Week Ahead for February 3, 2025: Charlottesville City Council to hold public hearing on appropriating nearly $22.4 million surplus; Albemarle Supervisors to hold one on 11 acre solar field
Plus: Fluvanna Supervisors to consider tax incentives to encourage more fire and EMS volunteers
In the United States of America, different levels of power exist at different levels of government in a principle known as federalism. There is a hierarchy and how everything flows depends on the person most responsible or interpretation of who should have power. The way things have worked has been somewhat routine for a long time, but the second presidency of Donald Trump began with a series of executive orders that seek to erase ideas that his administration finds objectionable.
Yet, meetings of local government continue while different branches of the federal government decide whether they will check the executive branch or go along with a new era of deregulation. One place I’ve been monitoring this week has been the Centers for Disease Control which has provided information about public health. At publication time, there’s a disclaimer on the website saying everything is being modified to comply with Trump’s executive orders.
What will this all look like in a month? That’s when staff in local governments throughout Virginia will release their recommended budgets for the next fiscal year. There will be changes. As I prepare to write the next set of stories, questions in the back of my head include:
How much money flows through from the federal government?
What programs will be denied and what is the appeals process?
What will be allowed to stay?
What strings might be attached and would they be legal?
How will people know what’s happening?
This newsletter will seek to try to explain the changes as they come, one day at a time. Stay tuned and pay attention.
Highlights this week:
Charlottesville City Council on Monday will get a briefing on the use of ten Flock license-plate readers deployed within city limits and will later hold a public hearing on appropriation of nearly $22.4 million of surplus funds into a contingency fund.
The Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review on Tuesday will discuss potential changes to the Development Code but a two paragraph staff report doesn’t tell us which ones.
Albemarle Board of Supervisors on Wednesday will hold four public hearings including one for an 11-acre solar field in the Scottsville Magisterial District.
On Wednesday, the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors will review a plan to provide tax incentives to those who fire for fire and rescue calls and will also approve a location for a bike repair and information on Bike Route 76 in Palmyra Village
On Thursday, the Charlottesville Human Rights Commission will discuss the potential low-barrier shelter on Cherry Avenue and the Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will take action on the final draft of a new master plan.
Louisa Supervisors have a budget work session on Monday but otherwise don’t have much business this week
There are no meetings in Greene County
Thanks to the Piedmont Environmental Council for their sponsorship of this work. This is the 299th edition of this Sunday look ahead!
Monday, February 3, 2025
Charlottesville City Council to get status report on Flock cameras, hold public hearing on surplus
Charlottesville City Council meets at 4 p.m. in City Council Chambers for two work sessions related to public safety. The first is on an intergovernmental cooperation project called Project Safe Neighborhoods and the second is a progress report on the use of a surveillance system that uses the Flock system of cameras to track license plates. (meeting overview)
The first item stems from University of Virginia President Jim Ryan’s creation in 2023 of the Community Safety Working Group in the wake of the murder of three football players in November 2022. The UVA Equity Center was charged with overseeing the group and recommendations were made in February 2024. One of them was to continue participating in a federal initiative called Project Safe Neighborhoods.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a federal designation that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement officials; prosecutors; community-based partners; and others to identify the most pressing violent crime concerns in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them,” reads the staff report which doesn’t contain the actual report.
A press conference was held on January 22. I obtained a recording but have been unable to get to writing it up. The website for PSN on the U.S. Department of Justice is still live.
There’s also no detailed report for the Flock Pilot progress report but there is a link to the transparency portal. Take a look here.
“Since implementation of the pilot program the system has been used to solve shootings, recover stolen vehicles, and locate a missing child who didn’t show up to school,” reads the staff report. “The program is currently being utilized to investigate the recent murder, which occurred on Water St. and countless other incidents.”
As of 1:22 p.m. on Sunday, the system has been searched 147 times in the last thirty days and 117,676 vehicles were detected.
The consent agenda contains another amendment to a project to build a pedestrian bridge over Pollocks Branch in south-central Charlottesville. The revision is to clarify the City of Charlottesville will receive federal money and not a nonprofit organization. (staff report)
There will be a public hearing on the first of two readings to add $27,851,605.84 to the city’s budget for fiscal year 2025. This number is higher than the reported $22.4 million surplus because the difference is used to satisfy the city’s policy related to keeping a fund balance. Learn more about that in a story I published last week.
City Manager Sam Sanders said all of the surplus is going into a contingency fund for the Capital Improvement Program. Decisions about how to use it will be made later, as Sanders told City Council on January 30. You can read about that in a story I wrote on Friday.
