Albemarle Supervisors to get updates on transportation projects; Lunenburg to take up recertification of 250-foot cell tower
The third of four installments this week on what's happening in local government across the Fifth District
I feel an urge to try to write these as often as possible, and to deepen my commitment to making this newsletter work. Charlottesville Community Engagement got its start as a preview of what was coming up in local government meetings. When the time came, I grew into a newsletter that also wrote about a lot of what actually happens at meetings.
So far, I don’t have the capacity to do that for most of the Fifth District, but I now have a goal in mind. I’m glad to have the opportunity to learn about all of these places, and to have that also deepen my understanding of how local governments in Virginia work.
To keep this going, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon. I plan at some point to turn on paid subscription here once I hit a certain target. But for now, I am going to refocus the Patreon account to begin covering my costs to produce this work. That account has always about fueling my experimentation in exploring local democracy through learning how it works throughout the place where I live.
I will have another one out tomorrow that will focus exclusively on Nottoway County. I’m really looking forward to writing it. For now, here’s the third installment for this week. Or, 58 in chronological order since I started in May of last year!
Cumberland Supervisor seek to change who can speak at public hearings
The five-member Cumberland Board of Supervisors will tonight at 7 p.m. They meet in the Circuit Courtroom in the Cumberland Courthouse at 17 Courthouse Circle in Cumberland Virginia. (packet)
As with all of the other elected bodies in counties, the Board will first hold elections for chair and vice chair. Then most of the meeting is a series of updates. There are no public hearings. There have been changes to the order in which items are held. For instance, public hearings will now take place after New Business. This may sound minor, but it will be a change for those wanting to offer their say.
There are also changes to who can speak at those public hearings.Here is the new paragraph g in section 8.5.
“Individuals of the public desiring to speak at a public hearing or during the public comment period must first provide their identifying information on a signup sheet prior to the meeting being called to order. Only residents of Cumberland County or individuals owning real property in Cumberland County are permitted to speak at a public hearing or during the public comment period.”
The Cumberland Board of Supervisors will next meet on February 14, 2023.
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Albemarle Board of Supervisors to review community engagement plan for Comprehensive Plan phase 2
The Albemarle Board of Supervisors will meet for the second time of 2023 having elected officers in a brief meeting on January 4. They meet in Lane Auditorium at 1 p.m. (agenda)
The first item on the agenda is a special exception for a homestay in the Rivanna District. Under the current ordinance, Supervisors weigh in on certain questions related to specific applications for tourist lodging. In this case, the applicant wants to have a manager onsite rather than be present themselves. (staff report)
Next, Albemarle County’s review of the Comprehensive Plan and the zoning code are underway, with the first phase of the plan review complete. The firm EPR PC is assisting the county with this work. Supervisors have not yet seen the full results of phase 1, but did have work session on October 19 on the “Framework for an Equitable and Resilient Community.” (view that work)
At this work session, they’ll get a check-in on phase 2 which will take place for much of the calendar year.
“This phase will identify main topics for the Comprehensive Plan, such as transportation, land use, and economic development,” reads the staff report. “The expected deliverables for Phase 2 are updated policies for each topic and the development of toolkits for land use, transportation, and other topics as needed.”
The suggestion is to streamline the existing plan which has over 400 pages in the main section and over 900 pages in appendices. While this may seem like housekeeping paperwork, the idea is to make it easier for the average person to understand the plan. There will also be a review of the engagement plan.
Next, Supervisors will be presented with the reassessment figures for calendar year 2023. This is a major piece of information that will factor into the development of the budget for FY2024. As this is the first discussion of reassessments this year, the following section from the staff report is worth reviewing for reference.
“The Constitution of Virginia, Article X, Taxation and Finance, Section 2, Assessments dictates that ‘all assessments of real estate and tangible personal property shall be at their fair market value, to be ascertained as prescribed by law.’”, reads the staff report. “State Code § 58.1-3201 also requires all real estate assessments to be made at 100% of fair market value.”
Updates on Albemarle County transportation projects
After that will be the latest updates from the county’s transportation planner, Jessica Hersh-Ballering. The major piece of information coming up later this month will be the scoring of Smart Scale submissions. As a reminder, here’s what Albemarle submitted:
Avon Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements: Mill Creek Drive to Peregory Lane
Fifth Street Extended Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements (Afton Pond Court to Ambrose Commons Drive
Here’s what the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission submitted:
Here’s what the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning District Commission submitted:
Rivanna River Bike and Pedestrian Bridge: South Pantops Drive to Woolen Mills
Avon Street Corridor Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements: Druid Avenue to Avon Court
5th Street Extended Multimodal Improvements: Harris Road to 5th Street Landing
There will also be updates on the Three Notched Trail shared use path, the Lambs Lane Campus, the future of Free Bridge Lane, and improvements to Old Ivy Road. The latter are a reason why the Planning Commission recommended denial of a rezoning for a 525-unit housing development next to University Village. (read the story)
“A consultant under contract with VDOT has identified potential vehicular improvements to the Old Garth Rd/US 250/Canterbury Rd intersection,” reads the quarterly report. “These improvements are expected to address safety and congestion issues on the US 29 Bypass Southbound exit ramp near St Anne’s Belfield Entrance. Pedestrian improvements on the eastern end of the corridor have not yet been identified.”
