Week Ahead for May 19, 2025: Charlottesville City Council to get updates on efforts to assist the unhoused; Two Albemarle bodies to review updated economic development strategic plan
Plus: Charlottesville’s Board of Architectural Review will consider a request to demolish one of the oldest houses in town
I have a friend who has lived here since early 2024 and yesterday for the first time I picked her up and took her to work. I needed to get a photo of a site near where she lives and I offered to pick her up from where she lives in Albemarle County so she could avoid getting an Uber or a Lyft during graduation weekend.
At almost every point in the journey I could see the results of previous stories I have written as this community has grown. The John Warner Parkway. The Rio Road grade-separated intersection. The land where the Western Bypass was going to go. New apartments on Rio Road West. We stopped for a quick breakfast with the final leg of the journey being on Water Street Extended. That used to be wilderness until it was a city street lined with mansions.
“I hear this place suddenly got really big,” she said.
I tried to keep my mouth shut because everywhere I see stories and most people aren’t interested in the minutiae. But I am struck by how much has happened and how much more is going to happen by the time I stop doing this work.
And for nearly two decades I’ve been writing those stories first at a nonprofit news organization and then for the past five years as an independent. Somehow I’ve been able to make enough to make a living despite having no support staff. My mission is to document the place where I wound up while it continues an endless transition.
I do so by meticulously looking at as much information as I can. This is a very long newsletter, but I’ll write a second version for another website. For now, I offer you these bullets.
Charlottesville City Council will hold a work session Monday on homelessness and hear from four organizations involved. They’ll also take a final vote on whether to accept a $150,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice to allow for the purchase of software to allow the Charlottesville Police Department to sift through data more efficiently.
The Albemarle Economic Development Authority will hold a work session on the update of the county’s economic development strategic plan on Tuesday, one day before the Board of Supervisors will get their update.
The Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review will consider an application Tuesday to demolish 1301 Wertland Street, one of the oldest houses in Charlottesville. They’ll also look at the new design for a hotel planned for 218 West Market Street.
Albemarle Supervisors will also go over proposed guidelines for how affordable housing funds will be used going forward.
The Places29-Rio Community Advisory Committee will hold a community meeting for a proposed 75-unit townhouse complex on Rio Road East that staff warns is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.
Thanks to the Piedmont Environmental Council for their weekly sponsorship of this weekly look ahead. That’s one of many ways I bring in revenue. Take a look here if you want to learn more about the business.
Monday, May 19, 2025
Charlottesville City Council to get update on homelessness, take final vote on Peregrine funding
The Charlottesville City Council will meet at 4 p.m. for a work session followed by a closed sessions followed by the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. (meeting overview)
There are two items at the work session. The first is a periodic update from nonprofit entities the work on efforts to address homelessness.
“This briefing workshop offers an opportunity to understand current conditions better, highlight ongoing efforts, and inform future strategies to address homelessness with compassion and accountability,” reads the staff report.
While there’s no advance material, the report lists that there will be updates from:
Shayla Washington, the executive director of the Blue Ridge Coalition for the Homeless
Owen Brennen, the executive director of the Haven
Major Mark VanMeter of the Charlottesville Corps of the Salvation Army
Anna Mendez of Shelter for Help in Emergency
The second report is the annual report from the Youth Council. (learn more)
The closed session will be for appointments to boards and commissions, but the specific citation to Virginia’s rules for closed meetings is not listed.
The regular meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. with two proclamations.
