Coraggio Consulting
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Regular Second Meeting and Public Hearing on Board’s Proposed Budget, Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Place: Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, Virginia
Length: 9h 36m (video)
Official meeting video (Granicus): https://albemarle.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=1000
Official agenda: https://albemarle.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=1000

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-16. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:00:00] Good afternoon. I'm pleased to call to order this regular meeting of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors on the 17th of April at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium. I'd like to note that at the dais, we have Supervisor Mike Pruitt of the Scottsville District, Supervisor B. Lapisto-Kirtley of the Rivanna District, Supervisor Diantha McKeel of the Jack Jewett District, Supervisor Ned Galloway of the Ryo District, Supervisor Ann Malick of the Whitehall District, and myself, Jim Andrews, representing the Samuel Miller District.

[00:00:28] A quorum is present. Also, we're joined by our county executive, Mr. Jeff Richardson, our county attorney, Mr. Steve Rosenberg, our clerk, Ms. Claudette Borgerson, and our senior deputy clerk behind the scenes, Mr. Travis Morris. Also, let me please welcome Albemarle County Police Officers present, Master Police Officer Chip Riley and Officer Andy Muncy.

[00:00:48] We thank you for your service today and every day on behalf of the citizens of Albemarle County for our safety and security. If all present, would now stand as you are able to join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

[00:01:08] Thank you. Now if you'll join us for a moment of silence. Thank you. Board, at this point it's

[00:01:49] time for us to adopt the final agenda. I have not heard of any proposed amendments to the final agenda. If we have a motion. I move that we adopt the agenda as posted. Second. So we have a motion from Supervisor Malek, second from Supervisor McKeel. Without objection, if the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malek? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews? Yes. Mr. Galloway?

[00:02:13] Yes. Ms. Lapisto-Kirtley. Aye. Thank you. Now we will turn to have brief announcements by board members. And our order for today starts with Supervisor Lapisto-Kirtley. Thank you very much. And other than just reporting on the EDA meeting yesterday where they approved giving monies to a beekeeper for a mobile beekeeping processing plant that can actually, or trailer, they can actually go to smaller beekeepers in the area, actually go there so they can process their honey,

[00:02:52] which saves them time and money and helps get more honey and helps the environment. That's it. - Thank you. - Supervisor Galloway. - Thank you, Chair Andrews. I wanna acknowledge that it, especially over the last seven to 10 days, it's been a particularly difficult or trying time for our public safety officials, both in police, fire, and the folks that the emergency response and all the systems that are in place to deal with that.

[00:03:27] I want to speak to one in particular that occurred in the Rio District and Belvedere that bordered the Fairview Swim and Tennis Club. It's not lost on me that if you're not aware that what happened was the Hartz team was first on scene and the gentleman was found to be in a mental health crisis And eventually the police department had to come in to help resolve the situation.

[00:03:52] The fact that the situation was resolved and that man is receiving treatment is a specific commitment to an approach here in Albemarle County that I appreciate. It is not lost on me that this gentleman would have been shot and killed in other jurisdictions in this country.

[00:04:09] And frankly, the shooting and the death of the individual could have been justified as a killing. because it's justified does not mean it's the right choice or the right thing to do and that goes to our approach to community policing in albemarle county that i am very appreciative that we have so i am grateful to all the men and women that were involved that day to handle that situation with patience compassion and thought and care to resolve the situation that no residents or any of the personnel received injury and non-lethal means were used to subdue the gentleman and now he's

[00:04:47] receiving treatment that he needs. That type of commitment takes strong leadership pull out. I'm very grateful that we have Colonel Reeves in place because I know he is committed to this policing model and that's how we're going to do and conduct business here in Albemarle County. So I'm particularly grateful for his leadership and Mr. Richardson and that of the county executive's office. But it also takes buy-in and commitment from the men and women that are on the street putting that in place because they are the ones that are first on scene often encountering the situation and know that that is the right approach to do, even though perhaps other justified approaches could be used.

[00:05:27] So I just wanted to take the moment as it happened in the Rio district to say that. I also shared this with an HOA. I was invited last week to be a guest to an HOA in my district. And sometimes, you know, if I go and host something, it's a political event. People come out and those who are politically involved will come out. If we host town halls, those that are typically come to town halls will come out. But this was an event where I was invited into. So the citizens there were a mix, you know, at different ages, different political minds, different political thoughts and views on things. But when I shared that story in these same words with them, they were all nodding in agreement, every single person in the room, that this is the correct and

[00:06:06] right approach to follow in Albemarle. And I think it's important for our police department and all the men and women involved in our public safety positions know that your citizens are behind you with that commitment and buy-in for the approach in Albemarle County. So if Mr. Richardson, if you wouldn't mind sharing that. I would appreciate it. Thank you, Chair Andrews. Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt. Yes. So first, I'd like to recognize that right across the street in our neighbor, Charlottesville, is the beginning of the TomTom Festival. That's not in our jurisdiction, but I do think it's important because it touches on a lot of issues that are close to how we govern and how

[00:06:44] we think about ourselves as a community. Specifically on Saturday, there's a re-entry, a day-long panel for former offenders who are re-entering our community, talking about the challenges they face and how we can build a world that is more capably able of supporting that.

[00:07:01] So I would encourage folks to look into the program that's offered there. Additionally, on Saturday from 10 to 3 p.m., that is this Saturday, April 20th, is the Scottsville Literary Festival. We combine the words Scottsville and literary.

[00:07:17] Scottsville literary. Very, very tricky. So, if you are in the neighborhood, please make it out to that. You are invited to wear a book-themed costume, they're going to be starting at Victory Hall. That's the big building that says Victory Hall on the side.

[00:07:33] And lastly, much like Supervisor Galloway, I would like to thank all our public safety professionals in the county who have been dealing with a really trying past two weeks. And I will briefly speak to the incident that occurred in my jurisdiction.

[00:07:49] There was a bomb threat that faced a Planet Fitness that was in my district. It was temporarily shut down, as were several adjacent buildings, as was traffic to one of the most important commercial areas in my entire district, Fifth Street Station.

[00:08:04] It is one of the dozens across the country that appear to have been targeted in response to the fact that Planet Fitness as a gym, as a policy, does not ban trans women from locker rooms. So I view this specifically as an anti-LGBT terror effort.

[00:08:20] And I've been deeply reassured by the fact that our community has really wholly rejected the notion that this is an appropriate response in our community and that this is an appropriate form of hate to find any home in our community.

[00:08:37] I would also just like to address that, you know, the board has learned that our ability to seek damages following a conviction by the Commonwealth Attorney for the expenses that we incurred during this is severely limited and would need to be contingent on an ordinance. And I would suggest to my peers on the board and to our community that this is a very essential and basic next step that needs to be pursued to make sure that we are responding as fully as possible to these future threats as we can.

[00:09:04] I would also note that in general, our tools for directly confronting those who incite such incidents is deeply and frustratingly limited. In my personal capacity, I plan to be working with my representatives, who happen to both be lawyers, so I'm sure we can think of something together, to see what kind of tools can be deployed in order to make it easier to hold people responsible who bring these threats into our community. And lastly, I think I'd be remiss if I didn't, again, thank our public safety personnel and note this resulted in an increase to security concerns. This resulted in an increase to security concerns to the county

[00:09:42] and to myself. In my personal capacity, I've received multiple death threats. I've received hundreds of direct accusations of sexual predatorism and pedophilia sent directly to me because I spoke against an anti-LGBT terror threat in my community. And we expected this as a community. And frankly, I have a lot of guilt with making this statement, knowing that would expect this kind of additional concern this kind of additional threat in our community and i want to suggest that this is something that as a society we are becoming too comfortable with the

[00:10:20] normalization of we have accepted and agree as a community that this kind of threat of violence is normal in these certain contexts i would ask everyone in the audience to think about how we do participate and join and empower the kind of voices that normalize political violence in our community. And on that note, I'd like to note that the first day of in-person elections is May 3rd for the congressional primary, and the first day of in-person elections for the general is going to be

[00:10:53] in September, Friday 20th. Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor McKeel. Yes, there seems to be a theme here today but um i appreciate the words of the uh my fellow board members and i just want to to recognize again the hearts team um i had just last week a business owner who remarked to me that they had an employee in the business in their business during the working hours that had a mental

[00:11:29] health breakdown and she called 911 and she said I was so appreciative that the hearts team came and she said they were able to diffuse the problem and she said it worked out really beautifully but she said in the in prior years it would not have been the good out possibly not have been such a good outcome so um and just speaking for all of us I know I can say this we are thrilled that this budget does contain the money to provide another team so that we will no longer be just responding

[00:12:06] to those calls during the week, during business hours. We'll have another team out to answer calls in the evenings and on weekends. On another note, I just want to thank the folks that came to my town hall, our, you know, we had the budget town hall, for I think the first time that I can even remember, I had more residents and more constituents than I had staff, which is a good thing. 35 people came. And I really want to thank staff for providing, I think, a really different

[00:12:45] look at our budget town halls, where we combine the transportation and safety and other reports that I know are on the minds of our constituents, as well as our budget information. So from the Jack Jewett District, thank you very much, our Morrow County staff and team.

