By Heather Michon
Editor
Prompted by the proposed Valley Link transmission project, Fluvanna County moved closer last week to adopting new protections for electric transmission infrastructure as the Planning Commission advanced both a comprehensive plan policy and proposed zoning rules for substations, switching stations and related facilities.
The commission voted 5-0 on July 7 to recommend approval of an addendum to the county’s Comprehensive Plan that outlines preferred locations for transmission infrastructure and areas the county believes should be protected.
Commissioners also agreed to advertise an Aug. 11 public hearing on zoning regulations that would require special-use permits for electric transmission facilities in agricultural and industrial districts.
Fluvanna is among several localities along the proposed Valley Link route that are examining ways to reduce the project’s impact on residents, historic resources, and the rural landscape. The proposed 115-mile, 765-kilovolt transmission line would cross the county as part of a regional expansion of the electric grid.
While the State Corporation Commission has primary authority over major transmission lines, local governments do retain zoning authority over many associated facilities, including substations and switching stations.
The proposed county ordinance would require applicants to evaluate alternative sites and document potential impacts on nearby homes, farms, natural resources, and historic or cultural sites.
It would also require visual simulations, sound studies, landscaping plans, security fencing plans, emergency plans, and construction management plans.
Draft setbacks include 200 feet from occupied homes and community buildings, 100 feet from roads and wetlands or perennial streams, and 75 feet from nonparticipating property lines.
Much of the commission’s work session discussion focused on protecting the county’s entrance corridors, particularly Routes 6, 15, 53, and 250.
Commissioners debated whether transmission facilities should be prohibited along those roads, placed farther back, or strongly discouraged. They ultimately directed staff to add language stating that new facilities should avoid entrance corridors.
The language would not prevent expansion of existing facilities, but those expansions would still require special-use permits, allowing the county to impose conditions such as additional landscaping or buffering.
The commission also added “scenic” to language emphasizing preservation of the county’s rural character.
The addendum recommends prioritizing existing transmission corridors, utility easements, and previously disturbed land. It also calls for avoiding established residential areas, conservation easements, cemeteries, agricultural and forestal land, scenic byways, and entrance corridors.
The addendum now moves to the Board of Supervisors for consideration.
Setbacks
The commission also agreed to advertise an Aug. 11 hearing on proposed changes to the R-3, Residential Planned Community, zoning district.
The district currently contains no standard lot, yard, or setback requirements. Instead, those measurements are established through individual development master plans, which have created problems for property owners seeking variances.
A Village Oaks resident told commissioners that her plans for a deck had stalled because there was no zoning ordinance setback from which the Board of Zoning Appeals could grant a variance.
The proposed amendment would establish a 25-foot street setback, 10-foot side-yard setbacks, and a 25-foot rear-yard setback, along with a 35-foot general height limit and a 15,000-square-foot minimum lot size.
The regulations would also require developments in the R-3 district to use public or central water and sewer systems.
Planning staff said the proposed rear setback could allow the Village Oaks resident’s deck to move forward if the Board of Supervisors ultimately approves the ordinance.
New Laws
In other business, the commission unanimously recommended four zoning changes required by laws passed by the Virginia General Assembly.
One amendment would allow manufactured homes in any zoning district where site-built homes are permitted. It would also allow newer manufactured homes to replace older, nonconforming units and prohibit localities from treating manufactured homes more restrictively than comparable site-built houses.
Another amendment would revise the county’s solar regulations and eliminate the S-1 solar zoning district created in late 2024.
Planning staff said changes in state law have made portions of Fluvanna’s existing solar ordinance too restrictive.
The revised ordinance would also allow battery energy storage facilities as accessory uses on sites with approved commercial solar projects, provided they comply with safety, fire, and environmental regulations.
The commission also recommended changes that would allow the zoning administrator to reduce the required parking by 20% for qualifying residential, multifamily, and mixed-use developments.
A fourth amendment updates county procedures for appeals of Board of Zoning Appeals decisions to comply with new state deadlines and filing requirements.
During the earlier work session, commissioners reviewed draft regulations governing campgrounds, recreational vehicles, and campsites.
Staff said the county has seen an increase in the number of people living in recreational vehicles for extended periods. The proposed language would generally limit residential use of an RV to 30 days, although someone displaced by a fire or natural disaster could receive written approval to live in one for up to 12 months.
The draft would also prohibit the use of an RV as a short-term rental unless it is part of an approved campground or another permitted use.
Commissioners raised questions about hunt clubs, agritourism, farm-based “glamping,” sewage disposal and water access. No vote was taken, and staff plans to revise the language before bringing it back for further discussion.
