The Louisa Board of Supervisors will hold their second meeting of the year on January 21, 2025. Like the Charlottesville City Council, their first meeting was postponed but elected officials rescheduled their meeting rather than wait 15 days to begin the year in government business.
Louisa Supervisors meet at 5 p.m. in the Louisa County Public Meeting Room. They’ll first meet in closed session before the regular session begins at 6 p.m. (agenda)
There are four items on the consent agenda worth noting.
- One would ratify a recent declaration of a local state of emergency for the January 5 to January 6 winter storm. (learn more)
- A second would authorize an appropriation of grant funding to assist the rescue squad cover the costs to purchase two drug boxes to become compliant with new federal and state regulations on management of pharmaceutical inventory. (learn more)
- A third would approve an $18,000 purchase of a used mini compact rubber track loader for the Louisa County Landfill (learn more)
- A fourth honors the 110th birthday of Francis West Byers (learn more)
There are five items under information, and none of them have advanced materials. These are an update from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, a presentation on gateway signage concepts, a discussion of workgroup and committee expectations, a discussion of the FY26 total budget, and a discussion on retail sales of controlled substances.
There are three items under a new business and action items. The first is for a resolution to approve $26,699 in funds for the Louisa County Fair and $19,000 for the Louisa County Historical Society. (resolution)
The second is a request to the Virginia State Board of Elections for Louisa County to run a splint precinct related to a property that’s in a different House of Delegates district than its neighbors.
“Based on the 2020 Census, a residence located on Black Friar Lane in the Mountain Road I Precinct was included in the 56th House of Delegates instead of the 59th House of Delegates,” reads the resolution.
A third request is for a letter of support for efforts to bring in more funding to study and combat Harmful Algal Blooms that affect Lake Anna.
“The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has issued recreational advisories for the presence of potentially toxic cyanobacteria in the upper three Lake Anna tributaries for seven (7) consecutive years since 2018 resulting in significant negative impact upon recreation, tourism, and revenue,” reads the resolution.
There are three public hearings.
The first is for a request to update a previously approved conditional use permit for a bed and breakfast as well as a special occasion facility for a property called Bowood Barn at 500 Tisdale Road.
The permit currently caps the number of attendees to 250 and the property owners wants to increase that to 600 to be able to offer more events such as high school proms.
“Our students did not have a prom in 2020 and 2021, and in 2022, we still had to find a place that met COVID-19 protocols,” reads a letter from Louisa County High School teacher Jennifer Estep. “Bowood Barn turned out to be the perfect venue for our needs.”
The second public hearing is for a request from a property owner to rezoning 3.7 acres of land from General Commercial to Agricultural. This is in the Ferncliff Growth Area.
“The Agricultural Operation would consist of growing a large garden, a row of fruit trees, a chicken coop with a maximum of 20 birds, and agricultural structure(s) located within property setbacks and behind applicant/owner’s residence,” reads the staff report.
The Planning Commission voted 4-0 in December to recommend approval with one abstention due to a member’s interest in an adjoining property.
The third public hearing is on additional changes to Louisa’s Land Development Regulations. Among these include a proposal to remove the possibility of residential uses in commercial districts. One reason given is to prevent conflicts. The Planning Commission recommended approval in December. (learn more).
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 January 20, 2025 Week Ahead edition of the newsletter.
