TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Guiding Principles
• Maps
• County Administration
• Conservation
• Transportation
• Utilities
• Recreation
• Housing
• Crime
• Land Use
• Education
• Boundaries

1. Franklin County is updating its comprehensive plan of 1995. Seeking input from the public, the Planning Department held a series of meetings during the summer of 2005. In response, here is a series of comments to consider in revising the plan.
   
   

   GUIDING PRINCIPLES

2. A comprehensive plan is intended to balance the various needs of a community, so that no sector of the economy outstrips the others. Major alterations to the plan require adjustment of other portions to compensate. Otherwise, residents may run out of housing, employment opportunities, goods, seats in school, recreational facilities, fresh air, or scenery to enjoy; businesses may run out of labor or customers; rescue services may run short of personnel; roads may clog with traffic; sewage plants may overflow; or the tax base may prove insufficient to support community facilities. It makes little sense for the county to adopt a plan, only to ignore it when zoning decisions arise. Acting without regard for the future sets the stage for blight.
   
   
3. Some of the changes in Franklin County in the past decade have taken a different turn than expected in 1995. Trying to meet the needs Franklin County had 11 years ago would be a somewhat anachronistic exercise. Today's planning is most relevant to the real world when it addresses the current state of Franklin County instead of a wish list from the past.
   
   
4. The revised planning document will need a table of contents, to make it easy to find the section one wants.
   
   

   MAPS

5. An additional display map is needed at <http://franklincountyva.org/comp_plan_maps.htm> to show depth to water table.
   
   
6. An additional display map is needed at <http://franklincountyva.org/comp_plan_maps.htm> to show all public services and utilities: post office locations and boundaries, firehouses and their coverage areas, rescue squads and their coverage areas, water towers and their service areas, and telephone exchanges.
   
   
7. The map at <http://franklincountyva.org/images/Historic_Resources.pdf> should mention all known significant historic sites, whether or not federally listed. Local government can use its own powers of perception to interpret local conditions, rather than relying entirely on the federal government to tell it what it should see and not see.
   
   
8. A change is needed in the legend of the "Map of Franklin County, VA / 2000 Commuting Patterns / by Place of Residence (Out-Commuters)" that was displayed at the community input meetings. Place of employment, not residence, is shown.
   
   

   COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

9. Research can shed light on whether the levels of service needed to cope with development in various portions of Franklin County will best be served by county taxes, user fees, taxing districts, or town taxes. To be thorough, a study would have to assess the probable long-term effects of each option under a range of economic forecasts.
   
   
10. In theory, the Board of Supervisors has considerable power to anticipate and direct development of Franklin County. Unfortunately, the Board falls short of its potential in formulating policy, because too much time is consumed weeding through the details of land use permits. Adequate research, analysis, and alternate design ought to be completed by staff and reported to the Board. The Board should not even be handed an application until the impacts on natural and cultural resources, wildlife, health, transportation, employment, education, crime, comfort of neighbors, and the real estate market are assessed and reported. Regulations should be clearly written, so that administrators can determine on the basis of the Franklin County Code whether a project conforms to or departs from established policy, and so advise the Board. If staffing proves inadequate to gather and prepare all the information pertinent to a decision, student interns are available and should be utilized.
    
    
11. To encourage and ensure professionalism in government administration, Franklin County employees should be screened by means of civil service examinations before being hired or promoted.
    
    
12. Franklin County should publish an annual audit by an independent accountant who does no other business with Franklin County, to make sure tax money is being used properly and efficiently.
    
    
13. Offices that issue permits should serve as lead agencies for waterway protection. Without coordination, it is too easy for a homeowner to get a building permit and start construction without realizing that a separate permit is needed from another level of government. Rather than leaving people unaware that their building permits may be useless, Franklin County should check to see that all other approvals are forthcoming before issuing a permit.
    
    
14. County records should be made easy for the public to find and consult. While the files are viewable, they can be cumbersome to locate and retrieve. Although current deeds can be found through real estate maps, those of past generations depend on reference from subsequent deeds or names of owners; omission or ambiguity makes it difficult to find the deed that covered a given spot of land on a given date. The lack of a tracking system for planning applications makes it difficult for the staff or the public to trace the permits applying a given parcel or neighborhood, estimate the amount of land in development, locate files requested by category or characteristic, or compare statistics of different times and places. Election reports previous to 1999 lack essential information, such as full names of candidates, names of precincts where votes were cast, and precinct boundary maps or descriptions. The courthouse has minutes of the Board of Supervisors only up to 1991, with indexing only in the volumes themselves. The Geographic Information System lists some parcels in the magisterial districts of 1987, which Franklin County supposedly abandoned. Past versions of county ordinances are not easily referenced from the current code. Any and all of this information can be summarized, updated, digitized, even uploaded to the Internet, at great benefit to the public, if Franklin County chooses to do so.
    
    
15. Because of the need for long-term decisions at top levels of government to anticipate the future, the county administrator and supervisors should hear directly from the Planning Department, without filtration through another level of management.
    
    
16. There should be an index of applications and a service counter or window to allow the Planning Department to provide information to the public more efficiently.
    
