Arden Place developers seek amendment to Rio Road form based code

When Coleway Development built an apartment complex called Arden Place between Rio Road and the Woodbrook neighborhood around 2010, they did so by-right which means they took advantage of the existing R-15 zoning. 

However, the property is now within the jurisdiction of the Rio Road Form Based Code overlay district adopted by Supervisors in September 2021. When that happened, an undeveloped 7.71 acre parcel of land was determined to be part of the “core” of the plan. The developers had anticipated it being designed as “flex” which has implications for what the county expects to be built. 

“The Core character area has the highest intensity and most urban form of development within the District,” reads a definition of the Core in the form based code. “Development encompasses a mixture of uses and an active street life, encouraged by transparent façades, taller ceiling heights, and non-residential uses on the ground floors of buildings.”

“The Flex character area accommodates a range of building forms and uses to transition from higher intensity urban development in the Core to the lower intensity development along the Edge,” reads the definition of flex. 

Collins Engineering is handling the rezoning on behalf of the Charlottesville Realty Corporation and the narrative explains how this might improve the chances of the land being developed. 

“It is anticipated that this proposed change to the regulating plan will facilitate future development on the subject property that will align with the form and overall vision of the County’s adopted Rio 29 Small Area plan,” reads the proposal. 

The rezoning will go before the Planning Commission and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. But first there will be a community meeting. Stay tuned to the Week Ahead newsletter on Sunday for more information.  

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 September 24, 2024 edition of the newsletter. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.