April 28, 2025: Route 221 safety improvements to go before Bedford Supervisors
Plus: Meetings in Powhatan and Louisa
Another week and this one appears to be relatively slow. This is a good thing because I could use a little breather. I’ll be traveling this week and spending time with family, so it’s possible I work a little less.
In any case, there are meetings today and rather than continue to drone on about the importance of local government, I’ll just tell you the following.
Bedford County Supervisors to see proposals to improve safety on US 221 in Forest
The seven member Board of Supervisors in Bedford County meets at 5 p.m. for a work session followed by a regular meeting at 7 p.m. (meeting portal)
The work session is related to transportation with two items. The first is on a Route 221 Corridor Study in Forest and the second is on the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Secondary Six-Year Plan (SSYP).
The firm EPR recently completed a study of Route 221 from Perrowville Road to Graves Mill Road. The cost of the work was covered by the Central Virginia Planning District Commission. There are three study sections on a highway that VDOT considers a Corridor of Statewide Significance. The study offers several alternatives for consideration to improve safety and address traffic congestion.
The six-year plan is the budget for road projects on secondary roads which are the ones with numbers above 600.
“The draft Bedford County Fiscal Year 2026-2031 SSYP totals $7,377,732 allocated at the residency level including 20 rural rustic unpaved road projects and three countywide cost centers,” reads the presentation. “The countywide cost centers are utilized for various activities related to secondary construction but not related to a specific project.”
The regular meeting is a light one. The consent agenda is for a resolution to accept $24,900 in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act Sexual and Domestic Violence Services Grant Program offered through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services.
There is no public hearing and only one action item. That is to consider a resolution to purchase a 2025 International CV 4WD Cab and Chassis Horton Ambulance. How much does this cost, do you think? The answer is $468,835 according to the staff report.
Powhatan County Board of Supervisors to meet
The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors will hold a regular meeting at 6 p.m. tonight in the Village Building. (meeting packet)
We’re close to May and that means another month to celebrate new items! Supervisors will issue proclamations for May to be National Building Safety Month as well as Older Americans Month. May 3 and May 4 is National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend.
There are several items on the consent agenda. One that jumps out at me is Item G which will authorize a reimbursement of $500,000 from the Economic Development Authority for the sale of land on Anderson Highway.
Under old business, there will be a vote to authorize a public hearing to consider an ordinance change to allow for roll-back taxes to be deferred in certain cases. There’s also a lease amendment for the Pocahontas Landmark Center.
Under new business, Supervisors will adopt operating and capital budgets for FY2026 and will also vote on a resolution to increase various fees for government services. There will also be a vote to permit a private road to serve up up to five lots.
There is a public hearing for a rezoning and a conditional use permit for 27.33 acres of land at 680 Huguenot Trail for the Hunter Classical Christian School.
Louisa County Board of Supervisors to adopt FY2026 budget
Local government can keep you on your toes. The seven-member Board of Supervisors in Louisa County ordinarily meets on the first and third Monday of the month, but this time around they’re meeting on the fourth such day of April. (meeting packet)
They’ll begin the day with a closed session at 5 p.m. with no specific exemption listed from Virginia’s open meeting rules.
Then they come back into open session at 6 p.m. with an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, the adoption of an agenda, and approval of minutes, there will be consideration of the consent agenda. Some notable items:
There is a resolution to proceed with an Economic Development Capital Project for Utilities at a cost of $57,329. This is for construction of electric lines for a water tower at the Shannon Hill Regional Business Park. (learn more)
There is a resolution to allow the county administrator to enter into an easement agreement with Central Virginia Electrical Cooperative. (learn more)
There is a resolution to approve a contract for pumping and hauling of sludge. (resolution)
There is a resolution to approve the purchase of a contract for a firefighting brush truck. Vest Sales and Service, Inc will sell one to Louisa for $172,024. (learn more)
There is a resolution to proceed with an upgrade of the fire training center valued at $75,000. (learn more)
There is a resolution to approve the conveyance of roads deemed no longer necessary for public use. These are in the Cutalong subdivision and will be deeded to the property owner’s association. (learn more)
Under information items there will be an update on ag/forestal district and the Rural Preservation Committee.
Under unfinished business there will be a resolution to approve or deny a proffer amendment request for Lake Anna Resort. Supervisors approved the development in January 2023 with a maximum of 96 units and a site plan approved in July 2024 included that number.
“To allow for a diverse selection of various sized units, and maximize economic feasibility of the project, Lake Anna Resort LLC is proposing an increase of allowed residential units to a maximum of 114 units,” reads the staff report.
