Orange County

PEC’s Orange County office supports our land use and land conservation activities in the County. PEC is dedicated to promoting healthy communities and the preservation of Orange’s rural character, environment and historic resources. 

Verling Park Concept Design

Verling Park Concept Design

Posted on by Bri West

In 2017, PEC was able to retain Land Planning & Design Associates to develop a concept design for a revamped Verling Park. The plan incorporated input from local residents in Gordonsville who want to see a more functional park that serves the whole community. We are currently working to enable the Town to bring the plan to reality.

Progress report: we were able to secure funds to help the town purchase 112 Linney Street to expand Verling Park (on Market Street, between Main and Baker) to an entire town block.

Award-Winning Farmer Protects Farmland for Future Generations

Award-Winning Farmer Protects Farmland for Future Generations

Posted on by Paula Combs

This past summer, in an effort to preserve the prime farmland and help ensure continued operations, the Nixons chose to permanently protect 382 acres of their land through a conservation easement with the Piedmont Environmental Council, Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Neighborly Effort to Protect the Piedmont

Neighborly Effort to Protect the Piedmont

Posted on by Paula Combs

“This beautiful and agricultural open land was here before we purchased Waverley and it’s my hopeful intention that it will look the same as it does today long after I’m gone,” remarked Charlotte Tieken, Somerset resident and owner of Waverley Farm.

The Piedmont Environmental Council worked with Ms. Tieken to put 669 acres of her property under conservation easement at the close of 2017.

On the Ground — Spring 2018 Update

On the Ground — Spring 2018 Update

Posted on by PEC

Updates from the around the PEC region, organized by county. Albemarle: Biscuit Run and courthouse relocation updates. Clarke: County updates and ordinances. Culpeper: Waterloo Bridge update. Fauquier: Data centers, development proposals & stormwater pollution solutions. Greene: White Run Reservoir. Loudoun: True North data center & Leesburg transportation. Madison: Septic system program. Orange: Subdivision ordinance. Rappahannock: Putting farms first.

It’s Time (Once Again) to Speak Up for Orange County!

Posted on by Marco Sanchez

Back in October, facing a packed public meeting room, the Board of Supervisors decided to postpone their vote on a new vision that calls for more sprawling residential and commercial development in Orange. The Board said they'd take the issue up at their December 17th meeting, and that date is fast approaching! If passed, the proposed Comprehensive Plan would threaten the County's agricultural character, lead to more traffic along Rt. 20, Rt. 15, and Rt. 3 — and ultimately, result in higher taxes. This text was taken from an email sent out on December 13, 2013.

A County in Denial

A County in Denial

Posted on by PEC

By designating thousands of agriculturally zoned acres for mixed use and economic development, county officials claim they are attempting to balance the tax base. But this denies experience—no county has ever grown it’s way to lower taxes. Just look at some of Virginia’s most developed counties. They all have higher tax rates than in Orange.

Orange County Considers Major Changes to its Comprehensive Plan

Posted on by PEC

The draft being considered is a severe departure from Orange’s current Comprehensive Plan, creating brand new classifications such as Town Suburban Residential and recommending expanded commercial activities both south of Orange on Route 15 and along most of the Route 3 corridor (including lands within the Wilderness Battlefield National Park along Route 20).