July 18, 2022: Zoning rewrite to launch in Pittsylvania; Major rezoning public hearing in Amherst County
It's quite a full week in local government across the Virginia's new Fifth Congressional District
Last week, I drove from my parents’ house in Lynchburg to Charlottesville on a longer route than usual. From U.S. 29, I took Route 60 east on Richmond Road through Amherst County, Nelson County, and Buckingham County before heading north on U.S. 15. I stopped off at the courthouse in Buckingham, as well as the Bremo Bluff power plant in Fluvanna County that’s slowly being dismantled. I’m looking forward to more trips like this as I learn more.
This new district fuels my imagination so much about what could be. I am a non-partisan American who hopes for better communications in a time when conflict is ascendant, fueled by fierce disagreements about the way we all live. There are just under a million people who live in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District, and my hope in this newsletter will help more people understand the physical and economic infrastructure that underlies it all.
My hope is that in a year from now, both myself and readers will understand a lot more about a political jurisdiction that makes sense for the first time in my time as a reporter and citizen. An entire Congressional District overlaps with cohesive localities, each of which has elected officials who seek to do the best they can for their constituents.
Some highlights this week:
Amherst County Supervisors will take up a large rezoning in Madison Heights and update its Comprehensive Plan with new demographic information following the 2020 Census
Pittsylvania County Supervisors will be briefed on the forthcoming rewrite of its zoning ordinance
Charlottesville City Council will hold first reading on a plastic bag tax
Appomattox County Supervisors will consider leading a former school building to the Appomattox Christian Academy
Prince Edward County Supervisors will move forward with a plan to dispose of the deteriorating SCOPE building
Albemarle County Supervisors will consider leasing a former department store for public safety operations
Campbell County Supervisors will have a discussion about controversial photo-speed cameras in Altavista
Each week I’ll continue to write this out. If you’d like to support the work and my hopes to expand, please consider becoming a supporter of Town Crier Productions on Patreon. I’m hopeful this will become a community service as a sense of community builds across Virginia’s new Fifth District.
Monday, July 18, 2022
Charlottesville planning to levy plastic bag tax; Council to consider settlement with Omni
Charlottesville City Council has a long day with a meeting split into three segments.
First, they will meet at 2 p.m. in a virtual meeting to interview candidates for Boards and Commissions. They’re expected to make appointments to the Planning Commissions. There are five seats to fill and three of the existing Commissioners have applied for another term. Council had a first round of interviews in June. (agenda)
In the second segment beginning at 4 p.m. there will be a presentation on how staff proposes to use funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. There’s no material available in advance except a one-page staff report with no information.
The business meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. (agenda)
The consent agenda has several interesting items of note:
Council will hold first of two readings on a settlement agreement with the Omni Hotel related to that entity’s lawsuit against the city challenging its tax assessment for 2020 and 2021. The Omni also appealed its 2022 assessment to the Board of Equalization, but withdrew on the day of the hearing. Under the terms of the settlement, the city would pay $135,304.57 to the Omni plus interest. Council has to agree and if they don’t, the matter will proceed to trial. If Council agrees, no side will admit fault. (staff report)
Council will technically hold a second reading of a resolution to set aside $50,000 in funding to reimburse freelance writers and authors for business licenses. The Virginia Supreme Court issued an opinion against the city on June 9, 2022. (staff report)
Council will hold first reading to authorize a refund of $8,132.19 to a business that changed hands last year and mistakenly paid for the business license tax twice. (staff report)
Council will hold first of two readings on a $250,816 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support emergency homeless shelters. The funding passes through to the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH). (staff report)
Council will adopt a resolution to stagger the five Planning Commission appointments so that they don’t all expire at the same time. (staff report)
Regular business begins with a report from interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers. More on that in a future edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement.
In their first action item, Council will hold first of two readings to impose a five cent tax on all plastic bags used by retailers. The required public hearing would be held at a future meeting. The General Assembly granted enabling authority for this purpose in 2020. There are some exceptions, according to the staff report.
“This exclusion would include packaging for ice cream, meat, fish, poultry, produce, unwrapped bulk food items, perishable food items, dry cleaning, prescription drugs, and multiple bags sold in containers for use as garbage, pet waste, or leaf removal bags,” reads the report.
Revenues from the tax must go to one of four permitted areas including litter and pollution mitigation as well as providing reusable bags to people on government assistance.
