Pursuant to the Code of Virginia, § 15.2-2280 et seq., the Town of Abingdon, Virginia, is given the authority to classify and regulate land development under its jurisdiction.

Pursuant to the Code of Virginia, § 15.2-2240, et seq., the Town of Abingdon, Virginia, is authorized to adopt regulations to assure the orderly subdivision of land and its development.

Provide for adequate light, air, convenience of access and safety from fire, flood, impounding structure failure, crime, and other dangers;

Reduce or prevent congestion in the public streets;

Facilitate the creation of a convenient, attractive, and harmonious community;

Facilitate the provision of adequate police and fire protection, disaster evacuation, civil defense, transportation, water, sewerage, flood protection, schools, parks, forests, playgrounds, recreational facilities, airports, and other public requirements;

Protect against destruction of, or encroachment upon, historic areas and working waterfront development areas;

Protect against one or more of the following: overcrowding of land, undue density of population in relation to the community facilities existing or available, obstruction of light and air, danger and congestion in travel and transportation, or loss of life, health or property from fire, flood, impounding structure failure, panic or other dangers;

Encourage economic development activities that provide desirable employment and enlarge the tax base;

Provide for the preservation of agricultural and forestal lands and other lands of significance for the protection of the natural environment;

Protect the approach slopes and other safety areas of licensed airports, including United States government and military air facilities;

Promote the creation and preservation of affordable housing suitable for meeting the current and future needs of the Town, as well as a reasonable proportion of the current and future needs of the planning district within which the Town is located;

Provide reasonable protection against encroachment upon military bases, military installations, and military airports and their adjacent safety areas, excluding armories operated by the Virginia National Guard;

Provide reasonable modifications in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990[1] or state and federal fair housing laws, as applicable;

Protect surface water and ground water as defined in the Code of Virginia, § 62.1-255, as amended;

Establish standards and procedures for the orderly division, subdivision and resubdivision of lots, tracts and parcels of land for residential and commercial purposes pursuant to the Code of Virginia, § 15.2-2240 et. seq., as amended;

Ensure proper legal description and proper monumenting of subdivided land;

Ensure the purchasers of lots, tracts, and parcels of land purchase a commodity that is suitable for the intended use; and

Provide standards for development, ensuring appropriate ingress, egress, public facilities, services, and utilities.

Pursuant to the Code of Virginia, § 15.2-2281, the provisions of this chapter shall apply to all property within the incorporated territory of the Town of Abingdon, Virginia, with the exception that any property held in fee simple ownership and used by the United States of America or the Commonwealth of Virginia shall not be subject to the provisions contained herein.

Pursuant to the Code of Virginia, § 15.2-2284, the zoning regulations and districts as herein set forth have been drawn with reasonable consideration for the existing use and character of property, the Comprehensive Plan, the suitability of properties for various uses, the trends of growth or change, the current and future requirements of the community as to land for various purposes as determined by population and economic studies and other studies, the transportation requirements of the community, and the requirements for airports, housing, schools, parks, playgrounds, recreation areas, and other public services, and the conservation of natural resources, the preservation of floodplains, the protection of life and property from impounding structure failures, the preservation of agriculture and forestal land, the conservation of properties and their values, and the encouragement of the most appropriate use of land throughout the Town.

The Director of Community Development or designee shall interpret this chapter based upon the following criteria:

The Zoning Map associated with this text and showing the division of the territory into districts shall be interpreted with the following rules when uncertainty exists with respect to the boundaries of any of the districts:

Where figures are contained in this chapter, they are provided for demonstrative purposes only and are not a substantive part of this chapter.

If any section of this chapter incorporates by reference any state statute or regulation, then the chapter incorporates future amendments of the state statute or regulation.