Albemarle Supervisors to consider housing grant program; Fluvanna gets look at FY24 budget; Another election round-up
The second newsletter of the week; Will there be a third?
It seems like cheating just to republish information from Charlottesville Community Engagement. I’ve not done any analysis yet to see how many people are on both, but this is a rare week where the only activity is in the northern section of the Fifth District. So, let’s begin this second edition of the week with a look at candidates for office.
Timothy Michael Hodge has filed as an independent to run in the Palmyra District in Fluvanna County. The seat is currently held by Patricia Eager who won a contested election in 2015 and ran unopposed in 2019.
Danny Allen has filed to run as an independent for a fifth term representing District 7 on the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors. He won in with 56.2 percent of the vote against a Democratic candidate on the ballot. Allen has not faced opposition in any election since.
Also in Buckingham County, independent Donna McRae Jones will challenge District 2 Supervisor Donald E. Bryan. Bryan has been on the Board being elected in November 2011.
David Felts Jr. has filed for re-election to District 1 on the Amelia County Board of Supervisors. The independent candidate won his first term in 2019 in a three-way race in which he obtained 74 percent of the 1,337 votes cast.
Republican Jeffrey Scott Stoneman has filed paperwork to run in the Beaverdam District on the Hanover County Board of Supervisors. The seat is currently held by Republican Joseph Robert Monolo who won a special election in 2022 to feel a vacancy created by the death of Aubrey Stanley in late 2021.
Billy Seay has filed to run for another term as the Louisa District representative on the Louisa County School Board. He was first elected in November 2007 and was re-elected in 2011, 2015, and 2019. Seay only faced opposition in that first election.
Robert Richardson has filed to run for Sheriff of Appomattox County. The position is currently held by Don Simpson who won election in 2019 with 62 percent of the 5,677 votes cast.
Republican William Perrow has filed to run as Treasurer in Bedford County. Republican Kim Snow won the position in a special election in 2018 and again in 2019. She did not face opposition in either race.
Independent Wanda Barnes is a candidate for the position of Treasurer in Lunenburg County. Amona West Currin has held the position since 2011 by winning a two-way race with 49.6 percent of the 3,505 votes cast. She faced no opposition in 2015 or 2019.
More later. It’s conceivable I’ve missed a few. If I’ve made a mistake, please let me know. I strive for accuracy, but sometimes my fact-checking process often gangs agley.
Albemarle Supervisors to review one homestay, hold special hearing on water extension to another
The six-member Albemarle Board of Supervisors will meet at 1 p.m. for their first regular meeting of February. There will be at least one additional meeting this month on February 22 when County Executive Jeffrey Richardson’s budget for FY24 will be presented to Supervisors. (agenda)
This meeting, though, is a much lighter one than usual but that’s only measured in the number of items and not the material.
After a proclamation for Black History Month, there will be a review for a special exception for Estouteville Farm to allow a resident manager to operate a homestay on the property. Albemarle requires that the property owner to live on the site for at least 180 days a year to be eligible for this use. (staff report)
Next, Supervisors will have another work session on incentives for housing developers to build below-market units. Except now the proposal from staff is to create a grant program for developers that would take the form of reduced obligations rather than cash pay-outs.
“To support the provision of the affordable housing units, the proposed program would provide annual real property tax rebates in an amount equal to the actual water and sewer connection fees for up to 20 of the total residential units in a development,” reads the staff report. “The maximum term for the grant funding would be 10 years.”
Then the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership will make a presentation to Albemarle County. This could mean seeing Supervisor Ned Gallaway testify to his fellow Supervisors as he is chair of the regional body. The group is making the round to all localities in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District. Before Wednesday I will write up their pitch to City Council from January 17. (no advance materials)
Supervisors will go into closed session to consider appointments to Boards and Commissions. The one I’m the most curious about is a replacement for the vacant seat on the Planning Commission, which has been down a member since the summer. (vacancy list)
In the evening session there are a couple of public hearings.
The first is a request to expand the jurisdictional area to allow water to be provided to 531 James River Road. The landowner has already made the connection and is asking for retroactive permission. (staff meeting)
“In 2021, during the County’s proactive efforts to bring homestays into compliance, the County discovered not only the barn/apartment listed for homestay rental, but another rental structure on the parcel,” reads the staff analysis. “That structure, referred to as the cottage, was added to the parcel without a building permit, inspections, or a certificate of occupancy.”
The landowner has been working with the county and the Albemarle County Service Authority to come into compliance. Staff is recommending denial due to the property’s location in the rural area.
The second public hearing is to amend a previous rezoning for Willow Glen, a development in the Hollymead area. The request is to change the plan from a mix of single-family and multi-family units to all multi-family units. They also want to increase the total number of units to 324. This second phase would be called Dickerson Overlook.
The Planning Commission recommended 4 to 2 in November to recommend approval but requested the increase of a buffer between a stormwater management pond and a parking area.
“The application plan has been updated to widen the buffer area between the pond and the nearby parking lot to provide sufficient space for the extension of the trail to fully encircle the pond,” reads a staff report. “This extension of the trail allows expanded pedestrian opportunities in the development.”
The applicant had also asked to amend the original proffer to eliminate a road connection between the two phases. Members of the Planning Commission expressed concern that this was against the spirit of the Planned Residential District.
Following the Planning Commission action, 30 households in the existing 36-unit Willow Glen development submitted a petition requesting that any connection be for bikes and pedestrians only.
“They are concerned about the safety of their children if traffic from 300+ apartments short-cuts through Shannon Glen to Towncenter Drive,” reads an email from attorney Lori Schweller of Williams Mullen announcing the petition. “Dickerson is not an overtaxed road, and the distance from the main entrance of Dickerson Overlook to the intersection of Towncenter Drive and Shannon Glen Court is approximately the same as the route through the neighborhood.”
Fluvanna Supervisors to hold budget work session
The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors will meet at 5 p.m. for a regular meeting at the Carysbrook Performing Arts Center in Fork Union. There will be a budget work at 7 p.m. (agenda packet)
There are three action matters to begin the meeting.
One is the adoption of the Hazard Mitigation Plan that’s been updated by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.
“The purpose of the Regional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan is to prepare for natural disasters before they occur, thus reducing loss of life, property damage, and disruption of commerce,” reads the background to the plan (packet page 10). “The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires such a plan as a condition for eligibility in certain mitigation grant programs.”
Specific mitigation items for Fluvanna include “increase the number of trained emergency responders” and “develop a disaster plan for the Fork Union Sanitary District.” All of these projects would become eligible for federal funding by dint of being in the plan.
A specific risk for Fluvanna County is that the portion of Scottsville within its jurisdiction is outside of the protection of the levy built after Hurricane Camille. (page 54)
There will also be a designation of a proxy for the annual shareholders meeting of Jaunt.
The third item is a vote to appropriate $60,000 from a tourism recovery grant the county has been awarded from the American Rescue Plan Act.
“Funds will be used to create a full branding and marketing campaign focusing tourism outreach efforts on visitors looking for a relaxing day trip featuring agribusinesses, art, history, outdoor recreation, and rural scenes,” reads the staff report. (page 239)
The details for how each dollar will be spent are included in the report.
After the regular meeting ends, the budget work session will begin. This will consist of the presentation of County Administrator Eric Dahl’s proposed budget for FY2024 as well as a projection for FY25 through FY28.