Loudoun Prime Farmland Soils Cluster Option

<div><a href='https://logis.loudoun.gov/Loudoun/metadata/prime_farmland_soils.htm' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>See Metadata</a></div><div><br /></div>ZOAM-2020-0002, Prime Agricultural Soils and Cluster Subdivision was adopted in June 2024, with an effective date of March 12, 2025, resulted in the amendment ordinances and revised regulations to improved cluster developments and use of prime agricultural soils in the Rural AR-1 and AR-2 Zoning Districts of the Rural Policy Area. The design of clustered residential development will be improved by incorporating natural features, protecting and conserving agriculturally productive prime agriculture soils, allowing for equine and rural economy uses, and further implementing the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan with respect to clustered residential development in order to guide all future cluster subdivision applications in the Rural North (AR-1) and Rural South (AR-2) Zoning Districts of the Rural Policy Area.As part of the ZOAM's approval, 15 soil types were identified as Prime Farmland Soils. They include the following soils types; 3A, 13B, 17B, 23B, 28B, 31B, 43B, 45B, 55B, 71B, 76B, 90B, 93B, 94B, 95B.   All of these soil types are also currently identified as Prime Soils in the current Interpretive Guide to the use of Soils Maps; Loudoun County, VA, which further describes the soil mapping units within the Loudoun County Soils layer.  The Interpretive Guide also identifies 3 other soil types as Prime Farmland Soils (17C, 70B, 70C) but for the purpose of this adopted ZOAM are not considered part of the new Prime Farmland Soils (Cluster Subdivision Option).This map shows, in small scale, a subset of the information contained on the individual detailed soil maps for Loudoun County by identifying the soil types that are considered Prime Farmland Soils (Cluster Subdivision Option). Because of its small scale and general soil descriptions, it is not suitable for planning small areas or specific sites, but it does present a general picture of soils in the County, and can show large areas generally suited to a particular kind of agriculture or other special land use. For more detailed and specific soils information, please refer to the detailed soils maps and other information available from the County Soil Scientist. Digital data consists of mapping units of the various soil types found in Loudoun County, Virginia. The data were collected by digitizing manuscript maps derived from USDA soil maps and supplemented by both field work and geological data. Field work for the soil survey was first conducted between 1947 and 1952. Soils were originally shown at the scale of 1:15840 and then redrafted by the County soil scientist to 1:12000; the data were redrafted a final time to fit Loudoun County's base map standard of 1:2400. Although the current data rely heavily on the original soil survey, there have been extensive field checks and alterations to the soil map based on current soil concepts and land use. The data are updated as field site inspections or interpretation changes occur.

Tags: environmental, farmland, open-data, planning, prime-soils, zoam, zoning
Organization: Loudoun County, Virginia