July 14, 2025: Charlottesville to resume taking zoning applications under new code pending written order from Judge Worrell
Plus: Three items that should have been in yesterday's Week Ahead!
One could utilize large language models to ask for a comparison between two communities, or one could travel and do the research. How do Charlottesville in Virginia and Kalamazoo in Michigan size up? Both are attached to higher education, both have a street closed off for pedestrian traffic, and there are a large amount of people who do not have houses.
This is not Kalamazoo Community Engagement, but rather the 896th edition of a concerted attempt to inform people about what is happening in the community’s distant cousin to the southeast. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I believe every community needs to know more about itself.
In today’s installment:
Charlottesville has temporarily resumed taking new applications under the voided zoning code pending a written order from Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell
Charlottesville will hold a design public hearing Tuesday for a replacement for the Dairy Road Bridge
The results are in for a community survey intended to inform the next Comprehensive Plan in Fluvanna County
Albemarle County Supervisors will hold a public hearing Wednesday for changes to the solar ordinance
The Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development has taken over management of a defense group that began at the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce
The Jefferson Area Board for Aging will have a public meeting Tuesday for its “area plan”
First shout-out: Charlottesville Jazz Society and WTJU present Jen Chapin on July 24
On Thursday July 24th, The Charlottesville Jazz Society and WTJU will welcome vocalist and songwriter Jen Chapin back to Charlottesville after a long absence.
For this concert at Belmont Arts Collaborative, Jen Chapin will be accompanied by Grammy nominated bassist Stephan Crump and “impeccable melodist” (New York Times) Jamie Fox on electric guitar. Chapin will debut a new cabaret-style performance of her urban folk songs entitled Anything Goes, and How Did We Get Here? The two-set show weaves historically-informed, jazz-inspired questions and answers about our current and rapidly-changing political moment, around old and new selections from Jen’s critically-acclaimed urban folk catalog.
Tickets to see The Jen Chapin Trio at Belmont Arts Collaborative on July 24th at 7:30 pm are available online. General admission tickets are $25, and $22 for paid supporters of The Charlottesville Jazz Society. For more information, call 434-249-6191.
Charlottesville to resume taking applications under voided zoning code
Two weeks ago, Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell put a halt to the city’s review of land use applications under a new zoning code that allowed for significantly more residential density than the one adopted in 2003.
Attorneys with the plaintiffs in the White v. Charlottesville case had noticed that attorneys for the city had not responded to an amended version of their original complaint. On June 2, they filed for a motion for default judgement and asked that their request to void the zoning code ab initio be granted.
Attorneys with the firm Gentry Locke asked Judge Worrell for forgiveness and argued they were working in good faith toward a June 2026 trial on the merits of the case. In his verbal ruling, Judge Worrell lamented that the arguments would not be made in court and sided with the plaintiffs.
Two days later, the city announced they would stop taking new applications under the new rules while they examined their options.
On July 11, the city unveiled its next step.
“As of today, we are still operating under the 2024 Development Code, pending the Circuit Court’s issuance of a formal, written order,” said Afton Schneider, the city’s director of communications and public engagement.
Schneider said the city is in talks with the plaintiffs and their attorneys to try to reach a settlement. If that doesn’t work, the city will file a motion asking for Judge Worrell to reconsider his ruling.
“If those efforts are unsuccessful, the City is prepared to move as quickly as possible to re-adopt the Code,” Schneider wrote in a press release. “All zoning‐related applications are temporarily on hold pending further developments, but the City anticipates being able to resume those reviews in the near future.”
In late April, the city’s counsel had asked Judge Worrell to reconsider a decision to allow the case to move forward. Worrell said no.
The plaintiffs in White v. Charlottesville specifically argued that the city did not comply with §15.2-2222.1 and §15.2-2284.
The former has the title “Coordination of state and local transportation planning” and states that localities must submit plans to the Virginia Department of Transportation if they will “substantially affect transportation on state-controlled highways.”
“The Department's comments on the proposed plan or amendment shall relate to plans and capacities for construction of transportation facilities affected by the proposal,” reads the final sentence of the first section of § 15.2-2222.1.
§15.2-2284 has the title “Matters to be considered in drawing and applying zoning ordinances and districts.” Take a look at the image to see the wording.
Meanwhile in Arlington, a provision that allowed more units on a single family lot is now back on hold. On June 24, the Virginia Court of Appeals reinstated the county’s Expanded Housing Option that had been overturned in Circuit Court. In that case, the three-judge panel agreed with a development firm that argued they should have been allowed to enter the case on appeal. The ruling had the effect of restoring the rules in the short-term.
