Busy week! After some highlights, let’s go:

• The Albemarle County Planning Commission will review the latest material from Albemarle County planning staff on the creation of a new Comprehensive Plan
• Greene County Supervisors will get a briefing on the current state of financing for water and sewer infrastructure and then will vote on whether to proceed
• Fluvanna’s Planning Commission will get a look at the draft capital budget and then an update on the next update of a Comprehensive Plan that was just adopted to stay compliant with Virginia code 
• Louisa County’s Planning Commission will review language for plans for the eight areas where growth is planned 
• The Fire Prevention Week and Albemarle is holding open offices at all fire stations 

Thanks as always to the Piedmont Environmental Council for their continued sponsorship of this newsletter which I think is now over five years old. It’s the 283rd edition. The math works out.

Bonus entry! Albemarle Fire Rescue has a scavenger hunt to celebrate Fire Prevention Week

This week is Fire Prevention Week, and the Albemarle Department of Fire Rescue is holding a series of open houses complete with a scavenger hunt. All of these are listed on the Albemarle County meeting calendar, so go check out all of the details here. 

By series, I mean 17 open house events. I can save time this way. 

Monday, October 7, 2024

City Council to learn more about land bank 

Charlottesville City Council has been involved with a lot of land purchases over the last two years, and at their work session today they’ll be presented with an ordinance to create an entity that would be responsible for future land acquisitions. 

This will happen at 4 p.m. in City Council Chambers, but only after Charlottesville Area Transit presents a new dashboard intended to allow people to monitor performance. There are no advance materials on this item. This may give Councilors a chance to ask for clarifications about a potential short-term elimination of service from Prospect Avenue. (learn more about that)

The land bank discussion is the second item. The Affordable Housing Plan adopted by Council in March 2021 set up the idea. 

“The plan specifically highlights the role of a land bank in acquiring and managing underutilized or tax-delinquent properties, facilitating their redevelopment into affordable housing units,” reads a staff report for the discussion. 

And that’s precisely what the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority has done and intends to do. 

• CRHA purchases two duplexes on Coleman Street, September 6, 2022
• Council agrees to $5 million in funds to CRHA to purchase 74 units across Charlottesville, April 19, 2024
• CRHA takes action on several real estate resolutions including purchase of three properties, September 27, 2024 

The Housing Advisory Committee has been charged with recommending an ordinance. Despite the CRHA’s continued activity in purchasing properties, the HAC recommends creating a new non-profit entity. There is an undated memo from the HAC, which includes the directors of CRHA, the Piedmont Housing Alliance and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. 

During deliberations for a land bank, Council authorized an $8.7 million loan to the latter two agencies so they could purchase the Carlton Mobile Home Park. That’s on the consent agenda today. This loan is forgivable and will be paid out over five years. 

There are two public hearings:

• There is a public hearing on an ordinance to authorize a Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy financing program (staff report)
• There is a public hearing for a proffer amendment related to 240 Stribling Avenue. (staff report) 

There are two action items:

• One is for a change to the make-up of the Police Civilian Oversight Board (staff report)
• Council has to authorize Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s proposed acquisition of three properties for $2.8 million. This is what a proposed land bank would do and what the CRHA continues to keep doing. (staff report)

More details next time around.

Louisa Supervisors to hold public hearing on stormwater code changes 

There are not many items waiting for the seven members of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors tonight. They gather at 5 p.m. for a closed session followed by an open session at 6 p.m. They meet in the Louisa County Public Meeting Room. (agenda)

There will be updates from the Louisa County 4-H in honor of National 4-H Week, the Louisa County Historical Society, and Fiberfly Broadband. 

There will be a resolution to approve guidelines for a Finance Committee of the Fire and EMS Management Oversight Group. (read the draft guidelines)

There is a public hearing on changes to the county’s County Code pertaining to stormwater management and erosion and sediment control. These reflect changes required by a law that took effect on July 1. 

“Erosion and sediment control regulations are to prevent the unreasonable degradation of properties, stream channels, waters and other natural resources by establishing requirements for the effective control of soil erosion, sediment deposition and non-agricultural runoff, and by establishing procedures whereby these requirements shall be administered and enforced,” reads the staff memo.

For more details, go back to an article I wrote in June when Charlottesville City Council amended that locality’s rules.  

