On Thursday, the Louisa Planning Commission will resume discussion of ways to change the county’s Land Development Regulations to reduce the number of potential homes that could be built in the rural area by breaking up farmland.
“The goal of this effort is to preserve large, contiguous agricultural and forestal lands while continuing to allow reasonable residential development in a way that aligns with the County’s long-term land use, fiscal, and infrastructure priorities,” reads the staff report for the 5 p.m. work session.
That work session will include a conversation about a potential program that would see the county setting up a system where development rights can be purchased.
Localities in Virginia also have another tool to persuade landowners to avoid residential development. Agricultural and Forestal Districts are created by landowners who agree to not subdivide and sell to anyone outside their family. In exchange, they receive a lower real property tax assessment.
“Members of a district agree to not develop their lands for a fixed period, subject to renewal,” reads a description in a FAQ on the Louisa County website.
In September, Louisa County hired a dedicated employee for a position titled Agricultural Development and Land Conservation Coordinator. Since then, they’ve set a new record with 25 new applications totaling 9,778.75 acres since September.
“We’ve seen tremendous interest from landowners who want to preserve their properties and safeguard the rural character of the community,” an information release quotes Maggie Brakeville. “The program is completely voluntary and free to participate in, making it an accessible conservation tool for property owners across the County.”
On July 6, the Board of Supervisors held public hearings on several additions from this crop of applications. According to the release, if they’re all approved as-is the total acreage under an ADD in Louisa would increase from 31,235.69 acres to 41,014.44 acres.
Any new applications being made now won’t be processed until September because of the backlog.
Before the public hearings, Brakeville had an update on the number of
“As of today we have 10,034.42 acres of applications submitted into the county,” Brakeville said. “That is 340 acres above the all-time record which was achieved in 1998.”
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