OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Zoning Ordinance Committee Meeting - January 15, 2025

Commissions & Advisory Boards — Wednesday, January 15, 2025
BodyLoudoun County, Virginia
SessionCommissions & Advisory Boards
DateWednesday, January 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 38:46

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

What is unverified mean?

0:10

I don't know.

0:11

I'm signed in.

0:12

Um, I'm signed in as a guest, so maybe it's the guest versus having a I did that too.

0:18

Yeah, I says isn't authenticated or oh, you're just not signed into WebEx, that's all.

0:24

Right.

0:26

Yeah, I found signing into WebEx properly creates more glitches.

0:31

So it's just simpler to be a guest.

0:37

Well, all your emails go to my junk folder anyway, Stephanie.

0:42

Oh, thanks.

0:44

You're welcome.

0:47

Well, it's it's just not getting they they don't get verified either.

0:50

So you know it says Does it look safe?

0:53

I said, yeah, Stephanie's safe.

0:58

I've been deemed safe.

1:00

Okay.

1:05

Uh-oh, the wind is going at a certain angle that makes our gutters make a really horrendous sound.

1:15

So if you hear that.

1:18

There's a very overweight snoring Corgi on the love seat behind me.

1:22

So that's the fat man.

1:33

Lovingly.

1:36

Do we have a number?

1:38

Um, my this guy is this is Winston, chatter.

1:41

Um, and then Minerva is the little one that's young that might jump up and try to lick me in the face at some point.

1:51

Oh do we have a number that like equals quorum?

1:58

I'm sure we'll get enough people just curious.

2:01

I've never known what ours is.

2:03

Typically it's eight, but now with Beth, it's nine, because we have to round up.

2:08

It's like eight point five.

2:12

Yeah.

2:13

So we have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

2:18

Beth always calls her problems.

2:21

Thank you, Mr.

2:22

Mayor.

2:23

Yes.

2:25

So we need one more.

2:28

Woo-hoo.

2:51

Where's my mouse?

2:53

There it is.

2:54

One more person.

2:55

We didn't even brave the cold today.

2:59

Maybe it's WebEx.

3:01

Yeah.

3:02

Oh, there's Jim.

3:02

Yeah.

3:07

We hit quorum, Jim.

3:08

Thank you.

3:14

Oh, what does AI assistant do if I click on that?

3:18

Oh, yeah, they just click on it, don't worry.

3:21

Nothing could go with.

3:22

Oh.

3:23

I don't.

3:24

Oh.

3:25

Uh-uh.

3:26

I'm not.

3:26

I'm not gonna.

3:27

Stephanie, I think it transcribes the conversation.

3:30

Oh no, I'm not doing that.

3:38

I can barely trust people.

3:40

Why would I trust AI?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Ordinance████████████████████████████████32%
Data Center Development██████████████14%
Procedural█████████████13%
Land Use Planning████████████12%
Personnel Matters██████████10%
Public Engagement██████6%
Rural Villages█████5%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Agricultural Operations███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Zoning Ordinance Committee Meeting - January 15, 2025

