Week Ahead for February 19, 2024: CRHA to continue to be involved with 405 Avon redevelopment; Council to be asked to spend another $3M on public housing project
Plus: Albemarle County Supervisors to vote on tax incentives for developers for affordable units
Today is President’s Day which usually means no meetings of local government. There is no mail and banks are closed.
However, Albemarle County has a meeting of the Architectural Review Board that contains an item that may be relevant to those who want to attend the Places29-Rio Community Advisory Committee. So I posted that item to Information Charlottesville on Sunday to satisfy my desire to get information out at least 12 hours before a meeting starts.
This is an odd week in an odd month. My non-scientific intuition blames Leap Day for the general weirdness. Also, President’s Day, which not all local governments take as a holiday. Most editions of this Week Ahead come out on a Sunday, but here we are on a Monday morning.
Highlights this week:
Council will consider a purchase agreement for the $4 million purchase of property from the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority that considers CRHA’s continued use of the site as well as future involvement as a developer.
CRHA is also asking City Council for an additional $3 million to cover some of the increasing cost to develop 113 units at South First Street.
A new auto dealership indicates that the market still sees U.S. 29 in Albemarle County as a viable place to sell vehicles. This goes before the Architectural Review Board and the Places29-Rio Community Advisory Committee.
Albemarle County and Louisa County Supervisors will take a look at staff’s proposed budgets for FY2025.
Fluvanna Supervisors will consider rules that Appomattox County put in place to restrict utility-scale solar while also getting a briefing on legislation to strip or restrict local authority over such matters.
The Charlottesville Housing Affordability Committee will discuss an ordinance to create a land bank, and the Albemarle Board of Supervisors will consider approval of an incentive program for affordable units.
The Regional Transit Governance Study recommends forming an authority with Albemarle and Charlottesville as well as further study.
There are no meetings in Nelson County this week. If you get this via email, you will have to click through to the website as there are nearly 5,000 words in this one.
As always, thanks to the Piedmont Environmental Council for their sponsorship of this newsletter.
Monday, February 19, 2024
Albemarle ARB to review plans for two car dealerships
The Albemarle County Architectural Review Board will meet at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road in Charlottesville. Unlike Charlottesville and Louisa County, Albemarle County does not appear to be closed for business. (meeting info) (agenda)
The two items for review are both car dealerships on U.S. 29.
In the first, the ARB will conduct an advisory review of new construction of a Flow Hyundai dealership to be located on undeveloped land about 1,280 feet south of the intersection of U.S. 29 and Hilton Heights Road. The applicant is seeking a special use permit to allow for outdoor sales and the property is within the Entrance Corridor. The ARB also reviewed this use at their meeting on December 18, 2023.
“The applicant has also requested an exception from the supplementary regulation (5.1.31) that requires vehicles awaiting repair to be located where they will not be visible from any public street or residential property,” reads the staff report.
The property is within the scope of the Places29 Master Plan, a document adopted by the Board of Supervisors in February 2011 to guide growth in Albemarle’s northern development areas. One story I would like to write would check to see how the plan has turned out. The company that seeks to buy the property sees the continued future of the 5.73 acre site as automotive.
“The proposed use of the property is consistent with the uses of adjacent properties that are used as auto dealerships,” reads the narrative prepared by Shimp Engineering. “Car dealerships typically require locations on high visibility and heavily traveled corridors.”
The narrative notes that an estimated 46,000 vehicles per day travel past the site. The property is zoned Highway Commercial and the narrative also notes that other dealerships were established prior to rules that required the special use permit.
The Places29-Community Advisory Committee will review the special use permit at a community meeting on Thursday.
Much of U.S. 250 on Pantops is also zoned Highway Commercial. Flow also has a Kia dealership at 1390 Richmond Road and there’s a proposal to demolish and replace the southern portion.
“The Kia building is the last remnant of popular mid-century roadside architecture that once predominated along this street,” reads that staff report.
That building was designed by local architect Stanislaw Makielski as part of the Town and Country Motor Lodge that stood nearby. The ARB approved removal of a dome on the building back in 2016.
“Within a half-mile radius of the parcel, there are currently eight other new-sale automotive dealerships and three used-car dealerships,” reads the narrative in the architectural drawings prepared by the firm Design Develop. “As one travels along the Richmond Road, the proposed renovation would feel neither out of scale nor incompatible with it’s context [sic],”
This is within the Pantops Master Plan which was intended to help the area become more walkable. How did that one turn out? (view the plan)
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Charlottesville City Council to learn more about CDBG, ranked choice voting
The Charlottesville City Council will meet at 4 p.m. for work sessions followed by the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. (meeting overview)
This time around, the work sessions will include a presentation on the Charlottesville Scholarship program that had been originally scheduled for January 16. (view the presentation)
Next is a presentation on the acronym CDBG. Is that the Charlottesville Dubious Barcalounger Group? How about the Community Domino Barrier Games? Crypto Dynamic Bidding Games? Of course, that acronym stands for Community Development Block Grant, referring to a funding mechanism used by the United States Department of Housing and Development.