After that there will be presentations on several items related to bicycle infrastructure in the city. This includes a report on the eBike program, a resolution to create the E-Bike Grant Program fund. The city is awarding up to $25,000 in grants each quarter to people to purchase such a vehicle and over a thousand people have signed up. This is part of the Safer Street Strategy, which I wrote about last week as well.
This is followed by a report on the Safe Routes to School program as well as the first of two readings to appropriate $229,803 for non-infrastructure grants for the Safe Routes to School program. Learn more in the staff report.
Louisa Board of Supervisors begin meeting with budget work session
The seven members of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors will meet a little earlier at 3 p.m. with a budget work session on the budget for FY2026. This will include both the “operational and maintenance” and the Capital Improvement Plan. There’s no advance information but you can take a look at Louisa’s budget page for historical details. (work session agenda)
A closed session will take place at 5 p.m. The regular meeting begins at 6 p.m. but it’s a light agenda. There are several resolutions on the consent agenda related to appropriations of various revenue streams including at least one federal grant.
The Virginia Department of Transportation will provide a quarterly update and there will be another presentation from the Central Virginia Small Business Development Center. The VDOT presentation is available in advance.
The only action item will be to approve a new memorandum of understanding between the Louisa County Water Authority and the Louisa County Board of Supervisors for easement maintenance.
Albemarle design panel to review classroom trailers for private school
File this story under “basic land use research.”
Albemarle County is in the midst of transitioning how land use applications make their way through the Community Development Department. A system that included a portal called CountyView has been replaced with something called Civic Access.
“This new system will replace all previously used application processes, providing significant improvements in accessibility, transparency, and efficiency,” reads the county website’s page on the topic.
Much of what you have read in the Week Ahead newsletter for the previous 298 editions has been made possible by my ability to use the old system. I’m still learning the new system and in this segment I am using two items before the Architectural Review Board on Monday as another check of the new system.
The ARB meets at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info) (agenda)
On the consent agenda is a review of an initial site plan for the Granger property, a tract of land south of the Fontaine Research Park that has an interesting planning history. I want to see what I can learn from the new system. So I take the parcel number (07600-00-00-02400) and input that into Civic Access.
I wanted to see if Civic Access would tell me when the Board of Supervisors approved the rezoning. A “completion date” of August 7, 2024. That is the date of approval, something I confirm by looking at the action minutes for that meeting. (take a look!)
I do not appear to have access to any of the actual documents for ZMA202300010 through Civic Access. Under the older system, all public documents with all land use applications were posted to a storage system known as Laserfiche. You can still access the documents for this rezoning here but you will likely have to log in to see them.
For the purposes of creating this entry, I now want to see what I can get for this review in Laserfiche before the ARB. The application is ARB-2024-76. Because this was filed before the switch, two documents are still posted as you can inspect here.
So now let’s see what Civic Access has to say about that application. As stated above, this application did not come up in a parcel search. I put the number in (ARB202400076 works) and a record of the application comes up and I’m able to see some information but not the plan itself.
However, there are other ways to get information. The agenda for the ARB menu includes a link to the staff report which contains a description not included in Civic Access. The initial site plan is “to construct 145 attached townhomes as part of a larger development including 24 detached residences and associated site improvements on approximately 68.96 acres.”
The initial site plan is available for public review as you can see in this link that’s in the staff report. But so far Civic Access does not offer access to it directly.
The ARB will review one project at the meeting. This is for ARB202400059 for the Community Christian Academy which is seeking “to construct a modular classroom building behind the existing parsonage, and to undertake associated site improvements.”
That comes from the staff report which also tells us that “the site is located on the north side of Rio Road East, where there is a mix of commercial and residential structures ranging from small to medium/large in scale.”
Staff reports for the ARB offer a high level of detail but for the purposes of this test of Civic Access, we’ll go to two attachments included in the staff report.
Attach. 1: ARB2024-59: Community Christian Academy Final - site plan
Attach. 2: ARB2024-59: Community Christian Academy Final - architectural plans
But what’s the story overall project? Before going to Civic Access, the narrative crafted by Shimp Engineering tells us that the Community Christian Academy currently has a maximum enrollment of 150 students and needs more space.
“To resolve their space constraints, Community Christian Academy proposes to construct a modular building with eight classrooms,” reads sheet 2 of the narrative. “The modular structure will be very similar in appearance to modular structures that are often implemented on public school sites when capacity conflicts arise.”
I want to find out more information so I pull up Civic Access and enter the Parcel ID 06100-00-00-12700 and three applications come up including two special use permits.
SDP202300002 approved by the Board of Supervisors on August 2, 2023 increased the enrollment from 85 to 150 students. You can view all of the documents on Laserfiche if you log in. This includes action letters sent to the applicant.
