Week Ahead for August 17: Info about upcoming area meetings
Hello! This is the second free version of the Week Ahead newsletter, which provides context for what’s happening in local government across the region. This is an example of the kind of additional content what will be available in the near future for a monthly or yearly fee. I pledge to keep the daily newsletter and newscast free as I am doing this work first and foremost as a public service but feel the additional content I will provide will be of value to subscribers.
This work is supported by the Piedmont Environmental Council, and I am grateful for their contribution.
Now, let’s get started. There might have been a time when summers were times when local government slowed down, but that is certainly not the case this year.
Monday, August 17, 2020
Charlottesville City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. After the “Community Matters” portion, they will hold five public hearings. (agenda)
The first regards a request from the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority (RWSA) for an easement for the waterline to connect the Ragged Mountain Reservoir and South Fork Rivanna Reservoir. (staff report)
“This water line will replace the existing Upper Sugar Hollow Pipeline and increase raw water transfer in the urban water system,” reads the staff report for the item. “The water line is anticipated to be constructed between 2027 and 2040 for an estimated cost of $80 million.”
The next four are for:
A request for Dominion Energy for an easement for electrical lines at the Ragged Mountain Natural Area and the Heyward Community Forest (staff report)
A request from the International School of Charlottesville for a drainage easement for their new facility near Rives Parks (staff report)
A request from a landowner to purchase 0.13 acres of city property adjacent to Northeast Park (staff report)
A request to support the three Smart Scale applications being submitted by the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization. They are:
Hydraulic/29 Intersection Improvements ($24.6 million)
Hillsdale Avenue South Extension ($29.7 million)
Fifth Street Trail Hub ($3.7 million) (staff report).
Council will also consider hold second reading on changing the ordinance to prohibit firearms on city property. (staff report)
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The Albemarle Architectural Review Board meets virtually at 1 p.m. and has three items on their agenda. One of them is for a certificate of appropriateness to add a drive-through at the existing Starbucks in the Twenty-Ninth Place shopping center on U.S. 29 across from Fashion Square Mall. The other items are for an oil change facility further north on U.S. 29 across near the former Gander Mountain and signage for the new buildings under construction on Pantops on Route 20 south of the Pantops Shopping Center. (meeting info)
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The group that oversees the southern area of the Places29 Master Plan will meet virtually at 5:30 p.m. In addition to picking new officers, the Places29-Hydraulic Community Advisory Committee will get an update on the ambassadors at county parks who are there to enforce physical distancing guidelines. There will also be an update on the renovation of Charlotte Humphris Park and an update on development projects underway in the area. (meeting info)
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The Louisa Board of Supervisors meets in person at 5 p.m. for a meeting that includes a report on the state of Lake Anna, an update on the Shannon Hill Regional Business Park, a discussion on an application for a solar field, and a conversation on the Trevilian Battlefield’s request for a tax exemption. (agenda)
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
The Albemarle Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. for a virtual meeting that features a public hearing on a rezoning across the street from the county’s office building on Old Lynchburg Road. Developer Kyle Redinger had originally submitted a project that would have had up to 300 homes, but this time he’s seeking a rezoning on 13 .63 acres of wooded property that would feature up to 401,000 square feet of non-residential space and up to 128 residential units. That’s in part because the Planning Commission recommended denial of the latter project last October.
Staff is recommending approval because of the presence of office space, the proffered construction of pedestrian infrastructure, and an agreement to dedicate right of way to future improvements at the intersection of Old Lynchburg Road and Country Green Road. In April, the county, the EDA, and Redinger’s company entered into a performance agreement to satisfy several obligations in order to receive about $100,000 in grant funding. These obligations include reserving at least 25,000 square feet for Class A office for a “primary business” and to construct a dog park. (meeting info)
The Albemarle Economic Development Authority will meet at 4 p.m. for the first time since three of its members resigned in July to protest new conflict of interest forms they had to sign. The only two items of new business are an update from Economic Development Director Roger Johnson and an update on the business relief grants funded through the federal CARES Act. (meeting info)
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The Piedmont Environmental Council and the Local Energy Alliance Program will hold a webinar to promote the Solarize Piedmont campaign, which aims to help homeowners find ways to help cover the cost of installing rooftop solar. The virtual webinar begins at 2 p.m. (meeting info)
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The Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review will meet at 5:30 p.m. (agenda) (meeting registration)
Items include lighting and interpretive signage of the historically protected Coal Tower on Water Street, an update on the Belmont Bridge project, and a letter of support to apply for the Burley School to be on the National Register of Historic Places.