“The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program provides annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities, and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons,” reads the HUD website.
There’s no staff report for this presentation but there is information available on the city’s website about the task force that reviews proposals. Applications for the latest round were due on February 8. And later on in the meeting there will be a proposal to use unspent CDBG funds.
The third presentation is on ranked-choice voting, and there’s also no new information in the packet yet. Council was last briefed on the topic in August 2023, as I wrote about at the time.
The regular session begins at 6:30 p.m. The consent agenda includes the minutes from the various work sessions on Council’s final deliberations on the Development Code and the public hearing.
The latter two are two pages each and contain no substantive information about what happened at those meetings. The adoption of the Development Code is one of the most significant changes in Charlottesville’s history for decades, and will have a major effect on how this place functions going forward.
If not for my work, there would be no written narrative of what Council discussed that gave an insight into what elected officials (and one appointed) were thinking as they went through their deliberations. Here’s my first rough draft of this history from my perspective.
Dozens speak at City Council public hearing on the Development Code
Charlottesville City Council holds final deliberations on Development Code, December 18, 2023
City Council drops gross area cap, approves new zoning after two more hours of debate, December 22, 2023
Council to consider repurposing federal funds for new fridge for Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Back to the here and now. Council will hold the first of two readings on a proposal to appropriate $215,000 in unspent Community Development Block Grant funds to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to upgrade the capacity of their food distribution center in Charlottesville.
“While the city has used CDBG funds over the years to support many beneficial community development programs, some funded programs in prior years did not fully utilize the full funds awarded to them and, as a result, have unspent balances that are available to be reprogrammed to new eligible CDBG activities,” reads the staff report.
The report goes on to say that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has rules that require money to be spent within a certain period of time. This has come up before with funds intended to go toward a sidewalk being transferred to cover fire prevention kits instead. As I wrote about at the time.
According to the report, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank serves an average of 9,816 individuals a month. Their refrigeration system at 1207 Harris Street is no longer adequate for their needs.
“[Blue Ridge Area Food Bank] BRAFB has to turn away deliveries of significant amounts of fresh produce because they lack the space needed to safely store it until it can be distributed to those in need,” the report continues.
In previous years, some members of Council might have asked why this project would be funded outside of the regular budget cycle subject to a competitive process. The lengthy application represents a transition to a government run by a city manager with broad authority given by elected officials and one that is very detailed in how it makes its request to Council.
“It is proposed to fund this work through HUD activity code 03E, a category specifically established by HUD to support the rehabilitation of facilities designed to provide a broad benefit to the community,” reads page five of the report.
This request does not appear to have gone through the Community Development Block Grant task force. According to my search of the city’s Agenda Center, the group hasn’t met since July 2022.
Updated paragraph added at 11:43 a.m. on February 20, 2024
The city has a task force that reviews proposals, and this group met four times in 2023 according to Anthony Warn, the city’s grants analyst. A search on February 19, 2024 did not yield these meetings, but they are present in the city’s meeting records database.
The request is for $215,000 but there does not appear to be a breakdown of the budget for the project. The presentation indicates that part of it might also include building a wooden covering over the loading dock to protect deliveries from the elements.
The next item is the first of two readings of an ordinance to create a franchise agreement with Shenandoah Mobile. (staff report)
That’s followed by a resolution of support for the second phase of Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s redevelopment of South 1st Street.
“The proposed plan includes demolishing existing public housing units and constructing approximately 113 residential units alongside office and community spaces,” reads the staff report.
Council previously supported this second phase in February 2020 and since then $3 million in city funds have been allocated and disbursed. CRHA wants to confirm that Council is still committed to helping pay for a lot of the cost.
“The request, as articulated by John Sales, Executive Director of CRHA, involves a total funding requirement of $6 million for the project,” reads the staff report.
According to an email from Sales to Alex Ikefuna of the Office of Community Solutions, the construction costs in 2020 for the second phase was $23 million and the Total Development Cost was $31.815 million.
“After two rounds of open bids and an extended 6-month period of re-design and negotiation with general contractors, the cost of construction is now expected to be $41 million and the Total Development Cost is projected at $56,642,000,” Sales wrote to Ikefuna on February 9.
