It is another one of those strange weeks that begins with a Fifth Monday that also includes a First Wednesday. There’s a rhythm to all of these meetings and an extra couple of days at the end of the month either allows for a break or allows for an extra meeting that no one anticipated.
For Albemarle and Charlottesville, that means meetings that might not otherwise happen. Charlottesville City Manager Michael C. Rogers will hold a budget forum on an extra Tuesday. Albemarle uses their fifth Monday for an open house on the ongoing zoning rewrite and then Supervisors begins February 2023 with a conversation about a potential grant program to encourage the creation of affordable units.
There are no meetings in Greene County, Louisa County, or Nelson County this week. At least, none that I know of. But the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Committee meets on Thursday for the first time in 2023. There’s always something!
Thanks as always to the Piedmont Environmental Council for sponsoring this weekly look into what’s coming up in local government. And thanks to all of the paid subscribers who cover the costs of my time writing up as much of what happens as possible.
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Monday, January 30, 2023
Albemarle kicks off public phase of zoning ordinance
Charlottesville is in the middle of the third leg of the Cville Plans Together initiative which has so far seen the adoption of an Affordable Housing Plan and a Comprehensive Plan. This week we can expect the first details of the zoning rewrite in the city. This process has been underway for three years and the public engagement has been maintained by the consultant Rhodeside & Harwell.
Albemarle County has been reviewing the same documents for the past couple of years, but the public face is being handled by the Community and Public Engagement. Before we get to the meeting scheduled today, some background.
- An affordable housing plan called Housing Albemarle was adopted in July 2021, but incentives to encourage the development of below-market units had not yet been completed. Supervisors discussed that issue in February 2022 and again last May. They’ll also discuss that matter on Wednesday.
- Supervisors were briefed in February 2021 on one approach for the Comprehensive Plan rewrite. A month later, they asked for a faster review and wanted work to also begin on updating the zoning code. In October 2021, they got an update from staff on how both were proceeding. The formal kickoff of the Comprehensive Plan review got underway on November 3, 2021 with the passage of a resolution. The firm EPR is working with the county and Phase 2 is now underway.
- As for zoning, the county hired the Berkley Group to work on modernizing the zoning code. The same firm is helping Pittsylvania County with its zoning rewrite and is also helping Nelson County with their Comprehensive Plan. Albemarle Planning Commission had a briefing last August on the need to “reset” the process. In the fall there were a series of interviews with developers, staff, and Planning Commissioners. A review of those activities took place in December.
If these issues interest you, you might want to attend an open house the county is hosting to begin the public part of the zoning update that is already underway. This will take place in Room 235 of the Albemarle County office building at 401 McIntire Road.
“The Zoning Ordinance regulates how land is used, designed, and developed,” reads the meeting page. “This multi-year project will create modern, user-friendly regulations that align with the ongoing Comprehensive Plan update.
The county does have a dedicated website for the zoning modernization project. This includes a diagnostic report similar to the one that’s informing the rewrite of Charlottesville’s code.
“This report identifies actions Albemarle County should consider to strengthen the Zoning Ordinance and ensure compliance with the Code of Virginia requirements,” reads the meeting page. (view the zoning evaluation report)
One more note. As of this writing, there are no official minutes available for the February 3, 2021 Supervisors’ meeting, July 7, 2021 Supervisors’ meeting, October 6, 2021 Supervisors’ meeting. November 9, 2021 Supervisors’ meeting, February 16, 2022 Supervisors’ meeting, or the May 18, 2022 Supervisors’ meeting. In fact, there is only one approved set of minutes for all of 2021 or 2022.
Yet, if you want to review the December 15, 2021 minutes, set aside some time to review all 79 pages.
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Rogers to hold City Manager Budget Forum
We’re about a month away from the release of the Charlottesville CIty Manager’s budget for FY2024. City Council does not draft the revenue and spending plan, but provides guidance at periodic work sessions. That includes one from December 5 in which they discussed the Vibrant Communities Fund. (read my story)
This is the second budget to be developed under interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers. It’s also the first time that there is a public forum for people to appeal to staff a month before the recommended budget is published.
