May 20, 2025: Charlottesville Board of Zoning Appeals to consider "administrative modification" for plans for 24 units at 2030 Barracks Road
Plus: An update on many of the major development projects under review
With billions of people on the planet, there will inevitably be different ways of doing things. If this were a European newsletter, this would be the edition for 20 May, 2025, or 20-5-2025. However, Charlottesville Community Engagement is a publication the originates from one of the countries of North America so this is May 20, 2025, or 5-20-25. Either way it’s the 140th day of the year and there are also many different ways to pronounce my name, Sean Tubbs.
In today’s installment:
A fire in the Dunlora neighborhood destroyed a single family home on Monday
The Greene County Board of Supervisors announces a review of the Ruckersville Volunteer Fire Company in a vague statement
Work has begun on building a roundabout on U.S. 250 east of Crozet, one of five “innovative” intersections soon to be underway in Albemarle
The Charlottesville Scholarship Foundation has selected eleven students for their 2025 awards
Charlottesville’s Board of Zoning Appeals will take up the question Thursday of whether an administrative modification can be made for a project to build 24 units just off of Barracks Road
An update on all of the residential plans filed under the new Development Code
First shout-out: Camp Albemarle
Today’s first subscriber-supported public service announcement goes out to Camp Albemarle, which has for over sixty years been a “wholesome rural, rustic and restful site for youth activities, church groups, civic events and occasional private programs.”
Located on 14 acres on the banks of the Moorman’s River near Free Union, Camp Albemarle continues as a legacy of being a Civilian Conservation Corps project that sought to promote the importance of rural activities. Are you looking to escape and reconnect with nature? Consider holding an event where the natural beauty of the grounds will provide a venue to suit your needs. Visit their website to view the gallery and learn more!
Dunlora home destroyed in afternoon fire Monday afternoon
A single family house on Loring Circle in the Dunlora subdivision in Albemarle County is a total loss after a fire Monday afternoon.
“A responding officer with the Albemarle County Police Department arrived three minutes after dispatch to discover a single-family residence fully engulfed in flames,” reads an information release sent out May 19 at 9:47 p.m. “The first arriving suppression unit arrived on location six minutes after dispatch, at which time the structure fire was spreading to two nearby homes.”
Those two homes were spared from total destruction but the damage to the initial structure was complete and the residents have been displaced. Two pet dogs were killed in the fire and attempts were ongoing to locate pet cats.
Officers with the Charlottesville Fire Department also responded to the call and the blaze was extinguished by 6:15 p.m. The cause of the fire will be investigated by the Albemarle County Fire Marshal’s office.
Greene County conducting review of Ruckersville Volunteer Fire Company
In a statement distributed to media outlets today, the chair of the Greene Board of Supervisors said the county has hired a firm to perform a review of the Ruckersville Volunteer Fire Company.
“The public is not at risk as Stanardsville Volunteer Fire Company and Dyke Volunteer Fire Company are arranging their staffing to handle call volumes from Ruckersville’s first-due area,” said Chair Steve Catalano. “Additionally, surrounding jurisdictions have been notified and we hold Mutual Aid Agreements with them to respond to calls in our County.”
Supervisors discussed the company issue during a closed session on May 13 but a review of the view indicates no actions were taken.
The statement gives no indication of what the review is about and the agency’s Facebook page does not provide any clues. Neither does the website of the Ruckersville Volunteer Fire Company which tells us the agency was founded in 1948.
The statement raises many more questions than it answers.
“We will not be discussing ongoing reviews in the media, in public, or online,” the statement continues. “We appreciate the concerns the public have raised regarding information released to the media from outside officials County government channels, but all decisions made by the Board of Supervisors are made with due diligence and with the public’s well-being foremost.”
The Piedmont Recorder reports today that another media outlet reported Monday that Supervisors had suspended the Ruckersville Volunteer Fire Company. Take a look there for more info.
This is a developing story and a request for comment is out to the chief of the Ruckersville Volunteer Fire Company.
Construction underway on U.S. 250 roundabout east of Crozet
After several years of planning, work is underway on a new intersection for U.S. 250, Virginia Route 240 and Virginia Route 680 just to the east of Crozet.