Next, Council will hold the second reading on conveyance of a city-owned alleyway on Oak Street to adjacent property owners. The first reading was held in mid-June at a meeting that featured several items related to city property. (Council denies conveyance of one parcel; Councilor Magill seeks policy on conveyance of paper streets, June 30, 2022) (staff report)
After that, first reading of a special use permit for additional residential density at 1000 Monticello Road. A previous Council denied such a permit in February 2021 and the application was slightly refined. The Planning Commission recommended approval on a 5-1 vote at its meeting on June 14, 2022. (Planning Commission recommends approval of 11 units at 1000 Monticello Road, June 15, 2022)
Another land use item comes up next, with a special use permit for additional density at 923 Harris Street. Shimp Engineering seeks to build seven residential units plus a commercial studio on a 0.13 acre property. (staff report)
In the final action item, Council will hold first reading on an appropriation to transfer $197,181 from the Council’s Strategic Initiatives account to the Office of Equity and Inclusion. Though Council had previously set aside this funding in 2019, the actual transfer has not yet been made. (staff report)
There are two written reports. One is from the Youth Council and the other is from the Rivanna authorities for solid waste, water, and wastewater.
Appomattox Supervisors seeks comments on leasing former high school to Appomattox Christian Academy
The five-member Board of Supervisors will meet for their regular meeting of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Carver-Price Education Complex at 171 Price Lane in Appomattox.
The meeting will begin with a presentation from John Redding of the Central Virginia Workforce Development Council. Supervisor John Hinkle had recommended the appearance to find out how that entity assists people in Appomattox County.
There are two public hearings. In the first, Supervisors will take comments on a proposed five-year lease for the Appomattox Christian Academy to rent a portion of the former Carver-Price High School. The Carver-Price Legacy Museum and Central Virginia Community College will continue to rent portions of the property. The rent is $10 for the entire term. ACA will submit a renovation plan to the county by the end of the year. ACA will also have right of first refusal to buy the property. (staff report)
The second public hearing is for a requested three-foot-wide easement from the Town of Appomattox to install street lights on county property. (staff report)
In action items, the Town of Appomattox wants the county to abandon a 0.05 portion of Hunter Street to allow for additional parking at Children’s Park. This will eventually require a public hearing, currently scheduled for August 15. (staff report)
In another action item, Supervisor Hinkle requested a discussion on the county’s previous commitment to contribute $250,000 to the Appomattox Volunteer Fire Department for a fire truck. The first $50,000 payment is currently scheduled for FY2025.
Finally, there is a request from the School System to reappropriate fund balances from FY22 into FY23. (staff report)
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Danville City Council to approve Smart Scale projects, approve federal trials at city courthouse
The nine-member Danville City Council meets at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Building. (agenda)
After the meeting begins with an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, Dr. Angela Hairston will give a presentation on the school capital projects. Hairston is Superintendent and voters in Danville authorized a one-percent sales tax increase in 2021 to fund education. Council levied the tax last December.
In one consent agenda item, Council will approve the amendment of the FY23 budget to add $1 million from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission for an industrial shell building in Cyber Park. This is the second reading.
In new business, Council will consider a lease agreement with the Western District Court of Virginia to hold trials at the James F. Ingram Justice Center. Last year, the district’s Marshall deemed the federal courthouse in Danville to be not secure enough for criminal hearings and other court proceedings. Since then, those trials have been held in either Roanoke or Lynchburg. (staff report)
Council will also be asked to authorize six applications for the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Smart Scale funding process. They are:
Riverside Drive Improvements - Piney Forest Road to Audubon Drive
Riverside Drive Improvements - Audubon Drive to Arnett Boulevard
Riverside Drive Improvements - Arnett Boulevard to Main Street
Piney Forest Road Improvements
Piedmont Drive Pedestrian Accommodations
Connector Road Expansion at Berry Hill Mega Site (staff report)
Prince Edward Supervisors to take input on disposition of SCOPE building
On Friday, the remaining members of the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors met in closed session to discuss potential replacements to two vacancies. They adjourned after an hour and a half and did not make a decision.
Tonight they will hold their regular meeting of the month beginning at 7 p.m. at the Prince Edward County Courthouse. This is out of the usual schedule due to recent resignations. (meeting packet)
In the first of two public hearings, Supervisors will consider what will happen to the SCOPE building. The county purchased the building in April 2010 for space for recreational activities for senior citizens. However, the structure has now been deemed to be unsafe to be rented out to the public or to tenants.