[00:13:04] And I really appreciate the community coming to our town hall. Thanks. Thank you. Supervisor Malek. Sorry, is that me? Yes. Yes. Okay. So thank you. I was looking away. Thank you all very much.

[00:13:20] I'm going to add a couple of thoughts to the recognition of my colleagues regarding community policing and share again my appreciation for the three police chiefs since 2009 and the board leadership of successive boards since that same time to focus on community policing, the old cop on the block, the getting people out of their patrol cars and familiarizing with their neighbors and keeping the same staff in the same region, which hadn't been done for 20 years before then.

[00:13:57] Staff were always moving around and almost kept separate from their constituents and the citizens whom they were protecting. So I'm very grateful for all of those advancements and the work that Chief Sellers, Chief Lance, and leadership from Chief Reeves to sponsor the Harts team and to really allow its great success that's already happened in the first six months.

[00:14:20] I look forward to that. The Whitehall Town Hall sort of brought up the end of the season, and the 91st one of mine since 2008 was in Crozet on April 10th. It was the very first time I'd had a contingent of staff there.

[00:14:37] It was a fantastic experience, so I really enjoyed that. We all felt very pampered. The presentations were excellent. County Executive Richardson did a great introduction and took along with other staff, and I took a lot of questions from constituents.

[00:14:53] So it was really fun, one before and one after. On my own, I had slightly smaller contingencies, about 20 in one and 10 in the other. But it was a great season. So thank you all for participating and continuing to reach out to all the board members with your concerns.

[00:15:12] Announcements-wise, three quick things. This Friday, April 19th at 11 a.m., is the 58th rededication of the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial. right down in McIntyre Park. Parking will be in the field, but you'll be directed to enter through the skate park going westbound, northbound on the bypass only. Then on the 27th of April, only one day, the Whitehall Ruritons will be holding their plant sale. These are plants raised from seed or dug from our members' gardens. Funds are used for high school graduate scholarships to college or advanced training, and also to restore and maintain this historic building, which was a

[00:15:50] parish church in 1905 and given to the community about 60 years ago the last announcement is the 21st of may no sorry the 21st spring plant sale hosted by the piedmont master gardeners that is saturday may 4th at albara square from 10 to 2 and a great chance for people to spruce up their own gardens with native plants grown locally and thank you all very much thank you um and keeping with the theme of course uh in in samuel miller district we had a couple of fire incidents to

[00:16:26] respond to one was just an unattended grill but it caused some damage and everybody should practice safety and recognize that even if we've got rain at all the fire season is still upon us and i also wanted to let you all know that i did uh had the honor of signing and sending off thank you letters to the localities that helped us with March 20th, mutual aid on Nelson County, Cumberland County, Amelia County, Isles White County, Town of Pulaski, and our neighbor Green County. So very much appreciate that. And I also very much appreciate Supervisor Galloway's

[00:17:05] comments about the importance of the arts team and the approach that we're taking towards this sort of issue. Thank you. There's nothing further. Our next item is proclamations and recognitions, and I believe Supervisor Lupisto-Curtley will read this one. Yes, it is my privilege to be able to read this proclamation, a proclamation recognizing National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, which also supports the fact that we are extremely supportive of law enforcement, fire, health and safety.

[00:17:44] I'm very proud of the programs that we have. Whereas in an emergency, community members depend on public safety telecommunications and access to 911 as their only means to request help from fire and rescue, law enforcement, animal control, and emergency mental health responders.

[00:18:05] And whereas when an emergency occurs, the prompt response of field responders is critical to the protection of life and preservation of property. And public safety telecommunicators are the first first responders. The single vital link between field responders and persons seeking immediate relief during an emergency.

[00:18:29] And whereas the Charlottesville UVA Albemarle County Emergency Communications Center, CUA-ECC was founded in 1984 as a joint venture between the city of Charlottesville, the University of Virginia, and Albemarle County.

[00:18:46] And whereas public safety communicators of the CUA-ECC process approximately 250,000 calls per year for persons who call, text, or video call the Emergency Communications Center and ensure the safety of our field responder personnel by monitoring their activities and providing them crucial information, thereby significantly contributing to crime reduction, fire suppression, and patient treatments.

[00:19:20] And whereas each day public safety telecommunicators provide life-saving treatment, instructions, compassion, understanding, and professionalism during the performance of their jobs. Now, therefore, it be proclaimed that we, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, do hereby recognize the week of April 14th through the 20th, 2024, as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, in honor of the telecommunicators and whose roles provide support for them, whose diligence and professionalism keep our communities safe and healthy, and

[00:19:59] commemorate the 40th anniversary of the CUA Emergency Communications Center. Signed the 17th day of April 2024, Jim Andrews, Chair, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. Second. We have a motion from Supervisor Lupisto currently, a second from Supervisor McHale. Without objection,

[00:20:20] if the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malik? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews? Yes. Mr. Galloway? Yes. Ms. Lopisto-Kirtley? Aye. Thank you. And at this moment, Mr. Sonny Saxton, Executive Director of the Charlottesville, UVA, Albemarle County Emergency Communication Center. Welcome to our celebration of the telecommunicators week. Well, thank you. It's a mouthful, right? Thank you. I appreciate that, Chair Andrews.

[00:20:51] I do want to say I'm privileged to serve as your executive director of the Regional Emergency Communications Center, but I'm also the immediate past president of the Virginia Association of Communications Officials. And so on behalf of both organizations, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to recognize our public safety communications officers.

[00:21:11] We've got over 60 co-workers at the ECC, and they're very thankful for the recognition. And And with me today, if I may, I would like to ask those that join me to stand up and be recognized. And thank you, Chair.

[00:21:34] If I may also, we're having an open house tomorrow from 4 to 7 at the Emergency Communication Center. They're on Ivy, and we'll have hamburgers and hot dogs. And I'd love to have the community come out, if I may. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that. That's excellent. Please hold tight for a moment.

[00:21:49] I'm sure people have remarks. So starting with Supervisor Lupisto-Curtley. Yes, I think I said it all, but I'm very appreciative. Without 911, frankly, where would we be? You have saved so many lives through your professionalism, through the dedicated employees that you have, in support of police, fire, the HART team, because you are the ones that notify them, and that is something that we're extremely grateful for.

[00:22:19] Thank you. Supervisor Galloway. Yeah, I echo the fact that I'm very appreciative of all you do. It's not lost on me that the individual is involved. When, I mean, you think of the skill set you need to be able to take a call in an even-keeled, calm manner to keep what you're dealing with, that you never know what it's going to be, and then figuring out where to route it to the appropriate place.

[00:22:42] I mean, that's quite the skill set. So to all those that work with you, that is acknowledged. And it's not just about taking the phone call. It's also then about all of the process that has to happen behind that to make it all work. So incredibly grateful for all the work that you guys do day in and day out to help keep our community safe.

[00:23:00] Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt. Thank you so much, and thank you to all the communicators who were able to be here today, as well as those on your team who weren't able to be here because they're busy. I think we've all expressed already today how deeply appreciative we are of the public safety efforts that are taking place throughout the county during what's been an especially challenging few weeks, and I understand that y'all have been an integral part of that.

[00:23:28] So, again, thank you so much for the work that you'll provide to our county. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate that. Thank you. Supervisor McKeel. Thank you very much for everything all of you all do back there. Is there a way that you could just ask, would they mind coming up and just introducing themselves?