Some things we can learn from the consent agenda:

• Supervisors will approve a budget appropriation for over $1.14 million in federal and state grants for the Louisa County Airport’s Southside Taxiway Construction project. (staff report)
• Louisa’s cost for the recount in the Fifth District Republican Primary amounted to $3,033.66 and there’s a resolution to approve $2,887.69 in reimbursements. (staff report)
• There is an appropriation of $300,000 for capital needs for various fire and EMS volunteer stations. (staff report)
• The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation has made a grant of $500,000 to the Lake Anne Advisory Committee for the purposes of remediating harmful algae blooms. (staff report)
• There’s a budget calendar for the develpoment of the FY26 version. 
• Steve Irving is retiring as a police officer and there’s a resolution to allow him to purchase his handgun for $1. (staff report)

In other meetings:

• The Albemarle Architectural Review Board will meet at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. On the agenda is a preliminary review of and initial site plan for the Cornerstone Community Church planned for converting an existing garage on a 3.58 acre parcel on Stony Point Road for a house of worship. (meeting info) (agenda)

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Nelson County’s Sheriff seeks funding for traffic enforcement officer

The five members of the Nelson County Board of Supervisors meet at 2 p.m. in the General District Courtroom at the Courthouse in Lovingston. (agenda packet)

There will be presentations from the Virginia Department of Transportation as well as PMA Architecture with the latest on the design for the new social services office building. Supervisors will be asked to approve a schematic and a final presentation will be made on March 11, 2025 before authorization to proceed to bidding. (learn more)

Under new and unfinished business, there will be a request from the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission for funding for a new regional housing study. The last one was completed in 2021. 

“The total budget for this study is over $230,000, requiring financial support and participation from localities within the TJPDC to ensure comprehensive data collection and strategy development that reflects the unique housing challenges of each locality,” reads a resolution authorizing a $10,000 contribution. 

There will also be a revision of the lease agreement for the space rented by the Registrar and Electoral Board at 571 Front Street in Lovingston.The Registrar has asked to use more of the building and the rent and utility payment to increase from $2,108.20 a month to $2,800.40. (learn more)

The Sheriff’s department will ask for a resolution to support replacement of body worn cameras as well as a request for an additional officer to work on speed enforcement. 

“In August 2024, Nelson County experienced four fatality motor vehicles crashes on the U.S. 29 highway corridor within a one-week time-frame,” writes Sheriff Mark Embrey in an October 1, 2024 report to the Board of Supervisors. 

In the evening session at 2 p.m. there is a public hearing on a special use permit for someone to operate an auto repair garage on land zoned A-1 Agricultural. 

Greene Supervisors to vote on resolutions to move forward with water supply 

The five members of the Greene County Board of Supervisors meet at 4:30 p.m. at the administration building in Stanardsville. This is for a work session which will be followed by a work session at 5:30 p.m. and the regular session at 6:30 p.m. (agenda)

The work session is on the broad topic of how Greene County will pay for a water supply plan that has been permitted by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Army of Corps Engineers. Greene assumed control of a system that had been operated by the Rapidan Service Authority, an entity that Greene left when representatives from Orange County and Madison County did not want to proceed with the project. 

This work session sets up a lot of action items later in the agenda. 

Albemarle County is pursuing major economic development projects just miles from Greene County’s border. What will that do to housing demand in Greene? Will the infrastructure be there? 

Two recent stories are relevant to note:

• RWSA may need more water for Crozet, may one day plan jointly with Fluvanna, Louisa and Greene, September 12, 2024
• Public comment period underway for changes to water supply planning, September 16, 2024

At the regular meeting there will be a public hearing on a special use permit to operate an auto restoration business on a 2.27 acre property zoned for single-family homes. (staff report)

There are six action items. 

• The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission is seeking funding for an update of a regional housing study. The last such plan was approved by the TJPDC Board in August 2021 if you want to read it. That was based on a housing needs assessment conducted in 2019, which is the specific ask this time around. (view the presentation)
• There is a resolution to authorize a public hearing for increases to water and sewer rates and fees to bring in more revenue for capital infrastructure. (view amended ordinance)
• There is also a resolution to authorize a public hearing for increases in connection fees to bring in more revenue for water and sewer infrastructure (draft water EDU policy) (draft sewer EDU policy)
• There is a resolution to direct staff forward with the next phase of financing for the White Run Reservoir. This would be to seek $75 million. (resolution)
• There are amendments to the FY2025 budget related to adding more personnel at the new water and sewer department at a cost of $340,500. (resolution)

All of these perspectives fit together and perhaps it is time to list what’s happening in Madison County and Orange County, too? 

