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 of the upcoming CPAM/ ZOAM processes: Western Loudoun/Rural Uses 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 will be 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 CPAM/ZOAM is expected to cover several issues of note. Those most relevant concerns, which we tracked during the ZOR, relate to lighting and noise standards. We will continue to provide input which discourages noise and light pollution that can harm wildlife in rural areas. This project plan passed through TLUC in July and is expected to be at the Board in September. The current timeline for this project is three years. More information will be posted here as it becomes available.

The Data Center Standards and Locations CPAM/ZOAM 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. The most significant of these 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 certain zoning districts. 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). 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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