    
17. Any map or plan required of an applicant should conform to a standard architectural or engineering scale. Drawings in nonstandard scales can hide stretched or compressed dimensions.
    
    
18. Instead of automatically accruing to a law enforcement agency, as provided in Franklin County Code Section 23-1 (b), unclaimed personal property should be available to the agency that can make best use of it.
    
    
19. Some counties (e.g.,Fairfax, Montgomery) allow their election districts to depart from their magisterial districts; others keep the lines the same. In 1991, Franklin County separated the two sets of lines (with Resolution #37-04-91, that changed election districts, not magisterial), only to bring them back together later. Allowing the magisterial district lines to vary from election districts might be a useful step in extending zoning to selected communities. Franklin County might consider whether its practice of scheduling in gubernatorial years elections in the districts that straddle Virgil H. Goode Highway (US 220) contributes to democracy, or whether two-year terms would be preferable (perhaps with one or two board seats at-large).
    
    
20. Franklin County should try to keep the meaning of public communication, in documents and at meetings, clear to citizens. Where acronyms are used, they should be clearly defined.
    
    
21. Facilities of adequate size to accommodate attendees should be used for all public meetings. The meeting room in the courthouse already overflows, forcing some people to stand in the hall, where they cannot see or hear participants. A larger auditorium with proper acoustic design is needed for public hearings.
    
    
22. Time permitting, any series of meetings seeking public input should be spread out over several months, rather than being limited to one season during which many residents may be away from the county.
    
    
23. Franklin County should protect the right to vote and the integrity of the votes cast, by providing straightforward voting equipment and a verifiable paper trail for accurate counts and recounts. There is reason to doubt that the anticipated computerized voting machines will function as well as the mechanical booths we have used for decades. Instead of quickly viewing all the levers at the same time and flipping them at will, the voter must wait for each screen to change before moving on to the next. Although depressed levers provide a visual cue, the changing screens temporarily obscure choices already made. Programming errors will become difficult for local election officials to detect or correct. Sabotage which leaves visible evidence on a mechanical device often leaves no trace on a computer. Lost votes and altered tallies have been reported in several states, sporadic in some areas, systematic in others. Any precinct that switches to electronic voting will need room for queues, more parking spaces, and adequate rest rooms. If new, unproven, untrustworthy technology is introduced, success cannot be assumed, so funds should be budgeted to open the polls for revotes.
    
    

    CONSERVATION

24. Devising a conservation plan requires more information than has been provided at the series of public meetings. Air pockets and currents should be mapped and analyzed. The effect of climate change (both global and of local origin) on wildlife and the habitability of locations must be anticipated. Forest location and quality must be known. Any toxic plumes (including leaks from fuel tanks) must be identified and quantified.
    
    
25. Mountain peaks, views, and soil need protection. To prevent erosion, disturbance of slopes must be discouraged. The Residential Estates (RE) District is appropriate for most steep slopes, if incentives are added to cluster or to transfer rights to flatter land. The current ban on use of overly deep lots in Franklin County Code Section 25-194 seems to encourage development and paving on rough terrain.
    
    
26. To protect the rural character and appearance of Franklin County, as well as the agricultural contribution to the economy, Franklin County needs a zoning provision that allows transfer of development rights (TDR) by special permit. Farmers would be encouraged to transfer their development rights to appropriate target areas rather than building on their fields and pastures.
    
    
27. One way to promote the survival of agriculture is through stabilization of soil. Soil is more useful on farms than in streams. Silt deposits are altering the Blackwater River. Eventually, even the lakes will fill with sediment. The plan lacks an estimated time line for sedimentation and remedial measures. Franklin County should encourage no-till farming, which can retain both soil and carbon, helping delay global warming.
    
    
28. Adding provisions to the Franklin County Zoning Ordinance to encourage transfer of development rights (TDR) and clustering, applying to surface and air rights, would help promote the preservation of historic landmarks.
    
    
29. Strict control of tree clearing is needed, especially on slopes and in sensitive watersheds (including stream banks). The tree canopy has value as scenery, as a heat sink on summer days, as seasonal shade from harsh sunlight, and as a habitat for bird and beast. To make sure the public can enjoy these benefits, appropriate portions of the Land Clearing and Tree Protection Ordinance of Savannah, Georgia can be adapted for inclusion in the Franklin County Code.
    
    
30. To benefit Franklin County's appearance and tax base, there should be architectural review of building permits that are likely to have an effect on the value of proximate parcels or the community at large.
    
    
31. Every effort should be made to preserve the Iroquois Trail for posterity and tourism.
    
    
32. Although the policy of requiring septic systems for marinas is good, connecting them to sewage treatment would be better.
    
    

    TRANSPORTATION

33. Minimum right-of-way should be increased to at least 60 feet on collector roads, 80 feet on arterial roads, 100 feet on state highways, and 250 feet on U.S. highways. In addition, front yard setbacks should anticipate the need to re-align and straighten roads. Development plans should anticipate the need for mass transit corridors and passenger access.
    
