October 15, 2024: Albemarle Planning Commissioners discuss growth area expansion during AC44 work session
Plus: Early voting in Virginia is down significantly in 2024 compared to four years ago
Are there Ides of October? If so, would that be the 15th of the month? A rudimentary search reveals yes, and that the Romans celebrated the middle of the month. What was the purpose? Does any culture still honor this tradition? None of the answers to these questions will be further explored in this edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. I’m Sean Tubbs, and this introduction may be a remnant of the five years I took of Latin in secondary school.
In today’s installment:
Early voting is down in Virginia three weeks out from the election
Charlottesville will try again to get a firm to build a shared use path on Rugby Avenue
One Planning Commissioner says Albemarle can be more welcoming by expanding the growth area
Another anecdotal look at price reductions for properties on the market
Two days of data from Albemarle County real estate transactions
First shout-out: Plant Virginia Natives
We are now well into fall and bracing for the first frost. But the world keeps turning and spring isn’t too far ahead of us. It’s time to think ahead to next spring and what I need to do to get my yard ready for to plant something new. One resource that may help me develop a landscape more suitable to this area is Plant Virginia Natives!
Plant Virginia Natives is part of a partnership with ten regional campaigns for ten different ecosystems across Virginia, from the Northern Piedmont to the Eastern Shore. Take a look at the full map below for the campaign for native species where you are in the Commonwealth. For the Charlottesville area, download a free copy of the handbook: Piedmont Native Plants: A Guide for Landscapes and Gardens.
Early voting down sharply in Virginia with three weeks go
There are now three weeks until Election Day and early voting is down sharply from this time four years ago.
As of October 14, 738,277 Virginians have cast ballots compared to 1,033,469 in the same period in 2020. That’s according to data the Virginia Public Access Project collects and organizes the data from the Virginia Department of Elections. (take a look)
That trend is reflected in Albemarle County where 13,167 people have voted early through October 13 compared to 22,513 at the equivalent point in 2020. Numbers are down about half in Charlottesville as well with 4,713 in 2024 compared to 9,017 in 2020.
For the following counties, data for 2024 is only available through October 13.
The same pattern exists in Nelson County where 1,793 people had voted early so far compared to 2,302 at this point in 2020.
Fluvanna County is just under the pace of 2020 with 4,617 early votes reported through this past Saturday compared with 5,011 four years ago. Greene County is just about at the same rate as in 2020 with 2,649 this year compared to 2,766 48 months ago.
However, 130 more people have voted early in Louisa County in 2024 compared to 2020. The raw numbers are 4,603 in 2020 and 4,733 in 2024.
In 2020, a total of 2,817,794 Virginians voted before Election Day.
Today is the last day to register to vote in Virginia. For more information and to check your registration status, visit the Virginia Department of Elections.
Procurement round-up: Charlottesville to try again with Rugby Avenue shared-use path
Sometimes a good way for me to jumpstart the week is to go through a review of the various sources I check. One of them are municipal procurement sites to learn one aspect of how policies are being implemented.
For instance, transportation. On October 2, the City of Charlottesville put out an invitation for firms to build a shared use path on Rugby Avenue. A similar invitation was canceled earlier this year when the sole response exceeded the available budget.
“This project consists of the installation of a paved cycling trail connecting Westwood Road with McIntire Park along Rugby Avenue, passing under the Highway 250 bypass bridge,” reads the project description. “Ancillary work items include minor storm sewer improvements.”
Bids are due on October 24. What will the result be this time around?
The city is also seeking multiple firms to assist in the purchase of right of way for transportation and utility projects.
“Typical projects administered by the City include right of way acquisition for the construction of sidewalks, trails, turn lanes, shoulders, additional travel lanes, adjustments to traffic signals, realignment of curves, drainage improvements, new roadway alignments and utility improvements,” reads a project description. (learn more)
There was an in-person pre-bid conference today for firms who want to build the hew High School Center II. The request for proposals was issued on October 8 and closes on November 7. (learn more)
Two companies submitted bids to inspect fire alarms and sprinklers in city buildings but not bid has yet been awarded. The bid from Johnson Controls totalled $40,600 and the one from Siemens Industry added up to $77,600.
