"From 1990 to 2000, impervious surfaces (in the bay’s watershed) increased by 41 percent a rate five times greater than the 8 percent rate of population growth during that time."

www.chesapeakebay.net

Update: The Planning Commission will have a public hearing sometime in the beginning of 2012 on a new Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SLDO) and the Town Council will also have a public hearing before a final vote. We believe that the Design Standards section of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (which includes the majority of the development regulations that impact the environment) is in desperate need of new Earth Friendly (21st century – ‘think different’) development regulations in order to minimize the environmental impacts of development on the Shenandoah River, our natural resources, and our watershed. FRLP hopes to make its case at the upcoming public hearings and we would love to discuss our ideas with any interested or like-minded citizens!

Timeline: Earth Friendly Design Standards and the Town’s Current Update of its Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SLDO).

• Open Space Ordinance. October 2007. FRLP public comments to the Planning Commission: ‘The Town needs an open space ordinance, and it needed it yesterday’. September and December 2008. FRLP encourages the Town to adopt a viable open space ordinance in work sessions with the Planning Commission and Council.


• September 2009. FRLP presentation to the Planning Commission - Design Concepts and the Environment - Green Infrastructure. (Same as existing design concepts and the environment)


• July 2010. FRLP provides comments to the Planning Commission: Low Impact Development Site Design Standards and Town Codes.


• February-June 2011. The Planning Commission decides not to change the Design Standards section of the SLDO during the current update in February. The Planning Commission moves forward with work sessions on the other 12 sections of the SLDO through May, but has no work sessions on the Design Standards. The proposed changes are characterized as ‘administrative cleanup’ to the Planning Commission before the public hearing.


• June 2011. Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed SLDO (Click here to read the minutes). Over 30 changes had been made to the Design Standards section alone that the Planning Commission had never seen or discussed.


• June 2011. FRLP public hearing comments to Planning Commission on draft SLDO. Of the over 30 changes found to the Design Standards section alone (Article 8 of the 13 articles in the proposed SLDO) not one improves developments impact on the environment. In fact, the changes were significantly worse for the environment.


• July 2011. FRLP Presentation on Earth Friendly Site Design to the Planning Commission.


• Next Steps: Planning Commission early 2012 public hearing.