[00:23:46] Yes, would love that if you have time. Yeah, I would love that. Yeah, I don't want to take too much of your time. That would be lovely if they could just come up and introduce themselves. We appreciate it. Thank you so much. And stay standing for a photo op. Yeah, the photo op I would love. Thank you. We're very proud. Proud to be part of the Albemarle community.

[00:24:03] While they're coming, how many are on staff now? We've got a little over 60 right now. Still, we're looking for a few, but yeah, a little over 60. Amazing, though. Amazing individuals. Hi, thank you. I'm Celeste Baldino.

[00:24:19] I am currently the Deputy Director of Operations, and I've been with the ECC since 2001. Good afternoon, board. Thank you for your kind words today in recognition of the team. My name is Josh Powell. I'm the deputy director of support services for the ECC.

[00:24:35] I have worked there for around five years, and my job is, a little of all things admin, supporting the team, making sure they have the tools that they need to get the job done. Thank you. Hello, Lily Gregg, deputy director of technology. I've been there about 10 years now.

[00:24:51] Thank you. Hello, Penny Banks. I am the senior systems engineer. I've been there for 24 years. Oh, wow. I get a little nervous.

[00:25:11] My name is Devin Capello. I've been with the agency for a year now. I'm very grateful to be here and working in Almar County. I'm glad that we're able to serve your community. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.

[00:25:29] I just want to say that this is a really good example of how the university and the city and Elmar County work together for the benefit of our community. And for folks that say we don't get along, actually we do. I'm always amazed because I know there's an ECC number for Charlottesville, a non-emergency as well, and one for Albemarle.

[00:25:57] And I assume, I don't know if there's one for the university, but I know all of those numbers just go directly to you guys. And once you get it, you figure it out. So thank you very much. Professor Malek. Thank you all very much.

[00:26:13] Over the last 40 years, it's amazing when I think back. Each of us used to have a postcard next to the phone with directions of how to find us. And back in the 90s, my technology elementary students learning to keyboard used their practice time to actually digitize the directions notebook for the early civil fire company.

[00:26:33] They thought that was really cool because every fire engine had a notebook and they're looking through, trying to figure out how to get to the Malik's house, basically. So thank you very much, our systems engineers and technology people, for helping us to have access to so much more ability so you can do your job so much more easily because it's really great to have the babysitter or senior care person be able to just pick up the phone and not have to worry about how to describe how to go one mile to the tree, take a left, that kind of thing, to get there.

[00:27:05] And I'm also grateful that our 9-1-1 actually comes to you because other parts of the country are not so lucky. They have their 9-1-1 go to Kansas by mistake, and then that really adds a whole lot of delay for getting services. So thank you very much for making sure that happens as well.

[00:27:21] Thank you. I echo the sentiments of the other supervisors and appreciation for what you are doing, what you've done, what you will do on behalf of our community. I had the pleasure of attending the Reed Award presentation at the Virginia Festival, the book, and one of the recipients who read has written a book, Before It's Gone, Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America, and it really was a story about you people and your ability to help warn when disasters are striking and to, you know, respond to these and coordinate these efforts.

[00:28:00] May I add one more thing I forgot? when you're done well i just want to make sure that we make sure we get our photo op and supervisor pizzo currently has the proclamation oh great i see jeff leaning in yeah say something i would like to take a second uh chair to mention the the point that was made by one of the supervisors about the regional nature of the work with the university the city and the county uh we've got an amazing team over under mr saxton's leadership where the advantages

[00:28:34] of having this multi-agency representation in one room, so many of our emergency events end up being more than just one responding agency, and you are looking at balancing three different organizations, and you're balancing also calls for service in other parts of a very large county, a very dense city, and a very busy university.

[00:29:01] These people do amazing work, and so oftentimes this board does a wonderful job in your board meetings of recognizing our emergency response services out of police and fire. And we always need to remember that everything that our people in the field do is anchored back to the wonderful work out of the ECC.

[00:29:21] Sonny, I was not a part of this conversation, but I just want you, if you would, and you and I did not rehearse this, so I hope I ask you the right question. You were recently in a conversation with one of our staff talking about your observations of daytime population growth in our community versus permanent nighttime population growth.

[00:29:42] Could you take a second and speak to that as it relates to the call volume in your organization and what you see as a destination community and as a community that grows by quite a bit during the day? Could you say something about that for our board? Yeah, thank you, Mr. Richardson.

[00:29:57] Thank you for mentioning that. So that's one of the things that we are challenged in our community to make sure that we're available to answer that call, especially during the daytime and the evening hours. We have, I'm sure I'm preaching the choir a little bit here, but we are a destination community for many workers from around the communities around us.

[00:30:18] And so what we see, just to keep it short, is that our 911 volume, so the volume of people that are reaching out and asking for assistance is on order of communities that are two times our size. And that probably, our guess, and our study shows that that's because of that influx of population that we see during the daytime hours. And so, quite frankly, some of the challenges and some of the opportunities that we have come from that daytime population, evening population, really spiking during the week. And so, more to follow on that, but very, very appreciative of the support that we have from Albemarle County and the other

[00:30:53] partners as well. So thank you. Thank you. That's a really important point. Appreciate that. The only question I was going to ask you to take away with you is at the night out at Stonefield a couple of years ago, I always had a conversation with some of your staff who were describing how crowded it is in your space. So please don't wait till the last minute before you let us know about those kinds of needs because it takes a while to make that happen. Thank you. Yeah, we're working with staff on that. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. Thank you. And I believe you're going to

[00:31:23] take a picture? Thank you. Thank you for all your time today, guys. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Thank you. About 10 years ago, the PED talked about 35,000 people coming in and going out every day from the regional community. It's probably larger now. I'm sure it is larger now.

[00:31:46] Stand up behind them here or sit right here. We can stand up. We'll just stand up. Peek over your shoulders, how about that? It's okay. You all are the spotlight. It's okay. We're all. Thank you.

[00:32:07] Thank you. Thank you. Some of you got some work to do to catch Ms. Banks 24 years. Hi, Celeste. How are you? Good to see you. Whitehall resident here.

[00:32:32] So, board, that brings us to item seven, which is matters from the public. Matters on the agenda, but not listed for public hearing or matters previously considered by the board or matters that are pending before the board. I believe we have some sign-ups, and I will ask Vice Chair McKeel to read the rules for in-person speakers.

[00:32:49] I think that's all we have. Yep. We have two sign-ups, and I will read. During the time set aside for matters on the agenda but not listed for public hearing, individuals may address the Board of Supervisors concerning matters previously considered by the board or matters that are pending before the board other than items listed on the agenda for public hearing.

[00:33:11] Individuals are allowed one opportunity of up to three minutes to speak at each board meeting during matters from the public. A sign-up sheet is managed by the clerk's office. Timekeeping is conducted through a timer and light system at the podium. The green light will go on when you begin speaking, which begins your allotted time.

[00:33:29] The yellow light indicates you have one minute to finish speaking, and the red light indicates your time has expired and you will be asked to end your comments. To give all speakers equal treatment and courtesy, the board requests that speakers adhere to the following guidelines. When addressing the board, state your name and if you live in Elmar County, your magisterial district.

[00:33:49] Address comments directly to the board as a whole. Any written statements or other supporting material may be given to the clerk. If representing a group or organization, you may ask others present to raise their hands in recognition. Speakers may not share any unused time with another speaker.

[00:34:06] and forth debate is not permitted. Do not speak from your seat or out of turn. All comments are live streamed, recorded, and published on the Elmira County website. And with that, our first speaker is, and I'm struggling with the, and I see you looking at me. Mary, I believe that's you, and your last name is Crumbine. I'm just not sure about, I'm sorry. You can come up and clarify.

[00:34:36] Welcome. Please adjust the microphone so you can be heard. It's Crumbine, but that's fine. All right, I'm ready. My name is Mary, and I recently purchased in Albemarle County in the Scottsville District, the former Slate Hill Baptist Church, which is the old historic Slate Hill meeting house. And it's on the national and state historic registers of places. And I'm just asking for a minor special exception to have it titled in a business name instead of a personal

[00:35:11] name i will eventually be living there once it's renovated um for partially for liability and also because of the construction loan i'm going to do to restore the property and kind of take it back more to the um its original look and show how really beautiful it is um is a sba a small business administration loan so it has to be titled in a business and not personally um and i've also gotten a lot of helpful information from miss leo brumfield she let me know that um i probably don't need to subdivide as I recently and initially had put in in the special exception request. So I probably won't be doing that. That's it. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you. Tom Olivier.

