Planning and Zoning

Andrew V. Sorrell, Planning & Zoning Administrator

Rodney Pillow, Code Enforcement Officer / Biosolids Monitor / Erosion & Sediment Control

(You can e-mail Andrew or Rodney by clicking the links on their names.)

Office Hours: M-F 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

PH: (804) 492-3520

Fax: (804) 492-3697

Applications & Forms

Zoning Terms

Rezoning (Zoning Map Amendment) – Changing the zoning of a property (i.e. to change it from Agricultural to residential).  Applicant may submit proffers that help offset the impact the change in use may cause the county.  A cash proffer policy was established in 2006 for those interested in pursuing residential rezonings.  The cash proffer policy helps to remove the tax burden for the increased services that new development requires from the existing county tax payers and shifts them to those requesting the development.

Conditional Use Permit (CUP) – Permits required for certain uses that may have adverse impacts on adjoining property or the area (i.e. an airstrip would be a CUP in an agricultural zone where a single-family dwelling would not).  To offset possible impacts the permit usually has conditions that restrict the use such as limited hours of operation, noise limitations or additional screening requirements.

Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) – When the text of the zoning ordinance is requested to amended (i.e. adding a new use in zoning district.

Zoning Permit – Required before any building permit issued.  Completed by the planning & zoning department listing building setback lines and ensuring that the proposed use complies with the zoning ordinance.  Please see the below information entitled, “Approval Process to Build a Dwelling/ Accessory Building” for more details.

Site Plans – Plans of development required for commercial, industrial, and large-scale residential developments. Details parking, landscaping, erosion control, outdoor lighting, and screening among other things.

Boundary Line Adjustment / Vacation of Line – When landowners change the configuration of existing parcels.  Allowable as long as the adjustments do not make any parcel involved nonconforming to the lot size requirements of the zoning ordinance.

Signs – Most permanent and temporary signs require a permit from the County.  Contact the planning and zoning office for more information.

Subdivision Terms

Subdivision – when a parcel of land is divided into 2 or more lots or parcels of land.  Family division is one taking place between immediate family members and such divisions are generally less restrictive, a family division affidavit is required to be completed with the application. 
Minor division is one which divides a parent tract into 3 lots or less.  Major division is one which divides a parent tract into 4 or more lots.  Parent tracts are any parcel of property in existence (on record in the county clerk’s office) April 4, 1991 or before.  Major divisions are only permitted in residential zoning districts.  
(Below you can download the forms you need by clicking the underlined links)

(Below you can download the forms you need by clicking the underlined links)

Comprehensive Plan

The Comprehensive Plan serves as a guide for making land use changes, preparing capital improvement programs, and for managing growth and change. The Comprehensive Plan includes an inventory and analysis of the County and its current policies, as well as goals and objectives to guide future growth.  The Plan is an official statement of policy that provides guidance for the future physical development of all aspects of the County, both public and private.  The 2006 – 2011 Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the Board of Supervisors on September 12, 2006.

The Planning Commission and planning staff are now in the process of establishing an action agenda for meeting the goals policies outlined in the Comprehensive Plan.  The action agenda will detail who is responsible for meeting the policies and when and how such policies will be implemented.

Cumberland County 2006-2011 Comprehensive Plan is linked and available for download.
Cumberland County Land Use Plan is linked and available for download. This can also be found as Section III of the complete Comprehensive Plan.

County Code of Ordinances

The County Code is the set of ordinances that implement the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. The Code addresses the specifics for areas such as Zoning, Subdivisions, Taxation, Solid Waste, Fees and Offenses. These ordinances are maintained electronically on the internet by the Municode Corporation and the link below takes you to their website. From there you will find an index of the Codes as well as search and print features. If you have questions about interpretation of the Code, please contact the Planning and Zoning office.  Municode updates the County Code frequently; however, it often takes time for new ordinances approved by the Board of Supervisors to be officially codified in the County Code.  If you have a question relating to the subdivision or zoning ordinances, please direct them to the Planning and Zoning Department.

The County Code can be viewed online through Municode's comprehensive website.  The subdivision ordinance can be found in Chapter 54 and the Zoning Ordinance can be found in Chapter 74.

Please click the following: Cumberland County Code to be taken to the Code. 