There are five items under new business.
One is to approve funding requests from the tourism budget for Louisa Arts Center, Lake Anna Jazz, and Trevilian Station Battlefield. The tourism budget is fueled by the transient occupancy tax. Learn more about how the money would be used in the staff report.
The second is to establish and adopt the tax levy for 2025 (resolution)
The third is to adopt the operational and maintenance budget for FY2026. (resolution) (view the budget)
The fourth is to adopt the capital improvement budget for FY2026. (resolution) (CIP summary)
The fifth is to signify the intent to provide a tax rebate on real property in FY2026. This is allowed under §15.2-2511.1 (resolution)
There are no public hearings.
Fluvanna County Comprehensive Plan update continues this week
A major flaw of being a one-person information outlet is the inability to pursue in-depth stories about the counties that surround greater Charlottesville. I would like to be able to spend more time on the development of each locality’s Comprehensive Plan, but I am unable to fully cover the long-running update in Albemarle.
The origins of this newsletter date back to a very brief time in early 2018 where I was serving as the assignment editor at Charlottesville Tomorrow. The founding executive director had announced his departure and immediately turned editorial operations over to me. I began the habit of reviewing agendas of upcoming meetings to figure out what stories we would write that week.
I was gone by July and out of journalism. But I still had the habit, and in my new job I still reviewed the information. I just didn’t have anywhere to write stories. So I got permission to create this newsletter and began sending it out. When I went independent again in July 2020, my former employer agreed to sponsor the work each week.
I aspire to have people to whom I can assign stories. After all, many of these blurbs are written as if I’m giving information to someone about the story I’d like to eventually publish. So, who wants to take this one on?
The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors approved a slight update to the Comprehensive Plan on September 18, 2024. If you’re unfamiliar, Virginia law requires localities to provide a document that describes how they are preparing for the future. This also includes a map that signals where development is desired.
“Fluvanna County has six Community Planning Areas, which are intended to support higher density, mixed-use development around existing population centers,” reads a website for the 2024 update. “The Rural Residential areas accommodate low-density, clustered residential development, while the Rural Preservation areas are intended to remain largely undeveloped.”
The 2024 version is a very light update of the 2015 Comprehensive Plan. According to the document, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 delayed the start of the review. In 2022, the Planning Commission appointed two advisory groups to study rural and historic preservation as a precursor to the update.
“Out of the many months of review, community meetings, and shared concerns, it became apparent that the residents of Fluvanna County have a deep and abiding desire to maintain the rural character and charm that has long been a hallmark of life in the County,” reads page 13. “However, rather than promote a wholesale stop to development, it was equally obvious that it was with an eye toward balanced development and growth that the advisory groups moved forward.”
A new update began earlier this year with a series of community meetings in late February and early March. An online and paper survey on the Comprehensive Plan is taking entries through May 30, 2025.
“The Plan also outlines ways to manage growth, protects what citizens think is special, and assists local officials with decision making,” reads a page on the Fluvanna website. “Public input is a crucial part of this process.”
This week there will be a series of meetings of additional advisory groups that have been formed. There is no information about what will be discussed as the Comprehensive Plan update page has not been updated since early March.
So, an assigned reporter would contact the county to find out more about the following meetings:
The Economic Development Advisory Group meets April 28 at 4:30 p.m. in the Morris Room. (calendar item)
The Housing Advisory Group meets April 30 at 3 p.m. in the Morris Room. (calendar item)
The Rural Preservation Advisory Group meets April 30 at 6 p.m. in the Morris Room (calendar item)
The Historical Preservation Advisory Group meets at 3 p.m. in the Morris Room (calendar item)
Fluvanna is part of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, one of 21 planning districts in the Commonwealth of Virginia. According to the website of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, these are “voluntary associations of local governments intended to foster intergovernmental cooperation by bringing together local elected and appointed officials and involved citizens to discuss common needs and determine solutions to regional issues.”
That group meets on Thursday. Perhaps there will be information about the Comprehensive Plan in Fluvanna County. Perhaps there will be information about the role the TJPDC will take in creating a regional water supply plan. The future is worth writing about in detail.
Reading material:
ICE promises bystanders who challenged Charlottesville raid will be prosecuted, Hawes Spencer, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), April 25, 2025
Albemarle ICE detainees are being held in Farmville, Hannah Davis-Reid & Meghin Moore, VPM, April 26, 2025
Lunenburg County Airport plan up for discussion with supervisors, Brian Carlton, Kenbridge Victoria Dispatch, April 27, 2025