Curtis Contracting of West Point, Virginia, began mobilizing for the conversion of the current stop sign into a roundabout with access to all three points.
During construction, Route 680 (Browns Gap Turnpike) will be closed to through traffic seeking to get between U.S. 250 and Old Three Notched Road. Speed limits will be reduced in the area of construction on both U.S. 250 and Route 240.
At some points during the construction, some lanes may be closed for periods overnight.
This work is one of five intersection projects Curtis Contracting will build as part of a single design-build package worth $42.3 million. Each is considered to be “innovative.”
“Innovative intersections reduce delay, increase efficiency and provide safer travel for all road users,” reads an information release sent out by the Virginia Department of Transportation May 19 at 9:19 p.m. “Safety is improved by reducing conflict points and potential crashes, and providing better access for pedestrians and bicyclists.”
Detours for this project are expected to be completed by December of this year.
The other four intersection in the bundle are:
A roundabout at Route 631 (Rio Road East) and John Warner Parkway
A continuous green-T intersection at Route 631 (Rio Road East) and Belvedere Boulevard
A roundabout at Route 20 (Scottsville Road) and Route 53 (Thomas Jefferson Parkway)
A roundabout at Route 780 (Old Lynchburg Road) and Route 631 (5th Street)
More information on all five projects can be viewed at VDOT’s page for projects in the Culpeper District.
Charlottesville Scholarship Program announces 2025 awardees
We’re close to high school graduation season and that means new beginnings for many young people as they enter a new chapter of higher education.
That pathway will be made easier for the latest group of people to receive awards from the Charlottesville Scholarship Program. Eleven students have been selected from a competitive pool of applicants.
“Our board is very pleased with the 2025 cohort and has high expectations for their next educational step,” said Charlie Rogers, chair of the Charlottesville Scholarship Program. “I’m really excited to see what this great group of awardees will study and achieve in their future careers.”
Nine of the students are from this year’s graduating class at Charlottesville High School. One is graduating from the Lugo-McGinness Academy and another is a 2022 CHS graduate who is currently enrolled at Boston College.
The eleven awardees will receive $2,500 a year for up to four years of additional school. Many of them will be the first members of their family to attend university or college. Each will be assigned by a person known as a Navigator to help overcome challenges.
“I’m pleased that we have this scholarship program available for our most resilient students to pursue their next educational goals,” said Dom Morse, a member of the Charlottesville School Board.
The program began in 2021 with seed funding from Charlottesville City Council. With this class included, the program has supported 212 students with a cumulative total of $1.2 million.
To learn about how you can support the program, visit the website. A ceremony will be held at the CODE Building on May 21 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Second shout-out: Two Charlottesville Area Tree Walks in Belmont this week
The Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards have a mission to get more people educated about the relationship between people and trees. One way they educate the public is through guided tree walks and there are several coming up in the near future. Spots are limited and you can register below.
On both May 22 and May 23 at 9 a.m. there are urban tree walks in Belmont where you can learn about 20 mature trees. (register for May 22) (register for May 23)
These walks are free, but donations are always appreciated! And if you go on one, I’d love to hear about it!
Charlottesville Board of Zoning Appeals to review 24 unit proposal on Barracks Road
A major purpose of Charlottesville’s relatively new Development Code is to reduce uncertainty for developers as they plan projects. Under the old zoning code, decisions about additional height and density were made by the City Council and the Planning Commission. The intent of the new rules is for most proposals to be handled by staff with minimal involvement of public bodies.
On Thursday, the Charlottesville Board of Zoning Appeals will be asked to determine a request from Shimp Engineering to modify a requirement that buildings take up 65 percent of a development project’s road frontage. The public body meets in CitySpace at 4 p.m. (agenda)
More on the specific details in a moment. A refresher might be in order.
For the past five years I’ve done my best to try to explain how the Cville Plans Together initiative led to the creation of Charlottesville’s Affordable Housing Plan, a new Comprehensive Plan, and the new Development Code.
There are 12 purposes listed in the introduction to the Development Code which build upon the spirit the two other documents. Two are worth mentioning here.
