Woolen Mills Industrial Park to try again to get approval to fill in the flood plain

Albemarle County requires that developers get a special use permit if they plan to fill in the flood plain in order to construct new buildings.

The owners of an industrial park in the Broadway section of Albemarle County in the Woolen Mills neighborhood made such a request earlier this year for a 1.47 acre section of a larger property. The idea is to create more potential building space though a site development plan was not included in the application.

The Albemarle County Planning Commission voted 4 to 3 in late April 25 to recommend permission for the fill but the Board of Supervisors deadlocked 3-3 on a motion in June after a three-hour discussion.

Now Elemental Ecotech has come back with a new proposal that involves a slightly smaller area at 1.32 acres. The 5th and Avon Community Advisory Committee will hold a community meeting during their meeting on Thursday. (agenda)

Materials for this submission state that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has conditionally agreed to amend a map of the floodplain to remove the land, but that will not be done officially until the local government signs off on the special use permit.

“Approval of this Special Use Permit for fill in the floodplain will provide 1.3 acres of dedicated open space along Moore’s Creek for a park and extension of the Greenway Trails as designated in the Comprehensive Plan,” reads the materials. “It will also provide an additional 1.32 acres for light industrial use as designated by the LI zoning district and a use that is compatible with the existing uses along the eastern side of Franklin Street.”

One of the concerns during the Board of Supervisors’ public hearing was the number of trucks that would be needed to bring in the fill material. That material has been provided.

“The estimated volume of fill is 19,000 cubic yards,” reads a checklist of items. “The estimated number of truck loads to transport this volume of dirt is 1,900.”

Materials for this application can be reviewed on Albemarle County’s Civic Access website.

The Fifth and Avon Committee will also hold a community meeting for a rezoning for a self-storage facility on Parham Circle. Those materials are here.

Before you go: Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the November 18, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement.  You can either subscribe through Substack, make a monthly contribution through Patreon, or consider becoming a sponsor. The goal of Town Crier Productions is to increase awareness about what is  happening at the local, regional, state, and federal government levels. Please share the work with others if you want people to know things.