    
34. Directing development to sites where adequate road capacity can be provided at minimal cost (based on VDOT data and other sources) can reduce public expense of constant road improvement.
    
    
35. Franklin County can employ Code of Virginia Section 15.2-2233 to map future streets in the optimum locations on an official map before development forecloses options, assuring traffic safety, circulation, and access to landlocked parcels.
    
    
36. Traffic safety can be enhanced by minimizing points of conflict on arterial roads and collector streets, as in Roanoke County's Public Street/Parking Design Standards and Specifications, Sections 200.05 and 200.06. If a driveway must enter a main road, it needs a turnaround loop or wye so that drivers need not back across the sidewalk and into or out of traffic.
    
    
37. To provide efficient traffic circulation, through streets and tap streets leading to adjacent undeveloped parcels are needed in subdivisions, as mandated in the Code of Virginia, Section 15.2-2241, as required in Franklin County's Subdivision Ordinance of 1961, as reflected in the Bedford County Code Sections 6.4, 6.10, and 6.13, as well as Roanoke County's Public Street/Parking Design Standards and Specifications, Sections 200.02, 200.03, and 200.11. The active discouragement of connection between residential districts in Franklin County Code Sections 25-309(1) and 25-310(2) must yield to the need for circulation of local traffic, vehicular and non-vehicular. A bonus allowing a density increase on any minor street proximate to intersections that can disperse traffic would make more sense. Landlocked parcels need access from adjoining development; the City of Danville provides for tap streets in its Subdivision Regulations, Article 4: B. 1. a. ix.
    
    
38. New developers ought to use existing minor streets where they are sufficient. Encouragement to add redundant streets must be removed from these sections of the Franklin County Zoning Ordinance: 25-224(a)(1)d; 25-224(a)(2)e; 25-237(a)(1)d; 25-237(a)(2)e; 25-269(a)(1)d; and 25-269(a)(2)e.
    
    
39. Subdivision review can determine the location of streets, parks, and conservation easements for centuries to come. The Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors spend much of their time considering permits for individual cell phone antennas, while never seeing subdivisions that fix Franklin County's geography and transportation network for a century or more. Subdivision applications should be advertised seeking public comment. Decisions should be weighed by the Planning Commission, freeing the Planning Department from its ministerial role to assume a posture of public advocacy.
    
    
40. Sight distance should be provided across every corner of every intersection and across the inner edge of tight curves on roads.
    
    
41. All public roads need pavement, including remaining portions of Red Valley Road (Route 657), Mountain Valley Road (Route 682), and Bonbrook Road (Route 691).
    
    
42. Dependence on a single access route creates a risk that residents and emergency vehicles will be stranded by a storm or vehicular incident. To limit risk, dead-end streets should be limited to service 25 dwellings and to a maximum length of 1,250 feet, as provided in Botetourt County Code section 21-134 (g). (Franklin County's Subdivision Ordinance of 1961 imposed a limit of 400 feet to the beginning of the turnaround.) The density bonus for dead-ending streets must be removed from these sections of the Franklin County Zoning Ordinance: 25-224(a)(1)d; 25-237(a)(1)d; and 25-269(a)(1)d. The lot width bonus for dead-ending streets must be removed from these sections of the Franklin County Zoning Ordinance: 25-194(a)(5); 25-224(a)(2)e; 25-237(a)(2)e; and 25-269(a)(2)e.
    
    
43. The creation of Smith Mountain Lake eliminated some bridges from the road network, leaving deficiencies in access that have not been addressed. If Scruggs Road (Route 616) becomes blocked between Lovely Valley Road (Route 833) and Bremble Drive (Route 667), it will be impossible to get to and from 1,605-1,698 homes (along roads resembling an oak leaf pattern). If Kemp Ford Road (Route 945) becomes blocked between Berger Loop (Route 661) & Standiford Road (Route 938), it will be impossible to get to and from 566-657 homes (along streets resembling a maple leaf pattern). These neighborhoods with single access routes compromise emergency response, as well as forcing service vehicles to double back on their routes. Additional access is needed to provide detours around choke points, wherever they occur. All land distant from through roads should be rezoned to Residential Estates (RE) District, with the possibility of special permits for greater density if adequate access is provided.
    
    
44. It would benefit Franklin County to participate in an assessment of the prospect of extending Roanoke River Parkway to the vicinity of Smith Mountain Lake.
    
    
45. Windy Gap should be studied to see if a traffic tunnel would improve safety.
    
    
46. For those of us who live near Windy Gap, the trip to nearby Explore Park is circuitous. An interchange with the Blue Ridge Parkway would help.
    
    
47. Boones Mill needs a bypass that will alleviate traffic jams without increasing runoff into the business district.
    
    
48. For safety, a bypass is needed around the Skelt Mountain grade of the Virgil H. Goode Highway (US 220).
    
    
49. Interstate 73 should avoid Franklin County. Traffic between South Carolina and Michigan can find a shorter route.
    
    
50. The current proposal for Interstate 73 shows the highway running up the side of Skelt Mountain. Would this routing place a steep grade on a truck route? Would it involve reshaping the mountain?
    
