The Nelson County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors will have a joint work session on the Comprehensive Plan at 6 p.m. in the former Board Room at the General District Courthouse in Lovingston. Supervisors hired the Berkley Group in December 2021 to conduct the work. (meeting agenda)
This work session is a chance to get a schedule and progress update on the work to date. They’ll also review over a hundred public comments that have been made so far. These could lead to some changes in the working draft and the idea will be to reach consensus on what changes to make in the plan.
Some takeaways:
- “Traffic safety along Route 151 continues to be an important issue for the community. Concerns have been raised over vehicle speeds, commercial traffic, and bicycle and pedestrian safety,” reads a summary from the Berkley Group.
- “I am concerned that most of the “agriculture” in the County is moving toward agritourism,” reads comment #5 in the spreadsheet and one highlighted by the group. “Need to encourage more local food production not in community supported ag (CSAs) but in agriculturally supported communities.”
- “Regarding affordable housing, our elected and appointed representatives are flying by the seat of their pants, with no real, comprehensive plan,” reads comment #14 which is also highlighted. “The fact that there is no Nelson County Plan for Affordable Housing is a disservice to the county and its citizens.”
- “Bring in businesses, build industrial park off 29,” reads #18. “Get jobs with living wages. The beer wine cider hard liquor jobs do not support families.”
- “Enough breweries and wineries on 151,” reads #18. “If you have ever been to Napa CA you will understand what I mean.”
- “Townhouses do not belong in Faber,” reads #31. “Faber should not be designated as a Rural Village.”
There are plenty more. Final edits are due by October 26 so that staff at the Berkley Group can get a draft to post publicly by December 7. The public hearing has not yet been scheduled.
This discussion also takes place during an election when two of five magisterial districts are on the ballot. There’s an open seat in the South District and West District Supervisor J. David Parr faces a challenger this November.
Some articles to get caught up on both:
- Sparks fly over draft comprehensive plan, Emma Martin, Nelson County Times, September 10, 2023
- Nelson supervisor candidates address issues at forum, Rodney Robinson, Nelson County Times, September 20, 2023
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 September 25, 2023 Week Ahead. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.