[00:35:57] Good afternoon. I'm Tom Olivier from the Samuel Miller District. I'm here to speak about Rivanna Futures and related developments. In past updates to the Planning Commission and to you, the County Executive Office staff suggested that Rivanna Futures could anchor an eight-mile defense and Technology Corridor running along 29 North all the way to the Greene County line, and business community support for such a corridor was said to be already in place. I have questions regarding the projected economic and environmental consequences of such developments. For starters,

[00:36:35] what obvious community need would an eight-mile military industrial complex on 29 North meet, and would its benefits exceed its detrimental effects? No doubt a multi-mile tech DOD corridor would expand the local economy, but is that vital or even good?

[00:36:54] Outlaw's economy has been relatively strong for decades, and for better and worse, UVA is anchored here and an engine of growth. An eight-mile military-industrial complex on 29 North undoubtedly would attract many new highly skilled residents to fill new high-tech jobs, but think of the associated new homes, expensive new schools, new shopping centers, new growth areas, worse traffic, and more. I'm skeptical that most residents want these. Current low-income residents could reap the fewest benefits.

[00:37:29] They will lack the skills to fill fancy tech jobs. Existing housing costs will rise. Rising costs will drive many poor people out of Albemarle. Turning to the environment, a new building would destroy or fragment forests and other habitat blocks, undermining the county's 25-year-old commitment to protect its ecosystems.

[00:37:53] New buildings also would expand heat islands and exacerbate climate resilience challenges. The energy needs of new residents would undermine county efforts to become carbon neutral. These environmental consequences of a Tech DoD corridor would add to threats to our community's future.

[00:38:14] I could be wrong with these seat-of-the-pants assessments. Perhaps you have analyses of the many impacts of a 29 North Tech DoD corridor. If you do, please post them on the county website so citizens can examine them.

[00:38:30] If you don't have impact analyses, please hold promotion of or commitments to the 29 North Tech DOD Corridor until you have studies to inform your decisions. Thank you. Thank you.

[00:38:45] That concludes our number seven. We'll move on to number eight, which is the consent agenda. I'm not aware of any amendments to the consent agenda, so the floor is open for a motion to adopt the consent agenda.

[00:39:02] So moved. Second. We have a motion from Supervisor Malik. Second from Supervisor McKeel. Without objection, if the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malik? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews? Yes. Mr. Galloway? Yes. Ms. Lapista? Currently? Aye. Thank you.

[00:39:20] The Board will now move to three similar action items relating to special exceptions for homestays. First, from the Ravenna District, SE 20-23-42, 30-74, Doctors Crossing Homestay. I believe this and the next two items will be led by Ms. Leah Brumfield, Senior Planner 2.

[00:39:39] Welcome, Ms. Brumfield.

[00:39:56] And let me go ahead and get my laptop plugged in here.

[00:40:00] The screens do not seem to be...

[00:40:48] Yeah, we're getting that plugged in. Working in. There we go.

[00:41:23] So good afternoon. My name is Leah Brumfield, Senior Planner 2 in zoning. We do, as mentioned, have three homestay special exceptions before the board today. They are all three requesting authorization for a resident agent to fulfill residency requirements for a homestay use.

[00:41:50] Our first special exception is special exception 2023-42 at 3074 Doctors Crossing in Stony Point. The parcel is 65 acres in size, largely forested and in hay, and as this is a rural area's parcel of greater than five acres in size, it is permitted to rent up to five guest sleeping spaces within a single-family dwelling or an accessory structure built before August 7th, 2019.

[00:42:25] Unhosted stays are permitted up to seven days per month, up to 45 days per year. If the special exception to allow a resident agent is approved, the owner must at that point apply for a homestay zoning clearance, and during that review process, the structure used for the homestay would be inspected for building, fire safety. The owners would be required to send a notice to neighbors, providing them with responsible agent contact information, and the homestay is also required to provide guest parking on site at a standard rate of one parking space per guest

[00:43:02] bedroom. In following years, the property would be required to pass a fire safety inspection annually. So here I have a slide that was included in the board's materials. The homestay at 3074 Doctor's Crossing is proposed to be located in the center of the 65 acre parcel as shown here with the yellow star and then the close-up shows the structure itself from the aerial along with

[00:43:35] a lot of parking that is along the driveway. This is a full view of the front of the single family dwelling proposed for use as a homestay. The reason that this is being requested for a special exception is because the property is owned by Ms. Leslie Martina Durr. Her letter to the board was included in the packet provided. As noted in the application, Ms. Durr currently resides in a retirement community, and her son, Mr. Eric Hurt, resides on the property with his family. Ms. Durr is requesting permission for Mr. Hurt to serve as her resident agent

[00:44:13] to permit the property to host a homestay, and if this special exception is approved during the homestay clearance process, the residency would be reviewed and approved at that point. This slide shows views from the structure looking south, west, and north in that order.

[00:44:36] As you can see, there is dense vegetation and a lot of space in between this property and any abutting dwellings. So, as such, we would like to note the factors to be considered in a special exception.

[00:44:55] Adverse impacts to the surrounding neighborhood, public health, safety, or welfare. consistency with the comprehensive plan and consistency in size and scale with the surrounding neighborhood. Looking at those factors, reviewing the application is a land use decision. We do not, staff does not believe that the homestay would propose an adverse impact to the surrounding neighborhood, public health, safety, or welfare. And as it is in an existing structure and it is an accessory use to a residential dwelling. The use is considered consistent with the comprehensive

[00:45:35] plan and in the size and scale of the surrounding neighborhood. As such, staff does recommend approval of the homestay special exception 2023-42 at 3074 Doctors Crossing. And I think I set a record there. That concludes staff's presentation. Thank you. Board will now ask questions and comment uh supervisor lapisto curtley uh yes i i have no questions thank you very much supervisor galloway no questions for me supervisor pruitt quick question when we have

[00:46:11] a exception for a specific resident manager i know these homestay exceptions survive um the existing owners they they run with the land i'm not clear though if the specification of the resident manager travels with the land? No, it does not. The permission is for a resident agent.

[00:46:34] As in the resolution that's provided, it's not a specific resident agent that is listed in that resolution. It's just the allowance of a resident agent. Are we able to, are applicants able to specify a specific resident agent in their exception? They usually do just for context.

[00:46:57] I don't know if we could list that in our resolution. That would, I think, be a question for Mr. Rosenberg. I don't think that the board has the authority to require that level of detail, either under the existing ordinance or to amend the existing ordinance to require that detail.

[00:47:32] enabling statute would not allow the board to impose that kind of a requirement. Thank you. Just to share with the board where I'm thinking, I think we frequently come to, in the past, when I've observed the board's work on home stay exemptions, we generally are supportive of the individual residents who are coming to us with these and also have a lot of concerns with the program itself and how that legal title is structured and the permissions are structured. And this, to me, strikes as another potential thing to raise as a concern

[00:48:07] when we talk with our colleagues in the General Assembly in the future. This strikes me as something that is prone to a potential for abuse, because this becomes a thing that travels again with the land, like the homestay itself, but also that allows a non-resident to continue to manage the property ad infinitum. All of the ones before us, I think, they are people with a personal connection to the owner. In one case, it is literally the owner, but that does not have to be the case the way these are structured, and that is the concern I'm just wanting to highlight.

[00:48:46] Thanks. Thank you. Supervisor McKeel. Leah, would you help me understand where, I'm a little confused, he's going to live, the son is going to live on the property, but not in this house. Where is he going to live on the property? No, he does live in this house. That is a full-time residence.

[00:49:04] The rental currently would only be for the unhosted stays, which is limited, very limited. That's only the seven days a month, 45 days a year. But he was discussing building out the basement to make an apartment down there. I don't know why I was confused, but maybe it doesn't matter. So he's going to live, he's living in the house itself. He currently does living house yes all right that makes so he's a resident manager yes essentially he would be the resident agent and um and he would also be the responsible agent so he would be both both roles

[00:49:37] so another question was sort of mirrored a little bit what mike was asking so if we approve this in the future um who knows what would happen but if the land changed hands and then we had a new owner and all um this would these the resident manager the piece that we're approving would not follow it would certainly this would would be this property would be available for a homestay but the details would not that we have in this agreement would not follow so the details in the

[00:50:13] agreement do follow because they are specifically only limited to allowing a resident agent we're not. The proposal in front of the board today, the proposed resolution, does not specify who the resident agent is. It only specifies that it permits a resident agent. And as far as kind of addressing Supervisor Pruitt's concern a little bit earlier, part of the annual short-term rental registry is looking at and updating the resident agent and making sure that that is still uh a occupied parcel so while it could be under a different name a different llc

[00:50:53] um and it could have a different resident agent we are still ensuring that there is someone living on the parcel that is very helpful thank you very much i appreciate it supervisor malik thank you i didn't have any questions until the question started and now i do so i'm probably going to go round and round again in circles because i think i've asked this question in previous years and now I can't remember what the answer was.

