Floyd Homefront, Part 1: Laying the Groundwork
“Floyd Homefront” is a three-part series that examines the ways in which the Floyd County government is working to address the local housing crisis. Part 1, “Laying the Groundwork,” provides a look into the new Land Division Ordinance and its impact on homeowners and potential developers.
“Floyd Homefront” is a three-part series that examines the ways in which the Floyd County government is working to address the local housing crisis. Part 1, “Laying the Groundwork,” provides a look into the new Land Division Ordinance and its impact on homeowners and potential developers.
Floyd County officials, including employees in the Department of Economic and Community Development, have been looking for opportunities and working on ways to assist community members with housing affordability while not opening doors to overdevelopment, which many have said would ruin Floyd’s small town feel.
Lydeana Martin, director of economic and community development, said Floyd County’s desire “to balance the need for maintaining our rural character with the need for housing, is really what is driving us.”
Floyd County Housing Survey, produced as a part of the New River Valley Housing Study in 2021, is one of the first steps officials took to further understand Floyd’s housing needs. Findings stated that “Floyd County has the highest percentage of mobile homes in the region, with 18% of its stock comprised of manufactured or mobile homes (1,471 units), and the County allows them to be placed more freely than in other localities in the region. Manufactured housing is an affordable and practical housing option for many residents, however, pre‐1976 mobile homes are substandard stock and should be replaced in order to provide safe, healthy housing for residents.”
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As of the study, Floyd County had the lowest gross rent in the region ($611) and also the fewest number of rental units available (1,154) with 100 being located within town limits. “At least 160 units in the County have no cash rent, which typically indicates arrangements of service in exchange for housing (caretakers, pastors, etc.) or families allowing relatives to live in a unit at no cost,” the study found.
(Note: According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the 2025 Fair Market Rent in Floyd County is $691 (efficiency), $695 (one-bedroom), $912 (two-bedroom), $1,149 (three-bedroom), and $1,209 (four-bedroom).)
Challenges and opportunities for growth were also discussed in the NRV Housing Study’s report.
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Main challenges included Floyd’s service-based economy (retail, hospitality, and food service), which are historically low-paying jobs. While Floyd has a high rate of homeownership, the percentage of renters that spent more than 30% of their income on housing was about 28%, which signals a need for income-restricted housing. Additionally, too few rental units mean renters struggle to find appropriate housing in-county.
Growth opportunities listed the study’s findings for Floyd included Citizen’s county-wide fiber project, which was completed in 2024, and grant funding for housing rehabilitation and development through multiple rounds of Community Block Grants, some of which are currently in progress.
Additionally, the county spent years reworking its Land Division Ordinance (approved 2025) to address housing needs and regulations on a larger scale.
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Floyd County Planner and Land Division Agent Karla Turman explained some of the significant changes in the recently approved LDO. “Previously if you wanted to divide a piece of land, you had to survey the whole property. Now whatever land you want to divide to sell, it is only the portion for sale that you have to survey. This means that if you are looking to only take 10 acres off the giant tract, you do not have to survey the entire tract. That can be a savings of tens of thousands of dollars. That was a big barrier for some people,” Turman said. Other changes, she noted, are no longer requiring pre-perking by the health department before a plat is approved and changing the requirements for townhomes.
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The previous Subdivision Ordinance allowed 12 townhouses per acre, while the 2025 LDO allows seven per acre. In the past, the townhouses had to be connected to public water and sewer, which could be restrictive to potential building locations. Because of the recently approved changes, the townhouses can now be completed with a private centralized water and waste water system, which would not have to tie directly to the Floyd-Floyd County Public Service Authority.
The new LDO also establishes requirements for private divisions versus public roads. Martin said that if developers are interested in having a VDOT-maintained road for their property “VDOT needs to be there the entire time, approving the road, and watching the build.” The standards set for private division roads by the new LDO, however, allows the county to address basic safety requirements “but doesn't have the immense standards that VDOT has.”
Read more about the recently approved LDO from Floyd Times here and find a full copy of the document online at www.floydcova.gov.
The next installment of "Floyd Homefront" will discuss the ways the county helps to repair and rehabilitate already-existing homes (scattered-site). Part 3 of the series will provide a look into the process of developing housing for essential workers in Floyd County.