Roanoke County, VA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

Roanoke County's Planned Residential Development district, created under Sec. 30-47, sets a base maximum gross density of 5 dwelling units per acre in § 30-47-3(A)(2), but the same section builds in two ways to exceed that number. 5 units per acre on top of the base 5. 5 percent bonus to gross density when a historic site on the parcel will be preserved and maintained as an integral part of the development. To qualify, the historic site must be listed in the County Historic Resources Inventory and either already listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places, found eligible for those registers by the State Review Board for Historic Preservation, or officially designated by the Board of Supervisors as having county or local significance.

Both bonuses require board approval: a PRD rezoning proceeds through the preliminary master plan process in § 30-47-5, reviewed by the Planning Commission with a public hearing under Va. 2-2204, and approved or denied by the Board of Supervisors within 90 days under § 30-47-5(F). The bonuses are not automatic; they are built into the master plan the developer submits and are only realized once that plan is approved and the PRD district is established on the official zoning map.