Albemarle Planning Commission to review draft land use chapter in AC44

Albemarle County staff have begun to release new sections of the updated Comprehensive Plan, a document required by state law to explain how a community will prepare for its future. On October 8, the Planning Commission reviewed the new wording for the growth management policy and the Board of Supervisors had their review on October 16. I’ll have a story on their discussion out on Tuesday.

The Planning Commission will get to look at the next draft section at their work session on Tuesday which begins at 4 p.m. and not the traditional start time of 6 p.m. (meeting info) (agenda)

This work session covers descriptions for each land use category, the Future Land Use Map for the entire county, and what staff refer to as “Activity and Employment Centers.” 

“These land use tools are key to achieving the objectives of the Growth Management Policy by encouraging the type of development we need to accommodate the anticipated growth in Albemarle County,” reads the staff report.

The document uses the acronym GMP which immediately had me thinking about a particular scene in the film Pulp Fiction.

“Paired with an array of conservation efforts in the Rural Area, the GMP balances the needs of an increasing County population with the community’s support of agriculture, silviculture, stream health, and forestry in the Rural Area,” reads page 2 of the 35-page chapter. 

For this cycle, the plan continues to hold the growth area boundaries in place as the county plans to accommodate an additional 31,000 people by the year 2044. The changes to the land use categories are intended to encourage more density in specific areas clustered around centers.  

“Within AC44, each land use category has a description articulating a vision for the land use and standards establishing desired primary uses, secondary uses, density ranges, and pertinent built form details, such as building height and requirements for ground floor non-residential uses,” reads page 6 of the chapter.

If you’d prefer to listen to my recent story, you can find the audio version on SoundCloud and do not need to download anything.  

There are also two public hearings. 

One is for a place in northern Albemarle County where people can take their solid waste. Albemarle has recently opened such a convenience center in Keene for the southern portion of the county and it is now operated by the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority. The Planning Commission will be asked to determine if this new public facility will be in keeping with the Comprehensive Plan. The location is the intersection of Rio Mills Road and Berkmar Drive. (staff report)

The second is for a special use permit for Dominion Energy to have a new substation on 11 acres. This is scheduled to go to the Board of Supervisors for public hearing on January 15, 2025. (staff report)

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 October 21, 2024 Week Ahead edition of the newsletter.