As the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors inches closer to adopting a new Comprehensive Plan update, there are ongoing initiatives to increase the amount of potential space for economic development.
On October 1, Supervisors will hold a public hearing on a change to the zoning code to create an easier process to grant permission for developers to exceed a 65-foot maximum height in industrial zoning districts.
“What we are seeing here is that lots of modern industrial uses often require something that would be higher than 65 feet allowed in the current ordinance, which is, you know, of course, really first created back in the 80’s,” said Michael Barnes, Albemarle’s planning director.
Under the current ordinance, developers who want to exceed the height can ask the Board of Zoning Appeals for a variance or seek a rezoning. Barnes said the BZA has limited flexibility and said the rezoning process can be long and arduous.
The policy change would allow a developer to seek a special exception from the Board of Supervisors.
“The purpose is to make sure that we are competitive in industrial applications that might be coming before us to allow for more modern processes,” Barnes said.
Special exceptions do not go before the Planning Commission.
No one spoke at the Planning Commission’s public hearing and the appointed body had no serious concerns.
“To me, this seems like it’s in line with economic development, which is important, creating density in the development areas,” said Commission Chair Fred Missel. “All the things that we’re working on, hard to achieve.”
Missel said that any visual impact could be mitigated by the Architectural Review Board if the property is within an entrance corridor.
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