Meetings today in Albemarle, Amelia, and Fluvanna
Another quick summary of what local governments in Virginia's Fifth District will discuss and decide
Three meetings today. I’m preparing for a trip so I’ll just get right into all three plus the links to others stories. I’ll have one more later today or early tomorrow for Nottoway County.
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Amelia Supervisors to learn more about new regional economic development group
The five-member Board of Supervisors in Amelia County will meet at 7 p.m. in the Amelia County Administration Conference Room. (meeting packet)
After the Call to Order, the Invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, the consent agenda, and public comments, there will be presentations from the Virginia Department of Transportation (page 160), the School Board (page 161), and the Board of Supervisors.
There’s also a report on state aid for the Amelia County library. The amount for FY2024 is $99,410, up $10,506 from FY2023. This makes me now want to find out what each locality gets and I would have done that now except some of the libraries are in regional systems and at this late hour I’m not sure which. (page 167)
The Community Development department has several items.
There’s a special event permit request for the Eggleston Plaque dedication requested by the Amelia County American Revolution. (page 170)
There’s a public hearing for a special exception request for a mini-warehouse and storage facility next to Hawkes Funeral Home. (page 173)
There’s a public hearing for a rezoning request for land from Residential-3 to Rural Residential-3. This would allow for the vacation of an existing subdivision and the consolidation of four parcels into one. (page 186)
There’s a special event permit request for the Amelia County Christmas parade to be held on December 2 by the Amelia County Bulletin Monitor and the Commonwealth Real Estate Company. (page 192)
There are several items under old and new business. Here are some things you may not know:
Counties within the Commonwealth Regional Council were awarded over $38.1 million in grants from FY21 to FY23. This is included in a request from the Virginia Association of Planning District Commission for an additional $150,000 in state funding each year. (page 202)
The Commonwealth Regional Council is also seeking to create a new regional economic development organization in partnership with Longwood University. A team of consultants on the project consists of Creative Economic Development Consulting, Timmons Group/Mangum Economics and Convergent Nonprofit Solutions. Findings will be presented at the CRC’s meeting on December 20. The report is available on page 208 and there’s a tremendous amount of information worth reviewing. .
There’s a quarterly report from the Amelia County Department of Emergency Management. (page 313)
There’s also a report from the Amelia County Department of Emergency Management. (page 333)
Albemarle seeking federal funding to for affordable housing incentives
The six member Albemarle Board of Supervisors meets in Lane Auditorium at 1 p.m. for their regular meeting. (agenda)
After the usual start to the meeting, there will be a discussion of legislative priorities for the 2024 General Assembly which begins in about three months. This is the third opportunity this year for Supervisors to discuss their wish list for bills in the upcoming session. In September, they made three main requests:
Supervisors want Virginia to pick up some or all of the tab for the $58 million purchase of land near Rivanna Station.
Supervisors want authority to levy a one percent sales tax for school construction. The likelihood of such a bill passing depends on what political party controls the General Assembly. Such authority was granted to many localities when Democrats held both Chambers but that stopped when Republicans gained a majority in the House of Delegates. Here’s a story from February 2021 that illustrates the philosophical differences.
Supervisors want to be able to deploy speed cameras on rural roads where enforcement is made difficult by narrow lanes.
At this discussion, Supervisors will further discuss a report from the Virginia Department of Fire programs. The draft legislative priority list contains a request for more funding to fully staff public safety personnel. Supervisors will also consider approving a letter of support to Nelson County’s efforts to extend Line of Duty benefits to private police departments.
“Officer Mark Christopher Wagner, II served the Wintergreen community as a private police officer, as recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and while responding to a disturbance call in his capacity as a law enforcement officer, was shot and killed in the line of duty on June 16, 2023,” reads the support letter.
General Assembly approval would be required to make the change.
Supervisors will also get an update on work underway to modernize Albemarle’s zoning code. The Berkeley Group has been conducting a review since early 2022 and will make recommendations.
“The proposed amendments are intended to establish more efficient administrative procedures, provide a clear and user-friendly format, and create an adaptive, modern ordinance that meets the current needs of Albemarle County,” reads the staff report.
I hope to finally get an update written as a result of this presentation.
In the evening session, there will be a public hearing on a grant application to secure funds for the county to begin a couple of loan programs related to the provision of affordable housing.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers funding through the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) program.
“The grant funding can be used for a variety of activities that directly support the County's efforts to develop a developer incentive program,” reads the staff report for the public hearing.
Such a program is called for in the Housing Albemarle plan adopted by the Board of Supervisors in July 2021. That plan would set a minimum percentage of units that have to be provided at sale or rental prices below market, and would expand the period required for compliance.
Albemarle is now seeking $6,322,642, $5 million of which would support an “Affordable Rental Housing Revolving Loan Fund” for both nonprofit and for-profit developers. These groups could apply for up to $50,000 a unit for new construction or rehabilitation, site acquisition, infrastructure, acquisition, and pre-development work.
If the full grant amount is awarded, another $1 million would go to a “Small Landlord Fund” for repairs to rental units and another $162,009 would be used to fund a part-time housing inspector for four years.
Fluvanna Supervisors to discuss solar policy and projects with Fluvanna PC
The five-member Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors will meet with their counterparts on the Fluvanna Planning Commission for a work session at 5 p.m. Then Supervisors will hold their regular meeting at 7 p.m. They meet in the Carysbrook Performing Arts Center at 8880 James Madison Highway, Fork Union, VA 23055 . (meeting packet)
The work session will be an informational discussion on solar projects. This information is not in the packet. CBS19 has a preview.
There are three public hearings.
One is on a quitclaim of a county-held easement for the Free Hill Cemetery in Columbia that will be deeded over to the Fluvanna Historical Society. (page 5)
The second is to allow revenue-sharing with solar companies as an alternative to taxing tools and machinery. If adopted, Fluvanna would collect $1,400 per megawatt for new projects. (page 15)
The third is to establish a transient occupancy tax of five percent. (page 19)
Supervisors will also take action on a pay policy for constitutional officers. (page 27)
On the consent agenda is a memorandum of understanding for Fluvanna County to join the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement (JADE) Task Force. (page 53)
Reading material:
Nelson supervisors, planning commission review citizen comments on comprehensive plan overhaul, Rodney Robinson, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), October 11, 2023
Parkland Direct to expand operations in Forest, bring 41 new jobs to Bedford County, Justin Faulconer, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), October 12, 2023
Parkland Direct Plans Bedford County, Virginia, Operations, Area Development, October 13, 2023
Bedford supervisors, EDA talk economic development strategies and goals, Justin Faulconer, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), October 14, 2023