AC44 Phase 3 Begins in Full Force

Posted on by Rob McGinnis

The following text was sent out via email on Nov. 15, 2024. Sign up for PEC email alerts →

Dear Supporters, 

The Albemarle Comprehensive Planning process is once again underway, this time with a robust agenda and communications materials to match. PEC has followed along since the beginning, but especially since our last update in August. Read on for a summary of where we are now and what’s happening this Tues., Nov. 19. Stay tuned and share this email with those interested in engaging with Albemarle’s future; we’ll resume our regular emailing schedule. Also, sign up for the County’s alerts to hear it from them first. 

This has been a long process but it will end in mid-2025, and with your effort and ours, resulting in a better future for Albemarle County. Thank you for your engagement.

Planning Commission Work Session: Rural Area Land Use
Tues., Nov. 19 @ 6 p.m.
Lane Auditorium, County Office Building
401 McIntire Road

What’s Been Going On

Since the close of Phase 2 and the AC44 team’s July presentation outlining the new Comp Plan structure and next steps, the ball has kept rolling. County staff unveiled:

  • An updated Growth Management Framework, which PEC is largely supportive of, should it include more language about the County’s commitment to unlocking the potential of the Development Areas and protecting the Rural Area for climate resilience.
  • The Future Land Use Categories designations and map, which shows what and where specific types of land uses like for single family housing like an HOA or a mix of commercial and residential could occur, like the Downtown Mall.
  • A draft of Activity Center place types, which describes four types of community spaces that can exist now or in the future with various businesses, services and housing where people can gather, shop, stroll, work, and meet our daily needs.

County staff have also reworked elements of the draft Comprehensive Plan over the summer and have come up with 10 plan topic chapters for implementation, with actionable steps for each, that will be shared throughout the rest of 2024 and early 2025.

The chapters now are:

  • Development Areas Land Use
  • Rural Area Land Use
  • Transportation
  • Thriving Economy
  • Environmental Stewardship
  • Historic, Scenic, and Cultural Resources
  • Resilient Community
  • Parks, Recreation, and Open Space
  • Housing
  • Community Facilities & Services

There was an all-CAC (Community Advisory Committee) meeting to address the draft Growth Management Framework and future land uses on Oct. 30. And the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors have held work sessions on the Development Areas Land Use chapter in the last couple of weeks. 

Going forward, plan chapters will be released on the AC44 Engage website roughly monthly – or via the staff memo a week prior to future work sessions. Staff will then seek feedback from the Planning Commission during a work session, and the Board of Supervisors during a later work session. There will also be a monthly virtual lunch & learn events in order to ask staff specific questions – the first will be held on the Development Areas policies, goal statement, objectives, and actions this Thurs., Nov. 21 @ noon: register to attend.

Watch this County-produced video on the importance of the Rural Area. Source: Albemarle County’s YouTube channel.

Nov. 19: Rural Area Land Use Planning Commission Work Session

From the beginning of this process, PEC has highlighted the importance of the Rural Area. To this end, there is much we can support in the proposed Rural Area Land Use draft chapter that will go before the Planning Commission this Tuesday, Nov. 19 @ 6 p.m. These include:

  • the Rural Area Land Use Approach;
  • the focus on strengthening Land Conservation;
  • the recommendation for the development and adoption of a Rural Area Land Use Plan into the comprehensive plan; and 
  • protection of rural communities.

However, like our support for the Rural Area from the beginning, many of our concerns have stayed well into this process. We are concerned that:

  • focusing on potential land uses at the rural Yancy and Shadwell I-64 interchanges could lead to sprawl along US250 east and west of the Yancy interchange and US250 east of the Shadwell interchange.
  • the County’s proposal to review and update the legacy or stale commercially zoned parcels in the Rural Area. These are parcels that were zoned commercial before the Rural Area zoning was established in 1980. This approach could lead to sprawl and adverse impacts to Rural Area resources and communities.
  • the County’s proposal to identify land uses and potential ways to support existing businesses and services in the Rural Area. Unless driven by a rural community’s input and consensus, this approach could result in sprawl and overdevelopment.
  • the County’s proposal to identify an overall acreage or maximum percentage for land conservation in the Rural Area. Our assessment is that we’re very far away from reaching anything like maximum-desired conservation. The County’s “how much is enough?” quantitative approach could result in missed opportunities for conserving our most important resources that support resilience and quality of life.

Submit Comments:

As this is a work session and not a public hearing, there will be no opportunity for public comment, but you can still:

  • Submit Comments in Writing: Public comments will be accepted in writing at the meeting, or by emailing comments to [email protected] and copying  [email protected]
  • and [email protected].
  • Attend the Work Session: It is important for elected officials to see that community members are paying attention to the decisions that impact them. 
  • Join a future AC44 lunch & learn: County staff will virtually give a brief presentation about each chapter and answer any questions. See their events page for information on when the Rural Area will be. This Thurs., Nov. 21 @ noon will cover the Development Area.

We hope to see you at the meeting and hear that you submitted comments.

Upcoming Dates

  • Nov. 19: AC44 Planning Commission Work Session: Rural Area Land Use – 6 p.m.
  • Nov. 20: AC44 Board of Supervisors Work Session: Development Areas Land Use – 6 p.m. 
  • Nov. 21: AC44 Lunch and Learn: Development Areas Land Use – Virtually 12 – 1 p.m.
  • Dec. 10: AC44 Planning Commission Work Session: Rural Area Land Use – 4 – 5:30 p.m.

Thank you!

Rob McGinnis, PLA FASLA
Senior Land Use Field Representative
Albemarle & Greene Counties
[email protected]