[00:51:19] When we've discussed LLCs in the past, it has been the beneficiary of the LLC is a member of the family, and it has been owner-occupied is the whole basis for our ordinance. So the LLC coming in and having a resident agent was because the beneficiary is still the owner-family person, which seems to work perfectly for this particular property.

[00:51:43] Where now I'm confused is where's it going? Because now it seems like the answer has been, that's not the case anymore. And we did not change the ordinance, to my understanding. So I would love to have some clarification on that, that I won't have to answer it again for the other two things that are coming up.

[00:52:04] There's a reinterpretation, it sounds like, that's going on now, that it's not owner-occupied anymore. So you described how everything would be carrying forward if a new person came and would have different circumstances. So I just want to clarify that I'm wrong about that. So a resident agent, we do not specify, we have never specified who the resident agent is.

[00:52:26] The ordinance currently does still require owner occupancy, which is why the special exception is in front of the board today. So if it was owner occupied, they would not be required to get a special exception. So if Ms. Durr still lived on the property, she would be able to rent out the home as a homestay under her own name.

[00:52:48] Since her son lives on the property, that is why they need a special exception. Got it. Thank you. That's perfect. And to be clear, in this instance, there is no LLC involved.

[00:53:07] Right. Okay. There is no business entity involved. It's owned by the individual who is not residing at the property. Right now. Got it. Okay. And just the add-on is that July 1st, the board will get authority to limit at three years.

[00:53:22] And so that's something we need to keep in our mind and get that in the schedule. Thank you very much. I have no more questions. Thank you. And I have no questions. I appreciate the discussion, however. And if there are no other questions. Yeah, I'm ready to make a motion, but I did want to make a statement.

[00:53:42] We have approved in the past where the owner owns a couple parcels maybe that aren't touching, But they have a renter in one of the homes, and yet the other home that's on the same piece of property, the renter is able to act as the resident manager for the home, the other home.

[00:54:04] So we have approved that in the past, and they weren't related, but we have approved that in the past. So I'd like Steve. Mr. Chair, if I can just remind the board, I see a motion on the screen in front of you, If the maker of the motion would specifically incorporate the resolution in the form attached as attachment G, that would be helpful.

[00:54:36] Yeah, that's what I was going to do. Okay, so I move that the Board of Supervisors approve a special exception shown in the staff report attachment G for SC2023-42 at 3074 Doctors Crossing Road.

[00:54:54] Second. We have a motion from Supervisor Lupisto-Curtley, second from Supervisor Malik. Just want to look around to make sure the board has any comments or discussion. Seeing none, then the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malik? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews?

[00:55:13] Yes. Mr. Galloway? Yes. Ms. Lupisto-Curtley? Aye. Thank you. And we will now turn to the Whitehall District and see 2023-43, the 5803 Tabor Street homestay with Brumford. Thank you. Thank you, Chair Andrews.

[00:55:32] And let's see, there we go. Moving right along, the second special exception we have for the board tonight is proposed at 5799 Tabor Street. The parcel in question contains two dwellings. The first is the one that the property is occupied by Ms. Cynthia Childs at 5803 Tabor Street.

[00:55:57] And the second structure is at 5799 Tabor Street. which is proposed for use as the homestay pictured here. 5803 Tabor Street is the primary structure on the parcel, and so that is what was listed in the staff report. I'm sorry, in the agenda. And as a point of clarification, the staff analysis for this application did erroneously list the comprehensive plan designation for the property as rural area. It is in fact in the development area, and it is zoned R2 residential. So the reason that the property is before you for

[00:56:33] a special exception is because it is owned by R&H Partners LLC, a family-held LLC. One of the owners of the LLC, Ms. Cynthia Childs, is requesting authorization to serve as the resident agent for a homestay use on that parcel. She does live on the parcel, as noted. Additionally, As the structure proposed for use is six feet from the property boundary, the applicant would also be requesting a setback reduction.

[00:57:06] This application is for a 3.26-acre parcel near downtown Crozet. Residential zoned parcels are permitted to rent up to two guest sleeping spaces within a single-family dwelling. Primary structures setbacks are required unless accepted, and unhosted stays are not permitted.

[00:57:28] And all the other requirements for homestays are standard across the board and required, including parking, annual safety inspections, and short-term rental registry annually. So on this parcel, the proposed resident agent, Ms. Childs, resides in the dwelling shown on the left with the blue asterisk. The proposed homestay dwelling is highlighted with the green asterisk and as you can see in this image on the screen, the parcel directly abutting that would be affected

[00:58:08] by the reduced setback is also owned by the same family-run LLC. This aerial shows the proposed homestay location again with the green asterisk and abutting parcels highlighted also owned by the same family-owned LLC R&H partners. The abutting parcel and then the again next abutting parcel 1107 and then again the abutting parcel directly east of the parcel in question all owned

[00:58:44] by that same family LLC. Directly north of the proposed homestay location outlined in blue and purple is the Foster Forge School and the Tabor Presbyterian Church respectively. The image on the left shows views from a proposed homestay to the nearest dwelling to the east. As you can kind of glimpse through the trees there, that is the only abutting parcel not owned, I'm sorry, directly abutting parcel not owned by R&H Partners LLC. The image on the right is in looking in the direction

[00:59:19] of the requested reduced setback facing a dwelling owned by R&H Partners LLC occupied by a family member. And again, as we are noting the special exception factors to consider, due to the nature of special exceptions, they do run with the land. We have analyzed the use looking at the property itself, the greater context of the neighborhood, and less so the individual owner and the individual

[00:59:51] ownership type on this parcel because we are looking at it as a land use decision and the use does not appear to propose to cause any adverse impacts to neighborhood public health safety welfare and that is in a existing structure consistent with comprehensive plan as an accessory use and it is consistent in size and scale with the sterling neighborhood as a i think pre-1900s structure that has existed in Crozet for quite some time it is consistent in size and scale with

[01:00:30] the neighborhood as it is owned by a family LLC occupied by a member of that family we do not find any negative impacts to surrounding properties and additionally the reduced setback is also reducing a setback to an abutting parcel owned by that family LLC as such we do recommend approval of the staff exception, special exception, as shown in the staff report. And that concludes this one. Thank you. We'll go through our order. Supervisor Lupisto-Kirtley? Yes, if you could

[01:01:08] please go back to, I think it's slide one or two. That one. This one? Yes. Thank you. So quick question. So I know we're looking at a six-foot setback and all the other properties surrounding it are owned by the same person. I don't know if this would be for Mr. Rosenberger or not, but this is what happens if the one labeled 1105, if to the directly to the south, if that was sold to somebody else, then you have this six foot setback. Would that nullify the homestay

[01:01:45] exception or not? No. Okay. Well, then that answers my question. Thank you very much. Thank you. Supervisor Galloway? I have no questions. Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt. I have no questions. Thank you. Supervisor McHugh. And my only comment would be, obviously, if this land was sold and someone was purchasing it, they would be aware of that.

[01:02:07] Yes. Because of the processes they have to go through. And it is, as you can see from the image, let me go down there again, the property is in view. It is visible from the abutting parcel. Yeah.

[01:02:22] That's all. Thank you. Supervisor Malek. I have no questions. Are you ready for comments now, or do you want to come back around? Go ahead with comments now. I'm very glad that this is a wonderful reuse for this historic property, and the folks who stay there will be able to walk out the front door and be right there in downtown.

[01:02:41] So, great location. Thank you. I have no questions or additional comments. And if we have no other, then we'll look for a motion from Whitehall District. Very good. I move that Abel County Board of Supervisors approve the special exceptions, as shown in the staff report, Attachment F for SE-2023-43 at 5799 Tabor Street.