Those who push the city of Charlottesville for specific transportation improvements could benefit from taking a look at the full report. To actually bring projects from idea to implementation, you need a planning department that understands how to match up specific road improvements to specific pools of funding. A full comparison between how the two jurisdictions work would be very useful.
I’ll have more details later this week from the meeting. And there will also be a report from the Virginia Department of Transportation. (read the VDOT report)
In the evening there are several public hearings.
There will be an appropriation of various funds in the FY23 budget. This will include the receipt of $153,250 in funds from the Inflation Reduction Act for solar panel installations at Red Hill and Scottsville elementary schools. (staff report)
The Regents School seeks an amendment to a special use permit allowing for a private central sewer system. The request is to increase the number of connections and to also develop a central water system. (staff report)
The Crown Orchard seeks a special use permit for housing for farm workers at their location in Covesville. (staff report)
The Appalachian Electric Power Company seeks a special use permit for the expansion of a substation in Scottsville. (staff report)
There is a review of the Blue Run Agricultural and Forest District. (staff report)
On the consent agenda:
Albemarle County is agreeing to a request from the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau to convene the official local committee to prepare for the 250th anniversary of July 4, 1776. (staff report)
There’s a special exception for Airport Auto at Northside Drive. (staff report)
What decides what the staff of Community Development does? The work program, of course. In previous years, this has been a work session before the Board of Supervisors but this update is on the consent agenda. (staff report)
There’s a report from the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority.
There’s a report from the Albemarle County Service Authority.
Thursday, January 12, 2023
The Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors meets at 6 p.m. in the Lunenburg Courts Building in Lunenburg. They will also hold an organizational meeting to elect officers and adopt rules of procedure.
After the usual start to the meeting including public comment and adoption of the consent agenda, there will be a discussion and a decision on a recertification of a conditional use permit for a 250-foot telecommunications tower in Brodnax. The public hearing was held in December and Supervisors delayed a decision after a conversation about whether the county could request space on the tower for emergency communications.
From the minutes of the December 8 meeting, we also learn that Lunenburg school officials have looked at using electric buses, but have concluded they are not sufficiently reliable to run on long rural routes that can can hours to traverse.
We also learn that Apex Clean Energy sought permission to sell a proposed facility in Lunenburg to Dimension Renewable Energy. Some Supervisors expressed concern that they didn’t know this sale was a possibility even though it had been in the works since May.
“Supervisor Hoover said that it was an unfair request from Apex and Dimension to have a letter from October, presented to the Board in late November, and expect a vote in December,” reads the minutes.
From the report from the Director of Planning and Economic Development, we learn that the application to sell the Dogwood Solar project has been withdrawn.
We also learn from the packet that Lunenburg and the other localities in the Commonwealth Regional Council are now considered to be in a federal Economic Development District.
“The EDD is comprised of the Counties of Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cunningham, Lunenburg, Nottoway, and Prince Edward of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” reads a letter from Dennis Alvord, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development and Chief Operating Officer for the U.S. Economic Development Administration.”
Economic development is one of the main topics of Fifth District Community Engagement. Today I recorded the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission talk about a contract they are entering into to development a strategy for this region. I don’t know much about this process, but doing the work for this newsletter allows all of us know to this from the federal government’s EDA.
“Economic Development Districts (EDDs) are multi-jurisdictional entities, commonly composed of multiple counties and in certain cases even cross-state borders. They help lead the locally-based, regionally driven economic development planning process that leverages the involvement of the public, private and non-profit sectors to establish a strategic blueprint (i.e., an economic development roadmap) for regional collaboration.”
This blueprint is what’s known as a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, and that’s what TJPDC is entering into a contract to develop a plan ment. That’ll be in a future newsletter, but I hope this illustrates why I want to do this work. I want to know how all of this works. And I want you to know, too.
Anyway, back to Lunenburg County and the here and now and the real.
From the report from administrator Tracy Gee, we learn that the recent cold snap caused a water line break in the Registrar’s office and there was “an overwhelming amount of damaged furniture and flooring.”
All of these details matter. And that’s what I’m here for. Thank you for reading and for your support!
Reading material:
Lynchburg mayor chooses council committee assignments, Bryson Gordon, Lynchburg News & Advance, January 9, 2023
Council to again consider naming Lynchburg a Second Amendment Sanctuary, Bryson Gordon, Lynchburg News & Advance, January 9, 2023
Tobacco Commission has new acting executive director, Grace Mamon, Cardinal News, January 10, 2023