If not taken directly to the website the internet address is (copy and paste into your internet browser):

http://www.municode.com/resources/gateway.asp?pid=13342&sid=46

Code Enforcement

Cumberland County is committed to being a beautiful, safe and healthy county for all its citizens.  To achieve this goal, the county seeks to clean up areas visible from roads and adjacent properties where there are abandoned vehicles, trash and junkyards.  Mr. Rodney Pillow is the county’s code enforcement officer and works with property owners to remove and/or screen code violations.  If you would like to make a complaint or have any questions, please contact Mr. Pillowat rpillow@cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov or at (804) 492-3520.

Historic Preservation

Recognizing that historic resources are part of what makes Cumberland County a unique place, the county is committed to historic preservation.  Historic resources serve many purposes.  Historic buildings and landscapes, such as mills, schools and agricultural complexes, tell the narrative about local people, places and events.  Historic preservation is often a catalyst for economic development and increased civic involvement.  There are many tools for historic preservation that include surveys, rehabilitation tax credits and educational programs.

Cumberland Courthouse Historic District

The county received a cost-share grant from the Department of Historic Resources to conduct a survey of all the buildings in the Courthouse village area.  Debra McClane has been hired to conduct this project. The survey was completed in early 2007 and the Dept. of Historic Resources reviewed and approved the preliminary Information Form (PIF) which allowed the county to continue the nomination process for the district.  This includes being on the National Register of Historic Places as well as on the Virginia Landmarks Register.  The Dept. of Historic Resources mailed all those affected by the district (those with property within the district and those with property adjoining the district) in early April 2007 and a public hearing on the district was held on April 24, 2007 at Cumberland County Elementary School in the cafeteria.

On June 6, 2007, the Board of Historic Resources placed the Courthouse Historic District on the Virginia Landmark Register.  The State Review Board also recommended the district for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.  The National Park Service reviewed and added the district to the National Registrar of Historic Places on August 16, 2007.

The designation is an honorary listing that will permit property owners to take advantage of rehabilitation tax credits as well as increase tourism to the county. 

The boundaries of the Courthouse Historic District are here (click link for more info).

The complete inventory, national and state register applications as well as information on tax credits available for historic rehabilitation within the district are available for viewing during normal business hours in the Dept. of Planning and Zoning.

Cumberland Courthouse Historic District Design Guidelines & Rt. 60 Entrance Corridor Architectural Survey

Due to a successful partnership between the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and Cumberland County in 2007, the Cumberland County Courthouse Historic District was created and placed on the National Register of Historic Places and on Virginia’s Landmark Register.

To continue this successful collaboration in 2008, Cumberland County will again be partnering with the Department of Historic Resources and EHT TRACERIES, an architectural history consulting firm located in Washington D.C.  EHT TRACERIES will be preparing draft design guidelines for the Courthouse Historic District and the entrance corridor on State Route 60 between Cumberland Courthouse and the Powhatan County line.  In addition, a limited architectural survey will be conducted on the Route 60 entrance corridor.  EHT TRACERIES will provide the County with a range of design guideline possibilities and guidance on how the County should apply the design guidelines. 

The project officially began with a community meeting on February 13, 2008 at 7:00 PM.  The consulting firm provided a presentation on the historic district and back a background on historic design guidelines.  A copy of this presentation can be found below:

February 13th Design Guidelines Presentation

Public input in this process is very important, so please plan to attend the next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, 2008 in the Cumberland Elementary School Cafeteria at 7:00 PM.  The purpose of this public meeting will be to review draft design guidelines and to gather public input on them. 

Over the next several months, members of the EHT TRACERIES staff will begin preparing the draft design guidelines and conducting on-site field work for the architectural survey of the Route 60 entrance corridor.  The group will began their fieldwork on February 6, 2008 and plans to complete it teh week of April 14-18, 2008.

If you require further information or have questions concerning the draft design guidelines or the architectural survey that will be conducted, please do not hesitate to contact the Cumberland Planning and Zoning Administrator at 804-492-3520. 

Rural Preservation

Cumberland County’s updated Comprehensive Plan is quick to identify the protection and preservation of our rural character.

The county is working to develop several programs to protect rural character.  The first one to be developed is a purchase of development right (PDR) program where a landowner would sell the county the development rights to the county who would in turn extinguish them and the county would permanently protect the land in a conservation easement. The County adopted this program on August 21, 2007. A PDR committee made up of County residents has been established to review applications and help educate landowners about the program.   