[01:03:07] Second. We have a motion from Supervisor Malek, a second from Supervisor McKeel. Without objection, if the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malek? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews?

[01:03:22] Yes. Mr. Galloway? Yes. Ms. Lupisto? Kirtley? Aye. Thank you, Board. And third time is the charm, Ms. Brumkill? All right, so finally, we have Special Exception 2023-48-2895 Rolling Road.

[01:03:52] This is a bit of the out of the ordinary for our Special Exceptions, as it is an adaptive reuse for an empty church, formerly the site of the Slate Hill Baptist Church. The property owner, Ms. Combine, came a little bit earlier to speak in front of the board.

[01:04:11] She is the single owner of Monticello Inn and Cottage LLC, which owns the parcel upon which 2895 Rolling Road is located. So by right, this 10-acre parcel is permitted to rent up to five guest sleeping spaces within a single-family dwelling or accessory structure built before August 7, 2019.

[01:04:38] And it is permitted to have up to two homestay uses, one per single family dwelling. If the special exception is approved, the owner of the property must at that point apply for a homestay zoning clearance. During that process, the structure used for the homestay would be inspected for building and fire safety.

[01:04:59] The owners would send a notice to the neighbors providing them with contact information. homestays would be required to provide guest parking on site at a rate of one guest parking space per guest bedroom. If you look at this aerial, there is currently plenty of parking. The former site of the Slate Hill Baptist Church is highlighted in with the yellow star. Ms. Crumbine intends to convert the former church into both her home and a bed and breakfast style homestay. The renovation

[01:05:34] process would be a historic preservation project. The contributing parts of the building are the main chapel, which would be registered and considered by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. First, I want to point out that this slide illustrates that the parcel surrounding the vast majority of the parcel in question is forested, and it is held by the University of Virginia Foundation. The other large parcel immediately to the south is undeveloped,

[01:06:08] and the small parcel directly abutting this property contains a structure at 2941 Rolling Road, which was recently declared by ordinance to be blighted and is under an abatement plan, including, I believe, demolition. As noted in this application, the applicant intends to renovate the church and live in it, running a homestay as an accessory use on the parcel. In her application, she additionally noted that in the coming years, she intends to build a second dwelling on the parcel out of which she would run an additional four or five bedrooms for rent in the style of

[01:06:47] bed and breakfast. The approximate location of the second dwelling is shown highlighted with the blue star in this image. And then also, as she brought up a little bit earlier, following discussion, she indicated she'd be willing to not subdivide the land, but preserve the entire acreage using the development rights that exist on the parcel to build a second dwelling, which would be on the same parcel as the one that she lives in. This would also remove any need for

[01:07:22] an additional resident agent, although she does intend to install a manager to oversee the rental of that structure and uh maintain just general peace and harmony in that in that side of the parcel um and as this proposal is a bit different from any previously brought to the board i did want to highlight the section of the ordinance that would permit this um if ms crumbine were just owning the parcel under her own name instead of her llc um county code 18-5.1.48 c2 a rural

[01:07:57] areas parcel of over five acres is permitted to have up to two homestay uses in two single family residences and a use here means a single family dwelling with up to five guest rooms for rent as a homestay. This is by right through the ordinance and the exception that we're asking for here is the authorization to do a use while owning the LLC. Sorry, while owning the parcel through the LLC. We would like to note the factors to be considered for a special exception including

[01:08:35] specific adverse impacts to the surrounding neighborhood, public health, safety, or welfare, consistency with the comprehensive plan, and consistency in size and scale with the surrounding neighborhood. As the conversion of this property into a residence with a homestay would promote both reuse and restoration and preservation of a historic structure, and the surrounding parcels, due to the ownership of the larger parcel, is fairly unlikely to develop any time in the near future. And the use proposed is by right under the property owner's individual name instead of an

[01:09:15] LLC. We are reviewing this application solely as a land use decision. And staff does recommend approval of the Homestay Special Exception 2023-48 at 2895 Road as shown in the staff report.

[01:09:34] And this concludes staff's last presentation today. Thank you. Supervisor Lupisto-Curvin. I have no questions. Thank you. Supervisor Callaway. Yeah, just to clarify, so I get the LLC needs the resident manager piece.

[01:09:50] Is the intent for the applicant, the owner of the property, to be the resident manager and just hire somebody else to help when the volume gets higher? Yes. But still could, and still, this would allow them to transfer that resident manager title to another individual?

[01:10:05] she could yes um that that would be possible she is intending to build it out as her own family home for her children thank you supervisor um thank you i do just have one question can we go to the slide where you discussed um i think it's two back the uh the building rights thank you i think i didn't fully catch this when i read through the the so am i understanding in the rural area normally this would not have the development right to build two single-family homes but Under a homestay use, it does? I'm a little confused.

[01:10:42] No, the property does have the development rights. If Ms. Crumbine just wanted to live there, and then she had maybe a family member who also wanted to live on the parcel, she could renovate the church and then build a second dwelling, and then we would never see that.

[01:10:58] Only the building inspectors would see that as a building permit. That is a by-right use. under this it actually reduces the number of of uses that um sorry it doesn't reduce the number of uses uh it does require a five uh a five acre parcel so um in the rural area if you had two development rights on a four acre parcel you could have two dwelling single family dwellings there but you could not have two um or even one five bedroom homestay you need the five acres so under

[01:11:34] the homestay regulations, it actually expands the size of the parcel a little bit that you would have the second dwelling on. And that's just because the use is not just residential, but also the homestay use. Thank you. That's all I had. Thank you. Supervisor McHale.

[01:11:57] Can you go back to the picture of the homestay with the parking? I should have looked to see what to. There you go. That's it. Thank you. I'm just curious. So the parking here is stacking along the driveway. I believe that Ms. Crumbine would probably put in a larger parking lot as soon as the parcel was finished. Okay. I was just curious because obviously you can drive out into the grass, but it did look like to me and you have one entrance in and I'm just thinking about

[01:12:32] if it's completely parked up and then you have emergency vehicles trying to get in it just wasn't making a lot of sense to me other than you can drive in the grass i get that so as a backup but i was just curious as to how you all looked at this as an emergency yeah yeah um for fire safety that would be something that we would look at at the zoning clearance approval and i think that that would also be something that would be discussed heavily during the building permit process as well. Currently, two cars actually can pass on the far side where it says parking.

[01:13:06] You can have one car parked and another one pass. It isn't quite enough there. But yes, fire safety access would definitely be something that would be addressed. Yeah. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Supervisor Malek.

[01:13:21] No questions. Thank you. So my questions, I guess, reading through the application, there was a discussion, obviously, of both the plans for a second dwelling and then also there were comments in Hiss about, well, we're not going to do weddings, we're not going to do these other things.

[01:13:41] And I guess I wanted to just clarify which of these require further action. So once we've approved this, if they add another dwelling, I take it this will not require any additional approvals?

[01:13:57] Correct. The approval is for the resident agent for the parcel. The other second dwelling and the homestay use and the residence, the homestay, the second dwelling as a residence, all of those are by right uses on the RA parcel of this size.

[01:14:15] And then the other comment, the application talks about how we don't want to have weddings on this. But I don't know, what are the rights if this is approved or not with respect to that? I believe that the events portion of the application was included because this was something that we had stressed during the pre-application meeting for this application, was that weddings would not be permitted on this parcel unless it was agricultural, which she is not intending to run a winery or have events like that, any kind of weddings or events serving anyone who's not staying on the parcel.

[01:14:55] So it was included in there just as part of a business plan explanation that, yes, some bed and breakfasts do have weddings. This one, because it's in Albemarle County, because that's not the type of business that they're intending to run, Just to ease your mind, we will not be following that.

[01:15:14] We will not be pursuing that path. That was her inclination in putting that in the application. Thank you. I appreciate that. I have no other questions. If there are no other concerns, then we... Can I get the motion back on the screen? Yes.

[01:15:31] And it is attachment G, I believe. Thank you. I would like to move that the Elmorrow County Board of Supervisors approve a special exception, as shown in the staff report of Attachment G for SE2023-482895, Rolling Road.

[01:15:48] Second. We have a motion from Supervisor Pruitt. Second from Supervisor Malik. Without objection, if the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malik? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews? Yes. Mr. Galloway? Yes. Ms. Lapisto? Kirtley? Aye. Thank you.

