Notice is hereby given to all interested persons regarding the following public meeting:

The Prince George County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Thursday, November 15, 2012 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Meeting Room, third floor, County Administration Building, 6602 Courts Drive, Prince George, Virginia pursuant to Chapter 22, Sections 15.2-2204 and 15.2-2225 The Code of Virginia (1950, as amended) concerning;

NOTICE OF AMENDMENTS AND ADOPTION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN – THE PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION WILL CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE AMENDMENT AND ADOPTION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA 23875, PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 22, SECTIONS 15.2, § 15.2-2204, 15.2-2225, OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA.

The Prince George County Comprehensive Plan Amendment if recommended by the Planning Commission will replace the existing Comprehensive Plan (adopted 2007). The Plan for Prince George County is used by County citizens, staff, the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors as a guide for future decisions affecting the county including, but not limited to, decisions related to future land use, road networks and zoning actions. The Plan area encompasses all of Prince George County. The Plan does not rezone land, but it suggests ordinance amendments and other actions that will facilitate implementation of the Plan after adoption by the Board of Supervisors.

The Prince George Planning Area (PGPA) continues to be designated as the growth area for the County. The Rural Conservation Area will maintain the rural character of the County with policies, which will help preserve the agricultural and rural character of the area. Major land use recommendations for the Rural Conservation Area include continuing limitations on subdivision of agricultural land, promote policies that assist in the preservation and the conservation of rural agricultural land uses and discourage scattered development patterns in the Rural Conservation Area. The Rural Conservation Area (RCA) will be any area south and east of the Prince George Planning Area. Major recommendations for the PGPA include development and maintenance of public water and wastewater systems to meet the growing commercial, industrial and residential base, provide facilities and services required to meet the recreational needs of County citizens, provide facilities and services required to meet public safety, library and school needs, promote the development of residential communities that meet the needs of all county citizens, identify and eliminate barriers that limit housing choice in the County, enhance the economic base and employment opportunities in the Prince George Planning Area, promote and market “ready to go” industrial development sites, and continue the seven land use categories to facilitate diverse land uses in the PGPA to include commercial, residential, residential-multi family, industrial, Village Centers, and areas suitable for a mixture of commercial/industrial, and public/semi-public uses.

Additional Plan recommendations include additional public access to water resources such as rivers and lakes, that residential lots not on public water and sewer would in limited situations be able to request waivers to those requirements through the Planning Commission and to maintain the 5 acre parcel provisions in the RCA in both A-1 and R-A Zoning, and consider possible R-1 to R-E Zoning conversions to facilitate the use of private drainfields to lessen the impact upon public sewer if the soils permit the conversion and gain Board of Supervisors approval and other type of requests to assist County citizens. The proposed plan amendments include, but not limited to:

Community Facilities and Services: Capital Improvement Program (CIP) recommendations as an effective tool to plan for local capital needs and should be expanded to include community needs such as public facilities, recreational fields and county services to better serve citizens.

Environment: Approximately one-third of the County is located within the James River Watershed and is subject to the land use and environmental regulations associated with the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act which mitigates the impacts of non-point source pollutants. The Floodplain provisions have been revised to include a new FEMA FIRM Map dated May 16, 2012.

Housing and Housing Affordability:

The Plan has continued to recommend a variety of housing types to include multi-family housing units, affordable single-family units and other types of housing to serve the County residents well.
Programs designed to help older homes and ones occupied by senior citizens helps to create affordability in a community and stabilizes the surrounding neighborhoods through revitalization.

Future Land Use:

The County’s future Land Use map should be used as a general guide for future County development patterns. It should be followed by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors in the decisions that they make on land use and development in the PGPA.

A copy of the related material may be examined in the Planning Department in the County Administration Building. The Planning Department is open from 8:30 to 5:00 Monday – Friday or call (804) 722-8678. All interested persons shall have the opportunity to be heard at said public hearing.

Douglas Miles, CZA
Planning Manager

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