PEC’s dedicated staff work relentlessly to advance land conservation, sound land use planning, the protection of natural resources and better climate and energy policy.
Albemarle County & the City of Charlottesville
The staff in PEC's Charlottesville office works with citizens to solve the many land use and conservation challenges facing the Charlottesville and Albemarle area.
Conserving the Southern Shenandoah Borderlands
Looking out from the Moorman’s River Overlook in Shenandoah National Park, you’re treated to a breathtaking sweep of the forested, rolling foothills of the Piedmont. What’s not immediately apparent from this viewpoint is the fact that the majority of the land you see is privately owned.
On The Ground Updates – December 2024
A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock.
Albemarle & Charlottesville
- After many years of resident input and advocacy by PEC and others for more open space and access to nature in the designated growth area, Albemarle County has closed Free Bridge Lane to vehicle traffic. This little-used road in Pantops is now available for walking, biking and quiet enjoyment along the Rivanna River. If the closure is still popular after a one-year trial, permanent amenities will be added as part of a much larger Rivanna River Greenway / Blueway network. Learn more at albemarle.org/Home/Components/News/News/989/1681
- The Albemarle County AC44 Comprehensive Plan update is in the third of four phases. Phase 3 focuses on Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors work sessions addressing the growth management framework, future land uses and a future land use map, place types, and draft topic chapters. PEC continues to strongly advocate for the protection of the Rural Area and smart growth in the Development Areas.
- Albemarle County is near its goal of opening Biscuit Run Park to the public. The final phase of construction involves a parking area near Route 20 for the more than four miles of trails expected to open to the public by the end of the year.
Clarke
- On Oct. 29, PEC organized and helped host Clarke County School’s annual Student Conservation Day at Powhatan School in Boyce. All Clarke County 4th graders rotated among stations set up by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society, the Virginia Department of Forestry, and other organizations to learn about wildlife habitat and rehabilitation, invasive species management, composting and active play. The Blue Ridge Wildlife Center also gave a big presentation enjoyed by everyone!
Culpeper
- In August, Clevenger’s Corner developers submitted a request to increase the allowable height of buildings within their proposed “Employment Center” from 45 feet to 75 feet to ”increase the marketability of the Property for Data Processing.” PEC alerted neighboring communities, and when the proposal began receiving public scrutiny, the developer withdrew the proposed height waiver but submitted a request to reduce the setbacks required between the development and Route 211. PEC is opposed to the proposed changes, and the Planning Commission recommended denial on Nov. 13.
- Culpeper County is trying to address sprawl by increasing the minimum lot size for Agriculture and Rural Area lands and adopting enhanced standards for private roads. PEC supports the proposed amendment because it will help prevent the loss of working lands to development. The Planning Commission has delayed any action until its next regular meeting on Dec. 11.
- The developer behind the Culpeper Technology Campus, approved by the Town and County in 2023, has proposed multiple changes to this data center campus. Most alarming, the developer wants to renegotiate the noise standards agreed upon when the development was initially approved. PEC opposes the change, which grants the data center more noise standard exceptions and weakens certain protections for residents. Unfortunately, the Planning Commission recommended approval on Nov. 19.
Fauquier
- The County is currently weighing three different rezoning proposals for data center campuses in Remington. PEC and our partners — Citizens for Fauquier County, Protect Fauquier and Protect Catlett — are staunchly opposed to all three. We’ve been gearing up for some of the first public hearings on these rezoning requests by attending the developers’ outreach events, the Remington Fall Festival, and organizing a community meeting Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Remington.
- In September, the Board of Supervisors approved a zoning text amendment requiring substations to undergo special exception approval in all industrial zones. Unfortunately, the Board “grandfathered in” the substation that will serve the approved — but still unbuilt — Remington Technology Park, allowing it to be built without such approval.
- East Point Energy submitted an application for a Comprehensive Plan Compliance Review for a 150-megawatt battery storage project in the Village of Morrisville, adjacent to Mary Walter Middle School. At its November public hearing, the Planning Commission determined the project to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan, though East Point could file an appeal to the decision to the Board of Supervisors.
Greene
- As the Virginia Piedmont continues to experience extended periods of drought, water supply infrastructure is a priority for the County. PEC continues to closely follow the County’s efforts to address water supply planning, which includes funding and building a new reservoir and replacing treatment plants and aging sewer and water supply piping. PEC is also closely following the state-mandated Regional Water Supply Planning that will ramp up in early 2025. Greene County is part of the Middle James River 1 Planning Area. We will continue to engage Greene County on this critically important planning work.