New details on staff-led Comprehensive Plan update in Albemarle County 

Every now and then, the Albemarle County Planning Commission meets at 4 p.m. rather than 6 p.m. for a work session. This is one of those times and the topic is a resumption of discussion on the county’s update of a Comprehensive Plan last updated in June 2015. (meeting info) (agenda)

In Virginia, a municipality’s Comprehensive Plan is a document that essentially asks two basic questions. Do you want this locality to grow? If so, where? 

Charlottesville City Council last adopted such a plan in November 2021 in which the five elected officials declared they wanted to pave the way for additional residential density throughout the whole city. That led to a zoning code that will allow that vision to happen if the new rules survive a legal challenge. 

Nelson County’s recent Comprehensive Plan was amended toward the end of its review process in response to some residents wanting to ensure growth remained limited and rural in areas like Montebello. In their last update, Louisa County continued to endorse expanded growth areas along I-64. Fluvanna County recently updated their 2015 plan with only a few updates so more detail can be worked out how the rural area can be protected and preserved.

Albemarle County began its Comprehensive Plan review process in late 2021 and Supervisors agreed to a four-phase process. Work was done in-house rather than hire a consultant. Two of these were completed, but sometime this year county staff and county staff alone opted to pause the work. For those details, take a look at a story I wrote in July of this year explaining the delay.

At this 4 p.m. work session, staff will take the Planning Commission through a new outline for the document as well as language about the county’s growth management policy. For more than four decades, Albemarle has restricted most development to a growth area that consists of around five percent of its 726 square miles.  During that time, the population has climbed to over 116,000 people according to the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. 

For Albemarle County in 2024, a third question is how well the county is doing with managing the growth areas and a fourth is when the boundaries may need to be expanded. 

“Confirming the Growth Management Policy is a critical first step because it provides the overarching guidance for land use decisions within the Development Areas and the Rural Area as well as policy and funding decisions related to county services and capital project Investments,” read the staff report for the work session. 

The Planning Commission has been briefed on the new structure for the Comprehensive Plan but the substance has been kept under wraps until the materials for this meeting were published late last week. Staff is only releasing portions of the language at a time, areas marked in red. 

For instance, here’s a line from the section in Part 2 on “Growth Management Framework.” (read this section)

“The purpose of the Growth Management Policy is to provide efficient and cost-effective public service delivery and encourage compact, connected, and dense development patterns and uses within the Development Areas to protect the ecosystems and natural, scenic, historic, and cultural resources in the Rural Area,” reads the second paragraph. 

This third phase incorporates feedback from the first and second phase. 

“As part of the AC44 Comprehensive Plan update, the Board of Supervisors indicated no changes to the Development Areas boundaries are needed at this time,” reads a section titled “Development Areas Utilization Review. “While boundary changes may not be needed in the near future, there may come a point in time where the current Development Areas no longer have sufficient capacity to accommodate future housing and employment needs.”

There are a lot of details about what criteria will be used to determine when those changes might be made, based on measuring how land in the development is being used. The draft framework notes that developments built between 2016 and 2021 only used 58 percent of the full potential for residential space. 

The other item to be presented to the Planning Commission is a draft Future Land Use Map that introduces a refreshed set of categories for different ways that the county expects land to be used. 

In AC44, “Neighborhood Residential” land use category sets a density range of 3 to 6 units per acre. That’s consistent with the Crozet Master Plan adopted in October 2021, except that plan used the word “typology” rather than “category.” 

As with Cville Plans Together, I will risk being wordy and will refrain from using the acronym for Future Land Use Map. 

There is also a draft map of activity and employment centers, a key component in forthcoming language that will describe how the vision of the Comprehensive Plan will be implemented. 

The Planning Commission’s regular meeting begins at 6 p.m. There are two public hearings.

• One is for a special use permit for a cell tower replacement at property on Fifth Street Extended now owned by the University of Virginia (staff report)
• The second is for a request from the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative to replace a transmission line with taller poles (staff report)

A month after Fluvanna County adopts Comprehensive Plan, PC to learn about new update

The infrastructure needs of local governments require financial planning and many communities in Virginia bring their Planning Commissions into the process early in order to get their input. This year, Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders sought the input of that community’s appointed body in late September. 

