Pantops group to discuss future topics at Monday meeting

Growth in Pantops is guided by the Pantops Master Plan which was last updated by the Board of Supervisors on June 19, 2019. 

“Pantops’ unique location adjacent to the City of Charlottesville with accessibility to abundant natural and cultural resources is part of what makes it such a desirable place to live, work, and recreate,” reads the plan’s about section. “This Master Plan provides a vision and recommendations for the future growth of the community that acknowledges the importance of protecting the relationships to the natural and cultural resources.” 

The Pantops Community Advisory Committee is charged with advising the Board of Supervisors on that growth. The group will next meet at 6:15 p.m. in the Martha Jefferson Hospital Outpatient Center in the Kessler Conference Room. That’s at 595 Martha Jefferson Drive. (meeting info) (agenda)

Other than the elections, members of the group are going to discuss future meeting topics. To facilitate the meeting, the county has asked a series of questions such as “What are you most curious about in Albemarle County?” and “How do you get information about Albemarle County?”

None of the questions are specific to Pantops, one of Albemarle County’s designated growth areas. The boundary between the Rivanna and Scottsville magisterial districts runs through Pantops which means two Supervisors are on the membership roster for the Pantops CAC. 

The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia recently updated its figures for how many people are expected to live here in the future. (read a story)

Albemarle County is projected to have 124,560 people in 2030, up from a 2020 Census count of 112,395. In 2040, Albemarle might have 137,015 residents and 152,770 residents in 2050. That last figure is slightly down from the 155,102 projection from 2022.

What has changed in the last six years when a plan was adopted? How much has been accomplished? What analysis has been done to document how Pantops has absorbed some of the population growth? 

If one were to attempt to answer these last questions, one resource to look at is a growth management report from November 2019. 

Another pending document will also be of interest. The appendix of the county’s AC44 Comprehensive Plan update is to contain a build-out analysis. This isn’t ready yet but if you want to get a sense of what is to be in it, here’s a story from May 2022 when the Albemarle Planning Commission last had a look.  Last November I reported that the county would seek outside help to produce the final numbers for AC 44. 

How would you answer the question: What does Pantops mean to you? 

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