(Chatham) — A two-year long journey to update the Pittsylvania County Zoning Code is going to take a bit longer.
In June 2022, the County hired the Berkley Group to update the Zoning Ordinance. It was adopted in 1991, but there have been only minimal updates since then.
Caroline Vanter with Berkley says that’s made the ordinance a bit out of date. “We wanted to make sure that the county’s use permissions and the uses that are listed in the ordinance are lining up with your stated economic development goals as well as the development patterns that you have found emerging in the community over the past several years,” Vanter said.
Even though they’re presenting a complete re-write of the entire ordinance, Vanter says grandfathered uses would still be allowed. “The new zoning ordinance will only apply to new applications, or those uses, structures or lots that would substantially change or expand,” Vanter told the Board of Supervisors at a Tuesday night meeting. “So anything that’s already been approved, or any applications that come in before the effective date of the new code will not be governed by it.”
The new code includes first-ever language for newer uses like data centers and battery storage facilities. But it was too much to bite off at one time for Banister District Supervisor Robert Tucker. “I’m not really comfortable with voting on this tonight,” Tucker told fellow Supervisors. “Since we have the changes in front of us, I would highly recommend that we give ourselves some time to go over what we’re going to be voting on.”
The Board of Supervisors voted six-to-one to consider the new ordinance at their January meeting. Dan River Supervisor Eddie Hite was the lone dissenter.