Today is the final day for firms to submit a bid to study the cost of providing trash services in Charlottesville. I wrote a small story about that in late September. (learn more)
Bids are due Thursday for firms to plant trees on city property and water them. This is specifically for 133 trees to be planted and the project documents call for a 100 percent survival rate. The documents also call for another 348 to be watered. (learn more)
The city is seeking a company to provide risk management advice to the city’s risk management division. This is related to workers compensation claims above a certain threshold. Bids are due on October 29, 2024. (learn more)
Albemarle PC begins review of new AC44 language on growth management
Albemarle County expects a population of over 155,000 by 2050 if projections from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service come to fruition. Virginia law requires communities to plan for growth by creating and maintaining a Comprehensive Plan.
For over 50 years, Albemarle’s Comprehensive Plan has called for the management of growth by only allowing intense land development on a small percentage of the overall geographic area that makes up the county.
“The county established a growth management policy with the adoption of the first comp plan in 1971,” said Tonya Swartzendruber, a planning manager in Albemarle “It designates our growth area or development areas in the rural area. Similar growth management policies are used throughout Virginia and across the country.”
Expansions to allow new areas have been very rare and a major focus behind the current Comprehensive Plan is what conditions would need to be in place to warrant more land being added.
Resources:
This year, county staff took a pause halfway through in an effort to make the plan easier to understand. That has resulted in a lot of streamlining and consolidation to eliminate duplication.
“You shouldn't have to read the whole document to understand what it is the county wants to achieve,” said Michael Barnes, Albemarle County’s planning director since last October.
The whole document is not yet available to read as staff have been working on the new Comprehensive Plan internally this summer and early fall before revealing draft language on growth management earlier this month. The basic spirit of the policy is still there.
“The purpose of the policy is to encourage vibrant, mixed use, dense and walkable development in the development areas supported by infrastructure and amenities in order to protect the natural, historic, scenic and cultural resources in the rural area,” Swartzendruber said. “Having designated growth areas helps to avoid sprawl and supports the efficient and more cost effective provision of public infrastructure and services.”
Swartzendruber said the new Comprehensive Plan contains language that states the county must prepare for people who do not live here yet.
“We added language to specifically list the policy, the areas of policy that the policy guides, which is land use, capital projects or investments and public services,” Swartzendruber said.
Swartzendruber said language was also added to continue to state that a lower level of services should be expected in the rural area.
Commissioner Julian Bivins said some of the language wasn’t entirely clear and might not necessarily suggest what metrics could be used to determine if desired policy outcomes are being met.
“When we say we're going to be a welcoming community that will grow equitably and sustainably, supporting the needs of current and future community members for housing, jobs in a healthy environment, I imagine that there'll be some ways of which to define that and to be able to understand whether or not we've been successful to date.” Bivins said. “And if not, how do we close the gap?”
Bivins also suggested that the language needed to be more clear about the county’s desire to build more densely in the growth area to allow it to be more than just a suburban community. He noted that the Future Land Use Map seemed to indicate more of the same.
“When I look at the growth management plan, I see the words have been enhanced, but I don't know necessarily if the outcomes have been changed,” Bivins said.
Commissioner Luis Carrazana said he appreciated staff’s desire to reduce the size of the Comprehensive Plan and that he appreciated some of the new word choices. He added the real goal is to be able to quantify how well the county is attaining some of the land use goals.
“To use as an example, affordable housing, right?” Carrazana said. “So we all want it. We all are trying to achieve it and maximize our stock, but we don't necessarily do a very good job of measuring how [we are] doing with our housing stock.”
Commissioner Nathan Moore said it would be hard to describe the county as welcoming if current growth management boundaries are kept.
“The draft proposal codifies really a one-two punch that makes us not welcoming,” Moore said. “One is by not expanding the development area and the other is by sort of only trimming around the edges in terms of up zoning in the development area.”