The CRHA entered into an agreement with Riverbend Development in January 2019 to partner on construction, according to an article on Charlottesville Tomorrow. As part of the process, each redevelopment is being created by a different Limited Liability Company. In this case, the firm is South First Phase Two LLC, with an office address that corresponds with Riverbend Development.
How all of this financing works is something I don’t entirely understand but in a community where the city is purchasing land from CRHA at market-rate and where CRHA is purchasing a new headquarters, these are big ticket items worth tracking. And an important question: What is the breakdown of the Total Development Costs and who is getting paid to do what?
Additionally, the project requires site plan approval by the end of January in order to meet the timeline to secure Low Income Housing Tax Credits necessary for the financing to work. That does not appear to have happened yet, according to the city’s permit portal.
Next up, there is a discussion of amending the formula for grant payouts through Charlottesville’s Rental Relief Program for Elderly and Disabled. The proposal is to increase the maximum income for the program. This is highly technical as you can see in the staff report.
Then Council is scheduled to go back to CRHA to consider an authorization that would allow City Manager Sam Sanders to purchase 405 Avon Street and 405 Levy Avenue from the other government agency. There is no reference to any reason the city might purchase the property, but the January 22 staff report suggested how it might be used.
“This acquisition supports the City Manager’s commitment to homelessness intervention as it could become the site of a facility that serves to meet that need among others,” reads the January 22 staff report. “The intention is to hold the property until a comprehensive assessment of homeless service needs – including shelter beds -is completed, along with a feasibility study to operate 24/7, 365 days a year.”
CRHA will continue to play a role in the property’s future, both now and into the future.
“CRHA will lease a portion of the property back from the City at a nominal rate,” reads the February 20 staff report. “The City will have the ability to terminate the lease on thirty days' notice when it determines the future use of the property and obtains a building permit for Construction.”
That rent appears to be $10 a month.
CRHA will also develop the property on behalf of the city. Here’s how that looks in the purchase and sales agreement.
“The Seller and Buyer acknowledge that it is the intent of the Seller and the Buyer to enter into an agreement pursuant to which the Buyer will designate the Seller as the developer who will handle the development and/or redevelopment of the Real Property,” reads the purchase and sales agreement.
The city is using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to pay CRHA for the property, property that the CRHA will continue to use and potentially develop in the future.
Finally at the meeting, Council will receive the 2023 report on the Parks and Recreation Department’s Integrated Pest Management report.
“IPM establishes a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical, and if necessary, chemical tools in a way that minimizes health, environmental and economic risks,” reads the report.
Louisa County Supervisors to get first look at FY25 budget
Before I begin my summary, I have to continue to point readers in the direction of Tammy Purcell’s Engage Louisa for more information on what’s happening in that county. This week she reports on a proposal to locate a Love’s Truck Stop at the Gum Spring exit on Interstate 64.
The Louisa County Board of Supervisors will meet for a budget work session at 4:30 p.m. They will be presented with the recommended operational and maintenance budget for fiscal year 2025 as well as the Capital Improvement Program. To get ready, take a look at budgets from previous years on the county’s website. (meeting overview)
The regular meeting will begin at 6 p.m. after a closed session. (meeting overview)
Under information items, transportation planners with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission will make their way to Louisa to discuss the Move Safely Blue Ridge initiative. The next regular edition of the newsletter will have more information from their appearance last week before the Nelson County Board of Supervisors.
Other information items are from the Virginia Department of Health and an update on the Kinetic Endeavors Triathlon.
Under new business, there are two items. One is to approve or deny adding a public facilities chapter to the Comprehensive Plan. This would potentially enable Louisa County with more tools to help pay for a growing population.
“The county must expect and request developers to mitigate the impacts of their developments,” reads the staff memo. “This mitigation can take various forms, such as impact fees, infrastructure improvements, land dedication, and public-private partnerships, ensuring that the burden of growth does not disproportionately fall on existing residents and facilities.”
The other is to authorize a budgetary supplement to the Lake Anna Advisory Committee for a pass-through grant from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation related to preventing or monitoring harmful algae blooms. (read the resolution)
There are no public hearings.
Charlottesville Housing Advisory Committee to discuss land bank
The Charlottesville Housing Advisory Committee will meet at 700 East Jefferson Street at noon. (agenda)
One item on the agenda is a discussion of a land bank ordinance. The Housing Advisory Committee currently includes top officials at organizations that are nonprofit developers including Sunshine Mathon of the Piedmont Housing Alliance, John Sales of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and Dan Rosensweig at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. Each receives a significant amount of funding from the city.