However on July 8, the appeals court altered its ruling.
“The opinion rendered on June 24, 2025 is withdrawn, the mandate entered on that date is vacated, and these appeals will be reconsidered by the panel of judges that originally considered the matters,” reads a document from court clerks.
That leaves the same sort of uncertainty present in Charlottesville.
“The future of EHO development in Arlington is still to be decided by the courts,” reads the county’s website for EHO.
The changes in Arlington are limited to certain zoning districts and are not a locality-wide rezoning as was the case in Charlottesville. A common thread is that the current director of the city’s Neighborhood Development Services department, Kellie Brown, came to Charlottesville from Arlington.
Charlottesville to hold public hearing on Dairy Road replacement bridge
At issue in White v. Charlottesville is whether the city’s road network can handle additional density enabled by the Development Code adopted in December 2023 and implemented two months later.
While we wait to see how the legal process works, the city continues to manage its own transportation projects including a project to replace a bridge that carries Dairy Road over the U.S. 250 Bypass.
A design public hearing will be held for that project Tuesday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Walker Upper Elementary School.
“Come see plans the replacement,” reads a public notice published in the Charlottesville Daily Progress. “This project will replace the aging and load-restricted bridge.”
Funding for the project comes through a maintenance program managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation known as State of Good Repair. The hope is to get the project underway next year.
When that happens, the bridge will be closed for at least one year. The plans are under review and comments can be taken through the end of the month.
The city keeps two calendars on its website notifying the public of upcoming meetings. This meeting is now on the one that’s run through CivicPlus nor the one on the city’s main page.
The city did issue a notice through its press release page on July 9.
The Dairy Road bridge replacement is also not listed on VDOT’s list of projects in the Culpeper District.
In May 2024, City Council learned that VDOT had found the city to be deficient in managing transportation projects for which it had been awarded. For instance, the city won three Smart Scale awards in 2016 for three streetscape projects. None have gone to construction
The city has handed over management of the Fontaine Avenue Streetscape project to VDOT, and VDOT has made that part of a bundle which is listed on the website. A design public hearing was held on May 22, 2025.
For historical content for the Dairy Road bridge, here’s an uncategorized article my colleague Tim Dodson wrote for Charlottesville Tomorrow in August 2016.
Results are in for Fluvanna County Comprehensive Plan Survey
The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors adopted a rudimentary Comprehensive Plan last September in order to make a deadline in state code to review the plan every five years. According to this article by Heather Michon in the Fluvanna Review, a full review scheduled to begin in 2020 was made difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A more thorough review began soon afterward including appointment of committees to look at different aspects of the county’s future. That included a community survey held between April 11 and May 30 with 27 questions.
“There were 757 responses completed in total,” reads an item in the packet for the Planning Commission’s meeting scheduled for Monday night. “Of that number, 723 were submitted digitally and 34 were submitted by mail or delivered by hand to the Department of Planning and Zoning.”
That’s a fairly high participation compared to the total population of the county. The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia estimates Fluvanna had 28,382 people as of July 1, 2024. In 2022, demographers calculated the county would have 28,394 people in 2030 so the actual growth rate is outpacing the projections.
A majority of respondents were over the age of 65 at 42.8 percent followed by 25.5 percent who said they were between 50 and 64. A clear majority of residents have lived in Fluvanna for over ten years and many indicated their last place of residence was either Albemarle or Charlottesville. An overwhelming majority own rather than rent and an overwhelming majority live in single family houses.
Another question asked what should be the role be for Fluvanna’s five Community Planning Areas. A majority appears to support growth but would prefer it to be commercial rather than residential.
A quarter of respondents said Fluvanna is growing too fast, but 46.8 percent said more development is needed.
Economic development entity assumes management of defense lobby group
As both Albemarle County and the University of Virginia continue to court the defense and intelligence industry, a committee that has been working on their behalf has moved from one organization to another.
The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce formed a Chamber Defense Affairs Committee in 2009 to help secure a long-term future for the area around the National Ground Intelligence Center and other agencies.
Initially known as the Defense Enterprise Roundtable, the entity will now become part of the Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development, a non-profit public-private partnership formed in 1995. CVPED is also connected to the GO Virginia network of economic development efforts across all of Virginia.
“This move represents a powerful opportunity to enhance the Committee’s impact, expand its reach, and elevate its visibility,” said Chamber CEO Andrea Copeland in a June 27 information release.
