Week Ahead for March 3, 2025: Charlottesville considering plan to move from trash stickers to monthly service payments; Public hearing on Albemarle's recommended budget
Plus: The University of Virginia's Board of Visitors meets this week as well
Today I am going to attempt to complete this work more quickly. As I type this, I have done no prep and I am starting at 9:21 a.m. And then I wrapped up writing at 3:25 p.m. To get right to the meetings, I’ll spare you the usual boilerplate and get you straight to the highlights.
Louisa County will hold a budget work session on Monday and will get a report from Dominion Energy on the state of the North Anna Power Station
Also on Monday The Albemarle Architectural Review Board will take up the design criteria for future buildings in the footprint of the former Barnes Lumber Yard
Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders will reveal his budget for FY2026 on Tuesday, but Council will first hear a proposal to increase the cost of trash stickers in the short-term while transitioning to a monthly fee
Albemarle County Supervisors on Wednesday will hold their first public hearing on a recommended budget that anticipates a four cent increase in the real property tax rate
The Albemarle Economic Development Authority will hold a virtual meeting on Thursday to potentially change their rules of procedures to allow issuance of taxable bonds
There are no meetings in Nelson County this week
Charlottesville government is closed Monday to mark Liberation and Freedom Day
Thanks as always to the Piedmont Environmental Council for their ongoing support of this newsletter.
Monday, March 3, 2025
Louisa County Supervisors to hold budget work session
Some readers have told me they’re not interested in what happens in other localities and would prefer if I focused on the one they want. Yet, this publication is written by someone with an undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech in political science. I entered that field out of curiosity, and curiosity powers me through to this day.
One question at the back of my head is: Why do different local governments have different approaches to fiscal policy? In other words, why are the proposed budgets for Albemarle County and Louisa County based on two different philosophies on taxation. Albemarle County Executive Jeffrey Richardson has based his recommended budget on a four cent increase in the real property tax rate whereas Fluvanna County Administrator Eric Dahl is recommending a decrease of more than 12 cents.
What will be the case in Louisa County? The seven-member Board of Supervisors will meet at 3:30 p.m. for a budget work session. The materials aren’t available in advance and I don’t see them on the budget page. But I will make this story one of the priorities this week. (meeting info)
According to the minutes of previous work sessions, Supervisors approved specific amounts for outside agencies at the February 3 work session and continued that activity at the February 18 work session.
After the work session, Supervisors will go into a closed session at 5 p.m before reconvening in public session at 6 p.m.
Under information items, there are four items.
The first is a presentation from the Piedmont Virginia Community College.
The second is a discussion of the county’s subdivision ordinance and the extent to which the Virginia Department of Transportation provides oversight. I’ve been awaiting this discussion but I’ve not written about it except in my notes. There’s no staff report explaining what’s at issue, but there is a link to county code and VDOT regulations.
The third is a draft of a policy on requiring bonds for existing private roads. Take a look!
The fourth is on a policy setting Board expectations for those who serve on appointed bodies. Is this new? If so, did something specific prompt its creation? (take a look)
During the public hearing is the annual report for 2024 for North Anna Power Station from Dominion Energy. (read the report)
Albemarle ARB to consider design criteria for future buildings in Crozet’s Barnes Lumber area
When I began covering land use development in this community in 2007, there are a lot of things that had not yet happened but have since become established. One of the first issues I covered at Charlottesville Tomorrow was how the Meadowcreek Parkway would connect to U.S. 250. The John Warner Parkway is now an established transportation multimodal corridor.
Then there are items that are still getting off the ground but have been in the works for a while. Take for instance the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont in the eastern half of Charlottesville’s McIntire Park. After years of fundraising and planning, the initial site plan is making its way through the approval process.
That includes action in Albemarle County where there are about four acres of city-owned land that are part of the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont’s ground lease. The initial site plan is on the consent agenda of the Albemarle Architectural Review Board at their meeting at 1 p.m. That will take place in Lane Auditorium of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info)
I’m well overdue for a longer story on the garden. For some of the early history, here’s a link to a story I wrote in 2009 that was the second story I wrote for the Charlottesville Daily Progress as part of a partnership with Charlottesville Tomorrow. You can take a look at the initial site plan in a link available from the staff report.
And then there are projects that are still slowly making their way from idea to reality. One of these is a plan to redevelop the former Barnes Lumber Yard in Crozet as a mixed-use development. A public-private partnership with Albemarle County is in place to bring about the idea. The private portion is under the name “Crozet New Town Associates.”
