Week Ahead for December 2, 2024: City Council to resume discussion on overnight parking rules; Louisa Supervisors to be asked for direction on future of household hazardous waste days
Plus: The University of Virginia Board of Visitors is in town this week
A new month begins and it is the final one for 2024. Will the business of local government begin to wind down or will the pace remain the same? Let’s see in this installment of the Week Ahead version of Charlottesville Community Engagement.
Charlottesville City Council will get a briefing Monday on housing and infrastructure spending and consider changes to the parking ordinance.
Albemarle’s Architectural Review Board on Monday will review the design of the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail renovation.
Louisa Supervisors will give direction Monday on the future of the county’s Household Hazardous Waste Day
The Albemarle Board of Zoning Appeals will take up the case Tuesday of a property owner on Polo Grounds Road storing three trailers that zoning staff have said shouldn’t be there, with the property owner saying the county had no right to do an inspection.
The Albemarle School Board and the Albemarle County School Board will meet Wednesday to talk about capital improvement requests with the school system. They’ll also hold a public hearing on condemning a small sliver of land for a Crozet road project.
On Wednesday, Fluvanna County Supervisors will consider a lowering of fees to use the commercial kitchen at the Fluvanna County Community Center.
The Places29-Rio Community Advisory Committee will get an update on MicroCAT on Thursday.
UVA’s Board of Visitors meet this week but there’s no agenda at publication time
There are no meetings in Greene County
Yep. A busy week.
Thanks as always to the Piedmont Environmental Council for their sponsorship of these glimpses into the foreseeable future.
Monday, December 2, 2024
Charlottesville City Council to get another budget briefing, resume conversation on outdoor cafe standards
Municipal spending in Virginia localities is often justified by making references to strategic plans. At least, that’s the case at the moment in both Albemarle County and Charlottesville.
Two weeks ago, elected bodies in both communities got high-level budget briefings on planning for the next document. On November 18, City Manager Sam Sanders went through “organizational excellence” and “equity” as I wrote about soon afterward.
City Council’s next briefing will be at 4 p.m. and will cover investments to be made under the categories of “housing” and “infrastructure.” (meeting overview)
“Under Housing, the key headings will be: Land Bank, Tax Abatement, and Affordable Housing Commitment,” reads the staff report. “Under Infrastructure, the key headings will be: Public Service, Parks Master Plan, and internal systems management.”
There are no further details in the packet. Here’s a link to the presentation from the November 18 meeting. There are barely any details of what was discussed in the minutes. Will historians in the future be able to look back at these times if the companies that provide video services no longer exist? What duty do we in the present have to provide evidence of what decisions were made?
The regular meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. (meeting overview)
One item on the consent agenda is the transfer of $253,697 in unused capital funds for a project to build bridges for the Meadow Creek Trail.
“City Council had previously appropriated funds for the basketball court at Washington Park and for drainage work at McIntire Park,” reads the staff report. “Both projects are complete and total project expenses came in under the amount previously appropriated project budget.”
Another item is for the appropriation of $389,312 in funding from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development through the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS/HIV (HOPWA). This is the first of two readings. The funding will go to several partners. (staff report)
The third is to appropriate $38,700 from BamaWorks to the Parks and Recreation Department for several special events. (staff report)
There will be a second reading of an amendment of the city code that regulates overnight parking of buses, trucks, and other heavy vehicles. I was unable to review that portion of the discussion, so let’s see what the draft minutes have to say. (staff report)
“Brennen Duncan, City Engineer, introduced the request for ordinance amendments, noting various ways in which people have abused parking,” reads one paragraph.
“Council discussed the benefits and challenges of the proposed amendments and agreed to carry the item forward to the Action Agenda for the next regular meeting,” reads the second and final paragraph.
According to the recording I made, the discussion lasted just under 27 minutes and there were disagreements about how to proceed. I can’t write that story now but I did take 15 minutes to create a 3,700 word transcript of the discussion for those who would like to know more about what was said. Take a look!
The packet includes a new memo from City Traffic Engineer Brennan Duncan that asks three questions.
“What is the purpose of on-street parking?”
“Are we going to continue to act like a small town or begin to act like a denser city?”
“Should the city street be used as storage for personal property?”
“These are not a black and white questions, but I do think they frame the argument for what staff is requesting with this code change,” Duncan writes.
Next, Council will be asked to adopt a resolution to amend or cancel several transportation projects funded through the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Smart Scale process. Council had a briefing on these at their work session on November 2 as I wrote at the time. The resolution and the staff report has additional information but nothing that appears to be new. The Commonwealth Transportation Board takes up the cancellations at their meeting this week.
The third item is a carry over from November 18 where Council was asked to amend the guidelines approved by the Board of Architectural Review for outdoor cafes. The minutes for that event are more substantive and I’ll spare you the transcript.