Moore said not expanding the growth area will continue the trend of higher home prices and there will be fewer places for economic development to occur.
Commissioner Lonnie Murray disagreed with the notion of expanding the growth area and that the language does not do enough to explain why the different rules are in place for different types of land.
“What it should really clearly articulate is that we're trying to encourage compact, high quality sustainable development in the growth area that provides efficient delivery of services and that seeks to limit suburbanization and sprawl into the rural area,” Murray said.
Commission Chair Fred Missel reminded his colleagues that Supervisors have already determined they will not be expanding the growth area in this update cycle.
Commissioner Bivins pointed out that some growth areas have not materialized such as the Village of Rivanna around Glenmore where many nearby residents have continuously opposed density above one unit per acre. The entire Village of Rivanna Community Advisory Committee resigned en masse in the spring of 2022 over how the master plan for the 2.7 square mile square mile area should be updated.
“It’s sort of like Atlantis,” Bivins said. “tt sort of exists on the maps of the county, but I don't believe anything of any substance that would make it a developing area is ever going to take place there
Bivins suggested the land could be swapped out with another area somewhere in the county.
The discussion on October 8 moved on. Swartzendruber resumed her presentation with a discussion of metrics.
“We need to know where we stand on the actual build out and land capacity of the development areas,” Swartzendruber said. “ While the most recent land use build out analysis in 2022 indicates there is sufficient capacity to accommodate projected growth over the next ten to 20 years, this hinges on projects building at the high end of recommended density and intensity of uses.”
Analysis has indicated that actual developments created through rezonings in recent years have come in at 58 percent of the total capacity. Staff wants to update that number more frequently.
The Albemarle Board of Supervisors will have their discussion tomorrow and the Planning Commission will resume their discussion on October 22 at a meeting that will go over land use categories that will go along with the Future Land Use Map. There are current inconsistencies that staff hopes will be cleared up during AC44.
“The current comprehensive plan has over 20 land use categories across five area plans,” Swartzendruber said. “Those plans are places 29 southern and western, Pantops, Crozet and the Village of Rivanna . Many of the categories are similar, with slightly different names and recommendations. They overlap and the number of categories can make administration and clarity challenging.”
Other new information being introduced as part of the third phase is a list of activity centers which are intended to be places where new businesses might be built. The current Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2015 has around 50 of these and they’ve been reduced to 30.
“This consolidated set of centers helps focus development and public projects,” Swartzendruber said. “Centers were identified based on existing development patterns, known planned development projects, recommendations in the area, plans and estimates for current and future job housing totals.”
At the end of the meeting, Commissioner Fred Missel reminded staff of the need to better understand what direction the Board of Supervisors are giving. After all, elected officials make the final decisions.
Second shout out: ACHS taking reservations for two walking tours this month
In today’s second no-strings-attached shout-out, the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society is hosting two walking tours where participants will step back in time.
In the first, on October 25, Phyllis Leffler will lead a walking tour of Downtown Charlottesville Jewish History at 4 p.m. Learn the stories of those who participated in economic development, cultural life, political developments, and even obtained items requested by Thomas Jefferson for his needs.
Leffler co-published the exhibit catalog titled “To Seek the Peace of the City: Jewish Life in Charlottesville,” and is immediate past president of the Southern Jewish Historical Society.
In the second, on October 30, Sterling Howell of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society will lead a tour of Maplewood Cemetery at 5 p.m. Howell will lead a "spirited" tour exploring the final resting places of some of Charlottesville’s most interesting deceased personalities.
As the season changes and we approach All Hallow's Eve, take part in a conversation about what cemeteries, burial practices, and mortuary imagery reveal about society and culture and how they have changed over time.
Price-drops including three Fluvanna County listings
It will not be long before the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors publishes its summary of the third quarter of real estate activity. When I write up the summary, I’ll be informed by my frequent review of emails from realtor.com that alert me when asking prices for properties are reduced.