“Promote the creation and preservation of affordable housing suitable for meeting the current and future needs of the City as well as a reasonable proportion of the current and future needs of the region within which the City is situated,” reads J.
“Promote a full range of housing choices, and encourage the construction and continued existence of moderately priced housing by providing for optional increases in density in order to reduce land costs for such moderately priced housing,” reads K.
The new zoning increased development rights throughout the city. For instance, all properties zoned Residential-A can now have three units on them with three more units if affordability requirements are met.
Projects that seek to take advantage of the new zoning make their way through the Department of Neighborhood Development Services under the scope of a “major development plan.”
The code has many provisions for bonuses, but also has a lot more requirements for developers. There are also many provisions for special exceptions which do require approval from the City Council after a review by the Planning Commission. These first of these have made their way through the system and several others are pending.
One of these is 2030 Barracks Road, an 0.83 acre property zoned Residential-B that is just to the north of the Meadowbrook Shopping Center. Plans submitted by Shimp Engineering last August show that property would be subdivided into two lots with 12 units built on each one.
NDS staff have twice issued letters of denial, a routine part of the review process. Each major development plan must satisfy the many requirements in the code and these letters point out what must be corrected before an approval can be granted. The last one is dated April 10.
The new Development Code coincided with the creation of a new online database where members of the public can watch the review process through access to all of the various documents such as site plans and correspondence. However, the permit portal does not have complete information about 2030 Barracks Road with only two documents listed.
For instance, the portal does not indicate that the Charlottesville Board of Zoning Appeals will hold a public hearing on this project on Thursday. Neighboring property owners have filed an objection to an “administrative modification” that would otherwise have been made by the zoning administrator. (view the staff report for the item)
Charlottesville’s Development Code must follow Virginia Code. §15.2-2286 describes that a zoning administrator for a locality may make such modifications by explaining their rationale in writing.
Before a modification is approved, adjacent property owners must be notified and have 21 days to respond. If there is an objection, the Board of Zoning Appeals will make the determination instead.
At issue in this case is something called the “minimum build-to width” of 65 percent of the primary street. The frontage on this portion of Barracks Road is 103.83 feet, meaning that at least 67.12 feet must be occupied by a building.
However, in this case the plans call for a 16-foot driveway down the center of the parcel to allow access to a parking lot for the 24 units. To make that fit, the build-to widths for each new building would be less than the requirement.
Staff believes the application meets the criteria for granting a modification. Now the Board of Zoning Appeals is being asked whether they concur.
Let’s take a look at some other projects in the review process.
528 Valley Road
An application meeting was held on May 16 for plans for 528 Valley Road on the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood side of the railroad tracks. The plans submitted by Shimp Engineering would split the 0.47 acre parcel into two lots. One would see three new units constructed and the other would see six new units and the preservation of a seventh. The zoning is Residential-B.
The developer owns the adjacent parcel at 526 Valley Road and the plans show appear to show parking on that land.
1040 St. Clair Avenue
A second set of plans has been filed with the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development Services to build up to six units on a 0.213 acre parcel at 1040 St. Clair Avenue. An existing structure will be removed. Half of those units will be designated as affordable in order to get that level of density on a parcel zoned Residential-A. One change in the new plans is the addition of additional trees on Smith Street to satisfy the code requirements.
The permit portal includes a sheet that demonstrates how the affordability requirements will be met. This document states there will be six two bedroom, two bathroom units, three of which will be two reserved for rents at 80 percent of the area median income. The market rate stated in the document is $2,350 a month and the affordable rate would be $2,198.
819 Hillcrest Road
The city has issued a second letter of denial to the developers of 819 Hillcrest Road on undeveloped land near the interchange of the John Warner Parkway and the U.S. 250 Bypass. This project would see four three-unit buildings construction on four lots zoned Residential A. According to the May 5, 2025 letter, the applicant has until August 1 to resubmit a third set of plans.
303 Alderman Avenue
Planners in the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development Services have now issued three letters of denial for plans to build six townhouse units at 303 Alderman Road in the Lewis Mountain neighborhood. The most recent was on March 13, 2025. According to the Development Review Procedures Manual, a submission can be reviewed up to four times before a new application fee must be filed.