Some of the items on the consent agenda are worth reviewing:
There is a second reading to appropriate $123,600 from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services from the Victims of Crimes Act for the Charlottesville Department of Human Services’ Evergreen Program. (learn more)
There is a first reading of a resolution to appropriate $7,285.76 from the Virginia Department of Social Services for overtime related to needing to review eligibility for people on Medicaid following the sunset of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. I wrote about this in December 2022 when the process of “Medicaid Unwinding” began. (learn more)
There is a first reading of a resolution to accept $419,279 from the Virginia Department of Social Services for additional staffing to handle increased workloads. (learn more)
There is a first reading of a resolution to appropriate $15,000 from the National League of Cities for their Southern Cities Economic Initiative. This deserves a longer story. (learn more)
There is a first reading of an allocation of $100,000 in funds from the Capital Improvement Program to the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial Foundation of Virginia related to their desire to improve access. On May 5, Council voted 4-0 to move forward with a formal lease governing the foundation’s activities. (link to that story) (link to the resolution)
There is a resolution to allocate $134,967 from Council’s Strategic Initiatives Fund to three nonprofits. This consists of $22,786 to the Blue Ridge Coalition for the Homeless, $125,691 to the Piedmont Housing Alliance for eviction prevention assistance, and $30,000 the Tonsler League for League Operations. (resolution)
There are several public hearings scheduled for technical matters.
The first is for vacation of a natural gas easement in the Belvedere subdivision in Albemarle County. (learn more)
The second is for vacation of a natural gas easement on Old Ivy Road. (learn more)
The third is for a right of way agreement at 220 West Market Street for Lighthouse to use a portion of land for parking. (learn more)
The fourth is for a formal agreement with Hill and Wood Funeral Service on 1st Street North to be able to use public parking spaces on days when they are holding a service. In exchange, the public will be able to use some of Hill and Wood’s parking lot when no funerals are scheduled. (learn more)
The penultimate item on the agenda is a second reading of a pass-through of $150,000 in funds from the Department of Criminal Justice Services that would allow the Charlottesville Police Department to cover the cost of the use of Peregrine software to allow for analysis of various data sources. I have a story from the first reading you might be interested in viewing. (staff report)
Finally there will be a second presentation on the 2025 Americans with Disabilities Act transition plan. I regret I’m not able to really give this story the attention it deserves. (staff report)
Louisa Supervisors to consider nomination of Cuckoo Elementary School to historic lists
The Louisa Board of Supervisors will meet in closed session at 5 p.m. followed by a regular meeting at 6 p.m. The agenda does not tell us what will be discussed during the closed session which customarily takes place at the beginning of the meeting. (meeting overview)
The minutes for the April 28 do list three citations of Virginia Code that allow for elected officials to remove the public from the room so they can have a private conversation. One is related to acquisition or disposition of public property for a public purpose. Another is related to a business in the Mineral District. The third is related to legal advice about litigation the county is involved in.
The first two of those citations were also made for the May 5, 2025 closed session. The third in that meeting pertained to legal advice requested by a public body
There are some interesting items on the consent agenda worth mentioning:
Supervisors will authorize the spending of $36,725 to replace a compactor box used for recycling and refuse. (learn more)
The Louisa County Airport is now under the direct supervision of Louisa County government which also means the county has to cover cost overruns. Fuel has cost $50,000 more than expected and Supervisors have to approve the expenditure. (learn more)
Louisa County budgeted $350,000 for expenses related to workers’ compensation in FY2025 but not all of that money has been used. There is a resolution to transfer back that money to individual departments to close out the books for FY2025. (learn more)
Supervisors also have to authorize the appropriation of a $60,000 donation from the Foundation for Lake Anna Emergency Services. The funding will be used for an air cascade system for the New Bridge Fire & EMS Station. (learn more)
There is a resolution authorizing collaborative initiatives between Louisa County and the Town of Mineral to “engage in open information exchange, coordinated communication efforts, and a mutual process of feedback and consultation to promote effective collaboration and shared understanding.” (learn more)
Under new business, there will be a resolution to support a nomination for Cuckoo Elementary School to be on the National Register of Historic Places. This will be presented to the Board of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources on June 12. (read the nomination form)
“The Cuckoo Elementary School is a rare surviving two-room schoolhouse in Louisa County Virginia, and the surrounding region,” reads the nomination form. “The school was an elementary school which served grades one through seven. The school was constructed in 1925, when most rural schoolhouses for African American students were modest frame buildings with one or two classrooms.”