Louisa County Supervisors to consider future of Household Hazardous Waste Day
The seven member Board of Supervisors in Louisa County will meet at 5 p.m. for a closed session in the Louisa County Public Meeting Room followed by an open meeting at 6 p.m. (meeting information)
There are three information items, two of which do not have materials available in advance. The first is an annual update from J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. The second is the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for FY24, otherwise known as the audit.
The third is a discussion of Household Hazardous Waste Day (HHWD). Louisa County owns its own landfill and provides two days a year where people can drop off paint, cleaners, bulbs, and other hazardous items. A contractor is hired to handle what is dropped off and the program has been popular.
“By all indicators HHWD has been successful, and it is a preferable alternative to the disposal of prohibited items in the landfill (and associated/potential environmental impacts),” writes County Administrator Christian Goodwin. “However, it should be noted that HHWD costs have grown considerably, and there are limited controls other than residency requirements on the program’s usage.”
Goodwin wants feedback on how to proceed. Should each person be limited to a certain amount of items? Should there be a study?
For more on the future of solid waste, go back and take a look at an article I wrote last week from the meeting of the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority.
Next up will be a further discussion of a policy to govern the naming of honorary roads.
“Louisa County shall consider requests for honorary road naming as a means of recognizing individuals with significant national or international achievements, or those who made ultimate sacrifices in service to the community or country,” reads a draft policy statement.
Under action items, Supervisors will consider a resolution authorizing purchase of new electronic pollbooks at a cost of $76,700. They also need to authorize a budget supplement of $37,952.59 to cover a shortfall above what had originally been approved. (read the resolution)
Supervisors will also award a contract for construction of offsite utilities for the Shannon Hill Regional Business Park. Aspen Construction Company submitted the lowest bid in the amount of around $27.6 million. (staff report)
ARB to review regional jail renovation, warehouse across from North Pointe
Decisions made by the Albemarle Architectural Review Board rarely determine whether a project happens or not. The appointed body’s power stems from the county’s guidelines for entrance corridors.
“It is the purpose of ARB review that proposed development within the designated Entrance Corridors reflect elements of design characteristic of the significant historical landmarks, buildings, and structures of the Charlottesville and Albemarle area, and to promote orderly and attractive development within these corridors,” reads the relevant section of the Albemarle website.
The five-member ARB meets at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. There are two regular review items.
The first is for the review of a major site plan amendment for the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail on Avon Street Extended. A portion of the existing structure will be demolished in favor of a new structure that will have more modern building systems. There will be no additional capacity. (staff report)
The second is for a 72,000 square foot warehouse to be build at the southwest corner of U.S. 29 and Northside Drive. This is directly across from the North Pointe. (staff report)
Pantops growth group to get updates on Old Mills Trail, Free Bridge Lane
Earlier this fall, Albemarle County shut down Free Bridge Lane to vehicular traffic in favor of a pedestrian promenade. How is it going?
That’s one update that will come at the December meeting of the Pantops Community Advisory Committee, one of Albemarle’s growth advisory panels. They meet at 6:15 p.m. at the Martha Jefferson Hospital Outpatient Center in the Kessler Conference Room at 595 Martha Jefferson Drive. (meeting info)
The first item on the agenda is a presentation from the Parks and Recreation Department on Old Mills Trail, Free Bridge Lane, and natural resource management updates.
The agenda also states there an introduction to the new Albemarle County Parks Foundation is tentative. The organization was created in the Fall of 2023 to help support the development, maintenance, and accessibility of parks and recreational spaces.
“We strive to foster environmental stewardship, promote healthy lifestyles, and create inclusive opportunities through strategic partnerships and community engagement,” reads a portion of the foundation’s website.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Albemarle Board of Zoning Appeals to take up case of buildings on Polo Ground Road that staff declared illegal
When a landowner is declared to be in violation of Albemarle’s zoning code, thus begins the beginning of a process that is governed by the judicial system. The five-member Board of Zoning Appeals is the first body that will hear claims that Albemarle staff made a wrong determination.
Such is the case for the public hearing on Tuesday that begins at 2 p.m. in Lane Auditorium of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. A firm called Polo G LLC owns land on the north side of Polo Grounds Road and they have placed three modular buildings on land zoned Rural Area. One representative, Dominique Kostelac, had met with staff on January 31, 2022 to discuss a potential application for a private school on the 1.13 acre lot. No application was filed.
“On May 24, 2022, the County received a complaint regarding tree clearing on the lot, a driveway being installed, and modular structures being delivered without erosion control measures and without building permits,” reads the staff report. (meeting info)
Staff found that the tree clearing was allowed under the zoning and sediment control measures were not required because the total amount cleared was less than 10,000 square feet. However, the mobile classrooms that were built were not allowed to be stored on the property under the zoning. They’re also within the 100-year floodplain, something Albemarle does not allow.
