Government Glance for September 6, 2022: Amherst Supervisors to learn more about proposed agricultural center; Goochland Supervisors to hold public hearing on rezoning for 40 single family homes
Another look at what's happening at government meetings across Virginia's Fifth Congressional District
On this Labor Day, a slightly later version of this newsletter which tracks what’s coming up at meetings of elected officials across Virginia’s Fifth District. Many are not aware yet of the new boundaries, and this newsletter is my attempt to better understand the district and the many different communities within.
While every jurisdiction may be different, all must comply with Virginia rules and regulations as well as common weather patterns and a common economy. Some have populations that favor more residential density, while others do not. I’ve done this since May and I’ve learned so much and hope to learn much more in the next nine years until Congressional districts are redrawn yet again.
This is a publication of Town Crier Productions, a company I formed in 2020 in order to help coordinate the business end of this journalistic venture. So far there’s no way to pay directly for this work, but I’m still trying to figure that part out. Right now the best thing you can do is tell other people you think might be interested in the subject matter.
This version covers meetings on Tuesday and it is already over the length for Substack so it may cut off. I will post another installment tomorrow for meetings happening on Wednesday. They are for Albemarle, Fluvanna, and Nelson county. I’ll also catch up on two meetings for which I could not get information for this entry.
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Amherst Supervisors to review study for joint agricultural center with Nelson County
The Amherst County Board of Supervisors meets at 3 p.m. in the meeting room at 153 Washington Street in Amherst. (meeting page)
From the consent agenda we learn of Amherst County’s Smart Scale applications which were worked on with assistance from Michael Baker and Associates. This includes a reconfiguration of the intersection of the Lynchburg Expressway and the South Amherst Highway to add an additional right-hand turn lane. The three other projects relate to access management at U.S. 29 Business.
Supervisors will be asked to give direction on whether to allow paid county Emergency Medical Services to to volunteer in order to shore up necessary numbers to run service calls.
“Because the County's volunteer EMS and Fire companies are considered to be part of the County's emergency response system, volunteering for these organizations could be viewed by the Department of Labor and the courts as a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which typically precludes employers from allowing employees to volunteer on the job,” reads the staff report, which then goes on to point out exceptions, including a potential waiver.
There will also be a review of a preliminary feasibility study for the proposed Amherst-Nelson Agricultural Complex (ANAC). The firm Hurt & Proffitt and Architectural Partners put together the document which is intended to inform whether the project might proceed.
“An agricultural center may provide many valuable services to the community it serves, including serving as a comprehensive location for patrons to gather for agricultural related events or business,” reads the study’s introduction. “The center may also provide outreach programs for educating those within the community about the agricultural practices of today, training services in various agricultural related fields, administrative space for livestock shows, agricultural related entities, and promote agritourism within the community in the form of entertainment or other recreational activities.”
One issue is whether there is an adequate water supply. That’s beyond the scope of this study but the conversation should be interesting. The project has a $53.2 million cost estimate as a result including both for the buildings and to get the site ready for development.
Next, Supervisors will consider adopting goals and strategies for county government. They’ll also discuss reducing several fees for land use permits. They’ll also discuss a new state grant program for localities to hire school resource officers.
Charlottesville City Council to consider use of housing voucher funds to pay for CRHA of purchase two duplexes
The five-member Charlottesville City Council meets at 4 p.m. for a work-session to hear reports and then again at 6:30 p.m. (agenda packet)
There are three updates in the early session. In the first, Councilors will hear from the executive director of the Charlottesville Regional Airport, which is under the leadership of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Authority. The presentation details the slowdown during the pandemic and how overall service has decreased by 266 seats from June 2019 to June 2022. That’s meant decreased revenue for the airport, which has also operated in the red in FY21 and FY22.
Next, a youth group working on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with the Community Climate Collaborative and the Piedmont Housing Alliance will present a report on public transportation. This report is not available in advance, but if you’re interested in learning more about transit, catch up on recent articles I’ve written at the Information Charlottesville archive. There has also been a survey for the Regional Transit Vision underway. Take that if you have not already.
After that, the Superintendent of the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail will detail a recent study on future needs to Council. The ACRJ is planning a renovation and modernization and the study is requisite for asking for funding from the Virginia Board of Local and Regional Jails. (staff report)
In the first item, Council will hold the first of two readings on a proposed collective bargaining ordinance. For now, this would be limited to police officers, firefighters, and transit employees.