On Monday, the ARB will review criteria for which they will evaluate projects that are within the scope of the area. The location in the staff report is given as “5625-5755 The Square, south of the railroad tracks, east of Oak Street, north and west of the residences on Hill Top Street.”
“The site of the proposed development lies in the heart of Crozet,” reads the description of “context” in the staff report.
“The future development of the property will include new uses and buildings more related to the context of downtown Crozet,” reads a narrative written by the firm brwarchitects.
The materials submitted include the layout of a new public road that will travel through the area. The narrative said the property will be developed in phases but that the boundaries of each have not been determined.
“Each new building, structure, or outdoor space could have a different building owner, designer, and builder,” the narrative continues. “We hope and expect the incremental and phased redevelopment of the site by a variety of development teams will provide variation of building types, materials, and design details.”
This meeting itself will likely not provide the full-fledged update I’d like to be able to provide but I hope to tell more stories as time marches on. The best I can offer now are two previous stories I have written for context:
Large Crozet development to be shepherded with community input, Charlottesville Tomorrow, April 19, 2015
Albemarle Supervisors approve $2.5 million in infrastructure funding for Barnes Lumber project, Information Charlottesville, April 25, 2022
For a really good sense of the background, search for stories on the Crozet Gazette.
After the Barnes item, the ARB will hold a work session on a concept plan for a plumbing company’s slated move to 400 Rio Road west. (staff report)
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Charlottesville City Council to consider higher fees for municipal trash collection
Charlottesville City Council meets at 4 p.m. for a work session with two items followed by a regular meeting which begins at 6:30 p.m. In between there may or may not be a closed session. (meeting overview)
After adopting a budget for the current fiscal year last April, Council really hasn’t stopped talking about budgetary issues. Last September, Council said they wanted to see updated information on how the city charges residents for municipal trash pick-up.
“If we’re subsidizing things, we’re subsidizing things, but let’s at least be thoughtful and own up to what we’re subsidizing versus not,” said City Councilor Brian Pinkston at the time.
Charlottesville hired the firm NewGen Strategies and Solutions of Colorado to conduct the study and the results are in. (presentation) (staff report)
“In the current Fiscal Year, revenues from the sale of stickers and decals is estimated to be approximately $1.1 million, while expenses for collection, disposal, and processing are expected to be $2.7 million,” reads the staff report.
The report notes that the city spends $1.1 million a year on other programs such as leaf collection, large-item collection, drop off programs, and other services.
NewGen is recommending a switch away from decals and stickers to a new “pay as you throw” system where participants would pay monthly rates based on what size of a “cart” they would be issued. To recover the full cost of the service, it would cost $16 a month for a 32 gallon cart, $22 a month for a 64 gallon cart, and $28 for a 96 gallon cart.
Until that system is implemented, NewGen is also recommending the cost of stickers be increased by at least 25 percent.
The second work session is on the decarbonization study that’s been conducted by the firm Black and Veatch. Charlottesville has operated a gas utility for over 150 years; the study is intended to recommend ways operations can be upgraded to help the city accomplish greenhouse gas reduction goals. (presentation)
The consent agenda includes two special exceptions that the Planning Commission considered last week including one for the third phase of Kindlewood. I hope to write up those stories before this meeting.
Before the introduction of both Charlottesville City Schools’ Budget and City Manager Sam Sanders’ recommended budget for FY26, there are three presentations related to specific affordable housing projects.
The first is a resolution to approve a performance agreement for the development of 501 Cherry Avenue by Woodard Properties and the Piedmont Housing Alliance. This is separate from the capital contribution anticipated. Instead, the performance agreement will govern how the city will return a portion of the higher real estate tax revenue back to the developers. Council agreed to this in principle on July 15, 2024. (staff report) (resolution)
The second is for a resolution to designate the University of Virginia Foundation’s property at 10h and Wertland as a “revitalization area.” The foundation has selected an entity called Preservation of Affordable Housing to build an 180-unit apartment building where all of the units will have subsidized rents. There will be 69 one bedroom units, 96 two bedroom units, and 17 three bedroom units.
“If the Low Income Housing Tax Credits ("LIHTC") Application is approved, construction is expected to start in April 2026,” reads the staff report.
Being designated as a revitalization area helps with the scoring of the tax credits.
The third is the first reading of a resolution to amend an agreement that governs the city’s $6 million grant to the Charlottesville Redevelopment of Housing Authority for the South First Street Phase Two project. The resolution needs to be amended because CRHA did not begin construction by September 30, 2024. That actually voided the agreement, according to the staff report.
Under the new agreement, construction must begin by July 1, 2025 and be completed by July 31, 2027. Any extensions must be requested 30 days in advance. There will also need to be semi-annual compliance reports.
The report does not give any information on why the project has been delayed. The redevelopment report for the February 24 meeting of the CRHA Board does not list a start time for construction, nor does it mention the need to extend the agreement.
Then the School Budget will be presented and then the city’s. Materials for the latter are not yet available, so the best I can do for you is to point you to the category Budget - Charlottesville on Information Charlottesville.
In other meetings:
The Albemarle Board of Zoning Appeals is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. in Lane Auditorium but there is no agenda or final packet. (meeting info)
The Greene County Board of Supervisors will have a budget work shop at 4:30 p.m. There are no advance materials but I hope to write this one up as well. (meeting information is blank at this time)
The Charlottesville Tree Commission meets at 5 p.m. in the Parks and Recreation Office in the basement of the Market Street Parking Garage. One item on the agenda is a discussion of next steps after a number of trees were removed on West Main Street. (agenda)
Fluvanna County will hold another Comprehensive Plan meeting at the Antioch Baptist Church. Take a look at last week’s summary for background. (agenda)
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Albemarle Board of Supervisors to hold public hearing on FY26 budget
There are a lot of items on the agenda for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meeting that begins at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium. If you’re interested in providing a comment at the public hearing, that won’t begin until after 6 p.m. (meeting agenda)
Last week, County Executive Jeffrey Richardson recommended a budget for FY26 based on a cent increase on the real property tax rate. For background, take a look at the detailed story I wrote last week.
This preview begins by drawing your attention to a study included in the consent agenda. In December 2023, the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia published the latest “Cost of Community Services” report which points out that Albemarle’s population increased by 35 percent from 2000 to 2020.
“The incremental taxable value of residential properties is often less than the public services demand,” reads the summary of the report. “As urbanization proceeds, communities also often require more physical infrastructure and demand higher levels of public services, such as faster public safety responses, additional parks and recreation services, and other urban amenities.”
Analysis in this report took a look at fiscal year 2022 and found that residential land uses generated about $265 million in county revenues but required about $347 million in county services. Commercial and industrial land, however, generated surpluses.
Back to 1 p.m. This time around there are proclamations for the 100th anniversary of the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors as well as one to celebrate Women’s History Month.
After the public comment period, there will be an action item on a special exception for an expansion of the Greenwood Grocery. Under county code, a historic country store building cannot exceed 4,000 square feet but the applicant seeks to exceed that amount as part of a plan to incorporate a residential building into the public portion of the business.
The narrative in the application explains the history of the business which began in 1951 as a produce stand that grew. The current owners bought the property in September 1999 and soon after there was a fire.
“In order to rebuild and continue our livelihood, we began a lengthy process to demonstrate to the county officials’ and board of representatives’ satisfaction that the business had existed and had been operated out of both structures for nearly 50 years at that point, and to demonstrate that we could comply with ordinances and regulations for operating a Country Store in a Rural Area,” reads the application.
The plan now is to consolidate two properties into one.
After that, Supervisors will hold a work session on the Comprehensive Plan update. This time it will be on the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space chapter. Here are the materials:
The Planning Commission reviewed this chapter on February 25. It is highly unlikely I’ll be able to write that up in time. I choose to prioritize the budget process over the AC44 process when it comes to what to write up. But, take a look at the video:
There are two public hearings in the 6 p.m. session. As mentioned above, the first is on the recommended budget for Albemarle County for FY26. I’ll note there are no direct links to any of the materials in the agenda as of Sunday. (take a look)
Here are some resources:
The full budget has the title “Investment in Action: Prioritizing our Community’s Safety and Well-Being” (download it)
County Executive Jeffrey Richardson has a 36-page presentation. (review it)
The CBS19 story focused on the upcoming budget work sessions and town halls
The second public hearing is for a rezoning and special use permit for a new manufactured home park in the rural area. The request is to rezoning over 50 acres of land in the rural area to R-4 to establish the Chestnut Grove Manufactured Home Park. Staff recommends denial in part because this is not the area designated for growth.