[01:16:04] more. This brings us at just after 2.15 to a point where we have the next item, a special exception relating to Orchard Acres, but we also have a recess. I look to Mr. Sabota to determine whether we want to jump ahead with it or whether we want to take our recess now. How would we notify people who want to be listening, participating, or whether? I don't know the answer to that.

[01:16:32] Then we will have a 15-minute recess. All right.

[01:25:25] We're back in session. Thank you. And we're at item 12, an action item dealing with SE 2023 36

[01:31:54] Orchard Acres, lots 37 and 38, the Northville led by Mr. Bart Savota, Deputy Community Development Director and Zoning Administrator. Welcome. And Lisa Green. Thank you very much for having us. Lisa Green with me, our manager of code compliance.

[01:32:12] Lisa will be doing the majority of the staff report. Just want to do a brief little intro on Phil and inert Phil. So we've had a lot of conversations about this topic. This is actually only the third SE that we've done in regards to Phil.

[01:32:29] Two of them were done by the same individual, Mr. Kendrick. So this is the third one. this particular situation appears to be ideal in how we set up the ordinance and if we wanted to do infill type parcels such as these this is this is the reason that we're here is is these particular lots that are not our average thing that happens normally we set up pads when we're grading out a subdivision if I use Belvedere as an example that mass grading takes place in a situation like this

[01:33:07] This subdivision was done back in the 70s, so it's kind of unique under how we see lots develop now. Since the houses weren't built, these are just residual lots. I'm going to turn it over to Ms. Green. Good afternoon, Board and Chair Andrews.

[01:33:27] My name is Lisa Green. I'm the Manager of Code Compliance. Thank you for your time today. The special exception before you today pertains to parcels 55C-A-37 and 55C-A-38 in the Whitehall District.

[01:33:45] The parcels shown above are in the Orchard Acres subdivision, an established residential neighborhood in the Crozet Development Area. The applicant's request is to waive two sections of 5.1.28, the minimum setback requirement and the minimum light size requirement.

[01:34:05] The parcel's history is fairly simple. As seen here, the properties were rezoned in 1974 to R2, represented on this slide by the gold-green color. The two parcels involved in the request contained 0.54 acres and 0.46 acres, respectively.

[01:34:28] They both front on Orchard Drive and have historically been vacant wooded land. The current owner has owned these two parcels since the inception of the subdivision. For reference, this is a view of the parcel from Orchard Drive looking toward the southwest.

[01:34:48] This is a view of the parcel looking at the road, which helps us understand its topography challenges more clearly. The elevations indicate approximately an 8 to 10 foot drop from the road to the buildable areas. This view is looking northwest along Orchard Drive.

[01:35:10] Again, this is another visual of the grade change difference. fill has been placed on the site however once the community development department notified the owner that this property was subject to 5.1.28 regulations a stop work order was issued the importation of fill and grading ceased and the property was stabilized staff has been working with the property owner's representative for several months to develop a plan to bring the site into compliance this is an additional photograph from the road showing the stabilization

[01:35:45] of the fill area. The owner submitted a water protection ordinance plan in September, followed by the special exception request in October. This plan submitted with the special exception application indicates the limits of the fill activity area. The improvements proposed are to create two single-family building sites, keeping the building sites close to the road and minimizing the disturbed area in the buffer.

[01:36:22] This exhibit is a part of the WPO plan that was submitted. It shows the representation of the location of future homes to be built. The current status of the WPO plan is under review pending the outcome of today's vote.

[01:36:40] If the special exception were to be granted, the WPO plan could be approved, abating the violation. Because these lots have existed since 1974, if a building permit application were submitted, this type of activity would be reviewed and approved administratively through the building permit review process.

[01:37:02] A special exception would not be required in that case, and staff recommends approval of this special exception request. This completes our presentation, and I'll welcome your questions. Thank you. We'll go through our order. Supervisor Lupisto Curdley.

[01:37:22] Yes, going back to, I think it's slide seven, this is what they've done so far to stabilize the area. Correct. Okay. All right.

[01:37:39] No other questions. Thank you. Supervisor Calloway. I have no questions. Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt. I don't believe I have any questions. Thank you. Supervisor McHugh. Yeah, and I think you've been clear on this, but I just want to make sure that the WPO plan was submitted in September.

[01:38:01] Yes. but you all haven't moved on that hasn't been approved because you're waiting to see if it's approved today correct but we will make sure that that happens that is correct yeah yeah that's i just click for clarity thank you supervisor malik thank you uh so since this picture is on the screen right now this is on the right if i'm coming south from lane town so the first lot with the pointy

[01:38:32] end to it. This is looking north toward Lane Town. This would be the, your Orchard Drive is on your right. Okay. The parcel's on the left. All right. Got it. All right. So how far, if this were to be approved, is this the extent of the fill that's shown in your diagram that shows the 24 by 36 foot house on the line drawing? Or is there more fill that has to be pushed where these trees are and further down the hill it's hard for me to get a perspective from this photograph of what

[01:39:09] yeah there'd be some more film so it's going to equal amount more in the downhill direction yeah but it would be compliant with with the plan so there'll be a little bit more than that okay um there was uh slide six showed a pipe is that where the current pipe will be for the access or is the current pipe going to be closer to the road no that is the current that is the current location that would be made official if this today's were approved and is this the right length or is this a narrow version is this already done what was done in advance wide enough to do

[01:39:46] the double entrance or is this going to have to be redone in other words and i'd have to verify for sure but i believe that this is the correct pipe that no extension would be required that was the whole point of that pipe actually splits the line some information of some a photograph of what's going to be done on the downslope side.

[01:40:06] Yes. Not just a drawing, but to see how it's really happening. Let me go back here. I understand completely the lot preceding the age of the ordinance, et cetera, but there still are limits to that interpretation.

[01:40:27] In other words, it doesn't mean any old lot could be built on. I mean, there are some lots that were never built on because they don't meet any requirements of sustainability. So DEQ is weighed in on your deliberations. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Yeah, I believe in your packet is the letters from DEQ.

[01:40:46] And so they went out and did their investigation, and their findings does not indicate any concerns. So the wetlands and things that were investigated based on a complaint were resolved.

[01:41:02] I mean, there was nothing to do with there wasn't an action to be taken to correct anything out there. But, I mean, this is Powell Creek, so it goes straight down to the basin and into drinking water, so that is important. And in your packet, there was, as I said, the schematic that showed 24 by 36 foot house envelopes.

[01:41:30] Is that the building envelope and the house is smaller than that, or is that the maximum of the house which could be put there? Because that's important, I think. Would that be part of the general accord that could be approved if this was adopted today? So this particular application is about the fill.

[01:41:48] So this gives us an idea of the size of the houses that that fill that goes in there would accommodate. The underlying zoning district there does not have a maximum square footage for houses. So as long as they met setback, building code, any other conditions that an ordinance would require, we wouldn't be limiting the size of the house.

[01:42:12] I believe this picture does represent the actual, at this time, the proposed size of the structure with the fill around it. And that could be conditioned as part of this approval because they are stipulating it is part of their application. I mean, you didn't create this. The applicant created this, correct?

[01:42:30] So I would say no, and the county attorneys can clarify that because this is regarding the fill, that this is about the impact of the fill, not the impact of the house. So as an example, if I came in for a building permit, we wouldn't be doing a special exception because backfilling along a foundation of a house is part of that permit.

[01:42:53] That permit would not limit the size of that structure other than saying you need to be out of stream buffer or setback or things like that. In this particular case, some of the reasons to be able to cross the stream is that these lots existed prior to the adoption date of some of our regulations.

[01:43:12] So it says that you have the ability to cross that stream to create the first dwelling unit with no limitations on size. Normally we see, not normally, but mostly we see this kind of out in the rural areas on parcels where we got to cross the creek.

[01:43:30] This is a little bit unique in the fact that it's in a subdivision with a number of lots. And the headwaters, if you trace that back, kind of starts in the farmer's field, probably less than a quarter mile away or so.

[01:43:47] Right next to the mixing shack for the orchard. Yes. Yikes. But the amount of fill that is shown here is part of the plan, the condition. So that, in effect, limits the area where the house could go. My concerns are about we've been asked to give a waiver for setback from the property line.

[01:44:11] And we've been asked for a waiver for the fill. But that should have limits. It should have some amount of what they are asking for a waiver for. And that's what I took away from looking at this picture. Is that correct?

