Albemarle Supervisors to hold public hearing on creation of fraud auditor, get update on microtransit; Fluvanna BOS holding three public hearings on industrial projects
Plus: Nelson County Supervisors and the Nelson County Planning Commission will review the Comprehensive Plan
This is the third and final installment of this publication for this week, and I already look forward to next week. For one, there are much fewer meetings! For another, I can begin to look back at what’s happened so far and maybe begin reporting a few more things here and there.
This installment republishes much of what was in the Week Ahead this week on Charlottesville Community Engagement, but there’s more information about the Nelson County Board of Supervisors meeting with the Planning Commission on the Comprehensive Plan update.
Please share this with others you think might be interested in this approach to reporting on local and regional government in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District. If you’d like to support it, take a look at the Patreon page for Town Crier Productions and making a contribution.
Amelia Supervisors to select new officers, receive reports
The five-member Amelia County Board of Supervisors will meet Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at Amelia County High School. The first item on the agenda is an organizational meeting followed by approval of recent minutes and financial reports. (agenda)
There will be reports from the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Amelia County School Board, the Sheriff’s Office Walmart Community Grant, and updates from Supervisors.
Community Development will present a resolution for a road closure for the Amelia Tractor Parade.
Under new business there will be a further discussion of the Southside Center for Violence Prevention as as a discussion of a delineation of a wellhead protection area at Amelia Courthouse.
There’s no other advance information about the meeting. You can watch what happens on YouTube.
CAT to brief Albemarle Supervisors on microtransit project
The six-member Albemarle Board of Supervisors will meet at 1 p.m. for their second regular month of January. (agenda) (meeting info)
After the usual start to the meeting, the Supervisors will launch into a review of two special exceptions for one homestay in the White Hall District off of Stony Point Road. Specifically the applicant wants to be able to hire a resident manager rather than live on the premises, and they also want to allow the homestay use in a new accessory building.
“The proposed structures for use as a homestay would include up to three ‘cabin’ style structures built with accommodations for impaired mobility and other disabilities, but the layout and design of the structures is not finalized,” reads the staff report.
Next, Charlottesville Area Transit will brief the Board of Supervisors to implement the one-year pilot of a microtransit system that it will operate in both the U.S. 29 and Pantops areas.
“The zones were determined through a previous study, the Albemarle County Transit Expansion Study, facilitated by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC),” reads the staff report. “The first steps in the implementation are to conduct a feasibility study to confirm a preferred micro-transit operating model and to develop corresponding language for a request-for-proposal (RFP), planned to be issued in Spring 2023.”
The feasibility study is not complete but there are two different models for how such a system would work. The Board will also get an update in the spring to provide final direction before the service is set to begin.
After that, there will be an update on the county’s efforts to fix a network of stormwater infrastructure in the urban mixes that is mostly on private property.
“Over several years, staff has conducted field work, used contractors, and engaged in program design and analysis to assess the extent and condition of this infrastructure and to develop program cost projections, with a focus on the Development Areas,” reads the staff report.
It’s been since July 2019 that the Board of Supervisors got an update on this work.
Albemarle to hold public hearing on fraud reporting system
There are five public hearings in the evening session at 6 p.m. The first is on the creation of a position in county government to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse.
“The Auditor will administer a telephone hotline and a website through which employees and residents of the County may report anonymously any incidence of fraud, waste, or abuse committed by any officer, or within any department or program, of the County,” reads the staff report.
In the second public hearing, The Keswick School seeks a special use permit to add a new arts center, storage building, and a horse barn. There is no request to increase enrollment. (staff report)
In the third public hearing, St Paul’s Ivy Church at 851 Owensville Road seeks a special use permit to have a preschool for up to 24 children. (staff report)
The fourth public hearing is for Dominion Energy to expand a substation at Hollymead. (staff report)
The fifth is for Piedmont Housing Alliance to continue renting and operating the Meadows Community Center. (staff report)
Fluvanna Supervisors to hold public hearings on four rezonings from agricultural
The five-member Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors will meet at 5 p.m. for a budget work session followed by a regular meeting at 7 p.m. (agenda packet)
The work session will include presentations from: Region Ten; Ready Kids; Jefferson Area Board of Aging; Child Health Partnership; MACAA; OAR - Jefferson Area Community Corrections; Piedmont Housing Alliance; Thomas Jefferson Emergency Medical Services Council.
