The Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) process concluded with the adoption of the new Zoning Ordinance in December 2023. Upon completion, there were several outstanding issues that were to be addressed in separate Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance Amendments (CPAM/ZOAM). Many of these outstanding issues, which Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy followed throughout the ZOR, are being addressed in two CPAM/ZOAM processes: Western Loudoun Rural Uses Standards and Data Center Standards.

Each of these CPAM/ZOAM processes had project plans introduced through the Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC) in the summer of 2024. Following deliberation and finalization by TLUC, the project plans were forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for approval. The outstanding ZOR issues are being addressed in these separate plans to account for changes that must be made to the Loudoun County Comprehensive Plan in order to make changes to the Zoning Ordinance.

The Western Loudoun Rural Uses and Standards CPAM/ZOAM will cover several important issues ranging from outdoor recreation to the Mountainside Overlay District. The concerns that we tracked during the ZOR regarding lighting and noise standards will be discussed intermittently throughout the process. We will continue to provide input that discourages noise and light pollution, which can harm wildlife in rural areas.

The full list of the topics to be discussed is included in the Board’s TLUC report. This resource outlines the stakeholder engagement process that the Western Loudoun Rural Uses and Standards CPAM/ZOAM will go through. This project plan passed through TLUC in July and was approved by the Board on September 24. The timeline for this project has been extended, with completion anticipated for April of 2017. The first of the stakeholder engagement meetings was held on November 21, 2024 on the topic of liveries, stables, and outdoor recreation. The next stakeholder meeting will be held in February on agricultural issues.

The Data Center Standards and Locations CPAM/ZOAM project plant was approved by the Board of Supervisors in February of 2024. They directed staff to begin the implementation of several key themes and goals which could not be addressed in the ZOR to address the prevalence of data centers in the county.  Phase 1 of this project is currently ongoing, and would require new data centers to go through the legislative process before beginning construction. In the Comprehensive Plan Amendment, this would designate “data center” as a conditional use. In the Zoning Ordinance Amendment, this would require that data center uses be designated as a Special Exception in all zoning districts where they can currently be built by-right (without needing a Board vote).

As of December 2024, the project is currently awaiting review by the Board of Supervisors after being recommended for denial by the Planning Commission. Originally, Phase 1 of this project was expected to be in place by February 2025. However, Planning Commission conversations took longer than anticipated, prolonging the process. Currently, Board of Supervisor discussions to implement Phase 1 are expected to happen in the first quarter of 2025.  See the Data Center Standards & Locations page for more information.

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy will continue to stay involved in advocating for the protection of wildlife throughout these processes. We will also continue to urge the Board of Supervisors to keep the commendable goals of these upcoming plans in mind as they consider applications before them while the processes are ongoing. For more information on the background of these efforts, including the specific issues we tracked during the ZOR, please visit the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite page.

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