A recent project to educate Sterling Park residents about zoning laws does not mean the number of complaints about zoning violations — or violations themselves — will drop, the Loudoun zoning office said Wednesday.
The high turnover in the county means the six-month program, which ended last month, did not reach new residents, said county zoning enforcement manager Keith Fairfax.
“Yes, people are more educated now, but there are many houses that have been vacated,” he said. “At least the owners that remained in the area know our ordinances. Now that the program stopped, I wonder if people will continue to violate zoning ordinances.”
Zoning officials checked houses along North Argone Avenue and Williamsburg Road in Sterling Park for violations starting in January. The board also held two meetings Jan. 10 — one in English and one in Spanish — to teach residents what is and is not permitted on their property under county zoning laws.
The county also sent letters to all residents on the two streets and held meetings at Parkview High School in Sterling, saidFairfax.
There were 674 zoning complaints reported from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, and 571 reported from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008.
Sixty-five percent of the county’s zoning and overcrowding complaints this year came from Sterling, Fairfax said.
The numbers for 2008 are expected to be higher once the data from the proactive initiative project have been calculated, Fairfax said. The Family Services Office also transferred 133 violations to the zoning department, which were shifted to the data for 2009.
Owners of affordable dwelling units must return affidavits to the Family Services Office stating that they have not sold, leased, deeded or refinanced their property above the affordable value after buying a home, said affordable dwelling unit program manager Shelita Adams.
“Failure to complete the form is a civil violation,” she said.
Though the majority of these affidavits are properly returned, the violation is turned over to the zoning department if they are not, Adams said.
