Planned Unit Development - Commercial (PUD-COM) Zoning08/2022
Planned Unit Development
Commercial District (PUD-COM)
Planned Unit Development Commercial District (PUD-COM): Established to provide for the development of planned
commercial areas that incorporate a variety of commercial uses as well as residential development. This district is intended to
allow greater flexibility than is generally possible under conventional zoning district regulations. The PUD-COM district encourages
ingenuity, imagination, and high quality design on the part of the developer. It is intended that multiple accesses to existing public
roads be discouraged and that development and access be oriented toward an internal road system that has carefully planned
intersections with existing public roads. Lands qualifying for inclusion in the PUD-COM district shall be mapped as village, village
expansion, urban expansion, or urban development area in the comprehensive plan and are served by or planned for connections
to public sewer and water. The minimum area required to create a district shall be five (5) acres of total contiguous land.
What can I do by right in a PUD-COM district?
There are uses that are designated as "by right" which means you do not have to apply for a special use permit. The uses do,
however, have to comply with all approved plans and permits, development standards, and performance standards included in
the Montgomery County Zoning Ordinance and with all other applicable regulations. The "by right" uses include:
• Amateur radio tower
• Apartment as accessory use
• Assembly of electrical,
electronic devices, less than
three thousand (3,000)
square feet floor area
• Automotive, light truck,
sales, service, rental and
repair
• Building material sales
• Business or trade school
• Cabinet shop, furniture,
upholstery, craft industry of
less than three thousand
(3,000) square feet
• Cemetery
• Church
• Civic club
• Conference or training
center
• Convenience store, without
motor fuel sales
• Crematorium
• Custom meat cutting,
processing and sales
(excluding slaughtering)
• Day care center
• Equipment sales and service
• Financial services
• Fire, police, rescue facility
• Funeral home
• General store, convenience
store without motor fuel
sales
• Homeless shelter
• Hospital, medical center,
emergency care
• Hotel, motel
• Library
• Medical care facility
• Motor vehicle rentals
• Movie theater
• Office, administrative,
business or professional
• Park
• Park and ride lot, of 50 or
fewer spaces
• Pet, household
• Post office
• Printing service
• Public use/public facility
• Public utility lines, water,
sewer, or other.
• Radio station, excluding
tower
• Recreation club
• Recreation establishment
• Recycling collection point
• Restaurant
• Retail sales and services
• School
• Senior living facilities
• Shopping center
• Solar energy system, minor
(no more than 50% of
parcel or 1 acre, whichever
is less)
• Telecommunication tower,
attached
• Veterinary practice, animal
hospital
Accessory structures are also allowed, subject to the requirements of Sec. 10-41 (1).
What uses require a Special Use Permit?
Some uses are allowed in the PUD-COM district with the permission of the Board of Supervisors through the Special Use Permit
process (applications available from the Planning Dept.). These include:
• Amateur radio tower greater than 75 ft.
• Assembly of electrical, electronic devices, greater
than three thousand (3,000) square feet floor area
• Building greater than fifty (50) feet in height
• Convenience store with gasoline sales
• Dwelling unit
• General store, convenience store with motor fuel
sales
• Golf driving range, miniature golf and similar
outdoor recreation
• Kennel
• Mini-warehouse
• Mobile home, Class A and B
• Motor vehicles rentals
• Park and ride lot of more than 50 spaces
• Public utility plant, water, sewer, or other
• Public utility substation
• Public water or sewer treatment plant
• Recycling facility
• Service station
• Solar energy system, major (more than 50% of
parcel or greater than 1 acre in project area)
• Telecommunication tower, freestanding
Other use types that are not listed above and that are determined to be appropriate and compatible with the proposed
development and surrounding uses may be specifically approved in concurrent rezoning and/or special use permit applications.
08/2022
Building & Lot Requirements
Each zoning district has different lot and building requirements; which are meant to insure the compatibility of new development
with the existing development in the surrounding area.
Minimum Lot Area, Density:
Lot area shall be determined by designation of one (1) or
more base district designations from the GB or an R district
on each land bay in the approved concept development plan.
Variations from base district lot area may be permitted by
the Board of Supervisors in cases where amenities and
landscaping/open space quantities in excess of zoning
ordinance minimum requirements are provided as part of
approval of concept development plan. Density on
nonresidential portions of the project shall be a maximum of
0.40 floor area ratio in urban expansion areas and 0.25 floor
area ratio in village or village expansion areas. Density on
residential portions of the project shall not exceed six (6)
dwelling units per new acre in urban expansion areas and
three (3) dwelling units per acre in village or village
expansion areas.
Lot Access:
Lots shall be accessed by a road in the VDOT system or from
a hard surfaced road designed by a professional engineer to
accommodate projected volumes, loads and vehicle types
and approved by the zoning administrator and the fire
marshal.
Maximum Coverage by Buildings:
Seventy (70) percent.
Total Impervious Surface
The total impervious surface located on a lot shall be
determined as part of approved concept development plan.
Minimum Yards:
Yards shall be determined by designation of a base district
designation from the GB or R district on each land bay in
the approved concept development plan.
Maximum building height:
Fifty (50) feet.
Use Limitations
Public water and wastewater: Public water and wastewater services are required for all development.
Maximum area for residential use: Twenty-five percent (25%) of the net area of the project.
Off-street parking and loading: Off-street parking and loading must be provided in accordance with section 10-44.
Commercial and/or office criteria: Commercial and office uses shall be screened and landscaped as for base districts in accord
with the buffer/landscape matrix. Safe and convenient pedestrian access is required between the uses within the project.
Commercial and office uses shall be oriented away from adjoining residential uses and access shall not be provided through
residential areas. Lighting shall be designed and arranged to be oriented away from adjacent residential uses.
Width, setbacks and yards: Other than those determined for base districts, shall be established during the review and approval of
the concept development plan. See complete guidelines in 10-34(7)(e).
Streets:
• Streets serving dwellings shall be subject to the standards of the PUD-RES district.
• Public streets shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the minimum standards of the VDOT.
• Privately owned and maintained streets may be approved provided they are in compliance with section 10-34(7)(f)(3).
Open Space: Commercial open space: A minimum of fifteen (15) percent of the net area of the nonresidential portions of the
development, including all required landscape and buffer areas, shall be permanently reserved as open space.
Residential open space: If the PUD-COM district contains a residential component, open space and recreation facilities shall be
provided as for PUD-RES with the exception that required contiguous open space can be reduced relative to the scale of the
residential component.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Montgomery County Planning & GIS Services
755 Roanoke Street Suite 2A, Christiansburg, VA 24073
CALL 540-394-2148 | EMAIL mcplan@montgomerycountyva.gov
VISIT www.MontgomeryCountyVA.gov/Planning
A zoning permit and/or site plan may be required to proceed with the uses listed on this data sheet. See section 10-53 of the Montgomery County Code,
or call the Planning Department, to determine the required development approvals.
This sheet is intended to only be a guide for development regulations in this zoning district. Please see Chapter 10 of the Montgomery County Code for
the specific regulations. The full texts of the zoning and subdivision ordinances are available at the Planning Department Webpage or at
www.municode.com.