The Zoning Ordinance Committee (ZOC) met virtually on January 15, 2025, to receive updates on several zoning ordinance amendments and comprehensive plan amendments, approve a letter of issues and concerns, and discuss meeting logistics and staffing changes. The committee reached quorum with nine members present.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Action Report (December 6, 2024): The committee approved the action report from the December 6, 2024 meeting by unanimous voice vote. (Note: The transcript references an "action report from December 4th," but the agenda lists the date as December 6th, 2024.)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public spoke during the public input portion of the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Status Updates on CPAMs and ZOAMs:
    • Data Center Standards & Locations (CPAM/ZOAM-2024-0001, Phase 1): Staff reported that the item is scheduled for the Board of Supervisors public hearing on February 12, 2025. The Planning Commission recommended denial of Phase 1 due to limited scope and provided six recommendations for the Board's consideration, including grandfathering, effective date, data center campus modification, flexibility, additional CPAM guidance, criteria where specs would not be required, and proposed amendments to place type maps in the Arcola and Goose Creek Club areas.
    • Clean-Up ZOAM (Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Adjustments): Staff provided a preliminary schedule: project plan to the Board in April 2025, resolution of intent to amend in May/June, draft text to ZOC in July, Planning Commission in September/October, and Board consideration in November/December. The cutoff for submitting cleanup items for the first round has already passed; additional suggestions can be sent for future rounds.
    • Western Loudoun Rural Uses (CPAM/ZOAM-2024-0002): The upcoming Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC) special meeting on January 29, 2025, will focus on ag processing and farm-related lodging. Future TLUC meetings are planned for April 24 (value-added farming), June, September, November, and January (dates to be confirmed).
    • Manufactured Housing (ZOAM-2024-0003): This expedited amendment to clarify regulations will be before the Board of Supervisors on February 12, 2025.
    • ENCODE Platform Update: Staff reported ongoing work on the public-facing ENCODE Plus platform but did not provide an anticipated launch date, though it is expected within 2025.
    • Rural Historic Village Classification: This CPAM-only item is also scheduled for the February 12 Board public hearing; the Planning Commission forwarded it without action, noting that additional districts added should receive written notice.
  • ZOC Involvement in Data Center Standards: Staff clarified that Phase 1 was not originally intended for ZOC review, but if the Board chooses to expand scope, ZOC will be involved. Phase 2 will include ZOC input.
  • 2024 List of Issues/Concerns Draft Letter: The committee reviewed and approved a draft letter outlining ZOC's issues and concerns to be presented to the Planning Commission at a future work session, likely in February 2025.
  • ZOC Bylaws and Vacancies: The Visit Loudoun representative position has been filled (Beth). One vacancy remains for an architect (Subject Matter Expert). The committee discussed encouraging qualified individuals to apply.
  • Meeting Date Change: The committee discussed changing the meeting date from the first Wednesday to accommodate a member's conflict with a winery board meeting. Staff noted difficulty finding consistent room availability and that virtual meetings are capped at two per year. The affected member offered to try to move the winery meeting instead.
  • Staffing Transitions: Ryan provided updates on interim appointments: Brian Wagner as Acting Assistant Director for Planning and Zoning, Teresa Miller as Acting Zoning Administrator, Rick Hancock as Interim Customer Service Center Program Manager, and Josh Elkins as Interim Deputy Zoning Administrator.
  • Process Consistency Request: A committee member expressed concern about the lack of a standard process for special projects (data centers, rural, cleanup) and requested process maps or consolidated timelines for current items to improve transparency. Staff agreed to provide a consolidated timeline for the four main projects in the next meeting packet.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: The action report from December 6, 2024 (unanimous).
  • Approved: The 2024 List of Issues/Concerns draft letter (unanimous).
  • Next Steps: Staff will compile a consolidated timeline and process map for the four active projects for the next ZOC meeting. The February 5, 2025 meeting will be held in the Dulles Room at 9:30 AM.
  • Adjourned: The meeting adjourned at approximately [time not specified].

Meeting Transcript

What is unverified mean? I don't know. I'm signed in. Um, I'm signed in as a guest, so maybe it's the guest versus having a I did that too. Yeah, I says isn't authenticated or oh, you're just not signed into WebEx, that's all. Right. Yeah, I found signing into WebEx properly creates more glitches. So it's just simpler to be a guest. Well, all your emails go to my junk folder anyway, Stephanie. Oh, thanks. You're welcome. Well, it's it's just not getting they they don't get verified either. So you know it says Does it look safe? I said, yeah, Stephanie's safe. I've been deemed safe. Okay. Uh-oh, the wind is going at a certain angle that makes our gutters make a really horrendous sound. So if you hear that. There's a very overweight snoring Corgi on the love seat behind me. So that's the fat man. Lovingly. Do we have a number? Um, my this guy is this is Winston, chatter. Um, and then Minerva is the little one that's young that might jump up and try to lick me in the face at some point. Oh do we have a number that like equals quorum? I'm sure we'll get enough people just curious. I've never known what ours is. Typically it's eight, but now with Beth, it's nine, because we have to round up. It's like eight point five. Yeah. So we have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Beth always calls her problems. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Yes. So we need one more. Woo-hoo. Where's my mouse? There it is. One more person. We didn't even brave the cold today. Maybe it's WebEx. Yeah. Oh, there's Jim. Yeah. We hit quorum, Jim. Thank you. Oh, what does AI assistant do if I click on that? Oh, yeah, they just click on it, don't worry. Nothing could go with.

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