Two industrial sites go before Goochland Supervisors; Danville to consider ban on overnight camping;
Plus: A resignation requires Amherst BOS to pick a new vice chair
If things go according to plan, this is the first of two editions of this experimental newsletter which looks at the nuts and bolts of local government across Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District. I’m a journalist who is very interested in the details of municipalities, be they cities or counties. One day I hope to expand this to cover towns, but one newsletter at a time.
Some highlights this week:
Danville City Council will consider several short-term rentals, a vacation of right-of-way for the Danville Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and an addition to a planned unit development. They’ll also take up a ban on overnight camping in the city.
Amherst Supervisors will consider an additional $14 million to cover cost overruns for an expansion and renovation of Amherst High School as well as a potential $250 fee for leaving trash outside of closed convenience centers.
Goochland County will get a look at a sizeable revenue surplus for FY23 and will hold several land use public hearings. Two are for industrial sites including one that does not yet have any identifiable tenants.
This is a work of Town Crier Productions, a company I set up in 2020 to help me gather up as much information as I can about items such as this. I have not yet turned on paid subscriptions but hope to do so soon. Feel free to pledge a contribution if you’d like. I very much want to keep going with this experiment!
Tuesday, August 1, 2023
Public hearings before Goochland Supervisors for two industrial sites
The five-member Board of Supervisors in Goochland County will meet at 2 p.m. (meeting packet)
After the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, there will be several reports.
Introduction of new county staff including six new fire recruits
There’s a list of new Planning and Development applications
Under new business in the afternoon session, there will be a presentation on the year end fund balance for FY23. Projections through the fourth quarter indicate that the county will have a revenue surplus of about $12.1 million
The afternoon session will end with a closed session to evaluate the performance of the County Attorney and the County Executive.
The evening session begins at 7 p.m. and there are seven public hearings scheduled though the first is deferred.
A landowner seeks the rezoning of just over 16 acres of land on Rockford Road from Agricultural Limited (A-2) to Residential Limited (R-1). However, the applicant has requested a deferral until September 5, 2023. (staff report)
There is a proposed amendment to the county code chapter on taxation to require tax exempt entities to file an application every three years to hold that status. (staff report)
The Benedictine Society of Virginia seeks an amendment of an existing conditional use permit to allow for the creation of a new softball field. This involves changing the parameters of a buffer required a part of the original approval. (staff report)
The firm West Broad RE LLC seeks an amendment to a conditional use permit to add an electronic message board at a car wash at 1504 Little Tuckahoe Court. (staff report)
A landowner seeks a conditional use permit for an adult day care at 2913 River Road West. (staff report)
This next one needs more than a bulleted point. I-64 Industrial LLC seeks a rezoning of 39.8 acres of land from A-2 to Industrial General (M-2) on Pony Farm Road for a 14-lot industrial park. The Comprehensive Plan designates the land for industrial uses.
Nine of the lots would be in Goochland and five would be in Hanover County. A rezoning is underway in Hanover as well. In Goochland, the Planning Commission voted 3 to 1 to recommend approval. There have been three deferrals in Goochland to wait until after the Hanover Planning Commission weighed in.
The developer is proffering to limit building height to 35 feet and to construct a 30,000 gallon water tank for the purpose of fighting fires.
In the final public hearing, Crescent Acquisitions is seeking a rezoning for nearly 29 acres of a 44.2 acre parcel at 2212 Ashland Road from A-2 to M-2. There is no proposed specific use at this time and the staff report notes it is a speculative rezoning.
“Speculative construction buildings are tenant spaces that are developed and built without a user in place,” reads the staff report. “They are proposing two buildings totaling 335,320 sq. ft.”
The site is a mile north of Interstate 64. Nearby there will be construction of a $42.2 million diverging diamond at the Ashland Road interchange.
The 2035 Comprehensive Plan designates the land as “Fiexible” which means it can be for any manner of non-residential use except heavy industrial use. The Planning Commission recommended approval on a 3-2 vote on July 6.
Staff points out that there is economic development potential in these buildings.
“Goochland Economic Development has had to turn away seven projects in the last year due to lack of available space,” the staff report continues. “The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked 99 projects, in the last year, that required a building size of 150K sq. ft. or less. None of these projects considered Goochland County due to lack of available space.”
The project is within the Tuckahoe Creek Service District and connection fees would help that entity pay down debt for infrastructure that’s already built to serve development.
Amherst Supervisors to select new vice chair following Ayers’ resignation
The five-member Amherst County Board of Supervisors will meet at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the Administration Building at 153 Washington Street in the public meeting room. (meeting files)
After the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, Supervisors will select a new vice-chair for the remainder of 2023. Supervisor J.L. Ayers III submitted his resignation on July 17. They’ll also need to appoint a replacement to the Emergency Services Council.