Other land use tools will include conservation subdivisions using clustering and open space (instead of a traditional subdivision where all the land is used up for lots and roads, cluster subdivision allows smaller lots, but require a percentage of the development to be in open and undeveloped land).  The County adopted its first cluster subdivision option in late 2007.  This cluster subdivision is an option in the A-2, Agricultural zoning district and requires 75% of the development to remain undeveloped.  The County is also developing a cluster development option for the R-2, Residential zoning district.

Another tool being considered includes a transfer of development (TDR) program.  The County has established a TDR workgroup and that has been meeting regularly to develop a local program.  If developed, it will allow for development rights from rural parts of the County to be transferred to growth areas. Once those rights are transferred, a conservation easement is placed on the rural property to keep it from being developed.  When development rights are transferred, the value of those rights will be paid to the rural landowner by the developer interested in using the additional rights in the growth area.  Cumberland hopes to one of the first counties in Virginia to develop a working transfer of development rights program. 

If you have any questions about the PDR program or any other concerns about rural preservation please contact the Planning and Zoning Department.

Planning Commission

The Planning Commission is the County’s appointed planning body staffed by the planning and zoning administrator.  The Commission provides the Board of Supervisors with recommendations pertaining to planning matters that include the Comprehensive Plan, Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and subdivision and zoning requests.  All Commission meeting are open to the public.

2008 Subdivision & Zoning Projects

2008 Subdivision and Zoning Ordinance Revisions

In order to bring the County’s subdivision and zoning ordinance in line with the Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2006, the Planning Commission will complete a major revision to both the subdivision and zoning ordinance in 2008.  In preparation for these revisions, the Commission has been having workshops to review aspects of the code where issues have been found.  This has included discussions on parent tracts and minor subdivisions, road standards, minor encroachments into building setbacks, and non-conforming structures among other things.  The goal of the revisions are align both the subdivision and zoning ordinance with the goals of the Comprehensive Plan as well as ensuring the subdivision and zoning requirements are meeting the needs of citizens.  If you would like to be involved in this process would like to comment on revising a certain section, please contact Andy Sorrell, Zoning Administrator at 804-492-3520.

Landfill
The rezoning application for the proposed landfill was submitted in three parts.  The application for the physical site of the proposed landfill consists of a rezoning request (agricultural to industrial) as well as a conditional use permit to operate a landfill (Please see county file #06-08-01). 
The second part is an application for a conditional rezoning that separately rezoned part of the property to industrial, with conditions (Please see county file #06-08-02). 
The third part was an application for a conditional use permit to conduct borrowing activities (such as extraction, removal, or stockpiling of soil, etc…) in an agricultural zone (Please see county file #06-08-03). (County files are located in the Planning and Zoning office and are on file for your viewing.)

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approved the Part A Permit Application for the landfill in early February 2008.  Currently the Part B application is being reviewed by DEQ’s Lynchburg Regional Office.  The Planning and Zoning Department is currently reviewing the site plans submitted for the 1.25 mile long industrial access road planned to access the landfill.  The access road will be built to VDOT standards and include a 100 ft. bridge (also built to VDOT standards) that will span Maxey Mill Creek. The first mile of the road is planned to become a state maintained road in the future.      

The DEQ has prepared an informative fact sheet on the proposed landfill. To view a copy of this document, please click the link below:

February 2008 Cumberland Landfill Fact Sheet

2008 Regular Planning Commission Meetings - Planning Commission meetings are open to the public, and the public is encouraged to participate during the scheduled public comment session.

(3rd Monday each month, excepting holidays. In addition, the Planning Commission may also hold work sessions between the monthly meetings.)

Archived Meetings Minutes: 2005, 2006, 2007

Recent Planning Commission Workshop Dates

Archive Workshops: 2005, 2006 , 2007

Mapping

• Tax Map Grid - Right click here to download an image of the tax map grid. Owing to its size, it is best viewed using an image viewer capable of opening JPEG formats. Typically, Microsoft Windows Image Viewer is suitable choice. Internet Explorer is not recommended.
• Zoning Map- the official county zoning map is on file for public viewing in the planning and zoning dept. during regular business hours which are 8:30am -4:30pm M-F