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The Albemarle Comprehensive Planning process — a document that will guide growth, development and investment in the County for the next 20 years — is once again underway since we last sent out an update in August. PEC has closely followed the process since its beginning nearly three years ago, but as details become more clear, we‘ll be providing more frequent updates to keep you in the loop.
This has been a long process, but our combined efforts will result in a better future for Albemarle County. Thank you for your engagement!
Read on for a summary of where we are now and how you can help improve the quality of life for all residents. Looking to learn about our specific recommendations and keep on top of the schedule in more detail? Sign up for more regular and detailed AC44 updates →
What is the Albemarle Comprehensive Plan (AC44)?
The AC44 Comprehensive Plan update is a document outlining the vision for the County for the next 20 years. It provides recommendations for if, how, or where the County should grow, support the local economy, protect and enhance natural resources and conservation, provide accessible housing and transportation options, and much more. The Comprehensive Plan was last updated in 2015; AC44 is currently expected to conclude in 2025.
PEC’s Concerns
Potential for Sprawl
Over 50 years ago, Albemarle County decided it would designate two distinct areas, the Rural Area and the Development Areas, to protect the County’s water resources that can be significantly harmed by land disturbance and development. This decision and subsequent Growth Management Policy, among other efforts, has allowed Albemarle to maintain a largely natural landscape with unparalleled water and air quality and avoid much of the commercial and residential sprawl that typically surrounds urban centers like Charlottesville.
In today’s AC44 planning, however, we’re seeing a number of proposals crop up that would weaken this boundary that has been highly beneficial for people and for the environment.
County proposals with environmental and quality of life impacts:
– building commercial and industrial development at the already traffic-strained & rural-adjacent Yancey Mills and Shadwell I-64 interchanges at US 250
– developing around grandfathered-in commercial and industrial parcels in the Rural Area that could lead to inappropriate development and land disturbance impacts to natural systems
Not Fully Committed to Conservation
As an accredited land trust, PEC celebrates when individuals decide to make permanent commitments to the environment through a conservation easement. We work every day to realize more of these. While there are many types of easements, we have advocated that Albemarle County should significantly increase its support for its own land conservation programs all year – especially through the Acquisition of Conservation Easements (ACE) program. Specifically designed to be equitable, the program helps landowners of modest means avoid selling their homes and farms in order to protect rural land uses and the natural landscape of the Rural Area.
Albemarle’s most effective natural climate solution is conservation but the County is strangely proposing a cap on the percentage of land that is permanently protected. This is strange because conservation easements must conform to the comprehensive plan of the locality and therefore there is already a limitation in place. A cap on conservation easements is a defacto sprawl allowance; a tacit admission that the County believes sprawling development into the Rural Area is a good idea and that they want to ensure that not everyone in the Rural Area is able to voluntarily put their land into easement.
The proposal for a cap on conservation easements suggests they do not seem to fully value the widespread public benefits of permanently conserved land, which include climate resilience, flood mitigation, wildlife habitat, air and water quality protection and viewsheds that contribute to a $1 billion tourism industry.
Not Making Best Use of Already Developed Spaces
Lastly, we’re not seeing strong commitment to redevelop and reinvest in aging commercial areas that would utilize the County’s preexisting buildings and infrastructure to better fit a growing population and economy. Albemarle needs more housing, but building it in the Rural Area will not make it affordable. The County’s own analysis states that we can accommodate the projected growth without converting natural spaces and working farms and forests in the Rural Area into development.
We can and should fit more housing into our already built footprints, rather than sprawling outward, which has negative impacts on our environment and our community. The County’s Housing Albemarle plan, which PEC supports, addresses the need to increase the supply of affordable housing and workforce housing in the Development Areas. All residents deserve to live in sustainable communities located where they already work and play, in spaces where they can thrive in connection with others, and green spaces with access to transit and services.
Take Action:
The Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors will be considering each of these 10 topics in a series of work sessions over the next few months. Work sessions, in contrast to public hearings, do not provide opportunities for the public to speak, but should you wish to share with elected officials, we encourage you to:
- Submit comments in writing: Public comments will be accepted in writing at the work sessions, or you may email comments to [email protected] and [email protected]. Make sure to copy [email protected].
- Attend the work sessions: 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 give a brief, virtual presentation about each chapter and answer any questions. See the AC44 events page for information.
We hope to see you at future meetings and hear that you submitted comments.
Stay tuned with more frequent alerts specifically about AC44, and share this email with those interested in engaging with Albemarle’s future. Also, sign up for the County’s alerts to hear it from them first.
Thanks!
Rob McGinnis, PLA FASLA
Senior Land Use Field Representative
Albemarle & Greene Counties
[email protected]
(434) 962-9110