Five public hearings before Louisa Supervisors including the end of an ag-forest district

The seven-member Board of Supervisors in Louisa County meet at 5 p.m. in the Louisa County Public Meeting room followed by a regular session at 6 p.m.  (meeting agenda)

Some items on the consent agenda are worth reviewing:

• There is a resolution to approve $7.5 million for upgrades to the Lake Anna Waste Water Treatment Plant and $174,689 in county funding for a new fire and rescue boat. The Foundation for Lake Anna Emergency Services contributed $108,000 to the latter. (resolution)
• The Virginia Tourism Corporation has awarded $16,000 to the Louisa County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department for a “General Destination Marketing” grant. The resolution doesn’t say what it is for specifically. Thanks to a CBS19 story, we learn this is for the overall Visit Louisa campaign.  (resolution)
• Mountain Valley Tower Services will be awarded a contract to build a new public safety radio tower. (resolution) (list of all of the eight companies that bid)
• There’s a resolution to approve several purchases for Louisa Fire and Emergency Medical Services. This consists of $1.05 million for purchase of fire apparatus, $800,000 for rescue apparatus and $29,070 for new cameras for the fleet. (resolution)
• Louisa Supervisors will be asked to approve the county’s participation in an opioid settlement with Kroger. (resolution)
• Supervisors will be asked to approve Patricia Smith as the new county attorney. More on this in the next newsletter. (resolution)

There are two discussion items. The first is a contract for the construction of a synthetic turf field. There are no materials available in advance for this topic. 

The second relates to landscaping and buffering standards in the Growth Area Overlay district. 

“The proposed amendment will give the Zoning Administrator the ability to waive or alter the planting requirements for (a) Commercial and civic uses; multifamily dwellings, provided the project meets the intent of the requirements. Subsection (b) Industrial uses, currently includes provisions for the requirements to be waived or altered by the Zoning Administrator,” reads the staff memo. 

There are two options to proceed. 

There are five public hearings. 

The first is a request from a property owner to have 10 acres of a 75 acre property removed from the Gold Mine Creek Agricultural and Forestal District. 

These types of districts where landowners voluntarily state they won’t seek to convert land to a more intense use for a specific period into the future. In Louisa, that means lower taxation through the land use program as well. But sometimes a landowner might want to withdraw.

“The subject parcel is zoned Agricultural (A-1), and the acreage is being requested for removal for completion of a division of the property for the owner’s son,” reads the staff memo. 

The second is also a request for removal of an entire district. 

“The Inez Agricultural and Forestal District encompassed approximately 377.48 acres, made up of eight (8) parcels,” reads that staff memo. “A response was received from one owner on five (5) parcels, requesting that the parcels be removed from the district.”

The owners of five other parcels also asked to be removed which brings the total amount below the threshold for such a district to exist. 

The third is for the renewal of a conditional use permit for Virginia Electric and Power Company to continue using a property in the Cuckoo election district for storage for spent nuclear fuel. There are fifteen conditions associated with the request including that the permit be renewed every seven years. The Planning Commission recommended approval at its meeting on June 13. (staff report)

The fourth public hearing is to get the sense of the Board of whether a 195-foot public safety communications tower in the Mountain Road district is compliant with the Comprehensive Plan. 

The fifth public hearing is related to changed to the county’s Technology Overlay District. Two are to ensure that many of the uses allowed under the district would require a conditional use permit. There are also some properties that want out of the district. 

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 is from the July 1, 2024 Week Ahead edition of the newsletter.