To end today’s newsletter, here’s a rundown of some of the latest from the past two weeks.
A three bedroom condominium in the Queen Charlotte building at 207 East Jefferson Street had its price lowered by $130,000 on September 30 to $1,295,000. The 2024 assessment is $996,600. (read the listing)
On October 1, realtor.com reported that a three bedroom house at 1211 Avon Street had its asking price reduced by $30,000 to $435,000. The 2024 assessment is $243,100. (see the listing)
Also on October 1, a two bedroom townhouse at 1340 Le Parc Terrace in the Riverrun subdivision in Albemarle County had its asking price dropped $10,000 to $339,000. A further decrease has been made later in the month to $328,500. The 2024 assessment is $300,300. (peruse the listing)
A three bedroom house at 2306 Tarleton Drive had its asking price reduced by $45,100 to $599,900. The 2024 assessment is $563,600. (view the listing)
A four bedroom single-family attached house at 2316 Finch Court in the Briarwood development was lowered in price by $10,000 to $359,900. The 2024 assessment is $259,500. (observe the listing)
On October 4, the asking price for a three bedroom house at 1001 Altavista Avenue in the city’s Belmont neighborhood was lowered by $5,000 to $353,000. The 2024 assessment is $257,300. (attain the listing)
Now it’s time for the first ever appearance by a Fluvanna County listing! A new townhome built by Stanley Martin Homes in the new Essence at Colonial Circle Community had its asking price lowered $10,000 to $320,840. I don’t see 127 Horse Path Lane listed in Fluvanna County’s GIS but this was lowered again Monday and is now listed for $299,000. (learn more)
And the second one from Fluvanna! 125 Horse Path Lane had its asking price dropped $10,000 to $325,800 on October 5. That’s been further reduced since to $324,840 and again on Sunday to $319,840. This one has four bedrooms. (see the listing)
Back to Charlottesville. A one bedroom condominium at 105 Monticello Avenue had its asking price lowered by $10,000 to $400,000. The 2024 assessment is $336,900. (view the listing)
On October 6, a four bedroom house at 1719 Shady Grove Court in Mill Creek had its asking price dropped $5,000 to $495,000. The 2024 assessment is $403,600. (take a look)
On October 10, a newly constructed three bedroom house at 85 Horse Path Lane in Fluvanna County had its price reduced $4,000 to $391,789. There does not appear to be an assessment in GIS, but I have a lot to learn about how they keep their records. (view the listing)
On October 12, a three bedroom townhouse built in 2010 at 2126 Avinity Loop had its asking price lowered $35,000 to $425,000. That’s lower than the 2024 assessment of $438,200. (listing is here)
A two bedroom house at 1002 2nd Street SE had its asking price dropped $21,000 to $399,000. The 2024 assessment is $299,200. (look at the listing)
A three bedroom house built in 1992 at 1420 Willow Lake Drive had its asking price dropped Sunday $10,000 to $515,000. The 2024 assessment is $467,400. (take a look)
A four bedroom house at 1786 Stoney Creek Drive in Mill Creek had its asking price dropped Sunday by $5,100 to $519,900. The 2024 assessment is $430,200. (see the listing)
A four bedroom house at 928 Monticello Avenue had its asking price reduced by $40,900 to $699,000. The 2024 assessment is $642,800 and the house last sold in March 2021 for $580,000. (view the listing)
A very brief look at Albemarle real estate
I have a long list of items I want to do more regularly and one of them is to get reports on real estate quicker. I appreciate the many people who have offered to help, but I enjoy trying to figure out how to do things.
As such, the following represents about an hour’s worth of work from this past Friday. My purpose in posting is to give a snapshot into two days of transactions in Albemarle County.
