AGENDA DATE: 6/17/2026
TITLE:
Title
Agricultural and Forestal Districts (AFDs): Withdrawal from the Lanark AFD
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Adoption of an ordinance to amend County Code Chapter 3, Agricultural and Forestal Districts, Article II, Districts of Statewide Significance, Division 2, Districts, to withdraw land from the Lanark District, as specified below.
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Wall, Herrick, Tevendale, Svoboda, Barnes, Maliszewski, Clark, Van Vranken
PRESENTER (S): James Van Vranken
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: The Agricultural and Forestal Districts (AFD) program is a voluntary land conservation program in which landowners limit the development potential of their land to help protect the rural landscape. Localities are enabled to establish AFDs under the Agricultural and Forestal Districts Act (Virginia Code ? 15.2-4300 et seq.). The program is structured to protect the following public interests: production of food and other agricultural and silvicultural products; provision of essential open spaces; strong agricultural and silvicultural economies; and protection and preservation of natural resources and retention of continuous and unfragmented land. The County currently has 27 districts covering approximately 62,000 acres, or 14% of the Rural Area.
Any landowner may withdraw from an AFD by right during its regular district review, which typically occurs once every ten years. A landowner may also apply to withdraw at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors at any time between district reviews (? 15.2-4314). Such application may only be approved "for good and reasonable cause," based on four criteria listed below (County Code Sec. 3-205(D)).
Virginia Code ? 15.2-4314 requires the Agricultural and Forestal Districts Advisory Committee and the Planning Commission to review such applications and report their recommendations to the Board of Supervisors, w...
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