Orange Land Use Update – April 17, 2020

The Board of Supervisors April 14 meeting was held via virtual public access on YouTube, a format that the county intends on using throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting covered multiple administrative topics, including a public hearing on the adoption of the Continuity of Government Operations ordinance and BOS approval for the inclusion of a dog park at Booster park.

In his first act as county administrator, Ted Vorhees presented the process necessary to ratify the March 24 emergency ordinance for the continuity of government, which includes a public hearing for citizens to weigh in and provide comments on the ratification of the emergency ordinance. Although direct public comments were not included as an option during the meeting, Chairman Crozier noted that public comments can be submitted, either electronically or via mail, to:

Alyson Simpson
asimpson@orangecountyva.org
PO Box 111 Orange, VA 22960

The public comment deadline is 5 p.m. on Monday, April 27, 2020. The public hearing will be closed after such time, and the BOS will vote upon the ordinance following a review of any received public comments during their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

Orange County Parks and Recreation (OCPR) requested permission to incorporate multiple, fenced-in play areas for use as a dog park. The proposed dog park would be located next to the baseball/softball fields. The BOS approved the OCPR request for creating a dog park, noting PEC’s support of the project. PEC submitted written comments to the BOS, acknowledging the positive benefits of expanding the park and creating public access for dog owners. It is great to see Orange County promoting and creating additional public access to nature, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PEC will continue to keep you updated on actions at the local level and any opportunities to weigh in on important decisions. In the meantime, please feel free to send me an email if you have any questions about this update, the county process during the crisis or any other local matter.

Stay healthy and enjoy the beautiful spring colors.

Best,

Chris

Chris Hawk
Field Representative – Culpeper, Madison and Orange
The Piedmont Environmental Council
540-347-2334 ext. 7047
chawk@pecva.org

Chris Hawk headshot


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