Board sets public hearing for LDO changes, tables resolution for road plan

About 10 months after the Floyd County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt the new Land Division Ordinance (LDO), the Floyd County Planning Commission and Supervisors will hold another joint public hearing to hear from the public regarding five proposed changes. 

The public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22. According to the unanimously approved meeting notice, the changes will: 

1. amend Sec. 2-9, clarifying when a private easement must be named
2. amend Sec. 4-4 (Special Lot Division) to remove setback requirements, making this section consistent with the other division types
3. amend Sec. 4-5 (Family Division) to add a requirement for a private right-of-way to be maintained in a condition passable in all weather conditions by emergency vehicles, and to add a requirement that any construction within a discontinued road follow the County’s policy for private maintenance of a discontinued road
4. amend Sec. 6-2 (Private Division Roads) to remove the word “primary” from the requirement that an approved private division road shall not provide primary access to no more than 10 parcels, not including special lots or other private division road lots
5. amend Sec. 12 (Definitions) term “Width” to amend what is incorrectly shown as 35 feet to the correct measurement of 25 feet

Learn more about the Land Division Ordinance here and find a full copy of the document on the county’s website here. 

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Also during the Aug. 25 meeting, the Board of Supervisors had a discussion about the Six-Year Road Plan and a possible resolution that would add the remainder of Firehouse Road to the plan.

The Board’s discussion stemmed from a conversation with VDOT’s David Clarke at the Aug. 11 Supervisors meeting, during which he told the Board it would need to approve a resolution to the Six-Year Road Plan in order for the paving to be completed on Firehouse Road.

One of the residents of Firehouse Road spoke during the public comment period of the meeting. Tom Cosgrave said he and other residents are “not interested” in the rest of the road being paved. “...Driving around (the part that is not paved) adds about a mile and a half, so it’s not a significant burden on anybody to drive up Easy and across Talford if they don’t want to take the dirt road shortcut.” Cosgrave said they would “just like to leave the rest of the road as it is.”

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Chairman Joe Turman (Burks Fork) said the situation was confusing to him. “I thought when we put it on there, and we approved a Six-Year Road Plan, it was for the whole road,” he said. 

His fellow supervisors agreed that was the case, and County Administrator Kim Chiddo said that while she was investigating the matter, there was no indication (such as the use of the words “remaining” or “intersection”) that only a part of the road should have been completed originally. 

Supervisor Linda DeVito Kuchenbuch (Little River) said that typically when a Six-Year Road Plan is passed in the spring, that’s it for the year. Changes are not usually made. She said she would rather table the proposed resolution and not move forward on it. 

Supervisor Jerry Boothe (Courthouse) said this is his first time since being on the Board (off and on since 1992) that he’s ever seen anything like this. 

“We’ve already approved that road, and (VDOT) already has our approval to do the full length of the road if that’s what they choose to do,” he said, adding that his understanding from the beginning was that VDOT’s plan was to complete the entire thing. “I’m not opposed to finishing the road… But I don’t know that we need to take on anymore of VDOT’s responsibilities.”

After further discussion, the Board decided unanimously to table the matter until the next meeting that David Clarke will be at to discuss the matter more with him.