This will take place at 6 p.m. at the Carver Recreation Center. The event will also be live-streamed. The meeting info page doesn’t have any information on the budget but there are lots of resources.
First, take a look at the draft Capital Improvement Program for FY24-FY28 in spreadsheet form. Or take a look at a more interactive version. The Planning Commission had a public hearing on December 13, but I only wrote about the first half. I did write a summary when the draft became available if you want to take a look at that as well.
Council has also recently gotten an update on revenue projections which currently show a potential $5 million surplus in FY23. (read that story)
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Albemarle Supervisors to consider housing grant program; Willow Glen developer seeks increased in residential density;
The six-member Albemarle Board of Supervisors will meet at 1 p.m. for their first regular meeting of February. There will be at least one additional meeting this month on February 22 when County Executive Jeffrey Richardson’s budget for FY24 will be presented to Supervisors. (agenda)
This meeting, though, is a much lighter one than usual but that’s only measured in the number of items and not the material.
After a proclamation for Black History Month, there will be a review for a special exception for Estouteville Farm to allow a resident manager to operate a homestay on the property. Albemarle requires that the property owner to live on the site for at least 180 days a year to be eligible for this use. In this case, the owner is an LLC. (staff report)
Next, Supervisors will have another work session on incentives for housing developers to build below-market units. Except now the proposal from staff is to create a grant program for developers that would take the form of reduced obligations rather than cash pay-outs.
“To support the provision of the affordable housing units, the proposed program would provide annual real property tax rebates in an amount equal to the actual water and sewer connection fees for up to 20 of the total residential units in a development,” reads the staff report. “The maximum term for the grant funding would be 10 years.”
Then the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership will make a presentation to Albemarle County. This could mean seeing Supervisor Ned Gallaway testify to his fellow Supervisors as he is chair of the regional body. The group is making the round to all localities in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District. Before Wednesday I will write up their pitch to City Council from January 17. (no advance materials)
Supervisors will go into closed session to consider appointments to Boards and Commissions. The one I’m the most curious about is a replacement for the vacant seat on the Planning Commission, which has been down a member since the summer. (vacancy list)
In the evening session there are a couple of public hearings.
The first is a request to expand the jurisdictional area to allow water to be provided to 531 James River Road. The landowner has already made the connection and is asking for retroactive permission. (staff report)
“In 2021, during the County’s proactive efforts to bring homestays into compliance, the County discovered not only the barn/apartment listed for homestay rental, but another rental structure on the parcel,” reads the staff analysis. “That structure, referred to as the cottage, was added to the parcel without a building permit, inspections, or a certificate of occupancy.”
The landowner has been working with the county and the Albemarle County Service Authority to come into compliance. Staff is recommending denial due to the property’s location in the rural area.
The second public hearing is to amend a previous rezoning for Willow Glen, a development in the Hollymead area. The request is to change the plan from a mix of single-family and multi-family units to all multi-family units. They also want to increase the total number of units to 324. This second phase would be called Dickerson Overlook.
The Planning Commission recommended 4 to 2 in November to recommend approval but requested the increase of a buffer between a stormwater management pond and a parking area.
“The application plan has been updated to widen the buffer area between the pond and the nearby parking lot to provide sufficient space for the extension of the trail to fully encircle the pond,” reads a staff report. “This extension of the trail allows expanded pedestrian opportunities in the development.”
The applicant had also asked to amend the original proffer to eliminate a road connection between the two phases. Members of the Planning Commission expressed concern that this was against the spirit of the Planned Residential District.
Following the Planning Commission action, 30 households in the existing 36-unit Willow Glen development submitted a petition requesting that any connection be for bikes and pedestrians only.
“They are concerned about the safety of their children if traffic from 300+ apartments short-cuts through Shannon Glen to Towncenter Drive,” reads an email from attorney Lori Schweller of Williams Mullen announcing the petition. “Dickerson is not an overtaxed road, and the distance from the main entrance of Dickerson Overlook to the intersection of Towncenter Drive and Shannon Glen Court is approximately the same as the route through the neighborhood.”
Fluvanna Supervisor to hold budget work session
The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors will meet at 5 p.m. for a regular meeting at the Carysbrook Performing Arts Center in Fork Union. There will be a budget work at 7 p.m. (agenda packet)
There are three action matters to begin the meeting.
One is the adoption of the Hazard Mitigation Plan that’s been updated by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.
“The purpose of the Regional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan is to prepare for natural disasters before they occur, thus reducing loss of life, property damage, and disruption of commerce,” reads the background to the plan (packet page 10). “The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires such a plan as a condition for eligibility in certain mitigation grant programs.”
Specific mitigation items for Fluvanna include “increase the number of trained emergency responders” and “develop a disaster plan for the Fork Union Sanitary District.” All of these projects would become eligible for federal funding by dint of being in the plan.
A specific risk for Fluvanna County is that the portion of Scottsville within its jurisdiction is outside of the protection of the levy built after Hurricane Camille. (page 54)
There will also be a designation of a proxy for the annual shareholders meeting of Jaunt.
The third item is a vote to appropriate $60,000 from a tourism recovery grant the county has been awarded from the American Rescue Plan Act.
“Funds will be used to create a full branding and marketing campaign focusing tourism outreach efforts on visitors looking for a relaxing day trip featuring agribusinesses, art, history, outdoor recreation, and rural scenes,” reads the staff report. (page 239)
The details for how each dollar will be spent are included in the report.
After the regular meeting ends, the budget work session will begin. This will consist of the presentation of County Administrator Eric Dahl’s proposed budget for FY2024 as well as a projection for FY25 through FY28.
In other meetings:
- Charlottesville lists a Program Subcommittee meeting. It’s from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There’s no other information about this meeting. I would go to check it out, but I don’t know where it would be.
Thursday, February 2, 2023
Council to hold budget work session
I may have mentioned above that this Council has wanted to get a lot of information about the budget as it is in development. They’ll have more of an opportunity to provide direction to interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers and staff.
Staff will be looking for whether Council would be willing to entertain an increase in the real estate tax. If an increase crosses a certain threshold, the city has to publish a notice in the Daily Progress thirty days in advance of the first public hearing. Last year, Council signaled a willingness to increase the rate by ten cents. (read my story)
Last year, Rogers’ budget recommended a two cent increase in the real estate tax rate. Council wound up increasing the rate by one penny to $0.96 per $100 of assessed value.
What about this year? Two opportunities this week to follow along. And stay tuned to the next edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement for another piece of the puzzle. For all of my stories on the Charlottesville budget, visit this link to Information Charlottesville.
And mark your calendar for February 8 when the Council is scheduled to meet with the School Board for a work session. Rogers will present his budget to Council on March 6.
CPMT to chat SPED, FAPT, CSA and OCS
The Community Policy and Management Team (CPMT) will have its monthly meeting at 9 a.m. in Room 231 of the county office building at 1600 5th Street. (meeting info)
This is a joint meeting of staff from Albemarle and Charlottesville to comply with state law to “better serve the needs of troubled at-risk youths and their families.” The idea is to also “maximize state resources.”
In all, there are 18 things these groups are charged with doing by § 2.2-5206. The agenda has an action item on SPED transfers, a FAPT update, a CSA Coordinator update and OCS Communications. Any guesses on what any of those acronyms are?
But in all seriousness, if you’re interested in social policy this is the kind of meeting to try to attend.
TJPDC to finalize economic development strategy contract
The Board of Commissioners for the Thomas Jefferson Planning District will meet at 7 p.m. in the Water Street Center in downtown Charlottesville. (agenda)
There will be an introduction to a new transportation planner, a quarterly report on the TJPDC’s implementation of a large Virginia Telecommunication Initiative project, and a work program for the RideShare project.
The Commissioners will also take action on a contract with Camoin Associates for their work to create a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
There will also be consideration of applying for a federal RAISE grant for a pedestrian bridge across the Rivanna River. A Smart Scale application was not successful.
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.