303 Palatine Avenue
Plans were filed in early March for a proposal to build a total of nine units on 303 Palatine Avenue where there is currently only one. None of them would be designated as affordable. The property would be subdivided into three lots in order to have three placed on each. Two existing units would be demolished.
On each lot would be a single family house as well as a duplex with a private driveway separating the structures. Each of those three lots would be further subdivided with one unit per sublot.
The first submission was denied in a letter sent out on May 2. This letter has various technical requests, but also notes that several departments were sent the plan “but did not provide any comments, indicating departmental approval.”
The underlining is in the original. The departments that technically have approved the plan are:
The Office of Community Solutions and the Housing Program Manager
Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority
Transit
Gas Utilities
Water Resources Protection Program
Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator
Zoning - Neighborhood Development Services
Building Official - Neighborhood Development Services
Preservation Planner - Neighborhood Development Services
117 Harris Road
A second set of plans have been filed for 117 Harris Road, a proposal to have 14 units on what is now a 0.821 acre parcel zoned Residential-B in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood. A first denial letter was sent on April 17, 2025 and a new submission was accepted on May 15.
This project would see the property divided into two lots with seven units on each.
On “New Zoning Lot A,” an existing garage will be kept and one unit will be built above that space. This will be one of four sublots for Lot A. Each of the other sublots will contain two units for a total of six in one attached building.
“New Zoning Lot B” will keep the existing single family home house and build parking for the entire project. This will also involve the creation of four sublots with another single building with six units.
“The intent is not to sell the units on each sublot independent of one another,” writes Julia Moore of Shimp Engineering in a May 14 response letter to the initial denial letter. “ However, we do not want to unintentionally commit to limit future options.”
122 Apple Tree Road
Shimp Engineering is also working on an application for 122 Apple Tree Road, a property that’s within the Residential Mixed Use 3 district. The description in the permit portal says this proposal is for 16 residential units and 524 square feet of commercial space. A first denial letter was issued on May 16, 2025. This is within the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood.
Other major development plans under review:
There is a plan to build three additional units at 1107 Myrtle Street where an existing unit would be retained. The city is still reviewing the first submission. (Residential-A zoning)
There are plans to build a total of nine units on three lots at 902 Nassau Street. The city issued a letter of denial on April 29, 2025. (Residential-A zoning)
Nothing new has been filed for a proposal to convert a duplex at 133 Stribling Avenue into into a 12 unit apartment building. NDS issued a letter of denial on May 15, 2024. (Residential-B zoning)
One of the only approved residential plans so far is at 1609 Gordon Avenue where five existing units will be replaced with nine new ones. A tenth unit would have triggered the city’s inclusionary zoning requirements. A preliminary approval was issued on January 30, 2025 after four letters of denial. (Residential Mixed Use 5 zoning)
Are there any pieces left to fit into #867
I am skipping “reading material” today because the hour is getting late. The main point today for me was to go through the Development Code and report what’s happened since it went into effect. There’s a whole other angle to that story which I’ll get to tomorrow, because it didn’t fit today.
A downside to being a journalist who is also the publisher is that I’m terrible at selling myself. This is a country where hype, public relations, and image mean everything. My self image is that of a scrappy and scrubby homunculus who prizes authenticity over endless posturing. I do not like the limelight and I’m my biggest critic. I’m not a big hit at parties, either.
I also think this is a worthwhile venture and these newsletters are informative. I also am certain no one else but me can do this, because this is what I was trained to do for many years. How many times have I told that story? I’ll keep telling it, because I’m hoping when I’m done writing all of it will add to something. Here’s my current support pitch.
This is also how I make a living. I do not get grant funds to hire someone to help me make more for the purposes of making more money. I do not seek to the best. I do not seek to be anything else other than who I am. I think I am a person who asks questions and is frustrated when I can’t tell all of the stories. I get angrier than the biggest pedant when I get something wrong.
And if I do get something wrong? I’ll correct it.
Today’s ending music is the only limelight I will seek.