    
51. Spot improvements are needed to intersections along Booker T. Washington Highway (VA 122) north of Burnt Chimney, where turning vehicles block through traffic. To the extent possible, the trees along the road near Gills Creek should be spared.
    
    
52. Development near the Hales Ford Bridge must take into account the bridge's capacity and the effect of delays, braking, and stacking on safety and the life of the bridge. It makes more sense to maximize capacity of the two lanes of the existing Hales Ford Bridge than to create intersections at the end of the bridge that impede through traffic.
    
    
53. Through traffic flow can be promoted by extending Market Place Drive in Rocky Mount beyond the Kroger supermarket, providing an alternate route to Wal-Mart and Lowe's.
    
    
54. A block four miles long and less than one and a half miles wide, between Eton Road (Route 634), Hardy Road (Route 676), and Edwardsville Road (Route 678) can be shortened by connecting Call Lane with Thacker Lane and connecting Meadow Drive (Route 1535) with other streets around the block. (Franklin County's Subdivision Ordinance of 1961 limited blocks to 1,200 feet in length.)
    
    
55. Lining up the dogleg between Timber Ridge Road (Route 634) & Colonial Turnpike (Route 718) in Glade Hill would reduce the number of turns involving Old Franklin Turnpike (VA 40).
    
    
56. The Burnt Chimney dogleg that creates turning movements on Booker T. Washington Highway (VA 116) can be relieved by extending Burnt Chimney Road (Route 670) northward to meet Jubal Anderson Early Valley Highway (VA 116).
    
    
57. The sharp turns and doglegs that impede vehicular traffic on Franklin Street (VA 40) in downtown Rocky Mount should be eased or bypassed. (Although mentioned in the document, no such bypass appears on the display map.)
    
    
58. Confined to a single lane, through southbound traffic on Main Street (US 200 BUS) in Rocky Mount is often delayed by vehicles waiting to turn left on Pell Avenue (VA 40). This intersection needs to be redesigned. Because of the grade approaching the intersection and the dogleg between Franklin Street (VA 40) and Pell Avenue (VA 40), a grade separation is one possibility to consider.
    
    
59. Although it omits Eton Road (Route 634), Boones Mill Road (Route 684), Alean Road (Route 687), and Taylors Road (Route 691), the base map used for display shows Mt. Airy Road (Route 635) as a through road of importance. In fact, the connection between Mt. Airy Road (Route 635) and Pheasant Run Road (Route 635) has been neglected and even trashed, rendering it impassible. This appears to be a remnant of a road that once connected the Blackwater and Roanoke Rivers, including Bonbrook Road, Mt. Airy Road, Pheasant Run Road, part of Edwardsville Road, part of Coopers Cove Road, part of Hardy Road, part of Moorman Road, and Booth Road (all Route 635). Making this road safe for hikers, if not drivers, can save it from becoming a dump for tires or hazardous waste.
    
    
60. Even where off-street parking provides adequate capacity, some on-street parking is needed so that visitors do not block each other's cars, necessitating a noisy and obtrusive shuffling procedure every time one leaves a gathering in a residence.
    
    
61. To wean people from the gas pump, a network of walkways and bikeways should cross the county, accessible by foot, wheelchair, and bicycle from every building. Alean Road (Route 687), between Bonbrook Mill Road (Route 635) and Boones Mill Road (Route 684), with its equestrian traffic, is appropriate for inclusion. Sidewalks are needed along major roads, in business districts, and near schools. Hiking paths are needed along lakes, streams, and railroads.
    
    
62. Restoration of passenger rail service to Boones Mill, Wirtz, Rocky Mount, Ferrum, and Henry, can bring Franklin County commuters to Roanoke and Martinsville. The Franklin & Pittsylvania Railroad grade between Rocky Mount and Gretna should be restored to use. Stations that have fallen into disuse deserve preservation, especially the landmark Union Hall depot. A new rail line will be needed from Rocky Mount, crossing the Roanoke River, to Moneta and Bedford.
    
    
63. Franklin County should join with other counties to study expansion of an existing airstrip in Bedford County that can serve Smith Mountain Lake.
    
    
64. A million cars and trucks on the road are able to use fuel with an ethanol content of up to 85%. Ethanol (grain alcohol) seized by law enforcement agencies should be sold as fuel, to offset fossil fuel consumption, rather than wasting it.
    
    
65. A more rational and equitable tax policy is needed. Although the personal property tax is supposed to be assigned on the basis of value, I am billed $2.79 per year for a Sevylor boat that I bought new in 1991 for about $30. After 11 years, I will have paid Franklin County the entire value of the boat. Such a high rate of taxation must discourage residents from acquiring inexpensive means of transportation.
    
    

    UTILITIES

66. Large subdivisions should include land for public facilities, including parks, schools, and highway yards as provided in Franklin County Code Section 19-141. To avoid proximity to heavy through vehicular traffic, elementary schools are best located away from main highways (unlike high schools, which are heavy traffic generators).
    
    
67. Coordination of development patterns with present and future location of firehouses and rescue squads can promote fast response.
    
