In late September 2013, Donald Trump’s Trump Virginia Acquisitions LLC submitted a plan to develop a property in the Albemarle County Rural Area south of Monticello. They want to develop the property — which is protected by a conservation easement — into a commercial golf course called the Trump National Golf Club. We have major concerns about its potential impacts on the surrounding community.
This proposal is inconsistent with the rural and agricultural character of the area — which is part of the Southern Albemarle Rural Historic District. Many nearby farms comprising thousands of acres of important agricultural land are protected by conservation easements and the few roads through the area are rough, narrow and have extremely low traffic counts.
The thousands of potential visitors to the golf course and planned large-scale events venue will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the surrounding properties and rural landscape that is such an iconic part of Albemarle County. In addition to traffic and noise impacts, we also have concerns about the water use, run-off and septic issues.
Approval Needed, Public Hearing Expected in Late January
Constructing a golf course in the County’s Rural Area is only allowed if the Board of Supervisors approves a Special Use Permit — a process by which the county weighs the impacts of the proposed use on surrounding properties.
County Staff reviewed the initial special use permit application in October.
Read their comments >>
If Trump meets all of the necessary deadlines, the earliest we can expect a public hearing about the proposal would be in late January.
Property Under Easement
Two hundred and sixteen acres of this property are currently protected with a conservation easement held by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF). VOF has reviewed the intended use by Trump and has issued a letter stating they “seriously doubt that a golf course can be developed on land that includes the [conservation easement protected] Property.”
We support VOF’s position that the proposed use is inconsistent with the easement and we look forward to working with them to help defend and enforce the conservation of the property.
At the end of October, VOF issued a second letter (to the County) reaffirming their serious concerns about the project.
Project Materials
- Golf Course Site plan
- Golf Course Special Use Permit Application: Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5.
Over 450 people attended our
film screening of “You’ve Been
Trumped” at The Jefferson.
In the News
- 11/17/13 – Charlottesville Tomorrow – Trump golf course under more scrutiny
- 11/03/13 – The Scotland Herald – Trump in new golf course row… in US
- 10/28/13 – Event at the Jefferson – You’ve Been Trumped Film Screening
- 10/24/13 – C-Ville Weekly – Trump Winery neighbors remain unconvinced that a golf course is a good idea
- 09/18/13 – Charlottesville Tomorrow – Easement holder expresses doubts about Trump Golf Course.
More information
This project has a lot of moving pieces and PEC is monitoring them closely. Make sure you sign up for our Albemarle County email alerts if you’d like to receive updates about this issue.