Liberty University wants to build a fire station for Lynchburg; Prince Edward holding public hearing on Wawa
Plus: Goochland Supervisors to talk transportation
This time around there are five summaries of five meetings coming up. One of them is technically a Planning Commission meeting, but Charlottesville City Council has a practice of holding their public hearings at the same time as the Planning Commission.
That segment as one as the one on Nelson County are repurposed from the Week Ahead segment I do each Sunday for the Charlottesville Community Engagement feed.
One fun fact. Today is the day my parents move to a new place. Ten months ago, I began writing up the documents for this experimental newsletter at a restaurant right across the street. It is my goal to continue broadening the scope and depth of this newsletter. Thanks for following along on the journey!
Goochland Supervisors to hold work session on transportation priorities
It’s budget time, and the five member Board of Supervisors in Goochland County will hold a work session on transportation as well as the capital improvement plan. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. in the County Administration Building at 1800 Sandy Hook Road in Goochland.
“The first part of the workshop will focus on reviewing current Transportation priorities in Goochland and review proposed priorities for future funding opportunities,” reads the agenda. “This will review a Goochland Local Six Year Plan to track local expenditures on transportation projects and a Proposed 3-Year Application Plan to prioritize transportation projects to accommodate the continued growth in Goochland County.”
The second part of the meeting will focus on the capital improvement program. In addition to a five-year CIP, Goochland takes a 25 year look ahead. There’s no information in the packet, but for more on this process take a look at a section in the FY2023 budget
“The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) serves as a long range planning guide for the efficient and effective provision of capital improvement funding for the County,” reads the document. “The County prepares a twenty-five year CIP and the plan is a dynamic document, revised annually, that proposes the acquisition, development, enhancement, or replacement of public facilities to serve the county citizenry.”
Liberty University wants to build a fire station for the City of Lynchburg
The seven members of the Lynchburg City Council meet at 4 p.m. for a work session followed by a regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. (meeting page)
Work sessions often feature introductions to matters that will come up at future meetings. There are also various presentations.
Horizon Behavioral Health will give a presentation on their services across the region.
The Downtown Lynchburg Association will have their annual report.
Liberty University may partner with the city of Lynchburg on a new firestation. From the staff report: “Liberty University would build the firestation on land they currently own and rent the station to the city in perpetuity or for as long as it remains in use as a firestation. The City, through the Lynchburg Fire Department, will operate the station and be responsible for all staffing, maintenance, and apparatus costs.”
There will be a continuation of the capital improvement program from the last meeting. Councilors had questions that were asked via email but not included in the packet.
Under the business items:
The owner of 2307 Bedford Avenue is seeking a conditional use permit for a residential / commercial mixed-use development that is an adaptive reuse of a former dry cleaning business. Ten units would be added to a second and third floor. The Planning Commission voted 6 to 0 to recommend approval with one member absent.
The James Energy Center seeks a conditional use permit for property at 3920 Harbor Street and 109 Old Trents Ferry Road. They want to build a battery energy storage system in a residential neighborhood. From the staff report: “Once connected, the system will be capable of charging from and discharging to the electrical grid to provide a variety of benefits. These include, but are not limited to, realizing the full value and cost savings of renewable energy built across the state of Virginia, increasing the reliability and resilience of the electrical grid.”
A conditional use permit is sought for Wyndsor View Townhomes at 710 and 714 Leesville Road. The request is for 87 new townhomes. A previous CUP was approved in September 2019 but has now expired.
The towing advisory board seeks procurement authorization for a new contract with Bee Line Transport for official city towing.
There will be a discussion on claims and litigation settlements under the self-insurance program plan. For the details, look at page 136 of the packet.
The work session will close with a closed meeting for two purposes. One is to discuss potential litigation and the other is for various appointees.
The regular meeting is quite full.
There are three public hearings.
A conditional use permit is sought to convert three townhomes on Church Street into two households.
A rezoning is sought for the redevelopment of the former Jones Memorial Library on Rivermont Avenue into a hotel.
There is an appeal of the Historic Preservation Commission’s denial of a Certificate of Appropriateness for 210 / 212 Harrison Street.