The school closed in 1955 after a fire.
There will also be a presentation on the Louisa County landfill. This information is not available in advance.
There are no public hearings but there are a series of reports. One of them is from the Louisa County Regional Airport and an update on construction at the South Taxiway. The runway will be temporarily closed for three days this week and the length will be shortened for much of the summer. There are 48 individuals waiting for a spot in the hangar. (learn more)
Another item of interest is a report from the Louisa County Water Authority for operations in April. In an era when the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is mandated regional water supply plans, I hope to understand more about what systems are currently in place in the region and this is a good report.
Two items to go before Albemarle Architectural Review Board
Albemarle County’s Architectural Review Board has jurisdiction of buildings that are visible from one of the county’s many entrance corridors. The five member body meets at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info) (agenda)
There are two items on the agenda this time around.
The first is for the Christian Aid Mission’s proposal to construct a new building off of the north side of Ivy Road near the intersection with Broomley Road. The staff report makes this observation.
“The project is described as a proposal to ‘redevelop’ the existing building, but it appears to be a completely new building,” reads the staff report.
Christian Aid Mission recently sold their office building on 5th Street Extended to the University of Virginia Community Credit Union. Here’s what their narrative says:
“This project proposes to redevelop the existing ‘Theatre Building’ into a new office building for Christian Aid Mission, a global non-profit headquartered in Charlottesville,” reads the narrative. “The existing structure is underutilized, in disrepair, and has sat sat vacant for a number of years.”
The second item before the ARB is for an initial site development plan for a 21-unit residential subdivision at 1906 and 1920 Avon Street Extended. Albemarle Supervisors granted a rezoning for this use on February 7, 2024. One existing structure will remain.
In other meetings:
The Albemarle County FY2025 Audit Committee will hold an organizational meeting at 2 p.m. via Zoom. (meeting info)
The Fluvanna County Social Services Board will meet at 3 p.m. in the 1st Floor Conference Room at 8880 James Madison Highway in Fork Union. There’s no agenda posted. (meeting info)
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Albemarle Economic Development Authority to discuss strategic plan
On April 16, the Tom Tom Festival hosted the leaders of Albemarle, Charlottesville, and the University of Virginia for a panel discussion about innovation and collaboration. The first comment from Albemarle County Executive Jeffrey Richardson was about economic development.
“It’s a regional economy and we are beginning at the Albemarle county level with our economic development work to lean in hard to that,” Richardson said at the event.
In the past ten years, economic development has become a driving force in Albemarle County policy. A key player is the Albemarle Economic Development Authority which meets at 4 p.m. in room 241 of Albemarle’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info)
At publication time, the agenda linked on the meeting info page is the meeting from February, but that’s why I go through all of these items in case anyone wants to pay attention. Here is a link to the correct agenda.
The main item on the agenda is a work session on the economic development strategic plan that has been underway. Albemarle County issued a request for qualifications last July for a firm to produce an update to the existing Project Enable, as I reported at the time.
There’s nothing in the directory for this meeting related to the update, but anyone who wants to know more can look at the Engage Albemarle website.
“The Economic Development Office has hired Resonance Consultancy Inc. to lead an inclusive and data-driven approach to the Economic Development Strategic Plan update project,” reads an overview on that website.
In a county of over 117,000 people, the county received 152 responses to an online questionnaire associated with the work. Is that enough to draw conclusions?
A summary of those results was generated using “artificial intelligence tools.” Someone left a comment on this section stating that the report should include that note for ethical reasons.
This work session is being held one day before the Albemarle Board of Supervisors will hold their own work session. Perhaps we’ll learn more there.
Two items were distributed with the agenda for this meeting.
The Financial Report for May 2025 indicates a balance of nearly $1.69 million to use for leverage or direct support of initiatives.
An unaudited list of the status of various performance agreements and here’s another balance in this document. It’s beyond the scope of this edition of the newsletter to dig much deeper.