After approval of the agenda and a public comment period, Supervisors will hold first reading of two ordinances. One relates to solid waste and would add a $250 civil penalty for people who leave refuse outside of closed convenience centers.
“This change was precipitated due to the increased amount of discarded waste left at the gates of convenience centers after hours, prompting both Public Works and the Sheriff's Office to get involved when this activity occurs,” reads the staff report.
The other relates to adding a provision allowing a land use applicant to request a withdrawal that would allow the public hearing to be canceled. (staff report)
On the consent agenda, there’s an appropriation of $962,490.39 in additional revenue for Amherst County Public Schools for the recently concluded fiscal year. This consists of Emergency Connectivity Funding ($467,222), E-rate ($256,761.39), and an electric bus grant from American Electric Power ($238,507).
There’s also a change to the fee structure for requests submitted through the Freedom of Information Act. Making copies of documents will now cost 13 cents as opposed to the current 10 cents.
There are three items under new business.
There is a resolution on extending Line of Duty benefits to members of private police forces.
“The death of Wintergreen Police Officer, Mark Christopher Wagner II, while performing his duties for a private police department, has shined a light on the fact that law enforcement officers, doing the same activities as law enforcement officers employed by public departments, do not have access to the benefits provided for under the Virginia Line of Duty Act,” reads the staff report for a resolution requesting the General Assembly to amend the existing legislation.
There’s a discussion of $14 million in additional financial support for Amherst County Public Schools.
“The Amherst County School Board is requesting additional funding support from the Amherst County Board of Supervisors for the Amherst County High School Construction project due to the project bid exceeding the budget,” reads the staff report. “The construction project includes a new auditorium, dining commons, baseball and softball field house, and renovations to the Career and Technical Education wing of Amherst County High School.”
There is a possibility of raising the meals tax to help provide revenue to cover the additional debt the county might incur.
There will also be a discussion of what permits are required for Limited Brewery and Limited Distillery uses. Virginia law prevents localities from outright banning these types of operations.
Danville City Council to consider PUD expansion, several short-term rentals, and an overnight camping ban
The nine-member Danville City Council will meet at 7 p.m. in the municipal building at 427 Patton Street in City Council Chambers. (regular session meeting files)
This is a fairly extensive meeting with 13 items under new business.
There’s a request from the Danville Redevelopment and Housing Authority to vacate 1.42 acres of right-of-way that had been anticipated to be used for roads that never got constructed. (staff report)
There’s a request from a property owner on Lipton Lane to be allowed to operate a short term rental as the principal use. The land is zoned Old Town Residential so a special use permit is required. (staff report)
The third item is a request for a short-term rental at 54 Glen Oak Drive. This is also on land zoned OTR. (staff report)
The fourth item is for a short-term rental at 21 Ashlawn Drive. Same deal. (staff report)
Also, 162 College Agenue. (staff report)
81 Ashlawn Drive. (staff report)
141 Benefield Street (staff report)
The string of short-term rental request is broken up by a request for a special use permit for a Planned Unit Development on Stewart Street and Aiken Street. The original approval for the PUD was in April 2022. Since then, additional land has been added to the project to bring it to a total of nine acres. (staff report)
Next Council will be asked to approve two letters stating “Moral Obligation” to reaffirm a prior loan with American National Bank. The Danville Industrial Development Authority has a $982,432 loan for two properties. They are 1000 Lockett Drive and 527 Bridge Street. (staff report #1) (staff report #2)
Item #11 is approval of an updated emergency operations plan. (staff report)
Item #12 is consideration of a ban on overnight camping within city limits. The ordinance would require police officers to provide information on emergency shelters. (staff report)
Item #13, or M, would appropriate $7.5 million in proceeds from the sale of utility revenue bonds. (staff report)
A work session is scheduled at the conclusion of the regular meeting but no information has been published in advance. (work session meeting files)
Reading material:
Professor, UVA Library team up to explore Black roots of local farm, Molly Minturn, UVA Today, July 28, 2023
Southside Investing to shrink rezoning application, cut Martin Drive access, Sami Mizra, Chatham Star-Tribune, July 28, 2023
What does Cumberland County need? Residents respond to survey, Brian Carlton, Farmville Herald, July 28, 2023
After two strokes and heart attack, Pittsylvania County investigator files wage complaint against county, John Crane, Danville Register and Bee (paywall), July 29, 2023
Bedford board OKs rezoning, permit for wedding event venue near Smith Mountain Lake, Justin Faulconer, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), July 29, 2023
Amherst board requests $14 million in added funding from county for high school renovation, Justin Faulconer, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), July 29, 2023
"So bittersweet": Process of renovating Dr. Robert "Whirlwind" Johnson's home is underway, Rodney Robinson, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), July 30, 2023