Thanks as always to the Piedmont Environmental Council for their sponsorship of this look at what’s coming up in local government.

• Elected officials in both Albemarle County and Fluvanna County will discuss the future of data centers with Albemarle staff suggesting a pause on new regulations and Fluvanna set to make them harder to approve
• Transportation officials from both Charlottesville and Staunton will meet Tuesday to get a status update on regional projects
• The company Microaire Surgical Instruments are planning an expansion and Albemarle’s ARB will take a look Monday
• Albemarle’s Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan update on Tuesday while the Board of Supervisors will hold a final work session on Wednesday
• There are no meetings in Greene County this week

Monday, September 29, 2025

ARB to review Microaire expansion

The recently approved Economic Development Strategic Plan for Albemarle County puts a premium on the “life sciences” sector.

“Already a $269 million industry in Albemarle, life sciences holds clear potential for expansion,” reads the subheading for the plan’s second goal.

One of those companies contributing to that number is Microaire Surgical Instruments, a company with about 150 employees that operates out of a former postal office sorting facility in Hollymead. Will that number grow higher as the company plans an addition?

The Albemarle Architectural Review Board will take a look at an initial site development plan for an expansion that will see an addition of a 20,000 square foot warehouse onto the existing building on Grand Forks Drive.

The ARB meets at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info) (agenda)

In one other meeting:

• Fluvanna County’s Comprehensive Plan review continues with a meeting of the Housing Advisory Group. This will take place at 3 p.m. at 132 Main Street in Palmyra but there’s no information about what’s going to be discussed. I think this is the main page for this update. (calendar info)

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

AC44 to go before the Albemarle Planning Commission for public hearing

Last week I made a special effort to try to get caught up on my reporting about Albemarle County’s Comprehensive Plan update, a process that’s been underway since November 2021. I was able to get two stories out last week:

• Albemarle Planning Commission to hold public hearing on county’s draft Comprehensive Plan on September 30
• How well is Albemarle County using land in its development areas?

I am hoping to have a third story out from the Board of Supervisors work session on September 10. There has been very little media coverage of the entire AC44 process, something I’ve tried to remedy as best I can over at Information Charlottesville.

The Albemarle County Planning Commission will have their public hearing on the draft update at their meeting at 6 p.m. in Lane Auditorium of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road.

“Currently the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider adoption during their Public Hearing on October 15, 2025,” reads the staff report.

There have been changes since the Board of Supervisors had their work session on September 10 and there is a four-page summary that lists some of them:

• Any reference to the Charlottesville-Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau has been changed to “local visitors bureau.” Who wanted that?
• A paragraph was removed from the growth management policy section that talked about future Development Area boundary changes. This began with the phrase “When considering potential changes…”
• “Tiny homes” have been added to a description of what might constitute a “Primary Land Use.”
• Information about rural area interchanges have been removed as has an action calling for development of small area plans.
• There is now a potential action of considering a “transfer of development rights” program

This is one of the last opportunities to influence a document that will reset the county’s policies when it goes into effect on January 1, 2026. If you’re a county resident, or interested in how this community is going to grow, take a look.

• Part I – Plan Policy
• Part II – Growth Management Policy
• Part III – Implementation
• Part IV – Appendices

Staunton-area and Charlottesville-area transportation groups to meet

I’ve been spending a little more time in Staunton lately but my trips on Interstate 64 have been on the weekends. Many people rely on the roadway to get to work and there are frequent complications.

I’ve also spent a lot more time in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and I’m struck with how ridiculously close Charlottesville and Staunton are geographically. How connected are the regional economies and governments?

There are occasional meetings between the metropolitan planning organizations of both areas and one of them will take place this Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the North Fork Meeting Center at 994 Research Park Boulevard. (meeting materials)

Here’s previous coverage from other meetings to give a sense of what can happen if there’s planning. All links to uncategorized stories on Charlottesville Tomorrow.

• Charlottesville and Staunton transportation groups meet to discuss collaboration, October 8, 2015
• Staunton, Charlottesville transportation groups discuss cooperation on I-64, October 26, 2016
• Groups briefed on Harrisonburg-to-Charlottesville bus service, September 27, 2017

There will be three presentations followed by comments from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

The first item will be review of the Afton Express bus service between Staunton and Charlottesville. Ridership has increased each year since the pilot project launched in September 2021 as I reported this past June.