A zoning violation was sent on June 13, 2022, but that’s not the subject of this appeal. Neither is a violation from the Virginia Department of Transportation that Kostelac created an approved entrance onto Polo Grounds Road. Polo G LLC sued VDOT and there is a hearing in Albemarle County Circuit Court scheduled for January 25, 2025.
In early March, Albemarle’s zoning administrator asked the county attorney’s office to file a warrant-in-debt against Polo G LLC for continued non-compliance.The county and Kostelac continued to meet and a trial had been set for September 25, 2023. However, the case was delayed when a neighbor wrote to the judge assigned the case which created a conflict of interest.
In January, a new judge dismissed the county’s case on a technicality because the notice of the violation was not sent to the Polo G LLC’s registered agent. This reopened the investigation and the structures were found to still be standing. That March staff requested the right to enter the property to do an on-site inspection, but permission was not given. Inspections were conducted from the roadway. A warrant to enter the site was issued by a Magistrate in August and a closer look found that the buildings were industrial.
“Additionally, the interiors of the buildings resembled those of a school, featuring exam rooms, an area that appeared to be designated for a bathroom, signage for a staff room, a nurse's room, artwork on the walls, and other similar elements,” the staff report continues. Another notice of a zoning violation was filed and that is the subject of this appeal.
The written narrative for the appeal argues that the county gathered their evidence without a warrant and has done so on two other properties.
“To the degree that any evidence presented by Albemarle County was obtained without a warrant, it is the ‘fruit of the forbidden tree’ and is inadmissible as evidence,” the narrative continues. “Additionally, the County may have colluded with VDOT and neighbors to trespass on the property to gather evidence and destroy our entry to the parcel and obstructed our lawful use.”
The narrative states the trailers would have been moved by now but VDOT’s destruction of their entrance. They claim agricultural use allows them to do what they want.
“This is simply an administrative harassment to accommodate the neighborhood’s political will,” reads the appeal notice. “Our governments are not empowered to protect the majority. They are created exclusively to protect individual rights and to intervene when a powerful majority attacks the rights of a minority.
Kostelac writes that the parcel is not industrial and the use intended is purely agricultural.
In other meetings:
The Charlottesville Sister Cities Commission will meet at 4:30 p.m. in City Space. They’ll discuss the recent state conference and discuss the group’s long-term goals. (agenda packet)
The Agricultural-Forestal Districts Advisory Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. in Room 241 of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. There will be a review of several districts ranging from Carter’s Bridge to Pasture Fence Mountain. (meeting info)
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Albemarle County to hold joint meeting with Albemarle School Board
One of the pieces of information Albemarle financial staff need to put together a budget for FY26 is a request from Albemarle County Public Schools. The two elected bodies representing both aspects of government will hold a joint meeting at 1 p.m. in Room 241 of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info) (1 p.m. agenda)
The topic is a joint look at the five-year financial plan. Supervisors had their first look at this preliminary budget document on November 20 as I wrote last week.
The materials for this joint session indicate a total capital improvement plan request of $560,139,500 over five-years in their request. The request for the first year is $89.6 million and there don’t appear to be any surprises. What jumps out at me is a request in FY30 for $100 million for a “high school capacity project.” Another $3 million is anticipated that year for design of a preschool center.
Albemarle Supervisors have three public hearings at regular meeting
The regular meeting of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors will meet at 6 p.m. so all of the usual items such as announcements and the public comment period will be at this time. This portion of the meeting will be in Lane Auditorium. (meeting agenda)
There are several public hearings.
The first is on the programming for some of the county’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds. (read the full description)
$110,722 will be used for “continuation of programming in human services economic vitality projects, broadband, and ARPA eligible uses.”
$336,298 will go to the Albemarle Housing Improvement Program for them to complete four households and to help three existing houses concert from septic fields to sewer.
$80,000 will go to pay for housing navigation services conducted by the Piedmont Housing Alliance under their Financial Opportunity Center.
$170,000 will go to the Albemarle County Emergency Relief Program to help prevent evictions or utility disconnections.
$100,000 will go to help develop a low-barrier year-round shelter.
$27,186 will help pay for an Active Threat Assessment program.
$3,836 will go to the Parks and Recreation Department to help pay for an emergency generator at the Meadow’s Community Center.
$37,544 will go to the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau for their marketing budget.
Another $67,280 represents the city’s contribution from the same for the CACVB
Another item up for public hearing is the appropriation of $375,000 from Crozet New Town Associates to go word the Barnes Lumber Library Avenue extension project.
The second public hearing related to acquisition of a 0.07 acre property in Crozet for the extension of Library Avenue. The property in question was at one point to have been conveyed from the developer of Parkside Village to the homeowner’s association for that development.
