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Community Development
The Department of Community Development works with citizens, property owners, developers, builders, and other stakeholders to guide growth and development in Powhatan County.
The Department of Community Development is made up of:
Planning and Zoning Building Inspections Economic Development
News & Updates:
As the COVID-19 situation continues to develop [and in accordance with recommendations and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH)], the Powhatan County Community Development Department will be open with reduced operations. Before visiting the office, you can call the following numbers (8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) to get up-to-date information:
Planning/Zoning: (804) 598-5621
Building Inspections: (804) 598-5622
Economic Development: (804) 598-5612
Staff members are regularly checking and responding to emails. You can also click the link below to submit general inquiries, and a staff member will get back to you.
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
Powhatan County is currently evaluating potential projects to submit for funding through the state SMART Scale program. Over the next few months, the Board of Supervisors will consider proposals for road improvement projects at the following locations:
- Intersection improvements at Stavemill Road & U.S Route 60; Red Lane Road & U.S. Route 60; and/or Old Buckingham Road/Academy Road & U.S. Route 60;
- Extension of Carter Gallier Road; and
- Sidewalks in the Courthouse Village area.
More information on the potential projects can be found here.
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SMART Scale FAQ
What is SMART Scale?
Smart Scale is a state-wide competitive funding program for transportation projects in Virginia. It is about picking the right transportation projects for funding and ensuring the best use of limited tax dollars.
How are the project’s selected?
Virginia’s SMART Scale process includes five overarching steps, as identified in the figure below. Transportation projects are scored based on an objective process that is transparent to the public and allows decision makers to be held accountable to taxpayers. Once projects are scored and prioritized, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) has the best information possible to select the right projects for funding.
Has Powhatan County ever applied for SMART Scale Funding before?
Powhatan has been successful in receiving millions in state funding with no local match in prior rounds. These projects include the widening of 711 (which is now complete), intersection improvements to Huguenot Springs and Wool Ridge Road at Route 711 (which is currently in the right-of-way acquisition phase), and improvements to Jude’s Ferry Road at Route 60 (which will go into the engineering and design phase soon).
The Department of Community Development requests that applicants wishing to seek rezoning or conditional use permit approval host a neighborhood meeting prior to submission of an application. These pre-application neighborhood meetings are organized by the applicant and are intended to inform owners and occupants of nearby lands about a proposed development application. They also provide an opportunity for the applicant to receive initial comments, concerns, and inquiries about the proposal.
Neighborhood meetings are required for all rezoning applications and are encouraged for many conditional use permit applications.
As the department is made aware of them,
upcoming neighborhood meetings will be displayed below:
Please contact the Department of Community Development at 804-598-5621 with any questions.