Floyd County Board supervisors approved changes in how land can be divided, in hopes of generating more housing in the rural county.
Last month, the board voted four to one to repeal its subdivision ordinance and replace it with a new land division ordinance, which allows subdivisions of up to 10 lots along private roads. The previous ordinance restricted subdivisions to parcels of land along public roads, and included requirements for surveying and percolation testing for soil drainage.
The county began considering changes to the ordinance in 2019. After years of consideration and debate, the new draft was released earlier this year. It loosened and streamlined the previous ordinance with the intention of maintaining the county's rural character while addressing a perceived need for more housing.
The county's population has remained relatively level since 2010 even as housing prices have soared and a Floyd community Facebook group is full of posts from people looking for places to rent or buy.
Some residents have been wary of changes to the subdivision ordinance, worrying that loosening restrictions would open the door to rampant development.
In the discussion before the vote in November, Indian Valley supervisor Kalinda Bechtold has been critical of the process, and said she's still worried about the availability of water in the county, but ultimately voted for the changes.
"I believe we need to move forward to get it done. The current land division ordinance is not reasonable. It's not functional truly on a line by line basis."
Courthouse supervisor Jerry Boothe said the changes should allow residents to make decisions about what to do with their property.
"While it may not be perfect, I think it's way ahead of what we have in helping citizens that want to develop their property versus having to turn it over to a developer."
The new ordinance takes effect on January 1.
