Protecting & Preserving the County’s Character

The Louisa County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors use the Louisa County Comprehensive Plan or "2040 Plan" to guide future land-use decisions for responsible development. 

What is the 2040 Plan?

The Louisa County 2040 Plan contains many approaches to protecting and preserving the County’s rural character, including a thorough review of designated growth areas and updates based on detailed future needs analyses, trends and projections. 

The 2040 Plan amplifies its Vision Statement: “We strengthen our sense of community by providing resources for residents, promoting agriculture and forestry, ensuring environmental stewardship, establishing reasonable growth areas, and maintaining our rural character.” The eight supporting goals are:

  • Manage growth by concentrating development activity
  • Encourage high quality development 
  • Maximize returns on the investment of public resources
  • Preserve and protect our rural heritage and natural resources
  • Encourage open space retention
  • Safeguard historic resources 
  • Maintain community characteristics
  • Ensure compatibility between land uses

Public Input

The 2040 Plan is a product of multiple public meetings and is a reflection of input from the community. For each growth area, the core Community Consensus are emphasized:   

  • Controlled or managed growth through planning is a priority 
  • Ensure an adequate and quality water supply 
  • Continue using growth areas to manage growth
  • Preserve or protect county rural areas from new development

What are the Designated Growth Areas?

The 2040 Plan repeatedly emphasizes using growth areas to manage growth. The bolded text above illustrates at a high-level how the County will allow for growth while keeping rural areas rural. See the designated growth areas below. 

Louisa-map---future-land-use 

1. Town of Louisa
2. Town of Mineral
3. Zion Crossroads
4. Ferncliff
5. Gordonsville
6. Shannon Hill
7. Gum Springs
8. Lake Anna

Transportation 

Many of the designated growth areas have a close proximity to the interstate. Not only is this intended to fulfill business needs, but is intended to largely reduce thru traffic in the County.