On Tuesday, the Fluvanna Planning Commission will get their chance to have an early influence on the capital improvement plan for that county. They meet at 6 p.m. in the Morris Room in the county administration building in Palmyra. (agenda packet)

The regular meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. 

There will be three resolutions to advertise future public hearings on November 12 for amendments to the zoning code. A work session on these topics was held on September 10, 2024. 

• One is to change the provisions for rural cluster subdivisions. Virginia law requires localities to provide these if their growth rate is above 10 ten percent. That no longer applies, so Fluvanna may do away with their rural cluster provisions. (staff report)
• The second is to add a definition for pet crematoriums and animal training facilities. (staff report)
• The third is to clarify the rules for tarp screening. (staff report)

Next there will be two presentations. 

One is on a change to the zoning code for event permits and inoperable vehicles. The staff report for the latter offers insight into what other neighboring localities do to regulate events. (take a look)

The second is an update on the Comprehensive Plan which Fluvanna Supervisors adopted in September to satisfy their interpretation of state requirements. 

“This update entailed changes to a few sections of the 2015 Plan,” reads the staff report. “A full update of the Plan is now needed to bring the entire Plan up to date.”

The Planning Commission will be asked to give input on the structure of the plan and how it should proceed. This will give more time for new measures to be studied to limit development in the rural area, a key priority that emerged from public feedback during the process to date. 

Under unfinished business there is a subdivision for 67 lots on 205 acres in the Cunningham District. 

In other meetings: 

• The Charlottesville Economic Development Authority will meet in CitySpace at 4 p.m. and one item on the agenda is a lease for the Rivanna River Company at 1520 East High Street. That’s the property Council bought from developer Wendell Wood for $5.7 million to prevent a housing development. (agenda packet)
• The Charlottesville Electoral Board meets at 6 p.m. but neither of the city’s calendars tell you where. (calendar #1)

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Just one meeting today. 

The James River Water Authority is charged with bringing water from the James River to certain areas of Fluvanna County and Louisa County. They meet at 9 a.m. in the Fluvanna County Administration Building at 132 Main Street. The agenda is not posted at publication time. (meeting calendar)

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Louisa County Planning Commission to review growth area focus plans

The Louisa County Planning Commission often has a work session to discuss items that will appear on agendas in the future. They gather at 5 p.m. for a long term discussion followed by a regular meeting at 7 p.m. (regular meeting packet)

That’s the case this week when they’ll discuss fifteen categories of changes to the county’s Land Development Regulations. (work session packet)

“The proposed changes will enhance clarity, efficiency, and fairness in the administration of the Zoning Code while supporting the County’s long-term planning goals,” reads the staff report. 

Many of these are technical in nature, such as eliminating some regulations that duplicate federal and state rules, as well as where items appear in the code. There will also be an update of the use matrix that lays out what can happen on what kind of property. There’s also a proposal to remove the possibility of residential uses in commercial areas. 

“This change focuses commercial districts on business and economic development and prevents conflicts between residential and commercial uses,” reads the staff report.

There’s also a direction to look at the language for accessory structures in Agriculture 2 (A-2) districts such as utility substations or existing country stores. 

The Planning Commission will also review language for eight “focus areas” ranging. These might be worth a read. 

• Gum Springs Focus Area Plan 
• Shannon Hill Focus Area Plan
• Ferncliff Focus Area Plan
• Gordonsville Focus Area Plan
• Lake Anna Focus Area Plan
• Zion Crossroads Focus Area Plan
• Mineral Focus Area Plan
• Louisa Focus Area Plan

At the regular meeting there will be a public hearing for a request from Swamp Bottom LLC to amend the proffers for a previous rezoning. This relates to a requirement to plant a certain kind of tree to be used as a buffer for one of the lots that have been created in the Dove Hollow subdivision. 

“When attempting to plant buffer, I was able to do so successfully on Lot 1,” writes the applicant. “However, Lot 8 is so wet and overgrown the trees would not survive so I decided not to plant them.”

In other meetings:

• The Albemarle Conservation Easement Authority will meet in Room 235 of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. They’ll take up one amendment and three donations. (meeting info)
• The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority has a work session in City Council Chambers. There is no publication posted at publication time. (calendar #1)
• The Charlottesville Police Oversight Board will hold a virtual meeting at 6:30 p.m. They’ll review the policy for the Flock license plate surveillance system now in place. (agenda)

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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.