There are four public hearings.
The first two are related to a pair of requests from Vaughn Property Group to rezone 80 acres of undeveloped agricultural land to industrial for a future “flex industrial distribution center.” A community meeting was held last week for the proposals. The Planning Commission recommended the rezonings in November.
In the third public hearing, a landowner seeks rezoning of five acres on U.S. 250 from Industrial to Business to build and operate an agricultural and machinery sales business. The Planning Commission recommended this on a 4-0 vote in December. The property is within the Zion Crossroads Community Planning Area.
A community meeting was held on December 1, 2022.
“The applicant discussed his plans to construct a commercial, retail building for the purpose of selling farm tractors, and other similar implements such as backhoes, bulldozers, and together with attachments and implements of such machinery such as combines, harvesters and mowers,” reads the staff report. “He would also like to offer additional feed and seed related products in conjunction with the sales of the farm equipment to allow for County residents to purchase these items within our locality.”
The fourth rezoning is for a rezoning from Agricultural to Industrial for about six acres of land on U.S. 250. This property is also within the Zion Crossroads Community Planning Area.
“If approved, the unified zoning would permit limited industrial uses, such as flex warehousing on the site,” reads the narrative from Shimp Engineering. “As Zion Crossroads continues to grow as a regional mixed-use center, the proximity to the Route 15/Interstate 64 interchange is an additional attraction to light industry users, allowing for ease of access to major transportation corridors.”
There’s a lot happening in Fluvanna County. The way we consume materials as a society has created the need for warehouses, fulfillment centers, and data centers. The area is being positioned to provide more spaces for industries of today and perhaps the future.
Under action matters, there will be a vote on the request for funding to renovate the Historic Courthouse. Specifically, Supervisors are asking Delegate Lee Ware to seek $307,985 to “to stabilize the structure, prevent further deterioration, and address life-safety issues funding.”(page 249)
There will be a presentation on the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership from its chair and vice chair. They are Albemarle Supervisor Ned Gallaway and Keith Smith. (page 257)
Nelson Supervisors and Planning Commission to review Comprehensive
The Nelson County Board of Supervisors and the Nelson County Planning Commission will meet Wednesday at 7 p.m. for an update on the Comprehensive Plan. They’ll meet in Room #420 in the Courthouse at Lovingston. The county has hired the Berkley Group to do the work.
The last meeting was held on October 25 and there are minutes if you want to catch up on that meeting.
There will be a close look at three chapters.
Chapter 2 is “Setting Our Direction” and includes a current demographic profile for “Nelson Today” and introduces a planning framework for how to get to “Nelson Tomorrow.”
An interesting fact to note: The average median age in Nelson County is 51.3 years, older than the statewide average of 38.4
Chapter 6 is “Protecting Valuable Resources” and takes a look at “the features of the County’s natural and cultural environment that are essential to the health and quality of life of residents, such as, climate, topography, sensitive landscapes, water resources, and historic resources. The strategies for this section address protection of valuable environmental resources, sustainable development, additional planning for protection of historic resources, and planning for natural hazards and climate change.”
An interesting fact to note: 76.4 percent of Nelson County is forested.Chapter 8 is “Serving the Community” takes a look at what government services and functions exist now. “Strategies in this chapter focus on enhancing efficiency and access to community services, expanding recreation opportunities, continued improvement and development of water and sewer infrastructure, and responsible planning through local partnerships.”
One thing to learn from this chapter is that Nelson County is a member of the Region 2000 Services Authority which operates a regional landfill in Rustburg. That facility is expected to be at capacity by 2029.
Reading material:
Expect heavy Amish traffic today. Why? The reason is in Buckingham County, Brian Carlton, Farmville Herald, January 16, 2023
Ford plant halted by Youngkin would have created 2,500 jobs in Dan River Region, Charlotte Rene Woods, Patrick Wilson, John Crane And Charles Wilborn, Dan River Register & Bee, January 16, 2023
This Week in City Government with Sean Tubbs, WINA’s Charlottesville Right Now with Courteney Stuart, January 16, 2023
Negotiations are on for new county administrator, Diana McFarland, Chatham Star-Tribune, January 17, 2023