Shaping Albemarle’s Next 20 Years

aerial image of suburban neighborhoods surrounded by green forest canopy, blue mountains and cloudy skies
Crozet. Photo by Sanjay Suchak/PEC

Spring is an excellent time to enjoy the scenic landscapes, local businesses and historic resources that make Albemarle markedly unique – and a great place to live. Albemarle as it is today is the result of generations of residents actively defining what this community means to them… and now it’s your turn! Over the next few months, Albemarle residents will have an increased opportunity to play an active role in shaping the County’s future through the comprehensive planning process.

Albemarle County’s comprehensive plan establishes a 20-year vision for the County. Localities in Virginia are required to have a comprehensive plan, often called a “comp plan” for short, and to review it at least every five years. The comp plan puts forward a vision along with priorities, strategies and goals to make that vision a reality. Although advisory in practice, the comp plan does play a guiding role in almost all decisions in the areas of housing, economic development, parks and recreation, natural resource protection, transportation planning and growth management. Specifically, the comp plan informs zoning, local regulations and capital infrastructure expenditures.

Albemarle County invites and encourages residents to share their perspectives, knowledge during its comp plan update called “AC44”. The process is expected to last two years, with completion scheduled for the fall of 2024.The County is currently in what it describes as Phase 1: “Plan for Growth.” Currently, County staff are gathering data, developing a growth management analysis and actively seeking community engagement–and that’s where you come in.

Now is the best time to get involved in the process so you can help set the vision moving forward. You can subscribe to receive email notifications, participate in the online questionnaire that will be available between April 29 and May 16, learn about Albemarle’s current growth management policy, and see the list of scheduled outreach events–all on the County’s webpage

PEC’s field staff will continue to monitor the Comprehensive Plan process, provide updates and offer suggestions of our own about ways to protect Albemarle’s natural and cultural resources and vibrant communities while enhancing residents’ quality of life. 

Look out for these upcoming Community Pop-Up AC44 events in your neighborhood:

AC44 Community Pop-Up at Riverfest

Date: 05/01/2022 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Darden Towe Park
1445 Darden Towe Park Road
Charlottesville, Virginia 22911

AC44 Community Pop-Up at Yancey Community Center

Date: 05/05/2022 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: Yancey School Community Center
7625 Porters Rd
Esmont, Virginia 22937

AC44 Community Pop-Up at the Forest Lakes Farmers Market

Date: 05/10/2022 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: Forest Lakes Farmers Market
1650 Ashwood Boulevard
Charlottesville, Virginia 22911

AC44 Community Pop-Up at the Batesville Day Festival

Date: 05/14/2022 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Batesville Field
Plank Road
Batesville, Virginia 22924

Additional details on the comprehensive plan and opportunities to get involved can be found below: