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Staff Report:
One of the
stated goals of the Fauquier County Comprehensive Plan is to
“protect critical environmental resources and to maintain
renewable natural resources so that they are not degraded
but remain viable for future generations.” To support this
goal, one of the four key plan objectives identified in
Chapter 8, Rural Land Use Plan, is to “protect
environmental, culture and visual resources.” Visual
resources, specifically, are those resources defined as
being a “…seen, combination of both natural and cultural
features,” including topographical resources such as slope,
elevation and ridges.
The
mountainous, ridgeline topography characteristic of the
northwest portion of the County represents an
important environmental and visual
resource. These relatively pristine, wooded areas of the
County’s high elevations have significantly contributed to
the rural ambience that most of the citizens of Fauquier
County consider so aesthetically unique. However, the
patterns of growth and development in the County since the
1940’s have seen the gradual erosion of the integrity of
this resource, as well as others. In the case of areas of
higher elevation, a panoramic view can be destroyed by even
a minor amount of development above a ridgeline. In
order to protect these resources, additional measures need
to be undertaken by the County as identified in the
Comprehensive Plan.
Among the
tools available to protect these resources, the development
of a special environmental overlay district to manage
mountainside, i.e. ridgeline, resources may be appropriate.
Such a district would be supplemental to the Rural
Conservation (RC) District and appropriate portions of the
Rural Agricultural (RA) District and could limit or prohibit
development on slopes above certain elevations. Albemarle
and Clarke counties have such provisions in their
ordinances. Draft language has not yet been prepared by
staff. If the Board chooses to initiate the amendment,
staff will work with the Planning Commission to draft
appropriate language.
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