Charlottesville BAR to review demolition request for 1301 Wertland Street
One of the major themes of Charlottesville’s new Development Code was to reduce uncertainty for developers by eliminating points in the process where City Council had to make an approval.
The Board of Architectural Review has played a key role in land use decisions for decades and have considerable ability to influence design proposals in areas where they have jurisdiction. They also determine whether buildings in architectural-design control districts can be torn down.
What will happen at their May 2025 meeting? It begins at 5 p.m. with a pre-meeting in the Neighborhood Development Services conference room followed by the regular meeting in City Council Chambers. (agenda)
The meeting begins with a consent agenda item to extend the Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) to allow the existing building at 218 West Market Street to be demolished. That is a shopping center where the Artful Lodger currently exists as well as the Livery Stable. The BAR did this once before on November 16, 2021 but has to approve it again. More on 218 West Market in a minute.
The first few review items are straightforward such as a request to remove a chimney at 759 Belmont Avenue and window replacements at 540 Park Street.
The third item is a request to demolish 1301 Wertland, one of the oldest houses in Charlottesville. I have a small preview in C-Ville Weekly I wrote before the meeting’s materials were available.
“William Wertenbaker was UVa’s second librarian, serving from 1826 until 1880,” reads the staff report. “In 1842, Wertenbaker acquired 27-acres from James Dinsmore’s estate. He sold all but 6.25-acres, on which the house was built.”
As part of the materials, Seven Development hired engineers to assess the structure and they reported the house is in adequate conditions. There does not appear to be a narrative related to the request for a CoA for demolition.
Next up will be a request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to repair the vehicular crossings of the Downtown Mall. This is an item with a long history. The firm Line and Grade has been commissioned to provide the technical drawings. (learn more)
Then the BAR will revisit 218 West Market Street and a new design for a proposed hotel. This has been before the BAR before and the packet contains interesting images showing the evolution of the design during that time. (learn more)
The narrative in the submission states that the goal is to make the project fit the context of the site. Here is a lot of text.
“The design balances several goals: extending the Mall experience at the pedestrian level and second-floor restaurant terrace along Preston Avenue—drawing patrons past the Whiskey Jar and Omni Hotel at what is currently a dark, under-activated end of the Mall; ensuring that the upper portions of the building along Preston Avenue remain deferential, serving as a respectful backdrop to the Mall experience rather than competing with it; and finally, reinventing the western portion of W Market Street by providing a sense of grandeur and a stately, welcoming entrance for visitors.”
In other meetings:
The Albemarle County Department of Social Services Advisory Board will meet at 3:30 p.m. in the Suite A of the county’s office building at 1600 5th Street. The main item on the agenda is titled “Re-Engineering Discussion” which is an intriguing title. What’s being re-engineered? I tried to see if there was any mention of this in the notes for recent meetings but could not find anything relevant. (meeting info)
The Resilient Together Community Design Meetings continue at the Yancey Community Center at 6 p.m. These events “are a chance for you to share your ideas and collaborate with neighbors on how we can adapt to increasingly hazardous weather events like extreme heat, flooding, and storms.” (meeting info)
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Albemarle Supervisors to review economic development strategic plan, guidelines for affordable housing investments
The Albemarle Board of Supervisors holds their third meeting this month beginning at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the County Office Building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info)
After a proclamation recognizing May as Older Americans’ Month, Supervisors will get a full presentation on an economic study conducted by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. (view the Cost of Services Study)
“Continued residential growth concerns some local residents because of the potential loss of prime farmland and open space to development and the possible negative fiscal impact of new residential development,” reads a summary of the Cost of Community Services study. “The incremental taxable value of residential properties is often less than the public services demand.”
County Executive Jeffrey Richardson brought up this study at a panel discussion held on April 16 as part of the Tom Tom Festival.
“When you look at our revenue diversification, we are 72 percent residential. We’re 11.3 percent commercial and industry. For a community of our size, that 11.3 percent should be somewhere between 15 and 20 percent,” Richardson said.
