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Downtown
Could Have Life
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wntown-leesburg-golf-cart
2018/09/11/do
https://loudounnow.com/
T
he wheels may be in
motion after all for
a business looking
to offer an unusual
type of transporta-
tion through downtown
Leesburg.
Last month, Cartwheels’
business launch was
stalled when the town staff
informed its owner, Asa
Rusk, that he would first
need to pursue a Zoning
Ordinance amendment
before his golf cart trans-
portation service begin
in town. Road-ready golf
carts, as it turns out, are
not permitted on town
streets, under Leesburg’s
current zoning rules.
At a work session Monday,
the Town Council dis-
cussed whether to change
those rules. Town Attorney
Barbara Notar explained
the difference between
golf carts and low-speed
40
WWW.GOLFCAROPTIONS.COM
vehicles, as defined by
the state code. Low-speed
vehicles are regulated by
the Department of Motor
Vehicles and allowed on
town streets without an
ordinance change. They
can be operated on town
streets with a speed limit
of up to 35 miles-per-hour,
while golf carts—defined in
the state code as self-pro-
pelled vehicles—cannot
operate on streets with a
speed limit greater than 25
mph. Golf carts are cur-
rently prohibited on public
roads.
To make a change to the
zoning ordinance to allow
them, and to potentially
greenlight the start of the
Cartwheels business, “you
must make a finding that
[golf carts] will not impede
the safe and efficient flow
of motor vehicle traffic,”
Notar told the council.
The town staff has rec-
ommended against such
a change, citing the high
traffic volumes of motor-
ists coming into and out
of the downtown area.
The Cartwheels operation