“Additional service delivery will be required to address the needs of the future residents of this park including Fire and Rescue, school, and utilities,” reads the staff report.
The Planning Commission recommended denial on a 3 to 1 vote on December 10, 2024. Read the minutes to see how the conversation went. This is another story I’m disappointed I have not been able to write. I wrote a story in late November for C-Ville Weekly but have not been able to follow-up. That appears to be the only story in “the news.”
To conclude this preview, back to the consent agenda:
There are several appropriations for the FY2025 budget for your review including $100,000 from the Virginia Department of Forestry. I wrote about that earlier this year. There’s also $1.075 million in Community Development Block Grant funding to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville to help cover infrastructure costs for Village 3 in Phase 2 of the Southwood redevelopment.
There is a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between Albemarle and the Albemarle County Fire Rescue Foundation. The latter has a mission “to provide resources, assistance, and recognition of the Albemarle County Fire Rescue Department and its members” according to the resolution. (read the MOA)
There is a resolution to accept roads in the Brookhill development into the state secondary system of highways. (read the resolution)
There are two special exceptions for Woodbrook Apartments. One is for the perimeter landscape buffer and the other is for the use buffer.
Fluvanna County Supervisors to hold budget work session
The five members of the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors will meet at 5 p.m. in the Circuit Courtroom of the Fluvanna Courts Building followed by a budget work session scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Morris Room of the Fluvanna County Administration Building. (agenda packet)
After public comments, there will be three presentations to start the meeting. There will be from the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Monticello Area Community Action Agency, and county planning staff on the Comprehensive Plan.
Under action matters, there will be an update on pay rates for law enforcement and general government employees. Those details are on page 11 of the packet.
Then the budget work session. For background, read my story from the introduction of the budget in February.
In other meetings:
The University of Virginia Board of Visitors begin their spring semester meeting with a meeting of the executive committee at 3 p.m. (meeting info)
The Piedmont Virginia Community College Board will meet at 4 p.m. in the North Mall Meeting Room. (agenda) (meeting materials)
Current and proposed pay rates for law enforcement in Fluvanna County
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Albemarle Economic Development Authority to consider rule changes to govern issuance of taxable bonds
Albemarle County has a calendar that lists public meetings. At 2 p.m. on this day there is a link to a special virtual meeting of the Albemarle Economic Development Authority. There is a link to a one page agenda that tells you that the sole item to be discussed is “Economic Development Authority Rules and Procedures - Bond Fees.” (meeting info) (the agenda)
That would appear to be that.
Last week, I was sent an email with additional material because I’m on a list of people who seek such information. That information is also available on the EDA’s website and linked here for those who are not on that list.
2c - EDA Resolution to Amend Bond Issuance Fee Scheduled 20250306
Revised 2b - Rules Procedures EDA Working DRAFT for 20250306
So, what’s this all about?
“The bond counsel to the Albemarle County Economic Development Authority received an inquiry from another bond counsel to seek the EDA’s interest in serving as a conduit for the issuance of a taxable bond for a prospective commercial development in Albemarle County,” reads the first sentence of the memo.
So far, the EDA has not issued a taxable bond. The correspondence led to the requester providing information about the Albemarle EDA’s fee structure compared to other options. In February, the EDA Board directed staff to consider changes for possible future taxable bonds.
Would it were this community had a reporter dedicated to translating municipal finance for the average person! Or, a reporter dedicated to economic development.
In other meetings:
The joint Community Policy and Management Team will meet at 9 a.m. in room 231 of the county’s office building at 1600 Fifth Street Extended. (meeting info)
The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors meeting continues. (meeting info)
The Greene County Board of Supervisors will have a second budget work shop at 4:30 p.m. There are no advance materials. (meeting information is blank at this time)
The Albemarle Natural Heritage Committee meets at 5:45 p.m. in Room 235 of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info) (agenda)
Charlottesville City Council will have a budget work session at 6 p.m. (calendar #1)
Friday, March 7, 2025
Just two meetings.
The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors meeting concludes. (meeting info)
The Fluvanna County Electoral Board meets at 10 a.m. at the registrar’s office at 265 Turkeysag Trail, Suite 115. There are no materials available at publication time. (meeting info)
I left an important verb out of the section on Charlottesville trash. I bolded the words I didn't include originally. Thanks to a reader for pointing that out!