Frequently Asked Questions about Ordinances

Every property in the County is tied to a specific zone or area called a zoning district.  The designated zoning district a property is in determines how that specific piece of property or land can be used right now.  The zoning and subdivision ordinances are land use planning tools in the form of codes.  They determine permitted and specially permitted uses of land based on areas mapped in zoning districts.  The zoning districts separate one set of land uses from another.  This is to ensure that different uses are compatible with each other and preserve the County’s quality of life.

In addition to outlining uses that can occur on the property, the Ordinances also detail procedures for reviewing applications and particular design requirements for sidewalk placement, cell towers, layouts for new subdivision lots, landscaping, and more.  Finally, the Ordinances are legally binding and can be enforced through a court of law. 

The Zoning ordinance contains information related to physical construction of development — i.e., commercial buildings, apartments, or houses.  In addition to guidelines for parking spaces, landscaping, cell towers, and sidewalks, the Zoning Ordinance is divided into information about minimum sizes for lots, spacing of buildings, access, building heights, and more that is specific to each zoning district:

A-1, General Agricultural

Examples of property zoned A-1 include farmland on Forge Road, Liberty Ridge, Hickory Neck Episcopal Church, Merry Oaks, and property on John Tyler Highway (Route 5) along the Chickahominy River.         

R-1, Limited Residential

Examples of property zoned R-1 include subdivisions such as Wellington, the Vineyard’s at Jockey’s Neck, and Kingspoint.

Examples of property zoned R-2 include Jamestown 1607, the Meadows, Scott’s Pond, and White Hall.

R-4, Residential Planned Communities  

Examples of property zoned R-4 include Ford’s Colony, Kingsmill, and Governor’s Land.

R-5, Multifamily Residential

Examples of property zoned R-5 include Williamsburg Landing, Chisel Run, and Michelle Point.

    
R-6, Low-Density Residential

Examples of property zoned R-6 include Elmwood and Deerwood Hills.

         
R-8, Rural Residential

Examples of property zoned R-8 include Gospel Spreading Church Farm, Woodland Farms, property at the end of Neck-O-Land Road, St. Bede Church, and Windy Hills Mobile Home Park.

Examples of property zoned LB include Olde Towne Square at the corner of Olde Towne Road and Longhill Road, Hornsby Office Buildings, Jamestown Center.     

     
B-1, General Business   

Examples of property zoned B-1 include the Governor’s Green Shopping Center (Five Forks), Williamsburg Crossing (corner of Route 199 and John Tyler Highway), Colony Square, Prime Outlets, and Norge Crossing (corner of Route 60 and Croaker Road).

M-1, Limited Business/Industrial

Examples of property zoned M-1 include the Williamsburg Pottery, Busch Gardens, McLaws Circle, and the James River Commerce Center.

Examples of property zoned M-2 include GreenMount Industrial Park, Anheuser-Busch InBev brewery, and Hankins Industrial Park.

RT, Research and Technology    

There are currently no properties zoned RT in the County.

PUD, Planned Unit Development      

Examples of property zoned PUD include Stonehouse, Monticello Woods, and Powhatan Plantation.

MU, Mixed Use     

Examples of property zoned MU include New Town, Liberty Crossing, and Colonial Heritage.

PL, Public Land 

Examples include property owned by local governments, the State, or the Federal government such as the County Government Complex, the James City County/Williamsburg Community Center, and all public schools and parks.

The Subdivision Ordinance details how properties can be subdivided into two lots or more and the requirements for access, road frontage, water and sewer service, common areas, and homeowner’s associations.

A.

Land Use designations assist in interpreting the intent of the Comprehensive Plan and are used with land use development standards specific to that designation when the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors consider certain development proposals requiring special permission, such as rezonings and special use permits.

A Land Use designation represents the most appropriate future use and can indicate development intensity for a specific area or parcel.  For example, most County and State parks or greenspace areas carry the designation of Park, Public, or Semipublic Open Space.  Examples of this include the York River State Park and the District Sports Complex.  This designation ensures that the areas continue to be set aside for preservation and recreation.  Another example includes many of the residential neighborhoods throughout the County, such as Scott’s Pond (off Olde Towne Road) or Skiffe’s Creek Terrace (off of Route 60 in Grove) which are designated Low-Density Residential and Moderate-Density Residential, respectively. 

This designation is different than the zoning assigned to a parcel.  While Land Use designations deal with future uses and are not legally binding, zoning designations more specifically and legally define what use is currently allowed on a specific parcel.  It also outlines specific design and development guidelines for these intended uses (such as setbacks, minimum lot sizes, etc.).  While your zoning designation is what you can do with your parcel today, the Land Use designation, in conjunction with development guidelines, details how you may be able to use your parcel in the future.

The County processes small changes to certain parts of the Ordinances on an ongoing basis due to changes in development-related technologies, techniques, or best practices, State code, related County documents, and property owner-initiated requests.  The County will conduct a fuller review and update of the entire ordinances generally after a new County comprehensive plan is adopted.  Once adopted, the actions and policy initiatives from the plan can be put into practice through the ordinance.  Partial or complete updates of the ordinances were undertaken shortly after adoption of two of the last three Comprehensive Plans in 1991 and 1997.  The Board of Supervisors approved Historic Past, Sustainable Future: the 2009 Comprehensive Plan on November 24, 2009, (visit www.jccplans.org for more detail on the plan update).  Following that adoption, staff has moved into the implementation phase.  Many of the priority actions from the 2009 Comprehensive Plan will be included in the ordinances during the update process in order to put the community’s vision for the County’s future in practice and on the ground.

Visit the County’s Property Information web page, search for your property address, and view the Zoning layer.  Copies of the Zoning Map are also available from the County’s GIS/Mapping office

Visit the County’s Property Information web page, search for your property address, and view the Comprehensive Plan 2009 layer.  Copies of the 2009 Land Use Map are also available for purchase from the County’s Planning Division.

Depending on which zoning district your property is located in, changes in the Ordinances may affect how you can develop your property.  The proposed changes will vary in size and impact – some changes will be minor or affect only small areas of land while other changes will be more significant.  The Goals, Strategies, and Actions found in the 2009 Comprehensive Plan include information about what types of changes may occur during the Ordinance update.  Stay informed about the Ordinance update to learn how changes will impact your property.