As far as weeks ahead go, this is very much a transitional one. A new month as well as a new quarter-year begins, but we have four leftover September days to go before we get there. Very calm weeks in Fluvanna, Louisa, and Nelson counties. Read on to learn more!
Thanks to the Piedmont Environmental Council for their support of the research that goes into this newsletter. And this time, a small plug! You have until Thursday to enter the PEC’s annual photo contest. Click through to see the details.
Monday, September 27, 2021
Community groups to be presented with Albemarle equity profile
Each of Albemarle’s designated growth areas is overseen by a community advisory committee. Most of them meet monthly but every now and then all seven get together for briefing from county officials. The latest such event takes place virtually tonight at 6:30 p.m. (meeting info)
This time around, committee members will get an introduction to the county’s Office of Equity and Inclusion from Albemarle’s coordinator for equitably and accountability. After that, staff from the UVA Equity Center will provide a profile they’ve generated for Albemarle. At the end, five minutes will be dedicated to “Reflections and Long-Range Planning in Albemarle County.”
In other meetings:
- The Albemarle County Historic Preservation Committee meets virtually at 4:30 p.m. (meeting info)
- The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority meets virtually at 6 p.m. One piece of news from the agenda is that CRHA has hired Brandon Collins of the Public Housing Association of Residents to serve as redevelopment coordinator. (agenda) (Development Update)
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Greene BOS to consider ending tourist lodging in R-1 areas, Ruckersville Area Plan
Today is the fourth Thursday of the month which means it will be time for the Greene County Board of Supervisors’ second meeting of September. They meet in person with open session beginning at 6:30 p.m. (agenda)
They’ll first get a quarterly update from the county’s emergency services director. It’s now been a year since a contract with the University of Virginia Health System ended and the county formed its own EMS system staffed by professionals.
Next, there will be an update on the Ruckersville Area Plan, a document created by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission to guide future development on U.S. 29 south of U.S. 22. An advisory committee exists to help advise the Board of Supervisors about how to implement the plan and two new co-chairs have recently taken over the reins.
“We have seen a lot of growth in the Ruckersville area and are anticipating more which can both be scary for people and a source of potential opportunity,” reads a letter from Angela Hawkins and Vern Goering. “Last year, we provided an end of the year report outlining some recommended projects including a pocket park at the visitor’s center, community space behind the Food Lion, and a Greene County access opportunity to Preddy Creek Park.”
Later in the meeting, two items which are oddly juxtaposed. They’ll consider a request for a special use permit for tourist lodging in the Greene Mountain Lake, an area zoned R-1. And then they’ll consider a potential ordinance change that would remove the ability for property owners in R-1 to request such permits. The Greene Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the change at its meeting on September 15, 2021.
Charlottesville holding community discussion on mental health alert system for public safety
Charlottesville is holding a community discussion on the development of the Marcus Alert system as part of the Imagine a Just Cville. Legislation passed the General Assembly in the summer of 2020 to require the Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services to create a “mental health awareness response and community understanding services alert system throughout the Commonwealth.”
The legislation stems from the police shooting of Marcus-David Peters in May 2018 while he was in the midst of a mental health crisis.
“Marcus Alert is a statewide mental health framework designed to ensure that behavioral health experts are involved in responding to individuals in crisis,” reads a page on the city of Virginia Beach’s website. “By July 1, 2026, all community services boards and behavioral health authorities throughout Virginia will need to establish a Marcus Alert system.
This will be a good chance to learn more about how such a system might work. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. (meeting info)
Pool at Claudius Crozet Park goes back to Albemarle Planning Commission
The Albemarle County Planning Commission meets virtually at 6 p.m. One of the two public hearings is for a request to amend the special use permit that allows Claudius Crozet Park Inc. to operate a community center and park on about 23 acres within the area covered by the Crozet Master Plan.
“The applicant is proposing to construct a Community Recreation Facility, including exercise areas, sport courts, community meeting space, and a pool expansion,” reads the narrative for the project. “Phase II of the project will include an indoor pool facility, connected to the fitness building and adjacent to the existing pool deck.”
The Planning Commission last heard the item this past March and the applicant deferred consideration in order to address concerns about traffic, stormwater management, and other issues. As part of the project, a second entrance is planned to Indigo Road.
In other meetings:
- Both of the Rivanna authorities meet virtually with the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority going first at 2 p.m. The RWSA will get a presentation on the paper sort facility and will recognize David Brown for his brief time as the city’s public works director. (agenda)
- When that concludes, the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority will meet and will have a presentation on wastewater rates and charges for FY21-FY22. (agenda)
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
The Albemarle Board of Supervisors will hold a closed session beginning at 9:30 a.m. No further information is available on the county’s website about the purpose of this meeting but one will be posted sometime on Monday. (meeting info)
In other meetings:
- The policy subcommittee of the Charlottesville Housing Advisory Committee will meet at noon. (meeting info)
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Albemarle County will hold a community meeting for the proposed solid waste convenience center that will be constructed in Keene. In February, the Board of Supervisors directed staff to work on a proposal to build the center on land owned by the county. In March, they agreed to spend $1.1 million on design and construction. The facility will be operated by the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority and will collect household waste as well as recyclables. (meeting info)
(image) A slide from a presentation shown to the Scottsville Town Council in April (Credit: Albemarle County Department of Facilities and Environmental Services.
Friday, October 1
No meetings. What did I miss this week?
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.