“The rear of the building has significant rot in the crawlspace which has caused settling of the floor,” reads the staff report from Administrator Douglas Stanley. “The Meals-on-Wheels Office in the front of the building can still be utilized. Based on previous discussions with the Properties Committee, we have obtained an appraisal of the building to propose offering the building for sale to the public in lieu of renovating and correcting the building issues.”
Stanley recommends selling the property and using county resources to invest in a different facility. He is also recommending that Supervisors deviate from the usual process to dispose of surplus property and to directly offer it for sale via an advertisement in the Farmville Herald.
In the second public hearing, they’ll take input on an update to the zoning code to update standards for meat packing and related industries. There are currently no rules for this use.
“A most recent Special Use Permit, which was ultimately withdrawn by the applicant for a meat processing facility, drew a large amount of public comment and requests for standards of development to be added to Zoning Code,” reads the staff report. (page 115)
In other items:
Localities across Virginia are being asked to form committees to mark the commemoration of the 250’s anniversary of July 4, 1776 to help “to create initiatives and programs that honor our first 250 years and inspire Americans to imagine our next 250.”
Supervisors will be updated on a 1,500 foot access road to open up more of the Prince Edward Business Park. Some of the funding for the project comes from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission. They’ll be asked to award a construction contract to J.R. Caskey.
The Town of Farmville and Prince Edward County are working with the Mary E. Branch Community Center to evaluate whether the center can be renovated. Stanley asked Moseley Architects to take a preliminary look and now that firm has come up with an $22,606 estimate for a full study. Stanley said the Commonwealth Regional Council is assisting with finding funds for the project, for which both town and the county have agreed to split the cost of the study.
Pittsylvania Supervisors to be briefed on “major” zoning code revision
The seven-member Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors has both an afternoon work session and an evening session. The work session begins at 4:30 p.m. and will have a presentation on a “zoning ordinance mass revision” that will be led by the Berkley Group. (agenda packet)
The county hired the Berkley Group to streamline the zoning code and to make it more user-friendly, and to address the goals and strategies of the Comprehensive Plan.
“Today’s meeting will introduce the project and collect feedback and preliminary direction on key issues, concerns, and areas of focus,” reads the staff report.
A public survey will be conducted from August 1 to September 2. Supervisors will review the draft. A public workshop on the changes will be held on August 18 at the Pittsylvania County Community Center in Chatham. The Berkley Group will also conduct stakeholder interviews.
The Berkley Group is also overseeing the search for a new county administrator. The Danville Regional Foundation is contributing $25,000 to the process.
There will be several updates at the work session, including an update on solid waste convenience centers that are under construction. Two at Level Run in Long Island and Climax Road in Gretna are intended to come online later this month. A third on Meadow Ridge Court is expected to be completed in the spring of 2023. Three other sites are planned.
In the evening session that begins at 7 p.m., there are four public hearings on rezonings. (agenda packet)
Nguyen Properties seeks a rezoning of 6.25 acres from Residential Combined Subdivision District to Manufactured Housing Park for 43 mobile homes. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial in part because VDOT is concerned that sight distance requirements cannot be met
A landowner seeks a rezoning of 2.16 acres on Climax Road from B-2 to R-1 to allow for a single-family house to be constructed on the property and the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval.
A couple seeks a rezoning from Residential Estates District to A-1 to allow for an accessory structure and a home occupation. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval.
Another couple seeks a rezoning of 10 acres on Reservoir View Drive from Residential Suburban District to A-1 to allow for an accessory structure in the front yard of an existing home. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval.
Two other public hearings are also on the agenda. They are on revisions to the county’s EMS billing rates as well as disposition of property on Page Road to the city of Danville related to the Berry Hill megasite. (page 152)
In new business, Supervisors will take up the naming of the Business U.S. 29 North bridge in memory of Deputy Sheriff J. Holland Thomas Sr. Thomas died in the line of duty on March 31, 1956, according to the county’s website.
Consent agenda items of note:
There is a resolution to support the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s request to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a four-year extension of a Certificate for Public Convenience and Necessity (page 28)
There is a resolution to support the various Smart Scale applications for the current cycle. There are an extension of the Berry Hill Connector Road, installation of a conflict warning system at U.S. 58 and Route 622, turn lane improvements on U.S. 29 at Spring Garden Road, a roundabout at U.S. 29 and Malmaison Road, and a roundabout at U.S. 29 at Lawless Creek Road. (page 32)
Rowan Holdings goes before Amherst Supervisors for rezoning of 170.7 acres for mixed-use community
The five members of the Amherst County Board of Supervisors meet at 7 p.m. in the Administration Building at 153 Washington Street in Amherst. (meeting packet)
Rowan Holdings is seeking the conditional rezoning of 170.7 acres of land on U.S. 29 Business zoned either B-1 or M-1 to Mixed Use / Traditional Neighborhood Development District. This in addition to another 10 acre site that is also in the rezoning process.
