Albemarle Planning Commission wants to see another design for Windy Knoll

As the General Assembly continues to consider reducing local control over land use policies in the name of boosting housing production, developments in Albemarle County’s growth area continue to be challenged by community members concerned about the impact of adding many new units on small parcels.

Development in Virginia’s Piedmont region is constrained by the same rolling hills that make the place picturesque and photogenic. Architects and engineers must contend with steep grades that can make roadways and sidewalks difficult to build as well as a need to contain stormwater created as a result of disturbing the natural landscape.

On February 10, the Albemarle Planning Commission considered a request from Seven Development to rezone 3.15 acres of land within Crozet’s growth area to Residential-6. The project is called Windy Knoll.

“The site itself is hilly and sits on a knoll, hence why it’s referred to as Windy Knoll,” said county planner Syd Shoaf.

The plans before the Planning Commission that night showed 18 units, down from the 22 included in a previous plan submitted last summer but altered after a contentious meeting of the Crozet Community Advisory Committee in June.

Properties to the east have already been rezoned to the Neighborhood Model District zoning. Properties in other directions are zoned Residential-4.

“The subject property is also approximately 550 feet from the Blue Ridge Shopping Center which is zoned highway commercial and approximately 600 feet from Clover Lawn Shopping Center which is a planned development mixed commercial,” Shoaf said.

Both centers are designated as “village centers” in the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan and the subject properties are designated as “neighborhood residential density” which allows for a range between three and six units. The Windy Knoll plan comes in at the higher end.

There would be two building areas. The southern one would include four townhomes and the northern structure would be a 14-unit multifamily building. Both would be accessed via different roadways.

Prior to the public hearing, county planning staff had been recommending denial but updated that to approval after the developer agreed to comply with the requirement in Housing Albemarle that 20 percent of units qualify as affordable. However, staff indicated the project would generate additional students for Western Albemarle High School which is over capacity.

Rio District Planning Commissioner Nathan Moore said he did not think that should be a factor.

“We are a growing county and a growing community and it means we’re going to grow our number of students and we need to build our school infrastructure to match that,” Moore said.

Civil engineer Justin Shimp represented Seven Development at the public hearing and said this is an example of an infill project where the county can pick up residential density in a place where people can get to other places without driving.

“What you’re going to find is we will be back here more and more often with projects like this because without expanding the development areas, the remaining land is going to be infill projects,” Shimp said. “This one is an especially ideal location because of its proximity to the existing center and accessibility by foot or bicycle to commercial uses there that are not always given in development areas, certainly not in the rural areas.”

Several people who live nearby spoke at the public hearing asking the Planning Commission to recommend denial of the application.

Leonard Ozar lives just to the south of the development in a single family house built in 2003. He said he has developed over a hundred million square feet of property over the years and said this was the wrong place because the infrastructure is not there.

“I know three people on my block alone that have already moved,” Ozar said. “They’ve moved out and said we’re not going to deal with this. I’ll be number four. If you decide to go this way, I’ll go find another place.”

Ozar said he is willing to fight the plans in court and will spend up to $200,000 to do so.

Julianne Price also lives nearby and said she did not think the project was consistent with a goal in the Crozet Master Plan to support existing neighborhoods.

“When you actually stand on the northern part of this property, I don’t understand how it’s possible to say that 12 to 14 townhomes on less than an acre of buildable land is consistent with the surrounding neighborhood,” Price said.

Price suggested a slightly smaller development would fit better on the property.

Not all comments were against the project. Michael Crenshaw lives closer to Claudius Crozet Park and asked the Planning Commission to approve it because the county needs housing, especially four units guaranteed to be affordable.

“This is a style of housing that we need,” Crenshaw said. “If we’re not going to expand the development area, and if we’re going to work within the existing development area, there’s not that much more land to work with.”

But the president of the Liberty Hall Homeowners Association asked for the Planning Commission to recommend denial.

“The proposed plan introduced significant stormwater risks, incompatible massing near existing homes, and a lack of connectivity,” said Nadia Anderson. “The Crozet master plan calls for infill that is compatible in scale and design with the existing neighborhood fabric. However, this layout compresses 14 attached units into a narrow band directly behind existing single family homes with a minimal buffering or transition.”

White Hall District Commissioner Lonnie Murray said he had sympathy for those concerned about the 14-unit block but also added that single family units would be too little.

“It does seem like that this is inconsistent with the neighboring properties,” Murray said. “I think if you had a little bit less density, you could have more room for some buffering, maybe some, some more accommodations for the families that may be there.”

Rivanna District Commissioner Corey Clayborne said he wants to see more infill development but not at the expense of other people’s quality of life.

“I feel like what’s brought before me tonight is not fully cooked,” Clayborne said. “And I think we deserve to see a plan that’s fully cooked.”

Moore said those who live in development areas have to understand that it will continue to change as the county tries to accommodate a growing population and demand for housing. However, he agreed that this project may not be ready.

“I do think that like if you, yeah, if you tally up the units per acre, it is an appropriate number of units per acre,” Moore said. “But the way it’s shaped and the way that people would kind of have to live, especially in that northern part, I’m having a hard time grokking it.”

Samuel Miller District Commissioner Karen Firehock said all of the easily developable parcels are gone and that scrutiny must be applied to the “weird” ones that are left.

“I think that it’s our job as a Commission to take extra care then to make sure that as we infill, we do so thoughtfully,” Firehock said.

When it was clear there were not enough votes to get a recommendation for approval, Shimp asked for a deferral.

“I can’t promise you I will be able to get what something everyone asks, maybe you all even vote for, but I’m happy to take another stab at it to try to address some of these concerns,” Shimp said.

The project will come back at a later date.

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