    
68. As community growth and demographic change reduce the base of volunteers, the cost of hiring professional emergency responders should be weighed against any benefit to the tax base.
    
    
69. The purchase and consequential cost of new fire equipment should be borne by development that makes it necessary. The community should not have to absorb the cost of a cherry-picker and its garage, required to protect one or two tall buildings.
    
    
70. To protect surface water from contamination, the green boxes south of Wirtz should be moved farther from the Blackwater River than stormwater can travel above ground.
    
    
71. Recycling boxes are needed at more locations, so residents won't have to burn a gallon of gasoline to deposit a few pounds of soda bottles.
    
    
72. Water and sewer systems should be required only where they will be economical. If lots are too large and houses far apart, the cost of pipe may exceed the benefit. Any requirement for subdividers to provide common water and sewers must reflect the increase in development potential that water mains and sewer pipes can bring to R-1 and R-2 districts.
    
    
73. Where Franklin County causes homes to connect to a common water or sewer system, it should promote the continuity of that system. It is pointless for Franklin County to encourage subdivisions to include community water systems, only to let them fail decades later. Promoting continued operation can prevent health problems and save money. The decline of the Shannon Forest Water Corporation forced 58 customers to drill wells at a cost exceeding the estimate to rebuild the system to current standards. Now, there is inadequate control of the toxic manganese that used to be tested regularly and filtered out of the neighborhood's water supply. Quantity of production varies widely from house to house. For most Shannon Forest residents, the reserve capacity available during a blackout has been reduced from more than a day to less than an hour. Similar stories can be told elsewhere in the county. Although some districts are tying into the Franklin County water system, the Blue Ridge is too far away from the mains and so high that pumps would be necessary to maintain pressure. Further, water piped a long distance would almost certainly require treatment with chlorine, which is not usually necessary for mountain well water (and was only added in Shannon Forest after contamination seeped into the pipes). As chlorine is known to react with some food materials to produce carcinogens, it is not always the best way to keep bacteria out of drinking water. Where the need for it can be avoided, government should demonstrate the foresight to help residents make the most of the opportunity. That requires a policy sensitive to conditions that vary widely between locations.
    
    
74. Franklin County should explore various water sources, rather than relying so heavily on the Roanoke River. The intake is located downstream of various pollution sources and a sewage plant that may malfunction. Availability may be compromised in a drought, before mountain wells are affected.
    
    
75. Radio and television reception in the mountains suffers from shadows, ghosts, and snow. Repeaters are needed to provide a strong signal to all parts of Franklin County. Appropriate locations should be found to optimize the signal while minimizing visual, safety, and health impacts.
    
    
76. Post office service boundaries encroach on some established or developing communities. The Wirtz post office, housed in Burnt Chimney, delivers to only a few blocks in Wirtz. A substation in the Westlake overlay sits near the point where three zip codes meet.
    
    

    RECREATION

77. Greenbelts should cross the county, providing opportunity for wildlife migration and passive recreation.
    
    
78. As land along rivers and streams is developed, easements should be obtained for access and trails. The ''Allemansret'' or "Everymans's Right" to walk freely in nature should apply to undeveloped land.
    
    
79. Parks should be available to everyone in Franklin County, not just residents. Just as Franklin County residents who spend time in Roanoke can visit the parks, workers and tourists in Franklin County should be able to recreate at their convenience.
    
    
80. The opportunity for outdoor recreation is needed on all residential lots, so that sedentary adults and children get sufficient exercise. Covenants that prohibit recreation in one's own yard are harmful to health and should be prohibited by law.
    
    

    HOUSING

81. The countryside can be preserved by concentrating housing in village centers, rather than spreading it evenly across the county. Franklin County needs the tools to accomplish this, including transfer of development rights (TDR) and a wider variety of residential zoning categories.
    
    

    CRIME

82. Landscaping requirements should not compromise safety. Making parking and commercial grounds visible from the business, accessory dwelling, and road deters criminals and promotes detection of crime.
    
    
83. Franklin County and its neighbors should assess the need for a police district for patrol of all of Smith Mountain Lake.
    
    
84. Activities associated with crime, including drug sales, prostitution, and gambling, should be banned from residential and retail zoning where children spend their time. Stiff fines should be levied against the landowner for each violation. (Legitimate pharmacies and lottery vendors can obtain special permits to operate in business districts.) Criminal enforcement can only catch a few perpetrators in the act while others continue. Issuing zoning citations to property owners of record is easier, requiring only proof that the land is being used in an unlawful way.
    
    

    LAND USE

85. The entire county needs zoning to prevent the juxtaposition of incompatible uses.
    
    
86. Any detrimental nonconforming use should be phased out over a reasonable time. If a nonconforming structure is damaged beyond half its value, rebuilding should be prohibited (instead of allowed under Franklin County Code Section 25-166).
    
    
87. To encourage the preservation of open space (farmland, woodland, slopes, waterways, wetlands) and landmarks through clustering and transfer of development rights (TDR), regulations should allow decrease of lot size and setbacks, as long as net yield and building envelopes are not increased beyond the intention of the district maximums. Lots should not be so small as to lose their ability to provide water and sewage disposal.
    