One reason Albemarle County has increased the role of economic development is to increase that number. The next work session is an update of the economic development strategic plan. There is no staff report but there are four attachments.
A competitive benchmarking assessment released by Resonance in February 2025 that has seven takeaways and makes comparisons to other communities (view the document)
A document is listed as a cluster assessment in the agenda, but it’s really an analysis of target industries for Albemarle. There’s a lot in this. (view the document)
There is a link to the community engagement work to date which consists of 152 responses to an online questionnaire. (view the document)
There is a summary of stakeholder engagement to date. There were a series of roundtables in February and March at which specific people were invited to give their feedback. About a hundred people participated. (view the document)
Next up will be a presentation on guidelines for how funding in the Albemarle Housing Investment Fund (AIHF) will be used. The budget adopted by Supervisors for FY2026 includes $5.2 million for that fund.
“The primary purpose of the AHIF is to provide financial resources to address the affordable housing needs of individuals and families who live or work in the county by promoting, preserving, and producing quality, long-term affordable housing options; providing housing related services to low- and moderate-income households; and providing support for non-profit and for-profit organizations that actively address the affordable housing needs of low- and moderate-income households,” reads an overview of the program.
Revenue for the program will come through four sources with the first being a portion of the annual real property tax revenue collected. Additionally there will be funding that comes from developers who seek to pay in lieu of building required units, voluntary contributions through proffers, and other allocations as approved by the Board of Supervisors.
Here’s the draft set of priorities:
Provide housing options for households with income less than 60% of AMI
Include mechanisms to ensure permanent (90-year) affordability
Use County funding awards to leverage significant amounts of federal, state, or private funding
Are shovel ready. For projects that will be applying for Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) financing, ‘shovel ready’ means the applicant will be submitting a LIHTC application during the next available application period
Support the economic and social diversification of Albemarle County neighborhoods
Provide on-site resident services
During the budget cycle, I sent an email to the county asking for information about the housing fund. Here’s what I got in response from Kaki Dimock, Albemarle’s Chief Human Services Officer.
“The Affordable Housing Investment Fund is a flexible tool that allows us to respond to the priorities set by the Board of Supervisors,” Dimock wrote. “Depending on available funding and strategic direction, it can be used to support or incentivize new housing development, preserve existing affordable units, respond to emerging housing needs, purchase land, or support nonprofits doing critical housing work in our community.”
Albemarle County does not list their closed meeting motion in the meeting packet.
The evening session has two public hearings.
The first is on Albemarle County’s draft Secondary Six-Year Plan allocations for the next six years. These are funds for paving roads. (learn more)
The second is for a special use permit for outdoor storage at 400 Rio Road West which will become a plumbing supply store. (learn more)
Some consent agenda items:
For the first time, Albemarle Supervisors will approve a set of minutes from 2024. For some reason, Albemarle does not provide their draft minutes available in advance and they are only posted once Supervisors have approved them. The most recently approved minutes are currently from the December 6, 2023 joint meeting with the School Board. (learn more about what minutes are being considered)
There is an authorization for a public hearing to raise Board of Supervisors’ compensation to $20,805, up from $20,199. The stipend for the chair will increase to $1,891 and the stipend for vice chair to $630. (read the resolution)
There is also authorization for a public hearing to increase compensation for Planning Commissioners and other boards. (read the resolution)
There is a $1.34 million project to build a trailhead at the Sugar Hollow Reservoir that is being paid for in part through a grant from the Federal Lands Access program. That requires a resolution and a formal agreement. (resolution) (project agreement)
Greene County Planning Commission to review new regulations for solar panels
The Greene County Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. in the county meeting room at 40 Celt Road in Stanardsville. (meeting overview)
I would like to have more of an understanding of what’s happening in Greene County, a locality that will be affected by Albemarle County’s economic development efforts.
