Rural Crescent Proposed Changes
PW County Planning staff started the process to update our county Comprehensive Plan last year. The Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) directed them to research tools that would be helpful in preserving open space. With the pressures of growth in the area, it is important we use Smart Growth principles to help preserve the open space in the rural area. The planning staff’s proposal focused on three areas: Cluster Development (with sewer), transfer of development rights (TDRs) and the purchase of development rights (PDRs).
The PDR proposal is a legitimate way to permanently to preserve open space. However, the other staff recommendations concerning TDRs and Cluster Development with sewer completely ignore our county Smart Growth principles. The TDR proposals actually REMOVE over 13,000 acres from the rural area and place it in a transitional area that is inside the Rural Crescent! That transitional area would be developed at higher densities, where there is little to no infrastructure. There are similar problems with Cluster Development. Sewer extension all over the rural area would create tremendous pressure for increasing density. Yes, you understood that correctly…to “save the Rural Crescent” staff is saying we have to “develop the Rural Crescent”. At this time, I have grave concerns, which are shared by many citizens, on the impact of these proposals on the entire county.
As a result, I issued the following directive at the BOCS meeting on Tuesday, September 4:
How their plan matches BOCS directions to study this?
How expanding the growth boundary within the rural area benefits the development area and county as a whole?
How would reducing the size of the acres in the Rural Area benefit the county’s capacity to attract economic investment to the development area?
How many properties would be in transition ribbon and what parcel sizes?
What are the parcel sizes in the transition ribbon and what are their current uses and are they in the land use assessment program? I’m looking for statistics
What are the organizations you have identified that have committed to holding conservation easements on 12-16 acre trusts from the cluster development?
Here is a link to staff’s proposals:
http://supervisorjeaninelawson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Rural-Crescent-staff-proposal-1.pdf
If you would like to see all the cases in the Brentsville District:
MAP version: The Pending Cases Planning Map shows the location of each proposed project. If you click on each project link, it will let you know the status of the case and will have a link to any staff reports on the project. LIST version: Supervisor Lawson’s website has a tab for Brentsville Development where you will find names and links for pending planning cases.