"The Virginia Supreme Court has voided a massive zoning modernization plan approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2021 because the board's approval occurred during a virtual meeting," according to an article by Inside NOVA.
"The Supreme Court ruled that Fairfax County's “Continuity Ordinance,” adopted in the early days of the pandemic, did not authorize the board to consider and adopt a revised zoning ordinance in an electronic meeting. It also said that the General Assembly, which tried to address the issue and allow virtual meetings in its 2020 budget act, also did not provide enough leeway to supplant the state's open meeting requirements and allow the board to adopt the zoning modification at meetings conducted by electronic means," continued Inside NOVA.
Still to be determined is how Fairfax County will handle zoning cases approved under the ZMOD ordinance. The 1978 Zoning Ordinance is in effect and available for reference on the county's website.