In a memo, interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers explained why he chose this as the recommended approach.
“[The introduction of collective bargaining is a substantial undertaking, and both the City and its employees require time to gain experience with the bargaining process,” Rogers wrote. “Particularly considering the unknown budgetary impact of implementing a collective bargaining program, the proposed Ordinance was drafted to balance quickly providing meaningful bargaining rights to employees who choose to engage in collective bargaining with ensuring that the City remains a good steward of public funds and is able to continue providing high-quality services to its residents.”
For more on the discussion at an August 15 work session, read Brielle Entzminger’s account in C-Ville Weekly.
After that, Council will consider a resolution to end the COVID-19 local emergency that is still in effect. The Continuity of Government Ordinance that’s been in effect since March 2020 expires this week, and Rogers said there are policies in place to offer hybrid meetings to though who still do not feel comfortable participating in government meetings in-person. (staff report)
Then the Council will hold first reading on the aforementioned letter of support requested by the ACRJ. (staff report) The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors have their resolution on the consent agenda for their September 7 meeting.
Next, Council will take up an amendment of the agreement that governs a program through which the city covers the cost of additional housing vouchers authorized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Charlottesville Supplemental Rental Assistance Program (CSRAP) was created in October 2017 and the agreement is between the city and the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. For the past three fiscal years, the program has received $900,000 a year and there was a $2 million balance at the end . (staff report)
Now the CRHA wants to use $675,000 from that balance to cover the cost of its recent purchase of two buildings on Coleman Street. The units would be deed-restricted to perpetually require the units to be rented at below-market prices. I’ll have more on this topic in Tuesday’s edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. (staff report)
The final item on the regular agenda is a request from the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center to cover some of the rent it must pay to the Jefferson School City Center, a private entity. The city began subsidizing rent with two payments totaling $950,000 from the former Equity Fund FY2017 and FY2018. A new five-year lease begins December 1 and the monthly rent for the 11,065 square foot space will be $15,314.76 a month. Council is being asked to use $107,203.32 to cover seven months of rent. If they agree, it will come from the Council’s Strategic Initiatives fund. (staff report)
Three items on the consent agenda to note:
Second reading of a $539,369 grant award to the city’s Department of Human Services from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development from the Virginia Homeless Solutions Program. (staff report)
Second reading of appropriation of nearly $2.7 million in additional state funds from the Virginia Department of Transportation to help with the cost of the Belmont Bridge. (staff report)
Second reading of an ordinance change to give the City Treasurer authority to issue refunds to taxpayers for erroneous charges without City Council approval if the amount does not exceed $2,500 (staff report)
Louisa County Supervisors to vote on rezoning for greenhouse project
The seven-member Louisa County Board of Supervisors meets in closed session at 5 p.m. followed by the regular meeting in open session at 6 p.m. They meet in the Louisa County Public Meeting Room at 1 Woolfolk Avenue in Louisa. (agenda packet)
After public comments, there will be presentations from Jaunt, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Louisa County Water Authority. There will also be an update on the Belcher solar project from Dominion Energy, as well as a discussion on the county’s 2023 legislative platform.
There’s also a discussion of remaining parcels of land that are being transferred from Goochland County to Louisa County due to a 2019 boundary adjustment.
“The effort corrected the bulk of issues for residents along the border, was adopted by the U.S. Census Department, and was used for the recent redistricting process in both counties,” reads a joint letter from Goochland County Administrator Victor Carpenter and Louisa County Administrator Christian R. Goodwin.
Ten parcels remain anomalies and a further adjustment needs to be made. An information meeting on the issue will be held on September 29 at Goochland Fire Station #6.
Supervisors will also be asked to support a grant the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission is putting together to help coordinate local funding that may flow from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for improvements through the Safe Streets and Roads For All program.
“To be eligible to receive project implementation funding, applicants must first have developed an approved Comprehensive Safety Action Plan,” reads the staff report. “Since none of the localities within the Thomas Jefferson Planning District have such a plan in place, the Planning District Commission is applying for funding through the SS4A program to develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan on behalf of participating localities in the region.”
There are several public hearings:
Meadows Four Brothers LLC seeks a rezoning from Agricultural-1 to Agricultural-2 for 18 acres of a 286 acre property for the purpose of subdividing the land. The Planning Commission recommended approval on a 6 to 1 vote at their meeting on July 14, with the condition that the Virginia Outdoors Foundation be notified of the request due to a conservation easement they hold on the property.