At their meeting on January 17, they reviewed the manual that will govern the city’s new affordability rules in the new Development Code. Council adopted the manual on February 5 despite some concerns as I wrote last week. The minutes from the HAC’s January 17 meeting are worth reading. One discussion centered on how much discretion the zoning administrator can have to waive affordability requirements. Another dealt with whether all affordable dwelling units should be inspected.
“Discussion ensures about interpretation of ‘OCS must conduct and onsite review to confirm that ADUs are consistent with the requirements.’”
To promote understanding and transparency, I’ll note that OCS is the Office of Community Solutions. ADUs are Affordable Dwelling Units.
But back to a land bank.
Establishment of a land bank was among the many proposals in the Affordable Housing Plan. Here’s a definition in that plan.
“A Land Bank is a public or nonprofit organization that can acquire and hold tax-exempt property,” reads page 125 of the plan. “They are sometimes involved with the development of property, selling or transferring land to developers or developing it to support public goals such as the provision of affordable housing. A land bank may acquire and hold both undeveloped land (which may be limited in Charlottesville) and parcels for redevelopment, including infill land in neighborhoods.
A previous discussion took place in 2018 but Council deferred action late that year.
“The City previously sought to establish a land bank corporation, but this effort faced obstacles as parties had divergent views on the land bank’s authority, governance structure, and necessity,” reads the plan.
Meanwhile, some of those parties have moved on with the purchase of land. Piedmont Housing Alliance has been purchasing land in Fifeville through their Piedmont Community Land Trust. CRHA continues to buy residential properties throughout the city with Council agreeing to put $5 million toward the purchase of the $10 million Dogwood properties.
In other meetings:
The technical committee of the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Policy Board will meet at 10 a.m. at 407 Water Street Center. Items on the agenda include potential candidates for Smart Scale Round 6, further discussion of the Fontaine Avenue interchange, and an update on the long-range transportation range plan. (agenda)
The Albemarle County Department of Social Services Advisory Board will meet at 3:30 p.m. in Room 231 of the county’s office building at 1600 5th Street. There will be a presentation called “State of Childcare in the Community” and a discussion of the annual report. (meeting info) (agenda)
The Albemarle County Economic Development Authority’s Board of Directors will meet at 4 p.m. in Room 241 of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. The agenda was emailed to stakeholders on Wednesday, but is not online as of Sunday afternoon. I posted it to cvillepedia. One item on the agenda is an update from Nikki Hasting, CEO of CvilleBioHub. She last appeared before them last June as I wrote about at the time. (meeting info)
The Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review will meet at 5 p.m. in CitySpace for a pre-meeting before the 5:30 p.m. regular meeting start time. (agenda)
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Albemarle Board of Supervisors to hold public hearings on Home Depot, Montclair
The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meet at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info) (agenda)
The first item on the agenda is County Executive Jeffrey Richardson’s recommended budget for FY25. What role might reduced assessments this year of four percent have on the document? We’ll find out in two days.
After the budget is introduced, Supervisors will take action on an incentive program for affordable housing projects. This has been discussed since the Board approved the Housing Albemarle program in July 2021. This has now culminated in something called the Affordable Rental Housing Incentive Program (ARHIP)
“The incentive program is supported by an increase of property tax revenue to Albemarle County generated by an incentivized project, and may be provided to affordable housing projects that achieve one or more of the affordable housing objectives outlined in Housing Albemarle,” reads the introduction in the draft document.
These incentives would take the form of a real property tax rebate of ten percent each year for the term of the program. This would apply to projects that have more than eleven units, with the requirement that 20 percent be affordable under the county’s definition.
Finally in the afternoon session, Supervisors will be asked to provide feedback on proposed changes to the previously approved Smart Scale project at the Fontaine / U.S. 29 interchange.
“Recently, stakeholders have expressed concern that the proposed partially displaced left turn interchange does not meet the long-term needs of the rapidly developing area,” reads the staff report, which does not identify those stakeholders as the University of Virginia and the city of Charlottesville.
To explain more, I’m borrowing copy from a story I published on Information Charlottesville on February 5, 2024.
In late January, the MPO Policy Board also got an update on this project. The primary purpose was to add capacity at the interchange to allow northbound trucks seeking to go west on I-64 to turn around and go back to make a right-hand turn. The project has drawn concern from the University of Virginia, and the goal is to find an alternative that fits within the budget. This item will come back to the MPO Policy Board again at their meeting in February.
In the evening portion of the meeting, there will be three public hearings.