On September 3, Supervisors approved the modular buildings in SDP202400016. All of the documentation for those permits are on Laserfiche, but they do not appear accessible through Civic Access. Take a look at them here.
But what about documents for applications being filed now? It’s going to take a while to adjust to a new system that while addressing some issues has created others. My job is currently more difficult than it was, but I am hopeful Albemarle will make new documents visible to the public as was the case for many years. It’s disconcerting when systems change in transition.
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Albemarle Board of Zoning Appeals to consider request for smaller lot size
While that may not seem like the most exciting headline, this one goes out to the small percentage of people who are thrilled about the intricate details of Albemarle’s land use policy. The Albemarle Board of Zoning Appeals will hold their first meeting of 2025 as their meeting scheduled for January 7 was postponed. They meet at 2 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info)
The minimum size for a lot in the county’s rural area is 2 acres. The owner of a 7.01 acre property in Keswick wants to subdivide a portion that would total 1.3867 acres. Staff found they could not approve this because the exception did not meet any of the county’s guidelines for granting a variance.
The applicant seeks to sell off the parcel upon which a house stands. They want to “save a pastoral sight line” and retain some of the existing land for livestock. Take a look at the full packet for more information. (meeting packet)
Charlottesville BAR to discuss potential changes to the Development Code
The Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review will have a work session at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. 4:52 p.m. update: This meeting may have been canceled according to one member of the BAR and I’ll update when I confirm.
The topics are “processes and procedures for the BAR and staff liaisons, as well as a general review of the BAR by- laws including changing of language where the City Code (adopted December 2023) is cited”.
That’s pretty vague and it being a Sunday I can’t ask anyone officially. But my sense is that this has to do with heights on the Downtown Mall. Kellie Brown, the new director of Neighborhood Development Service, told City Council on January 21 there is an issue that needs to be reviewed.
“Does the Development Code really provide guidance for building height, building form on the mall in a way that kind of provides clear expectations for everybody?” Brown asked. “Or is there maybe some additional work we could be doing to kind of clarifying what is the shared vision for building height and form on the Mall?”
More after the meeting.
In other meetings:
The Nelson County Economic Development Authority meets at 3 p.m. at the Nelson Center at 8445 Thomas Nelson Highway. There’s no agenda posted at publication time. (meeting info)
The Charlottesville Sister Cities Commission meets at 4:30 p.m. in CitySpace. They’ll hear a lot of reports. (meeting packet)
The Charlottesville Tree Commission meets at 5 p.m. in the Parks and Recreation Office on the Mall level of the Market Street Parking Garage. There are some interesting things on the agenda such as information that staff with the firm Eocene Environmental Group will be in the city. In October, the Iowa-based firm was awarded the contract to do the city’s urban forest management plan. (meeting agenda)
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Albemarle Board of Supervisors to hold four public hearings including one for Buck Island Solar
The Albemarle Board of Supervisors will meet at 5 p.m. rather than the usual 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info) (agenda)
The first matter on the agenda is for appointments to Boards and Commissions. There is a full list of what positions are currently vacant as well as applications. After gaveling into open session, Supervisors will go into closed session.
After going into open session at 6 p.m., Supervisor will adopt a proclamation celebrating Black History Month.
“February 2025 marks the 99th anniversary of Historian Carter G. Woodson’s Dedication in promoting the achievements of Black Americans and people of African Descent,” reads the proclamation. “February 2025 marks the 49th anniversary of the federal recognition of Black History Month.”
January 2025 also marked an executive order directing removal of all “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” programs. Some defense agencies initially took this to mean that Black History Month could not be observed, but the White House issued a clarification on Friday.
There are four public hearings with the first being on several appropriations to the county’s budget. One of these will add additional funding to a capital project for the Moore’s Creek Trail and Trailhead Park.
“The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) received a Smart Scale grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to construct multi-use trails and a trailhead park along Moore’s Creek and Biscuit Run in the vicinity of 5th Street Station,” reads a description in the line item to appropriate $119,021 in county funding.
The Smart Scale award of $9,841,290 was granted in FY22 and the application can be seen here. According to the Smart Scale portal, the preliminary engineering phase is expected to begin on August 4, 2025.
“Additional funds are requested for the completion of other trailhead park amenities and improvements, including expenses associated with the planning, design, and construction phases of those amenities,” the description continues.
The other two appropriations are related to school funding and funding for the Blue Ridge Health District.