Loudoun
- The Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows concluded its 2024 Volunteer Season on Oct. 5. The farm welcomed 569 individual volunteers and donated over 49,000 pounds of produce to food pantries in Clarke and Loudoun counties.
- This fall, Part 1 of the County’s Data Center Comprehensive Plan Amendment and accompanying Zoning Ordinance Amendment moved to the Planning Commission. A first public hearing was held on Sept. 24, and work sessions will continue throughout December before it moves back to the Board of Supervisors for action. Residents are encouraged to email the planning commission at [email protected] with their input on this vital amendment.
- The Board of Supervisors voted to begin the Western Loudoun Comprehensive Plan Amendment and accompanying Zoning Ordinance Amendment in its Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC). TLUC is holding a series of intensive stakeholder sessions through the end of 2025 on a range of topics impacting the rural policy area. Public comment is needed, and the most up to date information and schedule along with the public input form can be found at loudoun.gov/6088/Western-Loudoun-Rural-Uses-and-Standards
- Legislative applications for more data centers in Loudoun continue to move through the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. Three applications that came before the Planning Commission at its Sept. 24 public hearing totaled an astonishing 1.7 million square feet of data center space. The smallest application, the Arcola Grove Rezoning, got a recommendation of denial, but the other two applications moved to future work sessions with little opposition.
Madison
- A revised preliminary plan to repurpose the former Criglersville Elementary School into a boutique hotel has been presented to County officials, and the property owner is planning to seek a rezoning of the property from Agriculture to Business. In June, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources approved the owner’s request to prepare and submit a formal nomination for the state and national historic registers. Approval would mean the project could be eligible for historic rehabilitation tax credits.
Orange
- Land in the County’s agricultural district can be divided an unlimited number of times into lots as small as two acres by-right, without public or legislative input. PEC believes that the current rules, more permissive than neighboring jurisdictions, invite sprawl, intensify the conversion of farmland, and strain groundwater resources. The process to rewrite the county’s zoning ordinance is expected to start soon. PEC will follow the process closely and advocate for changes that ensure agricultural viability, such as protections for prime agricultural soils or an increase to the minimum lot size, so that rural parcels remain large enough to farm.
Rappahannock
- In September, the Town Council and Board of Supervisors approved the proposed Boundary Line Adjustment of the Town of Washington, and in October, the Town Planning Commission was briefed on some initial concepts for the new land brought into town, called Rush River Phase II.
- Piedmont District Supervisor Christine Smith introduced proposed changes in the Rappahannock County Code that would remove from Conservation Zoning certain uses allowed by special exception, such as country inns and resorts. The Planning Commission will review the amendment in more detail at its meeting later this month.
This article appeared in the 2024 winter edition of The Piedmont Environmental Council’s member newsletter, The Piedmont View. If you’d like to become a PEC member or renew your membership, please visit pecva.org/join.
AC44 Update: Dec. 6, 2024
With three AC44 meetings held in a single week leading up to Thanksgiving, its clear Phase 3 is well underway, just as we noted in our last update. Read on for a summary of some of the more concerning conversations we heard and what we’re looking forward to at next Tuesday’s Planning Commission Work Session on the Rural Area Land Use chapter.
As always, participation makes our community better. Stay tuned and share this email with those interested in engaging with Albemarle’s future and sign up for the County’s alerts to hear it from them first.
Planning Commission Work Session:
Rural Area Land Use (Actions)
Tues, Dec. 10 @ 4-5:30 p.m.
Lane Auditorium, County Office Building
401 McIntire Road
Rising Concerns
The Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors have committed to a Growth Management Policy that states, “focusing growth within the Development Areas is the best way to preserve land for agriculture, forestry, and the natural environment in the Rural Area, and to foster a vibrant mix of uses and activities with services and amenities in the Development Areas, leveraging existing infrastructure and opportunities for redevelopment, discouraging sprawl, and providing services and infrastructure in a fiscally responsible manner.”
Though PEC supports much of what is proposed regarding the growth management framework and the draft Development Areas and Rural chapters, we have serious concerns about what we’ve heard recently.
For example:
1. Forest blocks aren’t beneficial unless they are publicly-accessible.
Albemarle’s rural and urban forests and tree cover sequestered over 900,000 metric tons of carbon per year for 2008-2016, roughly 60% of the average greenhouse gas emissions for Albemarle for those years. They also filter air quality, provide essential wildlife habitat, and provide climate and flood resilience. Views of forest cover and natural open space contribute to the thriving tourism industry in Albemarle County and Charlottesville, totaling nearly $1 billion annually – comparable to the estimated $1.2 billion annual economic benefit of the regional Department of Defence sector. In addition to protected private lands, PEC continues to advocate for publicly accessible open spaces for people to visit – to be seen most visibly with the opening of Biscuit Run Park Dec. 14.
