Lynchburg City Council to view CIP, adopt personal property tax rate; Charlottesville PC and Council to review zoning code
A second installment this week and just in the nick of time!
For various reasons, I’m a day behind on posting this installment. This may be the case for the next few weeks as I help family members in Lynchburg with a big move. Part of the experiment is working out the timing! So let’s just get right to it!
Busy Lynchburg Council meeting begins with introduction of five-year Capital Improvement Program
The seven member Lynchburg City Council meets today for a work session today at 4 p.m. followed by a regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. There’s been a drama on Council the past few meetings, but this newsletter is focused on the business before elected bodies. Yet, if a body can’t find a way to get through or even to the business, then that must be noted. (meeting portal page)
The first item on the agenda is an introduction of the Capital Improvement Program for FY2024 through FY2028. For those unfamiliar, the CIP is the way that governments plan for the construction and major maintenance of infrastructure. These are mostly funded through debt service like a credit card bill. Those payments depend on a locality’s bond rating.
Major projects in the works that were introduced in previous years include a new police headquarters, renovation of the public library, a solid waste transfer station, and a lot of road improvement projects.
A new project is the replacement of a mid-town parking deck anticipated to be funded in 2028 at an estimated cost of $40.5 million. New transportation projects include a realignment of Liberty Mountain Drive, phase 1 of Forest Brook Road, and improvements to the intersection of D Street and Rivermont Avenue. There’s a lot more. There’s a lot happening in Lynchburg.
There’s a long list of projects submitted by the School Board that have been removed.
It is practice in Lynchburg for Council to get a preview of items that will come before them at future meetings.
The first is a rezoning that would allow for the redevelopment of the Jones Memorial Library. Proposed is a 107-room hotel. (March 14, 2023 public hearing)
The second is for a conditional use permit for duplexes in the 1300 block of Church Street. (March 14, 2023 public hearing)
The third is an appeal of the decision of the city’s Historic Preservation Committee to deny a Certificate of Appropriateness for window replacement at 210/212 Harrison Street. (March 14, 2023 public hearing)
The fourth is a resolution to join the second opioid settlement available to localities in Virginia. For Lynchburg, that’s a first payment of $209,433.52. (March 14, 2023)
The fifth is a Comprehensive Plan Update. Since the last meeting, Bryson Gordon reported in the Lynchburg News & Advance that two Councilors questioned the idea of paying the Berkley Group to work on the project. I look forward to his coverage and wish I could cover all of this stuff!
Councilors will end the work session with a closed session on six topics.
Discussion of a settlement involving the city’s Water Resources Department
Discussion of the city’s “specific investment needs in the negotiation of a new City towing contract
Discussion of use of public funds to assistance in expansion of an existing business
Discussion of acquisition of public property for public safety purposes
Discussion of candidates for various vacancies on boards and commissions
Review of the performance of the City Attorney
The regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. begins with an invocation from Councilor Larry Taylor followed by a recognition of Lynchburg as a runner friendly city.
The three public hearing items have all been reviewed previously by Council at a prior work session.
There is a consideration of a resolution for the issuance of bonds by the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority for Wesley Apartments at 1201 Long Meadows Drive.
There is consideration of an amendment to the lease agreement between Republic Parking Systems and the City of Lynchburg.
There is consideration of a lease agreement for the Lynchburg Municipal Employees Federal Credit Union.
People who want to comment to Lynchburg City Council have to sign up in advance. This time around we’ll hear from Gary Taylor on the topic of an elected School Board, Beth White on the need for civility, and Timothy Santiago on Chapter 6 Section 37 of the City Charter.
There are nine items under general business.
There is consideration of a request from the School Board to have use in $1.1 million in carryover funds from their FY23 operating budget to the capital fund.
There is consideration of termination or modification of a 1993 agreement between the Lynchburg City Council and the Lynchburg School Board for financial practices related to the fund balance.
There is consideration of a request to use $34,950 from the Library of Virginia to preserve Circuit Court records.
There will be a review of the guidelines for the city’s Physical Development Committee.
There will be an appropriation of $54,163 from the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services Grant Program to purchase a defibrillator and a chest compression system for the Fire Department.
There will be an appropriation of $913,700 for the purchase of updated SCUBA gear.
There will be consideration of an amendment to the requirements for business license filings.
There will be an approval of the budget calendar for FY24.
There will be a vote to adopt the way the 2023 Personal Property Tax rate will be calculated.
Charlottesville Planning Commission and City Council to review zoning code
The City of Charlottesville is contemplating a major shift in the rules for building and development in order to allow more residential density. In early February, the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development services released the first draft of new zoning rules and last week held three open houses for people to ask questions. I wrote a long explanation that you may find helpful as a recap.
At 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the Planning Commission and the City Council will gather in CitySpace to spend three hours coming through the details of what’s known as Module 1. (meeting info)
“Module 1 of the draft Zoning Ordinance covers the proposed zoning district rules, the use table, and the zoning map,” writes NDS Director James Freas in the staff report for the meeting.
On February 14, Freas asked the Planning Commission for specifics on what they wanted to review at this work session. I wrote up some of that conversation, too. These matters are technical but the details will shape the next several decades in Charlottesville.
The first 30 minutes are set aside for further explanations about three topics. What will building setbacks be for odd-shaped lots? How is height measured in both feet and in stories? Where would stacked townhouses be allowed?
Then an hour and a half will be dedicated to policy discussions to inform the next drafts to be released. This will cover a prohibition on using front yards for parking, potential reductions in height for new buildings in Residential-A zones, expanding density bonuses for keeping structures in Residential-B and Residential-C zones, and ground floor elevation in residential districts.
The final hour will be reserved for the zoning map. Staff and consultants will answer why specific zoning districts were applied to the draft map and talk about any potential changes.
Before this meeting, I am hoping to have a segment about a conversation the Council had last week with Freas and other staff about environmental standards in the zoning. The details matter.
Not all of the topics the Commission might want to talk about will be covered at this meeting.
“There were several other questions and topics raised by the Commission that will be taken up as part of the work sessions on Modules 2 and 3 including questions around affordable housing, sensitive communities, and process questions related to plans currently under review,” Freas wrote.
As I ponder what to write about, I put a premium on conversations like this. I believe it is worth it for the community for these topics to have a populace that understands them. You do not have to be at this meeting to observe it and can watch it online. Public comment will not be taken at this meeting but the city does want input. You can email comments to creasym@charlottesville.gov during the meeting.