Next will be a briefing from the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Transit Authority, an entity created in late 2024 to try to find additional revenue sources for expanded bus service. This is for information only, as the enabling legislation for the authority only includes localiites in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.

Then there will be a briefing on the creation of the statewide rail plan for 2026. One day I’m hoping to take the Cardinal to Staunton and look forward to that route eventually going to daily service.

One item VDOT will brief the group on is a study called the I-64 Corridor Strategic Highway Research Program.

One project that came out of that is the I-64 Afton Mountain Congestion Warning System which will provide more advance warning of congestion due to traffic incidents, bad weather, or rough terrain. This includes additional lighting at Exit 99. The cost for this project was $3.9 million.

Another future project will see changes to the configuration of the intersection of U.S. 250 and I-64 at Exit 118. This will involve conversion to a “Signalized Green T intersection” as well as a roundabout at Route 610.

Another project on the western side of the mountain is creation of a trail connection to the Crozet Tunnel. Construction is expected to begin next March.

Albemarle panel to consider removal of properties from Batesville ag-forest district

Virginia law allows localities to create special districts to encourage conservation of lands used for agriculture or timber production.

“By establishing a District, property owners agree not to convert their farm, forestland and other open space lands to more intense commercial, industrial or residential uses during the term of the District, currently 10 years for districts of statewide significance,” reads a definition on the Albemarle County website.

Being a district qualifies property to be taxed under a lower tax rate in a process known as “land use taxation.” In October 2016, the Board of Supervisors updated its policies to no longer accept land without additional development rights into a district.

The review is happening now for three ag-forest districts and that means ineligible parcels will be removed and subject to taxation at the rate everyone else pays. This could also mean property owners may have to pay a roll back tax.

The Albemarle Agricultural-Forestal Districts Advisory Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. in Room 241 of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road to review three of the districts. (meeting info)

• The Green Mountain Agricultural and Forestal District was created on December 2, 2015 and consists of 1,248 acres of land across six parcels. Staff recommends all parcels remain in the district due to the potential of small-lot development. (read the report)
• The Nortonsville Agricultural and Forestal District was created on October 6, 1999 and consists of two parcels totaling 43 acres. Staff recommends removing one 2.56 acre parcel because there are no remaining development rights. It appears this parcel is not in land use taxation. (read the report)
• The Batesville Agricultural and Forestal District was created on May 2, 1990 and has 33 parcels totaling 979 acres. A review has found that 18 parcels totaling 266 acres do not have development rights and are being recommended for removal. (read the report)

In other meetings:

• The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office will hold another Senior Safety Session at 4 p.m. at the Tuckahoe Clubhouse at 37 Stone Orchard Drive in Nellysford, Virginia. (learn more)
• The Fluvanna County Planning Commission is having a special called meeting so that a quorum can attend a town hall meeting regarding the potential for a second Tenaska natural gas facility in the county. That will be held at the Fluvanna County High School at 1918 Thomas Jefferson Parkway. (meeting notice)

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Albemarle County Supervisors to hold final work session on AC44

October begins with a bang as the Albemarle Board of Supervisors takes advantage of the first Wednesday of the month for a regular meeting. They meet at 1 p.m in Lane Auditorium of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info)

There are two proclamations to begin the meeting.

The first is for an achievement award Albemarle County received for what the agenda refers to as “Pharmacy Project.” There is no advance material from this, but the award comes from the Virginia Association of Counties and I was able to look up the county’s submission which relates to the response to shifting rules about how pharmaceuticals are handled by emergency public safety personnel.

Until recently, hospitals provided Albemarle County Fire Rescue with pre-stocked drug kits.

“While convenient, this arrangement created increasing legal exposure and uncertainty due to changes in federal rules, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Drug

Supply Chain Security Act and anticipated changes to DEA oversight,” reads the submission. “These regulations required the ‘owner’ of the drugs to ensure full traceability, a responsibility hospitals were no longer willing or able to accept.”

This meant ACFR had to create a new in-house pharmacy to dispense medications. That’s come at a cost.

“The project was delivered with a one-time cost of $387,705 and an initial operating cost of $171,088 to include one full-time staff and ongoing supplies,” the submission continues.

The other proclamation recognizes National 4-H Week October 5 through October 11.

“More than 1,800 students aged 5 to 19 are involved in 4-H in Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville,” reads the proclamation.

