The seven-member Albemarle Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info)
They’ll begin with a work session on changes to the county’s long-standing policy on building towers for wireless communication. In November 2021, the Board of Supervisors directed county staff to work on the issue. Albemarle hired the firms CityScape Consultants and the Berkley Group to conduct the work, which began with a public kickoff session on March 7, 2023.
The six-page memo provides an overview of the evolution of cell technology from 1G to 5G and explains why additional facilities are needed.
“With nearly all Americans owning a mobile phone, wireless communication plays a key role in keeping Americans safe during emergencies and natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, snow and ice storms, flooding and tornadoes,” reads the memo. “As wireless data usage continues to escalate, consumers require more speed and high data-rate transfers that often exceed existing network capability.”
The work also includes a map of the 189 existing wireless facilities and recommends an additional 125 tree top poles across the county to guarantee coverage of the entire area. It also recommends increasing allowing them to extend 30 feet above the treetops and to drop the requirement that they be screened from view.
After the 90 minute work session, there will be a public hearing on the Miller School’s request to expand to 500 students and to finally become compliant with the county’s zoning. The private school has been in operation since 1878 and predates the creation of the county’s zoning code in 1969. That means the school use is non-conforming and a special use permit is required.
“Expansion is expected to occur in two phases, with initial growth of the school to 300 students, including the addition of K-7th grade students,” reads the staff report. “In the long term, the school proposes growth of up to 500 students, including several additional new buildings and supporting parking.”
Fluvanna Planning Commission to discuss Census results, Comprehensive Plan
The Fluvanna County Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. in the Fluvanna County Library at 214 Commons Boulevard in Palmyra. (meeting packet)
On the agenda are three presentations.
The first is a discussion on utility-scale solar projects from Community Development Director Douglas Miles. There’s no information in the packet about this.
The second is a review of Fluvanna County’s demographics as recorded in the 2020 Census. This is a Comprehensive Plan discussion.
The third is a briefing on where the 2040 Comprehensive Plan update stands as we approach the summer of 2023. There’s a draft in the packet.
Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment comes from the June 12, 2023 Week Ahead. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.
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