In 2023, the Chamber of Commerce commissioned the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia to conduct an analysis of the defense sector. The Albemarle Board of Supervisors got a briefing in May of that year on what was calculated as an $1.2 billion impact on the local economy.
“We’re not manufacturing tanks, we’re not doing weapons systems,” said Lettie Bien, the committee’s program manager at the time. “We’re not doing weapons systems. This is mostly intelligence, research and development.” (read this story)
Two weeks later, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors authorized staff to move forward with the purchase of over 462 acres around the Rivanna Station military base for $58 million for the purposes of creating a campus for defense and intelligence firms. (read that story)
This spring, Go Virginia awarded Albemarle a $613,570 grant to help prepare 50 acres of the land for eventual development. Albemarle has filed site plans to do that work, as I reported last month for C-Ville Weekly.
Albemarle County has supported the defense committee by funding its program manager and will continue to do so.
“Staff believe that CVPED is better positioned to support the region’s defense community and the growth of the technology corridor,” said Abbey Stumpf, the county’s director of communications and public engagement.
Albemarle County has also applied for a grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation through their Economic Development Access Program to extend Boulders Road about a third of the mile to allow for deeper access to the property.
The Rivanna Station project is part of a larger project being conducted by CVPED and other localities to develop an “Innovation Corridor Strategic Roadmap.” GO Virginia 9 recently awarded $100,000 to that effort.
Second shout-out: Supporting the Keswick Heritage Fund’s Love Better Project
The Keswick Heritage Fund is a partnership of several churches in Albemarle County that provides education support and opportunities for professional development. One of their outreach programs is the Love Better Project, which provides scholarships to Black students in the Keswick area. The fund was created soon after the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 2020.
Grace Episcopal Church, Union Grove Baptist, Union Run Baptist, Zion Hill Baptist and St. John Church are united for growth through community partnership and education. To learn more about the fund, the scholarships, and the churches themselves, visit their website at keswickheritagefund.com.
Albemarle Supervisors to hold public hearing on solar ordinance changes
The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors will have their first and only meeting of July on Wednesday the 16th. This will begin at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting agenda)
The first item on the agenda is a work session on the implementation chapter of the update of the Comprehensive Plan that the county refers to as AC44. The Albemarle County Planning Commission took a review last week and there’s a 25 percent chance I’ll write that up in advance.
“The current draft of AC44 has over 200 actions across the nine (9) topic chapters within Part III,” reads the staff report for the PC meeting. “The quantity and scope of these actions presents a challenge for implementation, including the reporting and tracking of implementation progress.”
I really feel it is important for people to know what is in these documents because once a government puts something in a plan, there’s a chance it will be implemented. What will the Board of Supervisors prioritize and does it match what the public wants? Does that matter in a community where only one out of three magisterial districts has a contested election this November?
The second work session is a review of legislative priorities from the 2025 General Assembly as well as a look ahead to the next session. One request Albemarle Supervisors made this year was $1.37 million in state funding for a connector trail at Biscuit Run Park. That made it through both chambers of the legislature, but Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed the funds.
This item had been scheduled for the June 16 meeting but the item was pulled from the agenda.
After that, Supervisors will get a quarterly report from the Virginia Department of Transportation. For many years, these were done concurrently with an in-person report from Albemarle transportation staff but that’s not the case this time around. There is no information available in advance for the VDOT report, but Albemare’s report is in written form and on the consent agenda.
Supervisors will go into a closed session at 5 p.m. but do not indicate what the reason is. One could make an inference that this will be to consider appointments to board and commissions as that is the first item after the Board returns at 6 p.m. But should we have to make inferences? (more information on vacancies)
There are three items up for public hearing.
The first is to take comments on a declaration of “spot blight” for 50 Churchill Lane in the Samuel Miller District. That will allow the county to make improvements including demolition and then charge the property owner
The county sent a letter to the property owner last July informing them that staff believed the deteriorated structure there is blighted because it is open to the elements and because parts of it are falling down. Staff also estimates the work will cost $61,000, leaving $56,451 available for other projects.