    
88. No estimate of the current zoned capacity of Franklin County appears in public records. One house on each of the county's 450,000 acres, as allowed by predominant zoning, could accommodate over a million residents. Although this county-wide figure may be unlikely, the demand for land in some communities could conceivably double their density in a decade, leading to unforeseen congestion. Rezoning can limit the rate of growth to the amount that can be feasibly handled by incremental improvement. (If the current trend of lakeside development continues, the magisterial districts will require drastic adjustment.)
    
    
89. Franklin County needs a map with standard colors or patterns in the office and available for sale, in full scale and small scale. The single zoning map now in use cannot be reliably read by half the planning staff, let alone the public. Ambiguity invites error and legal challenge (which could have cadastrophic repercussions).
    
    
90. Zoning boundaries should follow qualities of land. The current practice of rezoning entire parcels at once, based on ownership, is too rigid. Split-zoned tracts can subsequently be deeded along district lines.
    
    
91. Instead of relying on an intricate and dubious system of proffers as the way to make new development compatible with the community, Franklin County can set firm standards in the Franklin County Zoning Ordinance that will accomplish the same objectives.
    
    
92. Where possible, performance standards should have a role in Franklin County's zoning. The addition of traffic congestion, noise, glare, water consumption, and risk that result from development have more effect on its neighbors than the specific activities that take place within a building. Although measuring the quantities of externalized effects can be difficult, merely grouping uses into broad qualitative categories according to internal similarities assumes false equivalencies and can cause lists of permitted use to lag behind technological changes. The need to limit quantities is already recognized when placing conditions on special use permits. Although useful when considering individual parcels, this piecemeal approach fails to provide clear direction to the market about what Franklin County will accept or reject. To provide consistency throughout the community, performance standards should also be worked into the Zoning Ordinance and other policies that control development.
    
    
93. Franklin County should adopt precise density control, with a full range of lot sizes, as in Bedford County. A bonus can be provided for features that mitigate environmental impacts. Those tools would help Franklin County to concentrate residential development around commercial nodes. The current R-1 and R-2 districts make density flexible entirely at the builder's option, depending on how water is handled. (Air quality, noise, traffic impact, recreational resources, and school capacity are ignored.) Because there are no R-3 or R-4 districts, most of the housing in the zoned portion of Franklin County remains in the A-1 agricultural district, even in lakeside neighborhoods that have no farms left.
    
    
94. Being nearly identical in their provisions, R-1 and R-2 regulations are redundant. The only difference is that horses are allowed in one, manufactured homes in the other. As horses and manufactured homes may be compatible, the possibility of their conflict should be addressed in a more efficient manner.
    
    
95. Only the Residential Estates (RE) District provides appropriate zoning for steep mountains. It can benefit by the addition of incentives to encourage owners to cluster or to transfer rights to flatter land. Yet the current ban on use of overly deep lots in Franklin County Code Section 25-194 seems to encourage development and paving on rough terrain.
    
    
96. A limit is needed on the vertical dimension of wall signs, leaving the major portion of every wall visible.
    
    
97. Sign regulations in business districts should apply equally to all organizations, so that the regulation itself does not form a barrier to a use permitted by right. The value of land in business districts will be compromised if civic and fraternal organizations that locate there are held to different regulations from profitable businesses. If landlords are required to reduce number or size of signs when converting from a business use to a civic or religious organization, the cost of conversion may discourage renting a vacant commercial space to a civic group. If, instead, a nonprofit group has the option of conforming to the sign regulation for the district where it locates, there will be a greater market for commercial rentals without increasing the encroachment of signs into residential districts.
    
    
98. Franklin County needs to create a low-impact zoning district that will protect leaf and root crops from the threat of contamination by factory livestock farming. To keep the regulations from being negated at the state level, this new zoning category should not be listed as an agricultural district.
    
    
99. To avoid the consequences of spot zoning along rural roads, Franklin County should create a zoning district that recognizes the unique role of traditional rural businesses. Rural support businesses such as repair garages tend to be distributed across the countryside, convenient to every farm. Relying on word-of-mouth to establish a small base of loyal customers, these neighborhood businesses can thrive without garish signs typical of their counterparts on the highway. Yet the current business district regulations makes no distinction, opening the door to the type of business that should be located in a high-traffic area.
    
    
100. The Planned Commercial Development (PCD) District should be replaced with a variety of districts that are compatible with the existing scale and character of development in Franklin County. PCD gives builders a wild card for high-rises and sprawl. The larger the project, the more likely it is to choose this commercial zoning, even if most of the land will be developed for housing. PCD applications compress zoning and design in one step. Franklin County planners and other departments must analyze the design of a project without knowing how the Board of Supervisors wants the land used. By the time any decision can be made on the rezoning, a great deal of time, labor, and money has been invested working out the details of the concept plan. Denial of the rezoning, even if warranted, requires scrapping that work and starting over. Although the applicants provide proffers to make the development more palatable, Franklin County's ability to enforce them is not well-established by legal precedent. It only takes one judge to sympathize with a subsequent buyer of land and lift a covenant or condition that blocks the most profitable development. Special permits, a traditional tool to allow more intense development, are employed in reverse in PCD, to allow housing where retailing is permitted by right. Because of this quirk and the general confusion caused by the combined procedure, dense commercial and quasi-commercial development is spreading to land that was designated for suburban housing or conservation in the comprehensive plan. The public good would be better served by traditional zoning to establish the use and density, supplemented with an overlay or special permit that would allow a project to shift density and uses around the parcel to optimize aesthetics, conservation, traffic flow, and overall value. That would put Franklin County in the legally and practically strong position of zoning in agreement with the comprehensive plan before tinkering with the layout of development.
     
