This text was taken from an email alert sent out on June 15, 2026. Sign up for email alerts →
Dear Supporter,
We were so excited to join you all at the Black Bear Festival last weekend! If you didn’t get to stop by The Piedmont Environmental Council’s table amidst all the community excitement, read on to hear about what we’re working on and tracking in Greene County.
Comprehensive Plan Update Begins
Greene County has begun updating its comprehensive plan — the document that establishes the county’s direction for future growth and development. Decisions related to land use, infrastructure, housing, transportation, and community investment, plus guidelines for future zoning and subdivision ordinances updates are all solidified in this process. The updated comp plan is expected to be completed in 2028.
It is early in the process but so far, PEC is concerned about the discussion on expanding the county’s growth area boundary. Growth areas are designated to encourage density in areas where people and services already exist, which prevents the high cost and environmental disruption of extending infrastructure into more rural areas, protects agricultural land and creates close-knit communities.
Greene County’s Key Vision Themes for the Comp Plan Update:
- Smart Growth: Directing business, commercial, and residential development to targeted hubs within the growth areas.
- Rural Character Preservation: Protecting agricultural lands, open spaces, and the rural landscape along the edges of the Shenandoah National Park.
- Economic Diversification: Expanding the local business base, infrastructure, and tourism.
As part of the update process, PEC will advocate for the inclusion of a purchase of development rights program, a riparian buffer protection program and other rural protections. You can expect to continue to hear from PEC about the process and especially, opportunities to share your opinion along the way.
Fourth-generation Greene County Farm Permanently Protected
A 274-acre cattle farm in Greene County has been permanently protected and will remain in the family for the fourth generation! The property is protected through an agricultural conservation easement held by the PEC and the Culpeper Soil & Water Conservation District.
PEC developed the project and creative approach to financing, successfully securing funding from the American Farmland Trust, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Land Easement program and Virginia Land Conservation Foundation to support the project. Over the past few years, PEC has worked together with farmer Dustin Watson, to protect the working farmland and his family’s legacy.
- Watch: Keeping a Fourth-Generation Family Farm in Farming Forever – Long Acre Farm, Virginia
- Read & listen: How family farms can survive as land is lost to data centers and developers | Sandy Hausman, WVTF
- Podcast: American Farmland Trust’s LANDED Episode 1: A Promise Kept
Due to rising costs, development pressures, and the lack of planning for land transfer and succession, farms like this are often sold, divided, and developed when they change hands. Fortunately, through this innovative project, the family ownership and business at Long Acre Farm will continue, supporting agricultural production in the local economy, and protecting water quality in the Rappahannock watershed.
U.S. Route 29 Slated to Become “Innovation Corridor”
A state-wide economic development initiative called GO Virginia is seeking to transform the U.S. Route 29 into a nationally recognized Innovation Corridor for biotech, digital technologies, and national security. This would expand defense and intelligence and biotech development throughout the area from Fauquier County, down through Culpeper, Orange, and Greene Counties, and culminating in Albemarle County and Charlottesville.
The “innovation corridor,” has the potential to impact the environment, traffic and transportation, land use, housing and schools. This is why PEC is focused on this project and will continue to engage Greene County and others in our service region about potential impacts — and opportunities to engage.
The Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development (CVPED) will soon release its Strategic Roadmap, which will:
- Identify the corridor’s competitive advantages in life sciences/biotech and digital/IT (data science, AI, advanced materials, cybersecurity, etc.) with commercial and national security applications
- Identify economic growth opportunities
- Create a strategic framework with actionable steps for international economic growth
Water Supply Planning Ramps Up
It is mid-June and Greene County is already in a “Severe Drought” category, even after our one week of significant rainfall. Anticipating the water challenges to come, Greene County broke ground in December 2025 on the initial phases of the White Run Reservoir, which include the raw water line, intake, and pump station. The project aims to provide county residences and businesses within the water supply service area and the Town of Stanardsville with a reliable water supply.
PEC is cautiously optimistic about the new statewide rules mandating regional water supply planning. But the escalating demand for water from data centers across the state continues to strain the region’s water supply.
Feel free to reach out with questions or concerns at my contact information below.
And if you know anyone who would like to receive email updates about Greene County, please forward this email to them and let them know they can sign up for updates here. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more.
Thank you!
Rob McGinnis
Senior Land Use Field Representative
Albemarle & Greene Counties
[email protected]
(434) 962-9110
P.S. Save money on your electric bill by adding solar to your rooftop! Get a quote by July 15 with fully-vetted installers this summer with Solarize Piedmont, a partnership of PEC, the Local Energy Alliance Program and participating municipalities. Explore →