“We're at an amazing time right now for our work in economic development in this region,” said Albemarle County Executive Jeffrey Richardson at a recent Tom Tom panel on innovation. “That corridor up U.S. 29 comes all the way back into the city, all the way out to [Rivanna Station]. It's regional. So it's not just about the city, the university and the county. It also involves Greene County and looking at some key regional partners.”
Take a look at that story or take a listen to the podcast.
The Greene County Planning Commission has been charged by the Board of Supervisors with reviewing various aspects of the zoning ordinance. This meeting is about reviewing three of them.
The first is to review the rules for accessory structures and specifically whether code should be amended to address a phenomenon of people converting manufacture homes into storage units. The draft language would ban the practice. (read the draft amendment)
The second is to consider dropping the requirement for a special use permit for indoor recreation facilities such as gyms and fitness centers. (staff report)
The third is related to the rules for solar arrays to add more regulations. (staff report)
There’s also an extensive report on development activity underway. There’s a lot and I would like to have a handle on it. For now, here’s the report.
In other meetings:
The Charlottesville Housing Advisory Committee will meet at noon in CitySpace and will get a presentation from staff on the potential of a tax abatement program as a financial incentive for developers to build affordable units. The minutes for the last meeting are not yet available. (agenda)
Nelson County Board of Supervisors have scheduled a continued meeting at 4 p.m. to further discuss the budget. FIX LATER (meeting info) (agenda)
The Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will have a second meeting this month to discuss the recently adopted Parks and Recreation Master Plan. What specifically are they discussing? That’s not in the agenda. This meeting is in the Parks and Recreation Department’s conference room. (agenda)
Thursday May 22, 2025
Community meeting for 75-unit Lochlyn Commons on Rio Road East
There are a number of residential developments that are in Albemarle County but on the border with Charlottesville. One proposed development called Lochlyn Commons would see 75 townhouse units built above Rio Road. To get that level of density, the applicant is seeking a rezoning from R-4 to Planned Residential Development.
The first public step in a rezoning is a community meeting and the Places29-Rio Community Advisory Committee will hold that event as part of their meeting which begins at 6 p.m. in Room 235 of Albemarle County’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info) (agenda)
One place to start to learn more about the development is an article I wrote in early April.
Since then, county staff have issued one comment letter and noted that the density requested is out of sync with the Comprehensive Plan which recommends between three to six units per acre and not the 12 units per acre suggested in this development.
“The proposed density is double what the Comprehensive Plan and the Places29 Master Plan recommend for the subject property,” reads the comment letter dated April 29.
Because this is a rezoning, staff have the ability to measure the plan against transportation studies such as the Rio Corridor Plan. That document notes that there are limited sight distances at this location.
“At this time, staff cannot support the proposed right-in, right-out (RIRO) turn proposed at the intersection of Rockbrook Drive and Rio Road E. due to safety issues that could be created by such a design,” the comment letter continues. “As shown on the Application Plan, staff has concerns that vehicles would still attempt northbound left-turn movements even with a RIRO.”
In other meetings:
Albemarle County continues to review the Comprehensive Plan in a very slow process that few people are paying attention to. I’m failing to write articles because there are too many meetings happening. Still, I want people to get involved and one way to do so is through attending a “Community Check-In” on the transportation chapter. That’s happening at Journey Middle School at 210 Lambs Lane. Of course, there’s no link to that draft chapter on the meeting info page nor is there a link to Engage Albemarle where you could find that chapter. That’s what I’m here for. All of the chapters are now available. Maybe I can get a story done on this chapter by Thursday?
Charlottesville’s Board of Zoning Appeals meets at 4 p.m. in CitySpace. You wouldn’t know it from the agenda, but there’s an appeal related to 2030 Barracks Road. That is a proposal to build 24 units under the new Development Code. I’ll have a preview story later in the week. In the meantime, let’s look at the blank meeting info page together.
VDOT will hold two hearings but as it’s 4:55 p.m. as I post this I’m going to have to have that be a regular item!
On Monday, May 19, 2025, I added an extra paragraph to the section on Albemarle's housing fund while cleaning up my list of story ideas. I'm organized!