     
101. Appendix A of the Franklin County Code is ambiguous or worse. These are a few of the instances that need clarification:

     
     
     

     a. After the title, an editor's note says, "This PUD District Ordinance is effective only in the non-zoned districts of the county." Later, an editor's note to Article 16.1-1 says, "The PUD District encompasses the entire county." Yet Article 16.1-9 makes it clear that the district is provided only to specific parcels upon request. Whether a parcel in the zoned portion of Franklin County might be eligible for such a designation is unclear.
     
     

     b. "Accessory uses as defined in this Ordinance" are mentioned in Article 16.1-2 (8); yet the only definition of an accessory use appears elsewhere, in the Franklin County Zoning Ordinance.
     
     

     c. "Signs in accordance with Section [Article] 16.1-7 of this Ordinance" are mentioned in Article 16.1-2 (10); yet Article 16.1-7 pertains not to signs, but only to private streets.
     
     

     
     
     
102. Zoning should define limits on lot coverage, except in central business districts, to prevent excessive runoff.
     
     
103. A conflict between two height standards should be resolved or clarified. Building height is measured from grade, according to Franklin County Code Section 25-40 (definition of "height, building"). To exempt deep basements from floor area, as defined in Franklin County Code Section 25-40 (definition of "floor area"), height is measured from the top of the curb, even though curbs are rare in most of the county. In those places where curbs exist, they may be some distance above or below building entrances.
     
     
104. Although building heights in commercial areas may reach 40-70 feet, light poles are limited to a height of 35 feet. So a roof must be illuminated separately. If needed for security, special permits should be considered for higher lights that direct their beams to the building, without stray glare. A light should illuminate a neighboring lot only if the neighbor invites and can benefit from the added security, as might be true of an industrial building or a convenience store.
     
     
105. Every zoning district needs a standard for minimum combined width of both side setbacks, so that a variance affecting one side yard will not automatically enlarge the building envelope.
     
     
106. Crowding by buildings can deprive yards of air circulation and daylight. In every district, zero rear and side setbacks should require a special permit, with consent of the owner of the adjoining lot. (Subdivisions in which each house is moved to the property line, either with or without common walls, can be held to this standard.) Setbacks of more than zero but less than ten feet should be banned, because they leave narrow, poorly accessible alleys. Where alleys are created, they must provide sufficient width to accommodate emergency and service vehicles. All interior lots should have rear yards.
     
     
107. Setbacks should be required between commercial buildings and agricultural or unzoned land as a buffer between uses and to limit the effect of shadows.
     
     
108. Rather than make a choice between employing spot-zoning or recognizing nonconforming uses in locations where a mix of uses is considered compatible, at least one zoning district should allow coexistence of neighborhood businesses, single-family homes, two-family homes, home occupations, and accessory dwellings.
     
     
109. The Board of Zoning Appeals' current interpretation of Franklin County Code Sections 25-40 and 25-317 that a home occupation be operated for profit tends to discourage home-based educational, cultural, and charitable enterprises, including parsonages, classrooms, and dance studios. The definition needs clarification to place enterprises geared to public benefit on equal footing with those operated for private profit.
     
     
110. To vary the building line along the street, architectural features such as cantilevered bay windows should be permitted to extend into the required front yard.
     
     
111. The current land-use plan concentrates residential development in low-lying areas near Smith Mountain Lake, where streams tend to flood. Assessment is needed of the long-term effects of this policy, compared with alternative strategies.
     
     
112. The current land-use plan concentrates residential development west of Wirtz as far as Grassy Hill Road (Route 919). Why there? An area around the Boones Mill Elementary School has severe septic limitations.
     
     
113. Proposed industrial centers at Dudley, Gogginsville, and Campbell's Store are far from infrastructure. Two are close to streams. The industrial site in Wirtz is on the edge of septic "severe limitations". Industrial development should be steered to appropriate locations, not necessarily to current isolated industries. It should be discouraged near Smith Mountain Lake, where traffic already strains capacity.
     
     
114. Portions of the text describing "Town & Community Centers" need revision:

     
     
     

     a. The projected width of the "Smith Mountain Lake Center in the vicinity of Routes 112/670/834 (West Lake)" is too ambitious. Allowing its heavy development to come within two miles of Burnt Chimney Road (Route 670) will detract from the rural nature of the area and the value of the core of the district.
     