A couple seeks a rezoning of a 1.135 acre property on Lake Anna from General Commercial (C-2) to General Residential (R-2) in order to build a single family house. They also need a special exception because the minimum lot size is 1.5 acres.
The Industrial Development Authority has a request to rezone a parcel from Industrial-General (I-2) to Agricultural (A-2) for an agricultural operation which would plant crops all year in a greenhouse. The Planning Commission recommended approval on a 6-1 vote at their meeting on August 11. The PC wants the applicant wants to create a working relationship with Louisa County High School. For fans of code names for economic development projects, this one goes by Project Scuba.
There’s a resolution for a through truck traffic restriction on Chalklevel Road and Mansfield Road
In other meetings:
The Albemarle Architectural Review Board will meet at 1 p.m. in-person for the first time in over two years but people can still participate remotely. On the agenda is a work session on an addenda to the county’s entrance corridor guidelines. You can review these here if you are interested. (meeting info)
The Charlottesville Tree Commission meets virtually beginning at 5 p.m. One item on the agenda is a presentation on the importance of keeping trees healthy in the first five years after planting and reviews two city gateway plantings after five years. (meeting info)
Danville to review park design for vacant property
The nine-member Danville City Council meets for a regular meeting at 7 p.m. followed by a work session. (meeting agenda) (work session)
There’s a lot of procedural business on the agenda with a lot of items related to the Capital and Special Projects Plan which call for infrastructure across the city. One resolution is an official intent to pay for the debt through reimbursements. Others are for grants ranging from a $4,500 grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts. Another is a $380,790 grant from the Older Americans Act for senior transportation. Others are for various airport related improvements.
The work session begins with a review of the design concept for a new park on vacant space between Pine Street and Jefferson Avenue.
“The City has hired McGill Consulting to do a conceptual design for a passive recreation area. The design includes a paved pedestrian path connecting Pine and Jefferson, sitting areas, a shelter and lawn space for small gatherings,” reads the staff report.
Goochland Supervisors to consider rezoning for 40 single family homes off of Fairground Road
The five-member Goochland Board of Supervisors meets at 2 p.m. at 1800 Sandy Hook Road in Goochland followed by an evening session beginning at 6 p.m. This is a meeting with a lot of reports, and one public hearing on a rezoning of nearly 50 acres (agenda packet)
The afternoon session contains a lot of various reports, including the adoption of the proposed legislative agenda for the 2023 General Assembly. These include a request to reintroduce a failed 2022 bill from Delegate Lee Ware to allow localities to have referendums on whether they want to allow retail marijuana stores, and a request to reintroduce a failed 2022 bill from Senator Mark Peake (HB22) to require registrars to verify voters’ social security numbers before the registration is complete (SB168). There’s also a legislative request for the state to pick up the full tab for localities to process absentee voting. Goochland Supervisors also want legislators to oppose any laws that make it harder for people to get firearms.
Supervisors will also have an update on Goochland’s participation in the RISE broadband project funded through the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI). Goochland provided a $3,437,500 match toward the public-private partnership.
“As of August 2022, work has begun on all components of the RISE project in Goochland ranging from ‘field data collection’ to ‘service drop construction’ and ultimately ‘in-service’ connections,” reads the staff report. “This work is being done by Dominion Energy Virginia, Firefly Fiber BroadbandSM, CVEC, REC and their contractors.”
In the evening there is a public hearing for a rezoning from Truett Real Estate Investments for a rezoning of 49.372 acres on Fairground Road from agricultural (A-2) to residential (R-1) for the development of 40 single family homes.
“Based upon this number of units the density of 0.81 units per acre is proposed,” reads the staff report. “This proposal is not consistent with the comprehensive plan.”
The current Comprehensive Plan calls for one unit per two acres at this location, which is within the Courthouse Village Plan which could change that to allow higher density, but the plan is still under development. The Planning Commission recommended denial.
In other meetings:
The Halifax County Board of Supervisors meets but I can’t seem to get the packet from the website. I’ll post it when I get a copy of the clerk. (Halifax BOS meetings page)
The Pittsylvania County Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. (agenda packet)
The Campbell County Board of Supervisors meets at 6 p.m. in the Haberer Building Boardroom in Rustburg. The agenda posted is last month’s. (agenda center)
