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COVID-19 Community Development Department Update

  • Effective Monday, July 13, 2020, City Hall is open to the public.

  • The public is encouraged to continue use of the city drop box on Central Avenue, telephone and electronic methods—including the city’s website and email—to conduct business with the city, to the greatest degree possible. Those individuals who must visit City Hall in person should be aware of safety protocols in place for the protection of the public and employees. Among those protocols: 

    • No one with a fever or symptoms of COVID-19, or known exposure to a COVID-19 case in the prior 14 days, is permitted to enter either facility.
    • Visitors are expected to maintain physical distancing at all times of at least six feet from others.
    • Visitors will be expected to comply with Virginia’s Executive Order 63, which requires that all patrons aged 10 and over must wear a face covering that covers their mouth and nose when inside a local government building.

Community Development guides the growth and development of the City of Staunton in an effort to enhance the quality of life in our community.  

The Department is responsible for reviewing, developing and administering plans that reflect the City’s interest in the preservation of historic resources; protection of the environment; and the provision of efficient design while recognizing the City’s unique and natural features alongside the implementation of public facilities, services, and the effective utilization of the City’s resources.  

The Department is composed of three major functional areas that are interdependent and mutually supportive, which include the:

Building Services Division

Building Services protects the health and safety of the City's residents and visitors, and the livability of the community, by assuring compliance with the City's building codes. Building Services assists with the interpretation of permit and construction requirements, property maintenance as well as federal floodplain regulations.

Engineering Division

Engineering reviews all new development plans, plats, and partitions for engineering accuracy and compliance with the required standards and specifications. New development in Staunton that is reviewed by staff includes all commercial and industrial sites, residential subdivisions, Planned Unit Developments, as well a Capital Improvement Projects.

Planning & Zoning Division

Planning & Zoning provides a wide variety of current and long-range planning services for the community by processing and evaluating applications for land use plans. Staff also develops and supports City policies including the preservation of the City’s historic structures.

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