2. The Development Areas may need to be expanded sooner than later in order to accommodate the projected growth of over 30,000 new Albemarle residents by 2044.
The County’s 2022 Land Use Buildout Analysis indicates that there is space available for development and redevelopment within the current Albemarle County Development Areas. We should be prioritizing and incentivizing this kind of dense, walkable/bikeable development with access to transit and open space within the current Development Areas, especially for affordable housing proposals.
3. Misconception: We should consider “transition zones” between the Development Areas and the Rural Area.
Facts: The current draft Growth Management Policy clearly states the “Development Areas and the Rural Area will have distinct boundaries, without low-density transition areas.” The draft growth management framework includes a Development Areas Utilization Review that would be undertaken every two years to ensure we unlock the capacity of the Development Areas to accommodate future growth, including for Affordable Housing.
As PEC has seen in Loudoun County, the creation of a “transition zone” between the rural and developed parts of the county, can easily lead to sprawl, traffic and air quality impacts, and threaten the natural resources that the Rural Area was created to protect. Namely, our water resources that are threatened by climate change and unchecked growth.
Dec. 10: Rural Area Land Use Planning Commission Work Session (Part 2)
The Nov. 19 Planning Commission Work Session focused on Rural Area Land Use policies. The Dec. 10 work session will be all about Objectives and Actions, or pages 7-10 of the draft Rural Area Land Use chapter. As we mentioned before, there is much we can support in the draft chapter:
- 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 and traffic impacts along US250 east and west of the Yancy interchange and US250 east of the Shadwell interchange.
- The County should limit the small area plan study areas for these two interchanges to the parcels abutting and in close proximity to the interchanges.
- the County’s proposal to review and update the legacy or stale commercially zoned parcels in the Rural Area could lead to sprawl and adverse impacts to Rural Area resources and communities. These are parcels that were zoned commercial before the Rural Area zoning was established in 1980.
- The County should address land use policies for these parcels as part of the County’s recommended Rural Area Land Use Plan.
- 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.
- This proposal should be holistically and intentionally addressed as part of the County’s recommended Rural Area Land Use Plan or small area plans for rural communities.
- the County’s proposal to identify an overall acreage or maximum percentage for land conservation in the Rural Area. 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. This conflicts with the County’s own goals for conservation. This is another reason to support PEC’s initiative to strengthen Albemarle’s conservation programs through actionable steps. Supervisors will discuss this during their Jan. 8 work session focusing on the entire Rural Area Land Use chapter.
- The County should eliminate this proposal from the draft recommendation for the preparation of a Rural Area Land Use Plan.
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 work session, 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. Next Thurs., Dec. 12 @ noon will cover the Rural Area Land Use chapter.
We hope to see you at the meeting and hear that you submitted comments.
Upcoming Dates
- Tues, Dec. 10: AC44 Planning Commission Work Session: Rural Area Land Use (Actions) – 4 – 5:30 p.m.
- Thurs, Dec. 12: AC44 Lunch and Learn: Rural Area Land Use – Virtually @ 12 – 1 p.m.
- Tues, Dec. 17: AC44 Planning Commission Work Session: Environmental Stewardship – 4 – 5:30 p.m.
- Wed, Jan. 8: AC44 Board of Supervisors Work Session: Rural Area Land Use (Final: Entire Chapter)
- Wed, Jan. 22: AC44 Board of Supervisors Work Session: Environmental Stewardship
Thank you!
Rob McGinnis
Cville Area Land Use: Week Ahead for November 25, 2024
This week: Charlottesville’s draft capital improvement plan to go before city planning commission; Albemarle’s PC will review details of moving water protection into the zoning
Free Bridge Lane is Closed to Cars, Open to the Public
As a result of longtime advocacy, Free Bridge Lane is now officially closed to cars in order to provide a free activity space to promenade, bike, skate, etc. along the riverside.
Cville Area Land Use: Week Ahead for November 18, 2024
This week: Greene County to hold work session on proposal to seek more control over events at farm wineries and more.
Cville Area Land Use: Week Ahead for November 11, 2024
This week: Public hearing in Greene County on water and sewer projects; Design public hearing for Berkmar Drive extension in Albemarle
AC44 Phase 3 Begins in Full Force
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.
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]
Cville Area Land Use: Week Ahead for November 4, 2024
Charlottesville Council to get update on transportation projects, hold public hearing on pedestrian bridge; Albemarle Supervisors to continue discussion on growth area