After that will be the public comment period. To speak, you have to sign up in advance. Seven people are signed up for this session.
Then the FY24 budget will be presented.
That’s followed by consideration of a stormwater management maintenance agreement with Campbell County. Then a resolution on Lynchburg’s participation in a second opioid settlement. Then second reading of a request from the School Board to use $839,865 in unexpended funds from FY22 to fund repairs at R.S. Payne school.
More details next time around.
Public hearing for Wawa in Prince Edward County
The eight member Board of Supervisors in Prince Edward County will meet at 7 p.m. for their monthly meeting. After the call to order, the invocation, and the Pledge of Allegiance, there will be a disclosure of conflicts of interest. Then the public participation section.
After the highway matters from the Virginia Department of Transportation, there will be two updates from community partners. These are from the president of STEPS, Inc. and from the park manager of the High Bridge Trail State Park.
There are four public hearings.
There will be an update to the county’s taxation ordinance to amend the transient occupancy tax to bring it in line with new legislation from the General Assembly.
There will be amendments to the county’s floodplain ordinance to bring it in line with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program regulations.
Blackwood Capital seeks a special use permit to operate a special use permit for a convenience store and fuel station at the intersection of U.S. 15 and Virginia Route 628. The WaWa is not identified in the staff report but the rendering in the packet identify that brand as the franchise. The store will be open 24/7 and will have approximately 50 employees.
Supervisors will consider a siting agreement for IPS Development Virginia to operate a 5 megawatt solar energy facility on 33 acres off of Llama Road. The terms show that Prince Edward County would receive a one-time payment of $50,000, with annual payments that would begin at $7,000 in year one and increasing to $11,273.55 by year 28. By year 40 this would increase to $15,005.10.
There will also be a request for $50,000 from the town of Pamplin City related to a parking lot at the western terminus of High Bridge Trail State Park.
“Currently, the trail ends at Heights School Road,” reads the staff report. “A land purchase by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation from Norfolk Southern will enable the trail to extend another mile into the Town of Pamplin.”
Charlottesville PC and Council to hold public hearings on two potentially redundant rezonings
The regular meeting of the Charlottesville Planning Commission begins at 5:30 p.m. but the pre-meeting begins at 5 p.m. and often features conversations about items that will come up later. If you have business on the agenda, watching this part is crucial. It’s available in the Zoom call. (meeting info)
There are two joint public hearings both of which take place as the city is rewriting the zoning code to allow more building volume per lot. This may be disorienting but worth reviewing.
The first is for a rezoning and special use permit for 1120 Avon Street. The property is owned by developer Nicole Scro who is also serving as manager for Chicken Oriented Development LLC, the applicant. The request is to rezone the 0.148 acres from R-1S to B-2 and receive a permit to allow up to 10 units with one designated as “affordable” for a period of 99 years. The staff report describes what would be possible under the future zoning of Residential-C.
“Although the regulations of this new district are not final, the proposed development of the Subject Property exceeds the residential density (8 units) and minimum street lot line setbacks (5 feet) required by the current draft,” reads the staff report.
“The type of use, multi-family residential, is not consistent with the existing development pattern in this area,” the report continues. “However, the intent of the 2021 Future Land Use Map is to allow increased residential density, infill development and increased variety of housing types.”
Staff concludes this rezoning is probably unnecessary given the zoning rewrite. The developer provides a justification.
“The Project can prevent a lavish home renovation for a single family, and instead allow for up to ten more families to live on the Property, while also reaching households with much lower incomes relative to area median than would be possible otherwise,” reads the narrative (page 186).
There are nearly 100 pages in the packet from nearby residents urging denial of the request.
The second is whether a Planned Unit Development on land zoned as Urban Corridor should be allowed on properties less than two acres. This is a request from the firm RMD Properties who would like to redevelop a one-acre bank property on Ivy Road.
“Staff feels that this change is redundant, given that the entire Zoning Ordinance is being rewritten to meet these goals,” reads the staff report. “Although currently in a draft form, the proposed new Zoning Ordinance and Map shows most properties currently zoned Urban Corridor will be upzoned to permit five- to eight-story mixed-use development by-right without the need for a PUD rezoning or other special permit.”