“The purpose of the conditional zoning is to allow a high-density residential development that will contain apartments, townhomes, patio homes, parks, open space, walking trails and single-family homes as well as commercial uses,” reads the staff report.
The request also requires an amendment to the Future Land Use Map.
The developer wants up to 75,000 square feet of commercial space, up to 400 apartments, up to 250 townhomes, and up to 250 patio homes, and up to 100 single family homes. All new utilities would be placed underground. A new 13 acre park would be dedicated to the county.
“The development will give a central location for the Madison Heights community to enjoy new home construction, the convenience of townhomes and apartment style living, and patio homes for ‘empty nesters,’” reads the applicant’s narrative. “The new community will have nearby convenient commercial spaces, including pedestrian type outdoor retail spaces.”
In a second public hearing, a couple seeks a special exception request to operate a short-term rental on Lexington Turnpike.
After that, Supervisors will get an update on the Comprehensive Plan. The last one was adopted on May 21, 2013 and updated on November 21, 2017.
“By law, this comprehensive plan must be reviewed by the Amherst County Planning Commission at least once every five years. Each review will serve as the basis to evaluate the continued appropriateness of the plan’s goals, objectives, and policies,” reads page 67 of the packet.
Amherst County’s population declined 3.2 percent between 2010 and 2020, and the plan is being updated with reasons why. The Central Virginia Training Center was Amherst’s largest employer and it has now closed. The closure and then reopening of Sweet Briar College also affected the population. Read through yellowed highlights in the document to see what has been updated.
Other changes include an update on the water supply managed by the Amherst County Service Authority. The redevelopment plan for the Training Center has also been added.
Campbell County to discuss photo-speed cameras in Altavista
The seven member Campbell County Board of Supervisors meets at 6 p.m. in the Haberer Building Boardroom in Rustburg. (agenda)
After the minutes are approved, Altavista resident James Evans has requested an appearance to discuss photo-speed cameras installed in the town. The Altavista Journal reports that the cameras went live on June 6 and over 700 violations have been recorded.
Supervisors will be briefed on the absorption of assets from the now-disbanded Citizens Emergency Crew. The entity voted to go out of business after more than 60 years of service, and four of its members will become county volunteers.
The elected officials will also learn about firms that responded to a request for proposals for solid waste planning. The landfill operated by the Region 2000 Services Authority is expected to be at capacity by the end of the decade. County staff recommend hiring GBB at a cost of $200,000.
Next, Johnson Health Center is seeking a property tax exemption for a proposed clinic in Rustburg. This will require a public hearing which Supervisors will have to authorize. Likewise, a charitable organization called Dawn seeks exemption for property in Altavista.
After that, Supervisors will be asked to support Bedford County’s Smart Scale request for projects on Route 460 at the boundary line. There are four other project in Campbell County that will be submitted if elected officials agree.
(image) The four projects that Campbell County will submit as part of its Smart Scale applications
There are four public hearings and the first two involve land use decisions. In the first, a special use permit is required for the owners of a townhouse at 27 Cuddington Lane to be used as a boarding house and a short-term rental. In the second, a landowner in Evington seeks a rezoning of 2.831 acres from Agricultural to Residential - Manufactured Housing to allow for a smaller than required minimum lot size.
The second two public hearings are for redistricting as well as an update of the Campbell County code.
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Albemarle Supervisors to consider lease of former J.C. Penney for public safety operations
The six-member Albemarle County Board of Supervisors took off the first meeting of July and return for a business meeting that has no public hearings. They meet at 1 p.m. with an evening session scheduled for 6 p.m. (meeting agenda)
After the usual stuff that happens at the beginning of the meeting, Supervisors will consider how to use $3.3 million in funds from the county’s housing fund. Staff is recommending an additional $3 million to the Piedmont Housing Alliance for the Southwood Apartments project and $306,504 to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville for “master leasing for resident relocation efforts.”
