The need for revisions to the zoning ordinance was identified several years ago through the public meetings and workshops held during the development of the county’s Comprehensive Plan (2016) and Ruckersville Area Plan (2018). The county’s current zoning ordinance, initially adopted in 1975, reflects traditional “Euclidian” zoning, which separates each use and parcel independently rather than focusing on how each part fits into an overall community plan. 

The limits of this approach are particularly apparent along the Ruckersville corridor, where decades of increasing population and other growth pressures have often resulted in haphazard and uncoordinated development. Accordingly, county staff anticipate that the central focus of this zoning audit will be ordinance revisions intended to better foster a “sense of place” in the Ruckersville area, where 40 percent of Greene County residents live. 

Additional information on the zoning audit process can be found in this series of three short webinars (~10 minutes each) produced by county planning staff. PEC will be monitoring this zoning audit as it moves forward and will alert you to opportunities to weigh in with the county on any proposed changes to the zoning ordinance. 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to PEC’s Greene County field representative, Adam Gillenwater, at agillenwater@pecva.org.