Week Ahead for August 31, 2020: "Middle-missing housing" in Crozet? ; Breezy Hill rezoning to go before Albemarle Supervisors
A free look at what's coming up in local government, and context for some of the decisions that may or may not be made...
This is a strange week with a toe remaining in August. This might be one of the slowest weeks in local government, which befits this long September week before Labor Day. Still the events that are happening are meaningful, and I’ll be watching and keeping track of what happens.
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Monday, August 31, 2020
So far I cannot find any meeting for this day, but I will continue searching. Can you let me know what I may have missed? Please let me know!
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Whither Crozet? Albemarle County is in the midst of an update of the master plan that guides development decisions in Albemarle’s western growth area. Tonight the Albemarle Planning Commission will hold a work session on potential changes to land use rules for Crozet, which consists of over 2,900 acres. The last master plan was adopted in October 2010, and the recent review got under way in 2019 and has been through two rounds of public participation. (full 2010 plan) (staff report)
This master plan revision has come at a time when there have been many conversations nationwide about increasing residential density within urban areas to increase the housing supply. The theory is that more supply will fulfill a need for “middle missing” housing units, or units that will provide affordable living choices. In return, county planners are recommending creation of a “Middle Density Residential” category on something called the Future Land Use Map. That map is what decision-makers will refer to in the future when making decisions about specific applications.
“The ‘Middle Density Residential’ land use category is intended to support several goals staff has heard prioritized by community members, including to provide increased housing choice and affordability and to encourage smaller-scaled development patterns that are more consistent with existing neighborhoods and supportive of Crozet’s small-town identity,” reads the staff report. “While most are supportive of more affordable housing, some community members and CCAC members also expressed a desire to not see housing forms such as large apartment buildings within Crozet.”
That last point is one heard often in Charlottesville, with frequent complaints about the size of new apartment buildings on West Main Street. Staff have suggested that this middle density residential allow for between six and 24 units per acre. They have also said this conversation will also be held throughout the county’s development areas as time nears to update the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
The Planning Commission will also consider a new “Downtown Neighborhoods Overlay” district which would provide guidance for the size and bulk of future buildings.
“We heard from residents, including residents living in these neighborhoods, that there is concern about the possibility of developers tearing down existing homes to construct larger and more expensive homes,” county planners wrote. “The stated intent of the Overlay is to incentivize the maintenance and preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing, to protect historic neighborhoods, and to support the production of new housing units that have similar scales and forms as existing homes to help increase housing choice and affordability.” (Future Land Use Map)
The Planning Commission will also hold a public hearing on a special use permit for a veterinary clinic in an existing commercial building in the Forest Lakes area.
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Earlier in the day, the Albemarle Board of Zoning Appeals will meet at 2 p.m. for two public hearings. The first is a request for a deferral for special exceptions for the R.A. Yancey Lumber Corporation. Action has already been taken on these by the Board of Supevisors, but this item remains on the BZA’s agenda. (Yancey Mill item)
The second is for approval of an “off-site bundle sign” for the many different businesses that are being developed as part of Pantops Corner on Stony Point Road. This nearly 12-foot tall sign would advertise the WaWa, the Storage Sense, and a future tenant yet to be named. That could refer to the 122-room hotel that is under construction.
“A bundle sign is a type of freestanding off-site sign that identifies two or more establishments or sites that are not part of a planned development district and share a common entrance or access road,” reads the staff report by county planner Rebecca Ragsdale.
Though the county’s Architectural Review Board has voted to approve the sign, county code also requires the BZA to sign off on the proposal. (meeting info)
Wednesday, September 2, 2020
After two meetings in August that began at 2 p.m., the Albemarle Board of Supervisors begins at its normal time of 1 p.m. First they will discuss potential changes to its meeting procedures to allow for “hybrid” meetings where people can attend in person or virtually. (proposed rules) (agenda)
Next, county attorney Greg Kamptner will review proposed legislative priorities for the 2021 General Assembly session. The first two involve the ability to enact civil penalties to cover violations currently considered as criminal offenses. Another involves asking the state to set minimum building standards for agricultural buildings, which are not required to be inspected by county officials.
“This means that large gatherings of people may occur in buildings and structures that are not constructed to the minimum standards of the Building Code,” Kamptner wrote in the staff report.
In the third regular item, transportation planner Kevin McDermott give Supervisors a lesson on the way that traffic impacts on proposed land use changes are calculated and analyzed. (staff report)
In the evening there are four public hearings. The first is on appropriations for the current fiscal year. By adopting budgets each year, Supervisors have already signaled their willingness to pay for these projects but have not yet officially appropriated the money. This hearing also includes official approvals for over $9.5 million in CARES Act funding. Staff report.
The other three public hearings are related to land use.
The developers of 3223 Proffit Road are requesting a reduction in the maximum number of units from 109 units to 80 units due to physical constraints on the site. (staff report)
Southern Development is seeking a rezoning for a maximum of 160 units on 84 acres in the Village of Rivanna designated growth area. The Planning Commission recommended denial of the Breezy Hill project in July (staff report)
There are several items on the consent agenda worth noting.
Supervisors will amend the resolution authorizing removal of Civil War monuments at the County Courthouse to give would-be purchasers until September 8 to submit requests. The original date was September 5. (staff report)
Supervisors will set a date for a public hearing for Appalachian Power’s request for easements on county land to upgrade a substation and six miles of power lines. (staff report)
Supervisors will set a date for a public hearing for a new lease for U.S. Cellular to rent space at the county’s telecommunications facilities on Buck’s Elbow. (staff report)
County staff is recommending designating portions of Reservoir Road and Wesley Chapel Road as rural rustic roads, allowing for less intensive paving projects. (staff report)
The county will deed a portion of right of way over to the Virginia Department of Transportation for additional sections of Eastern Avenue to be constructed. (report)
Thursday, September 3, 2020
The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission’s Board of Directors will meet at 7 p.m. for a virtual meeting. (register) (agenda)
The first item on the agenda is a public hearing on something called the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the Thomas Jefferson HOME Consortium and the City of Charlottesville. That means it is a summary of recent investments in affordable housing that involve federal funding sources. The report is worth reading for anyone interested in knowing the details of what’s currently happening to implement housing policy.
“Goals for the HOME program are focused on assisting first-time homebuyers, preserving existing housing stock by rehabilitating owner-occupied homes, and developing new housing units for home ownership or rental,” reads the opening page of the CAPER. “HOME Consortium activities are carried out through nonprofit housing foundations in the region: the Albemarle Home Improvement Program (AHIP), the Fluvanna/Louisa Housing Foundation (F/LHF), the Nelson County Community Development Foundation (NCCDF), and Skyline CAP (serving Greene County).”
The TJPDC will also approve a plan for Nelson County to use $350,000 of its CARES COVID-19 relief funding for a grant program to provide relief for small businesses. There is also the possibility that the Commissioners will publicly announce the purchase of property for new offices for the TJPDC.
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At 5:30 p.m, the developer of a 181-unit complex in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood will hold a community for the site plan for the new construction. Council approved a rezoning to Planned Unit Development earlier this year. The residences will be a mix of townhomes, duplexes and apartments. (register) (PUD materials)
Friday, September 4, 2020
There are also no items scheduled for this day, either. But perhaps I missed something?
Either way, please drop me a line to let me know what you think of this service. Please send it on to a friend, family member, neighbor, or anyone you think would benefit from taking a look. Thank you for reading!