“If the Board chooses to approve these funding requests, the funds would be used to support the construction of 121 affordable rental units in the Southwood Apartments project, and to provide up to two years of rental assistance for Southwood residents needed to be relocated from their current units during Southwood Phase 2 construction work,” reads the staff report.
For the Southwood project, that will be $32,231 per unit.
Piedmont Housing Alliance had asked for $3.9 million, as well as an additional $4 million for “long-term affordable rental homes.”
Other applicants include a $1.1 million request from Albemarle Housing Improvement Program for critical home rehab and repair, $2.25 million from Piedmont Community Land Trust for two separate projects, and $250,000 from the Local Energy Alliance Program. Habitat also asked for $6.825 million to address sewer infrastructure issues at Southwood. Take a look at the full matrix for all of the details.
In the next item, the North Garden Volunteer Fire Company is expanding their building at a cost of $2.5 million. They’ve raised $1.3 million and are asking for a $650,000 interest-free loan from the county to come up with some of the remaining balance. (staff report)
After that, three land use items:
Supervisors will take up a special exception request for a homestay on Tilman Road. (staff report)
The owner of Kindrick Farm in Earlysville bordering Chris Greene Lake seeks a request for a total exemption from the county’s recently upgraded ordinance on fill areas. The applicant claims complying will not allow him to meet the terms of a contract with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Staff is recommending denial. (staff report)
There’s a quarterly update on transportation planning for anyone interested in the latest update on where priorities stand.
In the evening session, Supervisors will be asked to authorize a lease at a portion of Fashion Square Mall for a Public Safety Operations Center that would be used by both the Albemarle County Fire-Rescue Department and the Albemarle Police Department.
“Preliminary discussions with Seminole Trail Properties, LLC, were initiated to explore the suitability of the property located at 1639 East Rio Road, which is the site of the former J.C. Penney’s store at Fashion Square Mall,” reads the staff report. “This retail store included approximately 33,000 square feet of “back of the house” functions, including a large warehouse with loading dock, former tire shop, and office space for employees.”
The cost to upgrade the site is estimated at $3.1 million and the lease would be $558,000 a year.
Seminole Trail Properties LLC is a company associated with Richard Hewitt. Hewitt is the chair of the Albemarle Police Citizens Advisory Committee. Fashion Square Assets LLC purchased the property in September 2020 for $4.5 million.
Then three public hearings.
The FY22 budget will be amended related to various school projects (staff report)
The FY23 budget will also be amended related to school projects (staff report)
Amendments to the regulated enterprises section of the county code to remove Albemale’s regulations for taxicabs and amusements. These are now regulated by state code. (staff report)
Amelia Supervisors to take up siting agreement for 630-acre solar facility
The Amelia County Board of Supervisors meets at 7 p.m. at the Amelia County High School. (agenda)
After public comments, Supervisors will get updates from the Virginia Department of Transportation, the School Board, and committee reports. There will also be an update on the proposed county-owned shooting range, a revised social media policy for employees, a vote on a resolution for personal property tax relief, and a resolution for tax relief for the elderly.
There will also be a discussion of a special exception request and a siting agreement for an 1,103 acre utility scale solar facility in a Rural Preservation Area. Under the proposal from Torch Clean Energy of Charlottesville, panels will only be on 630 of those acres.
“Since the December meeting when the initial application for this project was considered, the applicants have made several changes to their proposal and site layout,” reads the staff report for the special exception request. “Seven parcels have been removed from the project and removal of these parcels has almost completely eliminated any cropland that was initially being converted to panels.”
Under the terms of the siting agreement, the county will receive $1,400 per megawatt.
Supervisors will also consider a special event request for Field Day of the Past to take place on September 16 through September 18 at Redfield Farm. The applicants want to be able to have up to 15,000 people attend at any one time. (staff report)
There’s another request for an event called Amelia Frightfest to take place throughout October. (staff report) The same promoter also wants to run a Mixed Martial Arts competition on November 5. (staff report)
In another meetings:
Nelson County will hold the second of three workshops on an update of the county’s Comprehensive Plan. This will be held at 5:30 p.m. at Rockfish Elementary School at 200 Chapel Hollow Road. For more, visit the Nelson 2042 website.
Thursday, July 21, 2022
The five-member Nottoway County Board of Supervisors is expected to meet today, but there was no information posted. Let’s keep checking back here.
Friday, July 22, 2022
Nothing at the moment. What do you think of this? What did I miss? Let me know!
Please, send this on to as many people as you can. Let’s grow the audience!