After comments from the public and the consent agenda, there will be a report from the Virginia Department of Transportation. Some items from the presentation:

• Bids for a project to build a shared use path on U.S. 29 came in over budget. The project will be readvertised. This project is called for in the Places29 Master Plan. Find out more information on VDOT’s project page.
• VDOT will advertise bids to construct a park and ride lot at I-64 at Exit 107, but when? The presentation states Fall 2025 but the project page states Spring 2026.
• Right of acquisition is underway for the 5th Street Trail and Hub project that will be advertised for construction in the spring. (project page)
• A connector road from Berkmar Drive to Airport Road will be advertised for construction in the fall of 2026. (project page)
• The pedestrian bridge across U.S. 29 at Stonefield is anticipated to be completed on October 31.
• Technical bids are due this October 1 for firms seeking to build a bundle of projects that include a roundabout at District Avenue and Hydraulic Road, an upgrade of the U.S. 29 / Fontaine Avenue interchange, and the Fontaine Avenue Shared Use Path. (project page)

There is no update from Albemarle’s transportation planning staff.

The next item is an update on the ongoing review of the county’s data center regulations. A work session with the Board of Supervisors was held on August 8.

“During the work session the Board of Supervisors expressed a desire to address the environmental impacts of data centers,” reads a memo from Bill Fritz of the county’s planning department. “Staff noted that additional work was required to address noise and water consumption associated with data centers.”

Staff is now recommending a pause on the changes due to the potential of regulatory and legislative changes in the next General Assembly.

“During this pause the County will retain the existing ordinance and process any large-scale data center by special use permit,” Fritz’s memo continues.

Next up is the Board’s final work session on AC44 to go over direction they had given at the September 10 work session. See the Planning Commission entry for details. (item materials)

After that will be a closed session, if necessary.

At 6 p.m. Supervisors will come back for another session and will hold a public hearing on a proposal to amend Albemarle’s land use regulations to allow for a special exception for a building in an industrial zoning district to exceed 65 feet. The Albemarle County Planning Commission recommended approval earlier this month.

Fluvanna County to eliminate by-right option for future data centers

The Fluvanna County Supervisors will meet at 5 p.m. in the Circuit Courtroom of the Fluvanna Courts Building. This is a relatively light agenda. (agenda packet)

The first item will be a review of the Fluvanna County Fair. There’s no information available in advance.

“This presentation is to give a review of the 2025 Fluvanna County Fair along with

expenditures and revenues of both the Fair Board and Parks and Recreation Department,” reads the staff report.

There are three action items.

The first is a resolution authorizing the Virginia Department of Conservation and Resources to review the eligibility of the Hardware River to be a Virginia Scenic River. (staff report)

“Fluvanna County contains roughly 12.9 miles of the Hardware River, flowing through the southeast portion of the County before emptying into the James River,” reads the staff report.

The Virginia Scenic River program grants local and residential protection from development along the river. Look at the image below for more details.

The second is a resolution of intent to amend county zoning to require a special use permit for all data centers rather than a by-right use. Currently they can be built in Industrial, Limited Industrial, and General Industrial districts.

The Board of Supervisors indicated on September 17 they wanted this outcome. They also said they will pause processing any data center applications through January 31, 2026.

“This delay will give the Planning Commission and the Board time to consider amendments to the County Code regarding data centers,” reads the staff report.

This resolution sets up a public hearing on November 18 for the ordinance change.

The third is to establish a procedure for the naming of county facilities. There currently is none.

There are no public hearings and nothing is listed under new business.

Thursday, October 2, 2025

Free Enterprise Forum to hold Samuel Miller District candidate forum

Early voting is underway across Virginia and the only contested race for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors is in the Samuel Miller District. Democrat Fred Missel and Republican Scott Smith are on the ballot.

The Free Enterprise Forum is holding a candidate forum at 6 p.m at the Hillsdale Conference Center on Hillsdale Drive. I’m co-moderating the event. I’ll have more information about this as the event comes closer.

• The only meeting in Charlottesville this week is the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee which meets at City Space at 5 p.m. The agenda is not available at publication time. (meeting info)

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This post was contributed by Sean Tubbs. Sean is a journalist working to build a new information and news outlet centered around Charlottesville and Virginia. In 2020, he launched a daily newscast and newsletter and also created a semi-regular podcast on the pandemic.

Support for Sean’s “Week Ahead” update comes from The Piedmont Environmental Council.