Isle of Wight County, Virginia

Subdivision Ordinance
   

Duncan Associates is working with Isle of Wight County to conduct the first comprehensive overhaul of the subdivision ordinance since the original document was created in 1969. The zoning ordinance was completely revised in 2005 and the two documents were no longer synchronized.
Isle of Wight County (2000 population: approx. 30,000) is located across the James River from Hampton and Newport News and is experiencing significant development pressures because of its proximity to the fast-growing Hampton Roads region of Virginia. The County has a heritage that can be traced back to the earliest English settlements in the new world

and to the Warrosquyoacke tribe before that. Farming is still an important industry in the region and one of the primary goals of the rewrite process is to minimize the burden on family farms while providing regulatory controls for new growth pressures. The County's comprehensive plan identifies a limited number of "development districts" which are intended to accommodate much of the new construction. The new subdivision ordinance contains flexible standards for these districts in anticipation of a variety of patterns of development. At the same time, connectivity requirements have been introduced to prevent construction of isolated enclaves that increase dependence on the auto and traffic on rural roadways. Street design standards have been revised to allow a developer to submit alternative cross-section designs for compact neighborhoods.
Family member transfer regulations have been substantially revised. The family member transfer, sometimes called "family subdivision" allows owners of family farms to break off portions of large tracts of land and give ownership to a receiving family member outside of the subdivision process. However, these regulations must be narrowly written to prevent abuse by landowners seeking to skirt subdivision regulations.
Regulations have been updated to ensure compliance with the Chesapeake Bay Act requirements and the document has undergone significant reorganization to enhance the usability for the applicant (usually a developer), County staff, and the public. The goal is to create an ordinance that can be used by everyone. This results in quality development by making the process more transparent, and it encourages sensitive investment by leveling the playing field and making the process more predictable.

Period:    November 2005 - Present               Contact:  Beverly Walkup
Team:      Duncan Associates                                        Planning Director
                                                                                757.365.6211