The second public hearing is for a special use permit for Carter Machinery to display equipment and vehicle rentals at their store at 721 Rio Road West. This is right next to Northside Library. Four of the seven Planning Commissioners recommended approval on November 26, 2024. The other three were absent. (item materials)
The third public hearing is for an amendment to an existing special use permit to allow a new 13,100 square foot building for the City Church at 1010 Rio Road East. They also want to allow more parking spaces than would be ordinarily allowed. (item materials)
The fourth public hearing is for a special use permit for a utility-scale solar facility on about 11 acres of land on Campbell Farm Lane. Four of the seven Planning Commissioners recommended approval on November 26, 2024. The other three were absent. (item materials)
Fluvanna Supervisors to consider property tax breaks for fire and EMS volunteers
The five-members of the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors will meet at 5 p.m. in the Circuit Courtroom in the Fluvanna Courts building. This is a pretty short meeting with four action matters and no public hearings. (meeting packet)
The first action matter is for an incentive plan for volunteers of Fluvanna County Fire and EMS. (learn more)
“The goal is to drive recruitment, retention and increased participation of Fluvanna County Volunteers by providing an increased incentive plan for volunteers to staff fire houses and rescue stations more often for immediate response to calls,” reads the staff report.
There are three suggested tiers which would reduce real property taxes for volunteers. The first tier would deduct $595 for anyone who works 288 duty crew hours a year. A second tier would provide $300 in relief to those who work 144 duty crew hours a year. Another $175 would be for those in leadership positions with a limit of three per station.
The second is a project agreement with Enteros Design for a space needs study for the Fluvanna local government. This will cost $136,295 and will include payment to the Timmons Group to serve as a subcontractor. (learn more)
The third is to authorize a public hearing for the Thomas Jefferson Solid Waste Management Plan put together by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. This would be held on March 19, 2025. There is a specific item related to Fluvanna County.
“Legislation passed during the 2019 Virginia General Assembly requires Dominion Energy to remove all coal ash currently stored in the North Ash Pond at Bremo Power station within 15 years,” reads the staff report. “In keeping with the statute, Dominion Energy has submitted rezoning and Special Use Permit applications to Fluvanna County with plans to construct and operate a state-of-the-art, lined landfill on Dominion Energy property beside Bremo Power Station.”
The plan has to be amended to reflect this information.
The fourth relates to a bike repair and information station slated for Palmyra Village. The Fluvanna County Rotary Club and the Fluvanna Leadership Development Program have proposed the idea.
“This station will support cyclists traveling along the newly rerouted TransAmerica Bike Trail (Bike Route 76) and serve as a local resource for outdoor recreation,” reads the staff report.
“The station will include an information kiosk highlighting local businesses and attractions, bike repair tools, and a bike rack.”
Thursday, February 6, 2025
City advisory committee to take action on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan
In recent years, meetings of Charlottesville’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board have been held in a conference room in the basement of the Market Street Parking Garage. This time around they’ll gather in City Council Chambers to take action on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. (agenda)
The agenda does not have any further information. The purpose of this newsletter is to give you that information. The final plan is now available for download here and immediately below the download link is a box where you can enter your feedback on the 363-page plan. You have until February 16, 2025 to give your input.
There is no summary of the plan which has changed slightly since Council had an update in December. It took me until mid-January, but I wrote a summary of the plan which has a total cost estimate of nearly $78.18 million for all of the elements.
Charlottesville Human Rights Commission to discuss low-barrier homeless shelter
The Charlottesville Planning Commission did not meet in January due to a lack of items for them to discuss. The new Development Code removed the role that this appointed body plays in the decision-making process.
One of the items on the agenda for the Human Rights Commission’s work session is a discussion of a proposed low-barrier shelter proposed at the site of the Salvation Army’s thrift store on Cherry Avenue. There’s no information in the packet that lays out the specific role the Human Rights Commission will play, but the appointed body does advise election officials.
But first, the Human Rights Commission will discuss sidewalk accessibility in the snow. Is this a conversation that the Planning Commission might have had? Does the City Council listen to the Human Rights Commission more than the Planning Commission?
The Human Rights Commission meets in CitySpace at 6:30 p.m. (meeting agenda)
In other meetings:
The Albemarle Electoral Board will meet at 9 a.m. but the meeting info page doesn’t say where. However, if you visit the site for the three-person body, you can find out it’s at the 5th Street office building. There’s an agenda, too.
The Albemarle Natural Heritage Committee will meet at 5:45 p.m. in Room 235 of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. There will be a presentation on Biophilic Cities and a discussion of riparian buffer protection standards in the zoning ordinance. (meeting agenda) (meeting info)
The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. The agenda is not posted at public time, which means I’ll write this up in a regular newsletter this week. (view meetings)