What should be the minimum size for a rural lot? How much land should you need in order to buy a house? That answer varies in Charlotte County. If you’re in the General Residential District, you just need 1.5 acres. In order to follow the rules in the Village Center, it’s 1 acre. The problem is that 96% of Charlotte County is in the Agricultural District, where the current rules say lots must be a minimum of 3 acres. And for a county struggling to bring in younger residents, that can create an issue.

And so, over the last seven months, this proposal to reduce lot sizes in the Agricultural District has bounced back and forth between the board of supervisors and the planning commission. The latest version was approved by the planning commission in their November meeting and now comes for a hearing during the supervisors’ meeting this week. Under the proposal, you would need just two acres in General Agricultural for a family subdivision lot. 

Currently, Charlotte County does have the highest minimum rural lot requirement in the region. Prince Edward County’s Agricultural Conservation District calls for a 1.5 acre minimum requirement. In Appomattox it’s just 1 acre, while in Mecklenburg, there’s practically no requirement at all, with just a .69 acre requirement if the land is not served by public water and sewer. If it is served by public water and sewer, then the requirement is even smaller, coming in at .34 of an acre. The closest to Charlotte County is Lunenburg, which has a 1 acre requirement if served by public water and sewer, with a 2 acre requirement if not.

A problem with aging residents

The issue gets raised because of the current and future projections, as far as population growth go. In 2010, Charlotte County had 12,586 residents. But by 2020, that number had dropped down to 11,529. Now, a new study from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service projects that Charlotte will see more losses over the next 26 years.

The Weldon Cooper Center’s projections expect that population to drop to 10,322 people in 2030, 9,705 in 2040 and 9,234 by 2050. It’s also already a much older population than some others in the region. A total of 18.7% of Charlotte County residents were 65 or older in 2010. By 2022, that number had jumped to 22.8% and it continues to rise.

Reducing the minimum lot size, county officials hope, will help entice young professionals and young families to move to Charlotte County. 

Also this week, supervisors will discuss reducing the minimum lot frontage required to 200 feet in the General Agricultural Zoning District, as well as increasing the minimum lot size required in the Village Center section to 1.5 acres. Currently, residents need a frontage of at least 275 feet in General Agricultural. 

When will the rural lot discussion happen? 

The lot size discussion will take place during the board’s regular meeting, set for Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. That’ll be held at the County Administration Building, located at 250 Legrand Avenue in Charlotte Court House.