The second public hearing is for a special use permit to divide 342 acres of land in the Samuel Miller District into six large tracts for six single family homes. The Planning Commission anonymous recommended approval on May 27, 2025. (materials)
The third public hearing is related to changes to the county ordinance that governs utility-scale solar arrays as well as battery energy storage facilities. I have been unable to prioritize this work so the image below will have to suffice for today. (materials)
There are several items on the consent agenda worth noting:
For many years, Albemarle and Charlottesville had a joint review process for funding for nonprofits but that ended about five years ago. Both have now established their own criteria. Albemarle County is updating their rules for the three areas subject to funding. The documents in question are “Human Services Funding Process” and “Cultural, Arts, and Festivals Process Framework” and “Community Non-Profit Capital Process Framework.” This probably merits its own story, and possibly a discussion by Supervisors themselves.
A second item is a request to formally participate in the Boulders Road extension project mentioned in one of the stories above. (materials)
There is a 12-page report from Albemarle’s transportation planners with more information than can be summarized in this blurb. There is a 25 percent chance I’ll write this up before Wednesday. (read the report now)
There’s also a 5 page report from the chair of the Albemarle School Board. This is also worth a story. People like information, right? (read that report too)
JABA to hold public meeting on its area plan
Finally today, another item discovered through a public notice in the Charlottesville Daily Progress.
The Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA) will hold a public meeting on July 15 at 10 a.m. to discuss a document that describes how it will provide and coordinate services for older residents in the area.
This will be held at the Mary Williams Community Senior Center at 674 Hillsdale Drive in Charlottesville. Staff will describe the purpose of the plan, why it is important and how public feedback is used.
JABA is one of 25 planning and service areas in Virginia.
Reading material:
Formerly ousted U.Va. president has questions about Ryan’s departure, Kate Andrews, Virginia Business (paywall), July 10, 2025
Senate Democrats consider blocking more Youngkin university board appointments as he exerts influence, Andrew Kerley, Virginia Scope, July 10, 2025
As U-Va. president leaves, faculty say board failed to protect university, Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Washington Post (paywall), July 11, 2025
Charlottesville seeking to continue climate action work as federal funding dries up, Sean Tubbs, C-Ville Weekly, July 12, 2025
Charlottesville event tackles gun violence, promotes safer and healthier community, Jenette Hastings, WVIR NBC29, July 12, 2025
Osprey came back from the brink once [and] now chicks are dying in nests, and some blame overfishing, Patrick Whittle and Allen G. Breed, Associated Press, July 12, 2025
UVA professors demand details behind Jim Ryan's resignation, but the board of visitors remains silent, Sandy Hausman, WVTF, July 13, 2025
Block party brings together Charlottesville’s Prospect neighborhood, Gabby Womack, WVIR NBC29, July 13, 2025
Residents ramp up opposition to proposed AWS data center campus, Tammy Purcell, Engage Louisa, July 14, 2025
BOS roundup: Supervisors ok more condos at Lake Anna, Tammy Purcell, Engage Louisa, July 14, 2025
PC roundup: Commission pushes public hearing on humanitarian shelters to August meeting, recommends denial of RNG unloading facility, Tammy Purcell, Engage Louisa, July 14, 2025
General Assembly prepares for potential September special session, Jahd Khalil, VPM, July 14, 2025
I got an #896 in Kalamazoo!
Perhaps you have a favorite independent restaurant that closes for a few days out of the year to give staff and the owners a break? Before I did this work, I worked in one of those places and it is sort of the model for what I do now. I didn’t get to own Court Square Tavern, but I get to do this work!
However, it is very difficult for me to shut down because there is always something happening. I get stressed out, really stressed out, if I can’t work.
I do this work because I care about others, and care about the community we live in. The country we live in! I’m currently about 700 miles away to the northwest, and everywhere I look fuels questions about back home. It’s like when I went to Atlantic City, or when I went to Champaign-Urbana. Or like when I go to Bucks County, where Eden Ratliff is now a township manager!
I am a first generation American who became a journalist to try to connect communities. I chose a different path than many as I see most see journalism as a way to divide. That is not what I want to do, and why I work so hard.
There are so many issues facing all of us. I don’t know how to fix them, but I do know my job is to get more people to the primary sources. My job is to encourage each and everyone of you to question your own assumptions and to listen to others and to form better arguments.
I believe in these things because I am a pluralist and a champion of diversity and a believer in the ideals that brought my parents here to this country. I have been challenging myself a lot recently about whether this is the most appropriate path for me as I get older.
I do this work because it keeps me sane. I know I write long and I know I write too much sometimes. But I do this because I believe. And, I’ve used this one before again, but this song is the fuel for my entire journalism career.
I don’t know when the next one will be. I really would like to know more about Kalamazoo while I’m here. What can you tell me?
Hmmmmm not great but maybe this time the my Will demand from the developers investors money to go into transportation upgrades.