Cville Area Land Use Week Ahead for April 14, 2025: Charlottesville City Council to adopt budget Monday night; Community meeting Thursday for floodplain fill in Albemarle’s section of Woolen Mills

Posted on by Sean Tubbs

This edition of the weekly newsletter on local and regional government meetings shall be briefer than usual for a reason I will explain in the Monday blurb. I have a routine to the way I do things and sometimes I get scrambled if I want to change something. So, my solution is to get this edition out quickly so I can write a full story. I’m more machine than human and demand routine.

My task is assisted by a slower week than usual. Some highlights:

  • Charlottesville City Council will adopt a budget on Monday that is about $775,000 larger than it was in early March. Full details at this story.
  • Albemarle’s final budget town hall is Monday night but the next public hearing for the document is not scheduled until April 23.
  • Fluvanna Supervisors will get details Wednesday on the Move Safely, Blue Ridge initiative that seeks to identify projects to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries. They’ll also hold a public hearing on the FY26 budget.
  • Albemarle Supervisors will have another work session on the Comprehensive Plan and hold two public hearings including one for a rezoning off of Berkmar Drive Extended.
  • Albemarle’s 5th and Avon Community Advisory Committee will hold a community meeting for a special use permit to fill in the floodplain at the Woolen Mills Industrial Park
  • There are no meetings in Nelson County this week.
  • There are no meetings in Louisa County and the next scheduled meeting for the Louisa County Board of Supervisors is April 28.

Thanks as always to the Piedmont Environmental Council for their sponsorship of this weekly look at what’s happening in local and regional government.

Monday, April 14, 2025

Charlottesville City Council to adopt FY26 budget

Charlottesville City Council will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers to hold a second reading on the city’s budget for FY2026. There was a budget wrap-up session on Thursday night that I have not written up yet and will do as soon as I hit publish. It will take me a few hours to write up, but it is Sunday morning as I type this and that means watching Premiership football in the background while I write up meetings. See below for results.

A factor that sets this newsletter apart from other information outlets is a journalistic conviction to cover public processes as thoroughly as possible. This standard is not one I’m always able to meet and I have to let a lot of story ideas go as time accelerates.

I cannot let go of covering budgets for local governments as they go from introduction to adoption. The executive turns over a document for the legislative branch to review. The legislators are elected to make decisions. This process is deliberative and allows opportunities for the public to comment and shape the final result.

My write up for Thursday’s work session will be posted separately as I said above. For now, all I can do is list several stories I have written.

Albemarle County to hold final budget town hall

Albemarle County’s budget for FY2026 is built on a four cent increase in the real estate tax, an increase that will also apply to the second half of FY2025. That’s on top of another increase in property assessments for the year. What to make of it all?

I’ve provided the most thorough coverage of the process to date and provide you now with links to several stories that now reside on the Information Charlottesville website.

There is one final town hall where you can learn about the budget tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. at Journey Middle School. Child care will be provided for anyone who wants to attend. (meeting info)

There’s still time to read through it all and say what you think at two upcoming public hearings that will be held at special meetings. The one on the budget itself will be held April 23 at 6 p.m. in Lane Auditorium. The second one on the tax rate for the calendar year will be held April 30 at 6 p.m.

There’s a meeting on April 16 as we’ll learn more about in a moment. If you can’t make the town hall, there is a video available online. This has 85 views at publication time. How high can we get that number?

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/MTO8dyoEQO0?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

Fluvanna EDA to get update on Comprehensive Plan

Fluvanna County Supervisors adopted an updated Comprehensive Plan last year and then got right back to work with considering a new one.

“This plan prepares Fluvanna to accommodate anticipated growth while sustaining the county’s rural character and livability,” reads page 11 of the Comprehensive Plan adopted on September 18, 2024. “Land use and other government policy decisions must balance the desire to remain rural and “small town” while welcoming new people and businesses.”

The 2024 ratified much of the vision of the 2015 plan but now the full update is underway. A series of community meetings was held in late winter.

At their meeting that begins at 5 p.m. in the county administration building at 132 Main Street in Palmyra, the Economic Development Authority of Fluvanna County will get their turn to weigh in in the early days of the new update.

Existing conditions are described in the current economic development chapter.

“In 2021, 1,755 people live and work in Fluvanna, 2,655 people commute into the County, and 9,477 county residents commute elsewhere,” reads page 97 of the plan. “This means that currently, 6,822 more people commute from Fluvanna for work every day, than to it.

The primary commercial node for economic development is Zion Crossroads.

At this meeting of the EDA, the group will also finish up discussion of their proposed mission statement.

The vision statement of the 2015 / 2024 Fluvanna County Comprehensive Plan (Credit: Fluvanna County)

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review to hold work session

There are proposals on the regular agenda of the Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review, but they will have discussion of their rules. They meet at 5 p.m. for a pre-meeting with the regular meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. (agenda packet)

There are three items on the consent agenda and the first is on the agenda despite not having a full permit number listed in the agenda. This is for a driveway at 712 Ridge Street and the permit appears to be HST25-0074. The BAR approved replacement windows at this location in March 2024 but did not approve the driveway.

The second item on the consent agenda is for replacement windows at 516 Ridge Street.

The third is for exterior alterations at 300 Court Square, the site of the former Eagle Tavern. A previous certificate of appropriateness was granted in December 2022 but has since expired.

Plans drawn up showing a new driveway in the 700 block of Ridge Street (Credit: Waterstreet Studios)

There are no materials for the discussion of their rules but the subjects are these:

  • A policy update on granting requests to extend the period a Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) is in effect.
  • The owners of 144 Chancellor Street are appealing the BAR’s denial to the City Council. That happened in January as I reported for C-Ville Weekly. I’ll write a follow-up sometime this week.
  • There will be a discussion of the section of the new Development Code that governs minor historic reviews. That’s code section 34.5.2.6.A.1.a. and b.
  • There will be an update on minor CoA and pending CoA requests. I’ll have an update on those soon as well.
  • There will be a brief training session on historic districts.

In other meetings:

  • The Commonwealth Transportation Board meets at 9 a.m. for a work session followed by the action meeting. These are always a lot of fun and I wish I could write about them more often. (agenda packet)
  • Charlottesville Sister Cities Commission will meet at 4:30 p.m. in CitySpace in the small conference room. (agenda packet)
  • The Fluvanna County Board of Zoning Appeals meets at 7 p.m. in the Morris Room of the Fluvanna County Administration Building. On the agenda is an item titled “BZA 25:01 Calderone” and the request is for a variance from rules requiring 500 feet of frontage. Details are in the packet.
Charlottesville City Code 34.5.2.6.A.1.a for those who would like to look. Click here. (Credit: City of Charlottesville)

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Public hearing before Albemarle Supervisors for Berkmar Flats rezoning

The six members of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors will meet at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. There are public comment opportunities soon after the meeting begins and again at 6 p.m. (agenda)

There are two action items to begin the meeting. The first is a special exception for a homestay at 3130 Sugar Hill Lane in the White Hall Magisterial District. The second is for a request for a private central sewer system for Old Dominion Village. This is an 111-unit development in Crozet. There does not appear to be a staff report in the packet. (take a look at the materials)

Next up is another work session on the Comprehensive Plan. This time around Supervisors will take a look at the draft economic development chapter and the draft community facilities chapter. Except, the economic development chapter is called “Thriving Economy” for some reason. (take a look at the materials)

So far this month, I have been able to get out two stories about AC44 with the first being a check-in with Albemarle Supervisors on the Development Area Land Use Chapter. The other was one from the Architectural Review Board and their review of the Cultural Resources chapter. I have so far been unable to get to the Planning Commission’s discussion of the housing chapter but I hope to get to that this week.

There are two public hearings on land use items in the evening session beginning at 6 p.m.

  • The first is for a rezoning from R-6 to R-15 at 2175 Woodburn Road for a project called Berkmar Flats. Four people spoke out against this at a public hearing before the Planning Commission on June 11, 2024. The project was retooled to address some of their concerns and another public hearing was held on January 28 of this year. The Planning Commission recommended approval. (item materials)
  • The second is for a special use permit for a new commercial kennel at 3225 Gilbert Station Road that would have capacity for up to 12 dogs. The Planning Commission voted to recommend approval on January 28, 2025. (item materials)
Location map for Berkmar Flats (Credit: Shimp Engineering)

Fluvanna Supervisors to hold public hearing on FY26 budget

The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors will meet at 6 p.m. in the Fluvanna County Circuit Courtroom at 72 Main Street in Palmyra. (agenda packet)

The first item will be a presentation on the Move Safely Blue Ridge initiative from staff with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. Nelson County Supervisors had this briefing last week and that’s on my list of upcoming stories but here’s some background for you.

“The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) has been working with consultant Kimley Horn on a regional safety action plan, Move Safely Blue Ridge, to identify strategies for reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries for all road users within the TJPDC region,” reads the staff report.

The TJPDC was awarded federal funding for this project and I hope to have an update on that aspect this week as well. The full draft report is available for review and would make a great story. It’s quite detailed and the public should have stories that can being the information to them.

Statistics from the Move Safely, Blue Ridge report (Credit: Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission)

There are four action items:

  • One is an authorization to hold a public hearing on May 21 for the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Secondary Six Year Plan. (learn more)
  • The second is a proclamation for Child Abuse Prevention Month. (learn more)
  • There is an authorization to hold a public hearing on May 21 to clarify county codes that property assessments should be done every two years. (learn more)
  • The fourth is for a waiver request to the Department of Elections for Fluvanna County to be able to administer a split precinct related to the town of Scottsville. The town is within House District 55 whereas the rest of Fluvanna County is in District 56. That’s around 19 voters.

Goodness. There are seven public hearings.

  • The first is for an amendment to a previous Special Use Permit related to a caretaker’s house. (learn more)
  • The second is for a request for a property to be removed from the North 640 Agricultural and Forestal District. (learn more)
  • The third is for a temporary construction easement for Zion 3 North LLC related to the future WaWa. (learn more)
  • The fourth is for the operations budget for FY2026, the tax rate for 2025, and the capital improvement program. Actual adoption is scheduled for April 23. (learn more)
  • The fifth is on an amendment to the zoning code to clarify that no more than five lots can be created from one. (learn more)
  • The sixth one is on the same amendment, just with extra language. (learn more)
  • The seventh public hearing is on an amendment to the zoning code to define “agritourism activity” and to authorize these as by-right uses in land zoned “Agricultural-1.” (learn more)

The consent agenda includes two temporary pay increases for two officers of the Sheriff’s Department and three requests for additional capital funding.

In other meetings:
  • The technical committee of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization meets at 10 a.m. at 407 East Water Street in Charlottesville. This is a good opportunity to learn about details of transportation projects. (meeting materials)
  • The Charlottesville Housing Advisory Committee will meet at noon in CitySpace in the large conference room. Members will be given paper copies of the 2025 Affordable Housing Report and will get an update on the “Housing Ecosystems and Anti-Displacement Toolkit (HEAT) as well as the proposed Land Bank Authority of the City of Charlottesville and an introduction of the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Tax Abatement Program. (agenda)
  • The Albemarle County Department of Social Services Advisory Board will meet at 3:30 p.m. in the county office building at 1600 5th Street in Suite A. There will be a presentation on family support services. (agenda)
  • The Greene County Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. in the county meeting room at 40 Celt Road in Stanardsville. This will be a fourth work session on new rules related to agricultural events at farm wineries and farm breweries. (agenda packet)

Thursday, April 17, 2025

Community meeting before 5th and Avon group for Woolen Mills industrial park

One of the purposes of Albemarle’s community advisory committees is to serve as a public forum for community meetings required by the county development rules. The 5th and Avon Community Advisory Committee will play that role this evening.

The company Elemental Ecotech is seeking a special use permit to fill in the floodplain covering an area about 1.5 acres in size. Concurrently they are asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to remove the land from the floodplain.

“At that time, the best use for the 1.496-acre area will be determined with a Site Development Plan,” reads the narrative.

Another 1.3 acres of land would be dedicated as open space with an easement to extend greenway trails.

The materials for this application are available in the county’s Civic Access database. The permit # is SP202400026. Because this property is on the border with Albemarle County, I just went to look and see if property owners in the city were on the list of abutting neighbors.

They are, and this is significant. The land subject to the floodplain request is in Albemarle County but you can only get there via roads in the City of Charlottesville. The county’s economic development department has been leading an effort to plan for the county’s side in an initiative known as the Broadway Blueprint. My most recent story on that is from late January.

One of the abutting landowners in the City of Charlottesville is the Habitat Carlton Alliance. You may recall the city gave Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville and the Piedmont Housing Alliance an $8.7 million grant to purchase the nearly 6.5 acre Carlton Mobile Home Park for eventual redevelopment. Go back and learn more in this story.

In other meetings:

  • The Charlottesville Board of Zoning Appeals meets at 4 p.m. in CitySpace. There’s no packet available on Sunday afternoon. According to the city’s meeting archive powered by Civic Clerk, the BZA last met on February 20, 2025.
  • The Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is appointed by staff, not City Council. Somehow that detail escaped me but this wasn’t always the case. Does it matter? In any case, this group will meet at the Carver Recreation Center at 4:30 p.m. The only item on the agenda is for “board training” and I’d like to know what that means.
  • The Charlottesville Human Rights Commission meets at 6:30 p.m. in CitySpace. There’s no agenda available on Sunday afternoon (meeting info – no packet available)
A sketch in the materials for the flood plain fill-in (Credit: Meridian Planning Group)

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.