“As this community moves forward from the events of its historic and recent past, it is important to recognize the historical significance of the Jackson P. Burley High School— its construction during a period of segregation and racial inequality, its legacy as an educational institution, and its architectural importance as a vernacular interpretation of the International Style,” wrote BAR Chair Carl Schwarz in a letter to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
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The Greene County Planning Commission meets at 6:15 p.m. to discuss three rezonings. In one, Ruckersville Self Storage at 30 Starks Lane would be expanded. In another, the owners of Greene Valley Stables is seeking a special use permit for stables, horseback riding, and equestrian facilities. Finally, the town of Stanardsville is seeking a rezoning of nearly two acres from R-1 to R-C. (agenda)
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
The main event of the day is the Albemarle Board of Supervisors meeting which begins at 2 p.m. They’ll begin with another review of a special exception for a homestay, which currently requires a 125 foot setback unless the exemption is granted. Supervisors have heard several of these requests so far as was planned when they adopted new regulations last August. This one is for a property on Woodlands Road. (staff report)
After that, staff will present an updated version of a Smart Scale application for the intersection of Rio Road and the John Warner Parkway. Supervisors were not ready to support the project when they endorsed other candidates on June 17. Now they will decide if they are ready to support conversion of the existing signalized intersection into a roundabout. (staff report)
The six Supervisors will round out the afternoon with an update on COVID-19. Then they’ll go into closed session. In the evening, they will hold three public hearings. In the first, they will take comment before appropriating $1.7 million in CARES funding for the Coronavirus Relief Fund. (staff report)
Then they will hold a public hearing on special use permit to expand Scott’s Ivy Exxon to add four more auto service bays for a total of seven by constructing from 1,950 square feet to 5,150 square feet.
“The current use of the property is a by-right use under the existing zoning, and is located within the Rural Area,” reads the project narrative. “The buildings and service station, which was constructed sometime between 1965 and 1977, has been in operation for about 50 years.”
Several members of the public have expressed opposition. The Planning Commission voted 6 to 1 on June 16, 2020 to recommend approval. (staff report)
Finally, Supervisors will hold a public hearing on a rezoning near Crozet that would allow up to six homes on 1.24 acres where two could currently be allowed. (staff report)
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The Charlottesville Housing Advisory Committee will meet at noon to continue discussing how COVID-19 is affecting low-income and very low-income housing in the city. (agenda)
Thursday, August 20, 2020
At 7 p.m., the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission will meet for a virtual meeting rescheduled after not having a quorum on August 3. One item on the agenda is the Rent and Mortgage Relief program the TJPDC is administering on behalf of the Virginia Housing Development Authority. Another is the framework for the Regional Broadband Partnership (RBP), an effort the TJPDC has taken on in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The primary objective of the RBP is to be a united voice to inform and advocate for all stakeholders through leadership, knowledge sharing and common understanding of the current and future needs of high-speed broadband internet services in the region,” reads the objective statement in the meeting packet. (agenda)
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The Albemarle Natural Heritage Committee meets virtually at 5 p.m. Items on the agenda include an update on the county’s Stream Health Initiative. (meeting info)
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The 5th and Avon Community Advisory Committee will meet at 7 p.m. The agenda was not available at posting time. (meeting info)
Friday, August 21, 2020
There are no scheduled events today. Did I miss something? Do you have feedback?
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