Information Charlottesville

How many units are in the planning process in Charlottesville? Does anyone have a count? Whatever the number, add another 77 units proposed at 900 River Road next to the AutoZone and across from the Tractor Supply store. 

Shimp Engineering has submitted a site plan for a by-right development for the 3.7 acre property that would also include 2,000 square feet of office space. 

“The preliminary site plan for this project, currently under review by the City, does not require nor request any modifications to the regulations of that zoning district in order to develop this property,” reads the notice to adjoining neighbors. (read the notice)

A slide from the presentation shows the building almost entirely along River Road on around a third of the property. The rest of the land slopes downward toward the Rivanna River and much is within the floodway. The section of the land where the building would be constructed is within the one percent exceedance floodplain. 

The topic of floodplains came up during a recent rezoning that Shimp Engineering was part of on Nassau Street. Here are two paragraphs from a story I posted on February 12, 2022. (read the story)

One percent annual exceedance is another way of saying 100-year flood, a term that can be somewhat misleading because such heavy volumes do in fact happen more frequently.  Properties that are prone to flooding can still receive insurance through a program monitored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] 

“The city agreed to partner with FEMA as floodplain managers when we signed on to the National Flood Insurance Program,” Dawson said. “City property owners get access to insurance through the NFIP exchange and in return we agreed to create a floodplain development ordinance with a series of minimum standards.” 

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Before you go: Fun fact! I posted this article on April 7, 2023 when I was looking for information I knew I had written about but couldn’t remember the details. I produce the Week Ahead newsletter each week and don’t often post much of that material here. But sometimes I can’t get to cover the actual meetings. Yet, even writing the Week Ahead brings out items that otherwise wouldn’t be covered anywhere else. So, thank you to paid Substack subscribers for making that happen!