“The current record owner is a defunct entity with multiple judgments encumbering its properties,” reads the staff report. “Albemarle County staff has completed due diligence with advertisements and signage to provide an opportunity for other potential owners to state a claim on the property, but none were received.”
The current record is Hauser Homes which hasn’t existed since 2014 according to records from the State Corporation Commission.
The third public hearing is for a special use permit for the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative to rebuild a transmission line in the Batesville area. (item materials)
Fluvanna County Supervisors to consider proposal to reduce hours at commercial kitchen
The five-member Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors will meet at 5 p.m. in the Circuit Courtroom of the Fluvanna Courts Building. When business is done, they’ll have a work session in the Morris Room. (meeting packet)
After the usual things you’d expect at the beginning of a meeting, there will be a presentation from the Virginia Department of Transportation. These materials are available in the packet.
There are five action items.
The first is to advertise a public hearing for the Monticello Area Community Action Agency to lease property at the county’s Carysbrook Complex. This will happen on December 18. MACAA previous used the space for a thrift store and plans to reopen. (learn more)
The second is for a request for Economic Development to oversee the recently opened commercial kitchen at the Fluvanna County Community Center. It turns out the county does not need to hire a person to oversee food safety which will allow the use fees to be lowered from $35 an hour to $25 an hour for residents and from $40.25 an hour to $30.25 an hour for non-residents. That’s for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Other hours are more expensive. (learn more)
The third related to an appointment to the Board of Equalization. (learn more)
The fourth is to approve carryover requests totaling $611,226 from FY24 to FY25. (learn more)
The fifth is for professional services for the fire training building, a project that has a long planning history. (learn more)
There are no public hearings.
In other meetings:
The Albemarle County Electoral Board Meeting has a meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. but the meeting info page doesn’t say where. Presumably Albemarle County’s office building on Fifth Street Extended, but I don’t like to make a pres out of you and me. There is no agenda, either. (meeting info)
There will be an information meeting on a proposed historic district for Shipman. This will be held at the Nelson Memorial Library at 3 p.m. There’s no additional information on the calendar. (meeting info)
The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors will begin their December meeting with a holiday gathering at Carr’s Hill. (meeting info)
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Places29-Rio to get update on MicroCAT, housing in Albemarle
Over a year has passed since Albemarle launched a pilot of an on-demand microtransit project called MicroCAT.
Over three and a half years have passed since the Board of Supervisors adopted the Housing Albemarle strategy.
Members of the Places-29 Community Advisory Committee will get updates on both at their meeting at 6 p.m. in Room 245 of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info)
Charlottesville Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee to meet
Long time readers know that the City of Charlottesville has two places where you can look for information about meetings. Those who create overly-long summaries of upcoming meetings have to look at both or run the risk of not telling people what’s going on.
What I refer to as “Calendar #1” lists a meeting at 5 p.m. of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee happening in the Neighborhood Development Services conference room. This is not on Calendar #2.
To get to agenda information from Calendar #1, there is usually a link to Calendar #2 in the upper right portion of the screen. This takes you to a link to Calendar #2’s record of the June 6, 2024 meeting.
Calendar #2 is intended to be the official repository for minutes, agendas, and recordings. According to this resource, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee hasn’t met since June 6, 2024.
But that’s not true. The BPAC web page itself has links to agendas and notes for meetings held on August 1, September 5, October 3 and November 7. There’s no agenda for the December 5 meeting yet.
This is more of a matter of communication coordination than transparency as the information is out there. But the city should work to ensure all of its meetings are all n one place, especially on a matter of importance to a lot of people.
For now, here’s a YouTube recording of the November 7, 2024 meeting.
In other meetings:
The UVA Board of Visitors will meet all-day but no materials are available. (meeting info)
The Nelson County Economic Development Authority will meet at 3 p.m. at the Nelson Center. There’s no further information available. (meeting info)
The Albemarle County Natural Heritage Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. in Room 23 of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. The agenda is not available at publication time. (meeting info)
The Albemarle Fire EMS Board will meet at 6 p.m. in room 235 of the county’s office building but the meeting info doesn’t say which one. If I had to guess, I would guess 401 McIntire Road but given that the NHC is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. I think something may be wrong and I’ll have new information later in the week. There’s no agenda yet. (meeting info)
The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission’s Board will meet at 7 p.m. at 407 Water Street but there’s no agenda posted yet. I’ll write that up during this week sometime. Or you can keep looking here.
Friday, December 6, 2024
Albemarle Supervisors to meet with legislators
The 2025 General Assembly is fast-approaching and one tradition in Albemarle is for Supervisors to meet with area legislators to discuss potential bills. That will be the case for a legislative forum to be held at 1:30 p.m. in Room 241 of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. There’s no agenda yet. (meeting info)
In the other meeting, the UVA’s Board of Visitors will meet all day. Materials are not available in advance.