October 7, 2024
A newly constructed two bedroom townhouse on Orchid Bend in the Hollymead Town Center sold for $349,000. That’s 6.38 percent below the 2024 assessment of $372,500. (Rio District, 0.03 acres)
The unit next door to the east has three bedrooms and sold for $383,500. That’s 2.21 percent below the 2024 assessment of $393,700. (Rio District, 0.03 acres)
A four bedroom house on Naked Creek Run in the Hindsight subdivision sold for $1.25 million. That’s 31.12 percent above the 2024 assessment of $953,300 and 75.76 percent above the 2021 assessment of $711,200. (Rio District, 5 acres)
A newly built four bedroom house on Dunwood Drive in Glenbrook in Crozet sold for $705,197. That’s 7.66 percent below the 2024 assessment of $763,700. (White Hall District, 0.15 acres)
A 1,150 square feet two bedroom condominium in the Turtle Creek apartment complex sold for $246,500. That’s 16.55 percent above the 2024 assessment of $211,500 and 53.39 percent above the 2021 assessment of $160,700. (Jack Jouett District, N/A)
A four bedroom house on Peacock Drive in the Peacock Hill subdivision sold for $650,000. That’s 18.51 percent above the 2024 assessment of $548,500 and 41.7 percent above the 2021 assessment of $458,700. (Samuel Miller District, 1.38 acres)
A newly built three-bedroom single-family home on Buckingham Circle sold for $675,000. That’s 5.39 percent above the 2024 assessment of $640,500. (Samuel Miller District, 0.28 acres)
October 8, 2024
A three bedroom house on White Hall Road in the Sunrise Acres subdivision sold for $390,000. That’s 11.97 percent above the 2024 assessment of $348,300. The assessment in 2021 was $295,800. (White Hall District, 0.97 acres)
A three bedroom house on Magnolia Bend built in 1999 in Forest Lakes South sold for $550,000. That’s 25.4 percent above the 2024 assessment of $438,600. The assessment in 2021 was $374,300. (Rivanna District, 0.32 acres)
A three bedroom townhouse on Bethany Lane in Glenbrook sold for $479,000. That’s 6.59 percent above the 2024 assessment of $449,400. The structure was built in 2021 when it was assessed at $391,900. (White Hall District, 0.08 acres)
A five bedroom house on Lampass Road in the Westlake Hills subdivision sold for $815,000. That’s 1.38 percent above the 2024 assessment of $803,900 and 30.71 percent above the 2021 assessment of $623,500. (White Hall District, 0.46 acres)
Third shout-out: Free stand-up comedy show at Rapture tonight!
In today’s final shout-out which no-strings-attached shout-out: Tonight, people who want to make other people laugh will take the stage at Rapture on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. The Tip Top Twins and Jemar O’Neal will host the R.O.F.L. Stand-Up Comedy Showcase at 8 p.m. on the Downtown Mall. To learn more, take a listen to a recent radio interview on WTJU.
Reading material
UVA reopens its main library after a massive 3.5-year construction project, Shea Gibbs, C-Ville Weekly, October 9, 2024
Greene BOS reverses PC SUP recommendation, Chuck Jackson, Greene Journal, October 9, 2024
Advance Planning Now Could Help When the Next Storm Comes, Bryan McKenzie, UVA Today, October 10, 2024
A few things at the end of #744
We’re now halfway through the month with the end of the year in sight. I find myself wanting to hunker down and continue to prepare for a future in which I get to document how many of these stories turn out.
I’m glad to be done with this edition because I started writing it on Friday and had to put it on pause to get the C-Ville Weekly story done and to get the Week Ahead done. I still owe a podcast version which I hope to post tomorrow morning.
The main challenge I have going forward is how to step up the business end of Town Crier Productions. I want to be able to pay people to help me get the newsletter out and to make other updates. I can say I’m able to support myself doing this work because enough people want to know what’s happening in the community.
So that’s why I keep doing, and why I plan to continue refining what I’m able to do.
If you’ve not signed up for a subscription yet, perhaps today is a good day to do so? Your work pays me directly to keep this as my full-time job. And there’s certainly enough to write about each week! And if you do pay through Substack, Ting will match your initial payment.
If you sign up for service and you are within Ting’s service area, enter the promo code COMMUNITY you’re going to get:
Free installation
A second month for free
A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall
