This is one of those weeks where being a single-person information provider hits against the harsh reality of also being a human being and family member. I had to attend to other business on Sunday, when this newsletter is usually put together. The end of that era has now approached, so I am hopeful to get back to my usual routine shortly.

A few highlights:

• Albemarle County Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the largest utility-scale solar project to date.
• Charlottesville City Council will hold first reading on appropriation of $5 million to the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
• Louisa County Supervisors will get a lesson on how real estate assessments work after a barrage of angry comments from community members.
• Fluvanna Supervisors will consider allocations for outdoor lighting at Pleasant Grove parks
• Everyone seems to be holding budget work sessions but Albemarle and Greene.

I’ll be back to full strength next week. Thank you to the Piedmont Environmental Council for sponsoring this weekly newsletter, though this one is not up to my standards. Still, the show must go on! 

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Monday, April 3, 2023

Charlottesville City Council to consider $5 million to CRHA for Dogwood Properties purchase 

The five-member Charlottesville City Council meets at 4 p.m. for a work session followed by the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. (meeting info) (agenda)

The city’s Civic Plus software now uses an updated agenda viewer which looks different. Everything’s still there but it will look different. 

The two items at the work session are:

• The Center at Belvedere will give an annual report. Some of the capital funding for the new location came from the city of Charlottesville. One of the possible subjects could be an update on the extension of Route 11 to the Center in May as promised in December. (report)
• Students at the University of Virginia School of Law have taken a look at the way the city’s Boards and Commission are structured and are offering recommendations.(report)

On the consent agenda:

• There is the final reading to change the zoning ordinance to allow Planned Unit Developments for projects in urban zoning districts less than two acres. I have background in a segment from the March 27 edition. 
• There is first of two readings of an appropriation of $209,444 in federal funding for a shelter for runaway children. (staff report)

There’s a report from interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers. Details in the next edition but here’s the report if you can’t wait.

Then there are action items:

• Council will hold first of two readings on the FY24 budget and the tax rates for calendar year 2023. (staff report)
• The Soccer Organization of the Charlottesville Area will renew their lease to use Unity Field. (staff report)
• Council will approve the Regional Hazard Mitigation plan put together by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. (staff report)
• There will be a public hearing on fee increases. This will be worth reviewing and writing about but for now the best I can do is a link to a staff report. 
• I will most certainly be writing about the first of two readings on an appropriation of various transit grants. (staff report)
• There will be the first of two readings on appropriation of $5 million to transfer to the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority for their purchase of 86 units from Dogwood Properties from Woodard Properties. Definitely will be writing about this. (staff report)

Louisa County to hold public hearing on FY2024 budget 

The seven-member Louisa County Board of Supervisors will meet at 4 p.m for a special called meeting for which there are no posted materials followed by a closed meeting at 5 p.m. That’s followed by an open session at 6 p.m. (packet)

On the agenda is a presentation on the real estate assessment process followed by a discussion of changes and corrections to the county’s land development regulations. For the most up to date information on what’s happening in Louisa, check out Engage Louisa by Tammy Purcell. 

There will also be three public hearings.

• One is a public hearing on the FY2024 budget.
• The second is on amending the noise ordinance related to “unnecessary noises.” 
• The third is on the establishment of a technology ordinance district. 

In other meetings:

• A subcommittee of the Charlottesville Tree Commission will meet virtually at 12:30 p.m. No agenda. (meeting info)
• The Nelson County Board of Supervisors will hold a budget work session at 3 p.m. (agenda packet)

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

There may be more happening today, but for now, I just have two bulleted points:

In other meetings: 

• A subcommittee of the Albemarle Solid Waste Alternatives Advisory Commission will meet at 4 p.m. in Room 246 of the Albemarle office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info)
• A subcommittee of the Charlottesville Sister Cities Commission will meet at 4:30 p.m. No agenda posted. They will review proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan related to Sustainable Materials Management in the AC44 process. (meeting info)

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Albemarle Board of Supervisors to hold public hearing on Woodridge Solar 

The six-member Albemarle Board of Supervisors will meet at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info) (agenda)

The afternoon session will be an update on transportation items including Albemarle’s secondary six-year plan. This is how roads are paved and several new ones have been added to the priority list. This will be a work session to go over the list followed by a public  hearing later this spring. (staff report)

Another story to eyeball will be the update on Albemarle’s transportation priority list. Any other week I would have gone through it for this newsletter, but we’ll have to wait for coverage. There’s also an update from the Virginia Department of Transportation. 

In the evening session, there will be several public hearings.

• There will be a public hearing on the appropriation of various funds. (staff report)
• There is a special use request to continue existing a commercial kennel in the White Hall District. (staff report)
• There is a special use permit request to add a development right to a parcel in the designated rural area. (staff report)
• There is a special use permit for a 138 megawatt utility-scale solar facility on 650 acres as well as a special exception. (staff report)

Some items on the consent agenda:

• Two private emergency medical services companies seek commercial permits to provide non-emergency transport services in Albemarle (staff report).
• There is a special exception for the UVA Foundation to be allowed to disrupt critical slopes at the North Fork UVA Discovery Park. (staff report) 

Fluvanna County Supervisors to vote on lighting at Pleasant Grove athletic fields

The five-member Fluvanna Board of Supervisors will meet for a regular meeting at 5 p.m. followed by a work session at 7 p.m. (meeting packet)

There are five action items. 

• April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and the director of Child Protective Services will accept a proclamation. 
• There will be a vote to authorize a public hearing on May 17 for the Virginia Department of Transportation’s secondary six-year plan for Fluvanna County. (page 11)
• There will be an amendment to the procedures for the purchase of small items to make it easier for the county to purchase new vehicles. Procurement through state contracts moves to slow at a time when inventory is scarce and sells faster than the speed of bureaucracy. 
• There will be a discussion of an item titled “JPMorgan Chase Bank Debt Proceeds Projects” that relates to the transfer of $93,000 from one capital improvement program line item to the sheriff’s office for the purchase of a vehicle. (page 35)
• There will be a resolution on lighting of athletic fields at Pleasant Grove park. One option is to pay Musco Sports Lighting $618,412 for soccer field lighting, $175,578 for softball field lighting, and $50,000 for the parking lot. (page 37)

There will be two presentations. 

• One is on a Library Pavilion project from Director of Public Works Calvin Hickman. This will be a timber-frame structure to be built by students at Fluvanna County High School. 
• The other is on options the county has to collect revenue from future utility scale solar projects. Fluvanna can either levy a machinery and tools tax on capital investments in solar projects, or they could institute a revenue sharing agreement that would net $1,400 a month per megawatt. (page 217)

There are several items on the consent agenda and here are some highlights:

• There is a staff report on the hire of a new EMS Supervisor at a salary of $74,608. That’s higher than the hiring range that had been expected. 
• There is a project agreement with Dewberry Engineers to help raise the readiness for a particular property. The contract for their next phase of work is $7,475. “Dewberry will provide a Site Characterization Report of identified parcels, to establish Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) site characterization tier level, provide recommendations, and order of magnitude estimates of probable costs to potentially progress the potential development of the site.
• There are several job descriptions for positions in the Communications team. 

The work session will focus on the budget. 

In other meetings:

• A site plan conference will be held for 2005 Jefferson Park Avenue, a 119-unit building approved by City Council last September. There’s no indication on the city website where this will take place but it is at 10 a.m. wherever that takes place. Read my story from the approval for more information. (meeting info)
• A subcommittee of the Historic Preservation Committee will meet to discuss a walking tour map. The city’s website does not indicate where this meeting will be, but it’s at 10 a.m. (meeting info)

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Albemarle holding office hours for climate grants

Albemarle County has set aside $100,000 in funds for organizations that may have a solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

“Projects can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in transportation, buildings, waste, agriculture, and natural areas,” reads the website. “Projects can also contribute to increasing carbon sequestration in agriculture or natural systems.” 

To help answer questions, Albemarle’s climate protection program manager will hold a webinar at noon. (meeting info)

In other meetings:

• The Community Policy Management Team will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 231 of the county office building at 1600 5th Street. Fans of acronyms will enjoy a meeting where FC, FAPT, SPED, CSA, OCS, and DJJ will be discussed. (meeting info)
• The Albemarle Natural Heritage Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. in Room 235 of the county office building at 401 McIntire Road. On the agenda is a discussion of the Hexagon solar project as well as a goal in the Biodiversity Action Plan to “identify, restore, and protect prairie and savanna habitat.” (meeting info)
• Charlottesville City Council will have another budget work session at 6 p.m. in the CitySpace large conference room. I still have two others to listen to. The budget calendar states that this one will be a “budget wrap-up.” (meeting info)
• The Charlottesville Human Rights Commission meets virtually at 6:30 p.m. There’s no agenda. (meeting info)
• The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission meets at 7 p.m. in the TJPDC offices at 407 Water Street. An agenda was not posted online at publication time. (meeting portal)

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This post was contributed by Sean Tubbs. Sean is a journalist working to build a new information and news outlet centered around Charlottesville and Virginia. In 2020, he launched a daily newscast and newsletter and also created a semi-regular podcast on the pandemic.

Support for Sean’s “Week Ahead” update comes from The Piedmont Environmental Council.