There have been several changes to how the Charlottesville Department of Neighborhood Development Services processes applications ever since a new Development Manual went into effect on March 23. These changes reflect minor adjustments to the zoning code approved by City Council in February.
The Development Code will now be continuously reviewed on a yearly basis and that work will begin this month.
“The Planning Commission will be kicking off the 2026 Development Code cleanup this month with a subcommittee meeting on May 19 and as part of this effort there will be a work session on Tuesday, June 23 and the work session will be a listening session with local builders and developers,” said Dannan O’Connell, a planner with the city, at a May 12 PC meeting.
The city will also begin an effort this year to work directly with developers and landowners to build more housing on single-family lots. This is the so-called “Missing Middle” that imagines duplexes, triplexes, and other multifamily units.
“This group will be a mix of staff from across the city along with local builders and developers that focus on building missing middle housing types,” O’Connell said. “We are looking for one or two Planning Commissioners to be a part of that working group.”
On May 18, Council will initiate a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to update the Community Facilities and Services chapter to make sure the 2021 document is updated with a current list of future utility projects.
“The updated chapter will replace the 2021 Water and Sanitary sewer network map with the current network maps and then also add a map for stormwater management facilities,” said Tori Kanellopoulos, a long-range planner with Charlottesville.
The Planning Commission had been expected to hold a work session on May 26 to kick off the creation of a city-wide transportation study commissioned after the City Council agreed last October to settle a lawsuit against the Development Code. O’Connell said this meeting has been postponed.
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