CULPEPER, FAUQUIER, ORANGE — PEC’s staff follows Comp Plan updates and revisions in our nine-county region closely, and we’re currently keeping a sharp eye on the process in Culpeper, Fauquier and Orange Counties.
Our Work
Safeguarding the landscapes, communities and heritage of the Piedmont by involving citizens in public policy and land conservation. Learn more about our work by browsing the subject areas below and find out how to get involved!
Spectra Energy Gas Pipeline Suspended
If you’re not on our email list, you may have missed that there was some welcome news on the proposed Spectra Energy gas pipeline, which affected Albemarle, Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock Counties.
A Broad List of Opposition to the Outer Beltway
A list of groups who have opposed the Outer Beltway, and a list of elected officials who have publicly opposed or expressed concern.
*this list is a work in progress. If you would like to add your organization or your name to the elected officials list, please contact [email protected]*
Concerns Regarding Opal Service District Draft Plan
The Opal Steering Committee has been meeting for about a year and has developed a plan that is ready for public review. Although PEC supports aspects of the plan, we also have several concerns about what the plan proposes.
Comprehensive Plan Amendments Happening in Fauquier
It can be easy to tune out these updates, but revisions to the ‘Comp Plan’ can mean drastic changes to the look, feel, and functionality of your county, town, and day-to-day life. This is because the Comp Plan is the community’s most important document regarding land use, growth, development, transportation, and resource utilization.
Facts about the Opal Gateway Project
The day before the Board of Supervisors November 14th public hearing the applicant proposed changes that were only made available to the public hours before the hearing. The changes are peripheral in nature. Although the amount of land being added to the service district and rezoned commercial has decreased, the project layout is the same. Instead of the RV Park being a part of the service district and the commercial rezoning, the rural agricultural (RA) zoning will be modified to allow a travel trailer park with water and sewer still being supplied from the service district public infrastructure.
Orange County Considers Major Changes to its Comprehensive Plan
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).
This Week
VDOT has scheduled two public meetings on the Outer Beltway/Bi-County Parkway. There won't be a public speaking period, but they will be collecting questions and comments. If you cannot attend, I encourage you to submit your comments by email to [email protected]! This email alert was sent out on September 30th, 2013:
The Outer Beltway — Water, Air & Climate Impacts
Email from November 21, 2013: ….yesterday, we joined with more than a dozen prominent conservation organizations — including the National Wildlife Federation, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, and the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club — in submitting a joint letter to Governor-Elect Terry McAuliffe. The letter points to the Bi-County Parkway as the project in Northern Virginia that would have the largest negative impact on the environment….
Busy October — Including an Important Comp Plan Rewrite
Happy Friday! It's officially fall, and there's a lot going on throughout the region and in Fauquier County in particular. There are rezonings and zoning amendments under consideration, we've also got tabling at Fauquier Heritage Day in Warrenton this weekend, Outer Beltway public hearings next week, and PEC's Meeting at Galemont on October 12th (the online registration is up!), as well as the 15th Anniversary of the Warrenton Branch Greenway. This text was taken from an email alert sent out on September 27th, 2013.