Charlottesville PC to hear special exception request, provide feedback on minor zoning amendments

Under the new Development Code, the Charlottesville Planning Commission has much less work to do than at any point in the 18 years I’ve been covering the body. This meeting, however, is a substantive one. (agenda packet)

After providing reports, they’ll adopt a consent agenda that consists of minutes from two meetings.

There are no public hearings because the new Development Code eliminated the role City Council and the Planning Commission play in approving residential density.

At this meeting, the Planning Commission will take action on a special exception request for a critical slopes waiver at a sublot at 1000 2nd Street SE in the Ridge Street neighborhood. This required a public hearing under the old rules but not under the new ones.

“[Joseph] Baber (applicant & property owner) is proposing improvements to the above referenced sublot (Subject Property) that could include between two (2) and five (5) residential dwelling units as permitted by the [Residential-A zoning],” reads the staff report. “The applicant has yet to determine final unit count, as securing a critical slope exception is a determining factor that needs to be addressed prior to Mr. Baber developing a final site plan.”

This special exception is being made before submission of a Major Development Plan review, meaning that property owner has not gone through zoning compliance yet.

In a letter to the Planning Commission, Baber argues that the need for housing outweighs the need to preserve slopes.

“This range of housing types—which can include duplexes, triplexes, or small multiplexes—is essential for creating diverse, accessible neighborhoods but is often difficult to achieve on infill parcels,” Baber wrote.

You can look up the materials for this item here.

Afterwards they will discuss potential amendments to the Development Code in a listening session. The Planning Commission took a first look on May 27 as I reported at the time.

“Originally staff and the Planning Commission intended to hold this meeting on July 8, 2025, but due to [an] issue outside of our control, the meeting was postponed,” reads the staff report.

The staff report does not tell you the issue was a court ruling by Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell on June 30, 2025 that temporarily threw out the Development Code. A second ruling seven weeks later restored the code, but a trial will be held next September.

At this listening session, builders and developers will be invited to make comments. Will other members of the public be allowed to do so as well? The Public Housing Association of Residents have been calling for amendments to the Development Code to reduce building heights on West Main Street.

The Commission will vote on November 12 to officially initiate the study period for the first round of zoning changes.

The Charlottesville Planning Commission will meet on October 28 to review the environmental review project requested by the Department of Neighborhood Development Services. That study will take a look at whether the city’s rules to protect environmental features should be streamlined.

“For the environmental policy and regulatory review, we are actually looking at a number of different areas of natural resource management,” NDS Director Kelly Brown said to City Council on October 6. “So stormwater management, floodplain management, tree canopy and preservation, stream buffers, critical slopes and energy efficiency.”

Before you go: The time to write and conduct research for this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment comes from the October 13, 2025 edition of the program. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.