The Home Depot proposed to be built at Fashion Square Mall requires a special use permit for outdoor sales. (staff report)
The proposed Montclair development comes before Supervisors for a rezoning of 14.9 acres for up to 122 residential units and 16,500 square feet of non-residential units. (staff report)
The above also needs an amendment to the jurisdictional area of the Albemarle County Service Authority. (staff report)
Some consent agenda items worth noting:
Staff is recommending introducing the study of a zoning text amendment to allow residential uses in some commercial districts. (staff report)
Albemarle has a practice to not allow draft minutes to be seen by the public until they are approved. Supervisors will consider adopting the minutes from May 4, 2022.
There’s a financial report from Albemarle County’s second quarter (report)
There’s a collection of the draft goals and objectives of the AC44 Phase 2 (report)
There’s a report from the Facilities and Environmental Services Department which I’ll go into more detail in a future edition of the newsletter. (report)
Fluvanna County Supervisors to learn about Appomattox County’s solar ordinance
The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors will meet for a budget work session at 5 p.m. followed by a regular meeting at 6 p.m. They convene in the Carysbrook Performing Arts Center at 8880 James Madison Highway in Fork Union. (meeting package)
Many localities in rural Virginia are seeking ways to restrict the amount of land that can be converted to solar development. At the same, legislation passed the Senate on a 21 to 18 vote to restrict localities ability to regulate these issues. SB697 awaits action now in the House Committee on Counties, Cities, and Towns.
In the meantime, Fluvanna Supervisors will get a presentation on the Utility-Scale Solar Energy Farm Ordinance enacted by Appomattox County.
“On October 17, 2022, the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance to remove ‘Utility-Scale Solar Energy Farm (Large Scale)’ as a conditional use in the Agricultural Zoning District,” reads the staff report. (page 13). “The Ordinance also amended the Appomattox County Code to increase the setbacks and buffers for solar panel arrays.”
Under action items:
Supervisors will consider an additional funding request from the county fire chief for two vehicles. This is related to prices being higher than anticipated. (page 29)
Supervisors will authorize the advertisement for a public hearing to allow the treasurer more discretion on the application of tax payments under a payment arrangement. (page 31)
The county will accept $40,000 in revenue from the Virginia Tourism Corporation marketing leverage program. The county is providing a $7,500 match. (page 39)
Greene County Planning Commission to have a work session on temporary events
The Greene County Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. in the administration building in Stanardsville. (agenda)
The topic is the rules for temporary events.
“The Board of Supervisors has requested that the language for temp events in the zoning ordinance and county code be reviewed to ensure they are in concert,” reads the staff report for today’s work session.
Staff have looked at the rules on Powhatan County for a comparison.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Final report for transit governance study to go before committee
The Regional Transit Partnership meets at 4 p.m. at 407 East Water Street. (agenda packet)
One of the reasons for the Regional Transit Partnership run by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Committee is to move toward a Regional Transit Authority that would theoretically lead to more bus service across the six localities.
Toward that end, the firm AECOM was commissioned to create a study of how to move toward implementation of a regional transit vision that’s already been completed. A recommendation is to proceed under existing legislation that allows Albemarle and Charlottesville to create an authority.
“It is recommended for regional stakeholders to adopt the existing structure in the interim while an ideal transit authority that has potential to accomplish regional goals is pursued,” reads page 7 of the report.
I’ve not had time to dig through the report, but I have questions I hope can be answered. I’ll also note that one of the next steps is to “set up volunteer group to champion continued efforts.” I’ll also point out that the Charlottesville Advisory Transit Board no longer exists. The real questions are:
Will Charlottesville give up ownership and control of how CAT operates?
Would the University of Virginia actually participate in an authority, or would they continue to go it alone?
Previous stories:
Governance study: A primer on regional transit systems, December 15, 2022
Charlottesville City Council learns more about transit governance study, August 17, 2023
MPO Policy Board gets update on regional transit governance study, November 5, 2023
Places29-Rio Committee to hold community meeting for Flow Hyundai
The Places29-Rio Community Advisory Committee will meet at 6 p.m. in Room 235 of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info) (agenda)
There will be a community meeting for Flow Hyundai’s request for special use permit for outdoor sales on an undeveloped property on U.S. 29. See the Architectural Review Board item for more information.
Then there will be a presentation from the Rivanna Trails Foundation.
Friday, February 23, 2024
No meetings that I can see but perhaps I missed it?
There was an error in the original version of the story. A search on February 19, 2024 looking for recent meetings of the Community Development Block Grant task force did not yield any results from 2023. However, those records are now on the city's meetings website. Either way, I've updated the story and acknowledge I made an error. Every error informs the process in some manner!