisions that are in the process, family subdivisions or other division splits.”

Just over a quarter of those parcels are in growth areas and the rest are on land zoned agricultural or residential.

Buckler said the average cost per household to provide services for Louisa residents is $4,765.85 but tax revenue per household is $3,906.57. More residents would greatly increase that deficit.

“These are operating cost only and do not include new construction of facilities,” Buckler said.

Buckler said the number of parcels being created has increased over time. Once a lot is subdivided it has full development rights.

Adams noted that 70 percent of undeveloped parcels are in the rural area and a looming question in the ongoing Comprehensive Plan update is how to maintain a rural character in Louisa County.

“As we move forward, one of the questions that the board is going to have to figure out is how do we address the 70 percent of the buildable parcels in this county today, which would be 7,000 roughly how do we address those?” Adams asked. “Or do we address those? Or are we just going to continue to see these homes being built in mostly A-1 and A-2 zoned property?”

Supervisor Toni Williams said supply and demand economics are going to catch up with Louisa, making parcels that may not have seemed buildable suddenly within reach.

“We are the cheapest county around to live in, land-wise,” Williams said. “Go to Spotsylvania, try to buy a lot. Go to Goochland and try to buy a lot. Go to Hanover, try to buy a lot. Go to Albemarle, try to buy a lot. Even Fluvanna, maybe Fluvanna comparable, but nobody else around.”

At their meeting tomorrow night, the Planning Commission will review strategies to adjust criteria for creation of new parcels such as using private lanes to access them.

Supervisor Tommy Barlow of the Mountain Road District understood the purpose but cautioned that adding restrictions could increase the cost of building new housing.

“I’m not real sure yet how you reach it, but we can impose ordinances that take people’s rights away that will definitely slow the growth,” Barlow said. “But at the same time, at that very same time you’re driving the cost up to where you’re making it far less affordable for people that already live here and are trying to stay.”

The Planning Commission work session was held on Thursday, February 12. You can view the event here.

• Staff memo with an overview of all of the areas of study
• Proposed growth management draft ordinance revisions

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