There is perhaps a time to let go for the holidays, but this third week of December is not the one to skip if you’re interested in what goes on in local and regional government. I pay attention this week and write a big newsletter summarizing events. Then I write this condensed list for r/Charlottesville.
THE MARK GOES TO BAR
Charlottesville City Council approved a new zoning code in 2023 that did many things but two things are worth mentioning. First, single-family only zoning was eliminated going forward with development rights extended across the whole city. Second, City Council’s role in approving special use permits for height and density was eliminated. Toward the end of the code’s creation, provisions were put in to create overlay districts along Preston Avenue and Cherry Avenue where Council does get a say on height due to special consideration of neighborhood demographics. That didn’t happen on West Main or a northern portion of the Fifeville neighborhood where a seven-story apartment complex is allowed by-right. However, the project anticipates incorporating two historically protected buildings so the Board of Architectural Review has to weigh in on that. Many groups are mounting a full-on effort for the BAR to do what it can to stop the project. They also want Council to reopen the zoning. (learn more in the newsletter)
SMALLER SIEG GOES TO ALBEMARLE PC
Albemarle’s designated growth area has many quirks including a small pocket in the southwest quadrant of the junction of U.S. 29 and Interstate 64. Riverbend Development is seeking a rezoning to allow for a mixed-use development. The Albemarle Planning Commission wanted more details after a public hearing this summer and now the developers have come back with new plan that would have a maximum cap of 600 units. There’s a public hearing Tuesday. (learn more in the newsletter)
WOOLEN MILLS FILL REDUX
There are so many examples of how the long border between Albemarle and Charlottesville provides a glimpse into how each locality has control over their own territory. One area is the Woolen Mills where a small pocket of Albemarle has a lot of industrial and commercial uses. Across the street is the city, which has also been seeing development. Earlier this year, a developer sought a special use permit from Albemarle to fill in a portion of the floodplain to build another commercial building. City residents actively took part in the public The Albemarle Planning Commission narrowly recommended approval while Supervisors deadlocked. Now a new version goes back to the Albemarle PC again this week. (read story from Supervisor action)
CHARLOTTESVILLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUNDING
Since becoming Charlottesville’s city manager, Sam Sanders has tried to get ahead of the budget process each year with a series of work sessions to try to understand what City Council is willing to pay for. We’re well into the preparations for the next budget and at the December 1 work session, Sanders said there will be funding in the next budget to hire at least 10 transit operators (bus drivers). On Monday, Council will be told what new funding might be around for affordable housing projects. In October, Sanders talked about a situation at Kindlewood where some returning tenants can’t afford the new rents. There could be more details on how much it would cost to help at this work session. (learn more about the Council meeting from the newsletter)
NELSON ZONING DRAFT
I confess I don’t know as much as I would like about the new zoning code under development in Nelson. A behind-the-scenes confession is I mostly write from recordings of meetings and the joint work sessions held this year by the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission aren’t on YouTube. So, I reach out to any of you to ask how well you know about this? What do you think of the draft scheduled for adoption in April? (read more in the newsletter)
Other items:
- Council will hold second reading on a request from the Jefferson Scholars Foundation to vacate Clarke Court, a public street upon which they own all of the space. They want to pay the city $750K for a plan that will eliminate five parking spaces. Council voted 3-2 on first reading. (read my story from that meeting)
- Nelson Supervisors will meet Tuesday with a resolution in honor of outgoing Supervisor Tommy Harvey who has been on the board since 1984 but hasn’t attended a meeting in over a year or more. (learn more about the agenda)
- Fluvanna Supervisors have three public hearings Wednesday to close out the year including one to make data centers possible only through a special use permit. (learn more)
- The Greene County Planning Commission has four public hearings Wednesday including one on changes to agritourism regulations. (learn more)
- The University of Virginia Board of Visitors, down five members, will continue their effort to hire a new president with the first of two scheduled meetings on Friday. Another on January 6. (read a story I wrote this past week)
So, a full week and a gift to me as it will provide content throughout the end of 2025! My full-time job is being the sole proprietor of a business that seeks people willing to pay for it to keep going. So many of you are paid supporters, and I appreciate that. I’ll be working through the holidays and that’s what makes me the happiest!
I was at the mtng where they announced the funding for the ten new CAT operators. Very excited for this and (iirc) raises for them. Ad honus can check me on that.
Is the issue with Kindlewood that the rents have gone up with the renovations and rebuilds?
They're anticipating a raise but technically that's pending the driver's unions negotiations with CAT. The city manager's draft budget has the funds needed for a likely pay increase. All of it is still pending council approving the city manager's draft budget
Thank you, Ad Honus. The brief summary of the upzoning is also great for those who are new and missed the whole process.
We’re fortunate that (for now) you’re staying in our neck of the woods, continuing to shine light on themes related to the ever-increasing level of growth, accompanying issues and proposed development.
Along with doing your best to keep us in the loop while you try to keep track of the oh-too -many meetings and groups, it is more important than ever that there is somebody out there carrying the institutional knowledge for ever more complicated and chaotic region.
How lucky for us that you’re happy place is doing the reporting!
Oh, gosh. I'm never happy. Not publicly at least. It's bad for business.
:). “ I’ll be working through the holidays and that’s what makes me the happiest!”
I forget what I write!
If single family development rights were removed from zoning, does that mean you can't build single families in the city anymore? Or are you able to, but it just won't be zoned as such?
You can definitely still build one house on a lot if you want to. But you can't stop your neighbor next door from building as many three units if you're in Residential-A. Six units if you're Residential-B. One property to watch is 303 Alderman where there was a proposal to replace one house with six townhouse units, but it was abandoned and the property sold.
https://c-ville.com/lewis-mountain-neighborhood-property-has-new-owner-after-development-fell-through/
We're still very early in this process.
Thank you! I was just wondering about that.
Sometimes I write the summaries quickly, so that's a good note. There is nuance to all of this that can get lost. So I appreciate the comment!
Single-family houses are actually now allowed in more places within the city than they were before.
It doesn't seem to be a bad deal for the city if they open more types of buildings to the different zones. It just seems the way they initially handled it was a bit weird.
That's what they did. What do you mean by the way they initially handled it?
The initial rollout of the zoning had clerical errors that essentially made Charlottesville a zoning-less city for a few months. As far as I know, they've fixed it now.
That was a clerical error from the lawyers defending a lawsuit against the ordinance (who forgot to submit a filing in time), not an error in the ordinance itself. The plaintiffs later dropped their suit against the ordinance after the default judgment was reversed.