Albemarle design panel to review above ground water storage units in Hollymead area

Albemarle’s Architectural Review Board is charged with reviewing projects within the county’s entrance corridors.

“The goal of this regulation is to ensure that new development in these corridors reflects the traditional architecture of the area and that development within the corridors is orderly and attractive,” reads the county’s website.

There are four items on the agenda for the June 8, 2026 meeting which begins at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in Albemarle’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info)

The first is on a request from the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority to construct two above-ground tanks at a pump station off of Airport Road at 4384 Berkmar Drive. This is adjacent to MicroAire Surgical Instruments as well as a future residential section of Hollymead Town Center Area C. Supervisors approved an additional 40 units at the latter this March.

According to a May 1, 2026 letter from the consultant firm Short, Elliott, Hendrickson, the pump station was constructed to take water from the South Rivanna Water Treatment Plant and distribute it to Albemarle’s northern service area. The plans have anticipated construction of two above-ground storage containers to accommodate future demand, a demand that is now here.

“Recent commercial development plans for the northern service have accelerated the need for these improvements and it is anticipated that tanks are needed to be online by Q4 2027 to continue to supply adequate level of service to the customers in the northern service area,” reads the letter.

Those commercial development plans include a $4.5 billion investment from AstraZeneca for two manufacturing plants at the county-owned Rivanna Futures business park. On Tuesday, the Albemarle County Planning Commission will learn how this area is within one of two potential areas slated for an Activity Center plan as part of the implementation for the latest Comprehensive Plan update.

The second item is a review of signage for a commercial development with multiple tenants at 2405 Ivy Road.

There are two work sessions with the first being on external renovations of a convenience store in Crozet. The Crozet FasMart has opted to go with a limewash.

The second work session is on the criteria for another “countywide certificate of appropriateness” to streamline another common application.

“Since the establishment of the Entrance Corridors in 1990, the County has received a total of 56 Special Use Permit (SP) applications for outdoor storage, display, and sales,” reads the staff report. “Of these, 50 were approved, four were withdrawn, and two were denied for reasons unrelated to the Architectural Review Board’s (ARB) evaluation.”

This requires a change to the text of the zoning code. In May, the Planning Commission recommended approval of such an amendment related to solar parking canopies. Here’s a story on that if you’d like to read.

In other meetings on June 7, 2026:

• The Albemarle Fire EMS Committee meets at 4:30 p.m. in the Albemarle County Fire Rescue headquarters at 460 Stagecoach Road in Conference Room 2. They’ll discuss use of the live fire training structure as well as patient medical records and privacy. (agenda) (meeting info)
• The Economic Development Authority of Fluvanna County meets at 5 p.m. in the Morris Room of the county’s administration building at 132 Main Street in Palmyra. Under new business they’ll review their budget for the next fiscal year and will approve a payment to the Coves at Monticello governed by a performance agreement. This is a pass-through of $63,629.71 based on a portion of the real property taxes generated. Details on page 8 of the agenda packet. (agenda packet)

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