     

     b. At Rocky Mount, the mention of the I-83 interchange is confusing. Why would a highway that connects Baltimore and Harrisburg veer this far west?
     
     

     c. plans for Boones Mill fail to acknowledge a natural limitation. The town lies in a rain funnel: a narrow, flood-prone valley, constricted by steep slopes held together by kudzu. The goal should be to alleviate flooding, not exacerbate it. Intensive development should be directed downstream. All new impermeable surfaces should be required to retain runoff for a day after the storm ends.
     
     

115. Although the map wisely shows businesses clustering at the current Ferrum business district rather than dispersing along the roads, it is unclear how that plan can be brought to fruition without zoning.
     
     
116. The cluster of businesses along Jubal Anderson Early Valley Highway (VA 116) near the North Fork of Gills Creek appears to be as large as several rural community centers. Why not designate it with equal status?
     
     
117. The current category of "rural community centers" ought to be renamed to hamlets: Adam's Store, Algoma, Bonbrook, Campbell's Store, Coopers Cove, Cross Roads, Dillons Mill, Dugwell, Endicott, Gogginsville, Hardy Ford, Helm, Hickman, Ingramville, Kennett, Naff, Nola, Novelty, Parker's Store, Patti, Peckerwood Level, Penhook, Redwood, Retreat, Sago, Scruggs, Sydnorsville, Taylors, and Union Hall.
     
     
118. Several communities are not mentioned in the current plan: Dudley, Germantown, Jamison Mill, Maggodee, Prillaman, Red Valley, Robertson's Store, Salthouse Branch, Six Mile Post, Vashti, and Waidsboro. What is their status? Why not mention them?
     
     
119. On current census maps, Scruggs is labelled "North Shore", an inaccurate name to apply to the west shore of Smith Mountain Lake.
     
     

     EDUCATION

120. Benjamin Franklin is credited with establishing the country's first lending library. In his namesake county, library services should be expanded to serve a growing population in an increasingly complex world. The main library in Rocky Mount should be open 80 hours per week. Branches should be added as practical, at easy-to-reach crossroads like Boones Mill and Burnt Chimney, with rotating hours. Bookmobile stops are too far apart in Boone district; one or more are needed near Kennett. Cooperative agreements should be worked out with neighboring library systems, including those in the Roanoke Valley and Bedford County. Where school libraries can be opened outside school hours, that should be considered. A public library can even operate in a school building, such as the Mount Pleasant Branch in Roanoke County.
     
     
121. To provide convenience with security, design of new and renovated schools should place libraries, gyms, theaters, cafeterias, and meeting rooms so that their use on evenings and weekends will not require opening the hallways into the rest of the building.
     
     
122. Sites should be found for additional middle schools and high schools, in anticipation of the demand outgrowing the existing buildings. High schools should be located on major roads with the capacity to accommodate the heavy traffic that tends to be generated by after-hours programs. Elementary schools should be located away from main roads, to provide for safety of students without unduly impeding through traffic.
     
     
123. Timeline and location for a community college campus should be explored.
     
     

     BOUNDARIES

124. The Franklin County line should be examined to see whether it should be moved. Although the Roanoke River creates (for most purposes) a natural and practical boundary with Bedford County, the utility of other stretches is less clear:
     
     

     a. Several peninsulas are accessible only from Pittsylvania County. As of the 2000 census, they include 300 housing units with a population of 316. The services the residents must receive are complicated by the need to enter another county on the way.
     
     

     b. Any bisected community, neighborhood, subdivision, or tract of land should also be considered for unification:

     
     
     

     i. on the Henry county line: Snyder Hollow Road, Big Buck Road, Crows Nest Road, Wood Lake Road (Route 607), Gray Ridge Road (Route 884), Henry Fork Road (Route 606), Henry Church Road (Route 725), Henry Road (Route 605), Lillian Naff Road (Route 604), and Riverbrook Road (Route 727), as well as the Henry community;
     
     

     ii. on the Patrick county line: Johnnys Ridge Road (Route 785), Saint Johns Loop (Route 622), and Laurel Bluff Road (Route 792);
     
     

     iii. on the Floyd county line: Laurel Bluff Road (Route 792), Remington Road (Route 993), Walnut Knob Road (Route 638), Radford Road SE (Route 639), Woodvale Road, Chestnut Ridge Drive, Pine Drive, Turkey Cove, and Overlook Ridge Drive;
     
     

     iv. on the Roanoke county line: Slings Gap Road (Route 612), Meadow Branch Road (Route 799), and Pitzer Drive.
     
     

125. There is evidence that the state of Virginia impedes the progress of its citizens and communities. Although both North Carolina and West Virginia have managed to improve their portions of the Interstate 73 corridor without constructing an entirely new highway, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has failed to do likewise. Virginia's education policies cause some of the ablest and most experienced teachers to take jobs in other states. State laws like Code of Virginia Section 15.2-2303 place Franklin County at a disadvantage when compared with some other localities in the same state. An evaluation is needed to see whether Franklin and other counties would benefit by leaving Virginia. Counties have left Virginia before: Kentucky County becoming the State of Kentucky and Illinois County becoming the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.