Northampton County sends Town Edge Zoning Text Amendment to Planning Commission

The Northampton County Board of Supervisors sent a zoning text amendment designed to modernize and simplify the “Town Edge” zoning districts while encouraging compact, higher-density residential development near existing towns to the Planning Commission for review Tuesday night.

The proposal would eliminate two underused districts, Town Edge Residential and Town Edge Neighborhood Business, leaving only “Town Edge 1” and “Town Edge Commercial General” in place. Zoning Administrator Mike Starling noted that no parcels are currently zoned under the two districts slated for removal, while several parcels already zoned Town Edge Commercial General would remain unchanged.

Within the Town Edge 1 district, the amendment reduces minimum lot sizes depending on available utilities. With central water and sewer, lots could be as small as 10,000 square feet. Where limited services exist, minimum sizes would range from 15,000 to 20,000 square feet. Board members later agreed to strike the requirement for central water because no land under the County’s jurisdiction has central water or sewage.

A central feature of the proposal is the promotion of cluster development, which groups homes on smaller lots in order to preserve at least 40 percent of the tract as open space. The Berkley Group, in a memorandum to the county dated September 17, recommended the 40/60 preservation-to-development ratio as a key tool for balancing growth with protection of farmland and rural character. Cluster development is also cited in the county’s Comprehensive Plan as a strategy for directing growth toward designated areas while conserving open land and sensitive resources.

In addition, the zoning amendment updates the use chart for Town Edge 1 and Town Edge Commercial General, clarifying which uses are permitted by right, prohibited, or require a special use permit. Marine-related uses such as docks and boat ramps were removed from the commercial category since they are not feasible within town districts.

During deliberations, some supervisors questioned whether the changes went far enough to create affordable housing opportunities. Board Chairman John Coker, a member of the Eastern Shore Ground Water Committee for eight years, asked why developments as these couldn’t use well water, pointing out that residential water use was not a strain on aquifers. He also noted that the Health Department has previously approved quarter-acre lots with wells and septic systems, but the current proposal restricts that option to areas with central utilities.

The Supervisors agreed the revised lot size standards, combined with the cluster development requirement, would help the County’s housing shortage by bringing down the cost for contractors to construct new homes. A recent report made the claim that the County needs 1,000 new homes.