See also:
Council agrees to allow potential zoning change for nine-story Ivy Road building, January 10, 2023
Building Boom, C-Ville Weekly, March 1, 2023
There will also be a preliminary discussion on 501 Cherry Avenue. Woodard Properties purchased five lots for $3.5 million last August as I wrote about at the time. They are seeking a rezoning and a special use permit for more density for an adaptive reuse project.
“The applicant is proposing a mixed-use development with up to 118 units and approximately 18,600 square feet of commercial space,” reads the staff report. “The applicant and their team are looking for feedback from the Planning Commission on the proposed project prior to moving forward to a Public Hearing.”
Under the new zoning, these properties would be zoned Corridor Mixed Use 3 which could allow up to five stories if bonus conditions are met.
One regular business item is an Entrance Corridor Review Board review of 2005 Jefferson Park Avenue. The Planning Commission reviewed this on February 14 but there was an advertising error at the physical location.
On the consent agenda is an Entrance Corridor Review Board of Hillsdale Place. That’s the name for Riverbend Development’s proposed redevelopment of the former K-Mart Plaza. The materials now show an REI Co-Op in the position, but is that accurate or just a place-holder?
There will also be a report from the Tree Commission on the state of the canopy.
Community Center Coalition goes before Nelson County Supervisors; Three land use rezonings in evening session
The five-member Nelson County Board of Supervisors will meet at 2 p.m. for their afternoon meeting at General District Courtroom in Lovingston. That will be followed by a regular meeting at 7 p.m. (agenda)
There are six items under presentations, beginning with a report from the Virginia Department of Transportation. Then there will be a presentation on the audit of the FY22 books. (page 101) (read the audit)
I learned a lot from the report from the Community Center Coalition that’s in the package (page 103). There are seven community centers in Nelson County with the first having been founded in 1992 when the Schuyler Elementary School became the Walton Mountain Museum. The latest community center was formed last year at the Gladstone Train Museum.
That’s followed by a report from the Nelson County Wellness Alliance (page 117). Then a resolution of support for the Nelson County Community Fund.
“The Nelson County Community Fund, Inc. (NCCF), an all-volunteer organization of Nelson County residents, has worked since 2000 to raise and disburse funds to address critical humanitarian needs in our community,” reads the resolution. “NCCF has successfully awarded over $2 million dollars (through February, 2023) in grant funding to local non-profits to address these critical needs.”
Recent examples include COVID-19 vaccinations for migrant farm workers, a new gymnasium at the Nelson Heritage Center, and food supplements for school children.
The sixth item is the calendar for the introduction of the budget for fiscal year 2024. According to the staff report, the budget will be introduced on March 28 with budget work sessions on March 30, April 4, and April 6. If any tax rates will be increased, that decision will be made by April 7. If so, that public hearing would be April 20. The public hearing for the budget will be May 9.
Under new and unfinished business, Supervisors will adopt a resolution to participate in the national opioid settlement.
There will also be a discussion of proposed amendments to Chapter 3 of the county code related to animals. This is a housekeeping change related to new legislation adopted by the General Assembly, as well as a new definition of livestock.
“Our department is dealing with livestock at large on a regular basis,” writes animal control officer K. Wright. “The two main issues are livestock in the highway and livestock causing property damage.”
The officer does not support an ordinance change that would criminalize the practice.
Then there will be a discussion of a grant application for a historic district for Shipman. To qualify, documents called “preliminary information forms” must be filled out and that process involves property surveys. The Virginia Department of Historic Survey will cover some of those costs.
There are three public hearings In the evening session.
A landowner at 110 Family Lane in Afton seeks a special use permit for an automobile graveyard. A notice of violation was sent to the property owner in August 2022 for the presence of several inoperable vehicles. There are several old race cars for sale.
A landowner on Patrick Henry Highway seeks a rezoning from A-1 to M-2 to open a cabinet shop. The applicant plans to relocate from Amherst County.
A landowner seeks a rezoning from A-1 to B-1 and a special use permit to be able to build a second structure on 0.847 acres at 8207 Thomas Nelson Highway. An existing building is allowed to have commercial on the first floor and residential on the second. The second building would be more of the same.