[01:44:27] To fill in accordance with this plan limits what we call pure fill, right? If I come back afterwards and want a larger or smaller house, that's separate from this discussion on fill.

[01:44:44] So they would come back again if they needed to change this? No, because under a building permit, it's not fill. Under building permit, it's part of construction. So the way we reviewed this application is as if the fill wasn't existing right now, right?

[01:45:02] And so there's two analysis to do. One is if they came in with a building permit, all of our regulation would allow this without any special exceptions. Right. Because these lots existed prior to the adoption date of the ordinances that are in play now.

[01:45:20] That they're asking for waivers from or stream crossings, any of those things. In order to prep the lots without a building permit, it now subjects that what would be backfill to the fill and earner waste.

[01:45:37] And that's where we want to limit the amount of activity that they're doing pre-development, pre-structure. Because we don't want to guess that, you know, we don't want to issue a fill exception that covers the whole lot if they're only going to build a 1,000-square-foot house.

[01:45:57] But if they want to come in and build a 1,200-square-foot house instead of an 800-square-foot house, then they can modify the backfill with that building permit. It wouldn't have to be the special exception. This is only here because there's not another application that would exempt it.

[01:46:16] Same with any other house. But they would not be getting approval to fill the entire lot because of all the other indications of... If I applied for a building permit for a 5,000 square foot house on this lot, they could fill as much of that, backfill as much of that lot as they could as part of that construction as long as they stayed out of all the other things that are required.

[01:46:45] Based on the age of this lot, a lot of the things that we're used to being required, like don't cross the stream as an example is out of play because these lots existed prior to the adoption day of the ordinance and i get to take i get to use that lot um under the reg as if it didn't exist right so this is strictly about i i got ahead of myself in putting phil on the site trying to develop a pad site and so when uh we got the inquiry staff posted stop work order

[01:47:20] the applicant submitted the WPO plan and now we're waiting to see whether or not we can approve that WPO plan to stabilize what we have and have a pad site that makes these lots either donatable or marketable or whatever you want to determine the need would be all right thank you very much yes ma'am thank you yeah my main concerns really have to do I guess with the WPO plan which is not really before us at this point but i do see on the deq report how they said that don't observe

[01:47:58] any wetland soils but then they said the area which was filled could not be evaluated as a wet one because it had been filled so i just want to make sure that we haven't been sort of the county hasn't been prevented from looking into something that it needs to look into by acting without permission right yeah exactly if you could respond to that yeah without having seen it again to your point I don't know exactly what was there probably regardless there's a way to mitigate that wetland to allow the use of these lots based on the regulation that we have so I couldn't prohibit

[01:48:36] that but there's a way through process either DEQ or ours to mitigate wetlands impacts one way or the other to prevent a taking we need to allow the use of the lots and without another access point If this was a double-fronted lot, this might be a different conversation or a corner lot where they could have access in a different area.

[01:48:59] One lot may qualify, the other one may not. But to your point, without knowing what was there kind of prior. But also, there was no pre-records of what wetlands would be out there. Meaning we hadn't had a, even prior to this disturbance or this fill being placed, I don't believe we had records of a wetland out there.

[01:49:21] Thank you. And were there additional questions or concerns? Then I look to Supervisor Malik for a resolution on the screen.

[01:49:39] Well, I do feel bound by the fact of the pre-existing lot. And we'll rely upon the determined oversight of staff to make sure that the mitigation.

[01:49:56] First we're told there aren't any wetlands, and then we're told there may be wetlands, but you're going to mitigate them whenever. So that part of confusion is a problem, and I was, I guess, expecting that there would be an applicant to be able to question, but that's not, I guess, in this action thing.

[01:50:16] So I will move to adopt the Resolution Attachment G to approve SE 2023-36 on Parcels 55CA37 and 38 for reasons stated in the staff report and with staff conditions presented.

[01:50:35] Second. We have a motion from Supervisor Malek with a second from Supervisor McKeel. Without objection, Mr. Clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malek? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews? Yes. Mr. Galloway? Yes. Ms. Lapista?

[01:50:50] Kirtley? Aye. Thank you. And I guess one follow-up list for you going forward is what sort of accountability would be going forward when these repeated fillings happen.

[01:51:10] So think about that. Thank you. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Our next item's board are a couple of presentations, starting with the Department of Social Services Advisory Board Annual Report, fiscal year 2023, which will be led by Ms. Kaki Demick, Chief Human Services Officer.

[01:51:33] Welcome, Ms. Demick. Thank you. Congratulations on your agenda. It's kind of amazing.

[01:51:52] Good afternoon, Kaki Demick, Chief Human Services Officer. I'm delighted to be here today with the annual advisory board report to the board. We are required by statute to provide this to the board, and it's something we enjoy doing, so thanks for letting us. I'm pleased to be here with Mary McIntyre, who is our board chair.

[01:52:12] She'll be providing the presentation, and I'll be lurking, lingering nearby for questions afterwards, and hopefully Mary Stebbins will join us as well by the time we get to those questions. Thank you. Hello, I'm Mary McIntyre, and I am the Rio District Representative and the Chair of the Department of Social Services Advisory Board.

[01:52:37] Thank you for having us here today to talk about the annual report. I want to say this is my, almost my sixth year on the board, and I want to thank you, Ned, for giving me the opportunity to serve the community on the DSS Advisory Board.

[01:52:52] When he asked me if I was willing to be a representative and represent the Rio District, I said, I don't know anything about social services. And he said, that's okay. You don't have to. The point is that we want a board that's made up of people from a bunch of different walks of life, a lot of different professions, people who are going to be willing to listen and learn and give recommendations.

[01:53:13] And so that's what I've tried my best to do over the past few years. And I'm looking forward to talking with you about the board and what we've been working on this past year. Now I need to figure out how to operate this. Okay. We invited the rest of our board to come here today. They are not here yet, but they're probably going to walk in during my presentation or shortly thereafter. You can see we've had some stability for the past two years. We have all of the same members, but we are missing one. We do not have a Scottsville representative and we haven't for some time.

[01:53:45] So we are still looking for someone who can represent the Scottsville District who has an interest in, someone who has an interest in human services, and you just need to talk to your supervisor and the Board of Supervisors about that opportunity.

[01:54:01] And I'm also happy to talk to anyone in the community that's curious about serving on this board. I also want to say one thing I'm really grateful for about the board that we have is everyone is really intentional and thoughtful about listening to the presentations and reading the materials ahead of time and the questions that they ask the staff.

[01:54:22] It's really been a good experience to serve. So the theme for our annual report this year is impacts, and I want to draw attention to this number because when I was appointed to the board, I said, I don't know anything about social services. And in my mind, I was thinking, I might not even know anyone who has anything to do as social services, but that's actually really not true. When you look at the number of people in Albemarle County that receive some kind of services from the department, you probably do know someone who receives services from the Department of Social Services, whether you know

[01:54:56] it or not. And in fact, all of the people who come through DSS as clients impact you in some way. They are your neighbors. They are driving on the roads next to you. They are shopping in the stores with you. They're playing in the parks with your children. So I want everyone to keep that in mind.

[01:55:15] So one of the big impacts that DSS has is that we help the most vulnerable people in this community. As far as people receiving supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits, the number that you see indicates nearly a 44% increase from pre-pandemic levels. We do have more people needing assistance in the community, and we are able to provide that in many various ways, but also our CPS referrals have increased nearly 20%. We've been able to manage those CPS

[01:55:51] referrals using essentially the same staffing levels, but I want you to pay attention to that because if this becomes a trend, we are going to need even more resources to meet that. As far as patients securing Medicaid benefits through UVA, some of the 1,479 people who receive assistance doing that don't live in this area. They are here to receive medical care and they need assistance getting connected and accessing Medicaid, which we do because the requirements would be the same across the state. I want to draw attention to the energy assistance program. There

[01:56:30] are three different ways that we provide that to people. One of them is fuel for heating. Another one is cooling assistance, which could be the purchase of an air conditioner or repair of a broken one. And another one is crisis assistance if someone is in a dangerous situation because they don't have heating or cooling and they need an emergency assistance fast. One thing that's not on this slide that I wanted to point out to you is another way we help the most vulnerable and that is our family support program. This supports elementary and middle school students and their families and we have an average of 123 families that receive support through the family support

[01:57:09] program every single month. They are helping them find and maintain stable housing, employment, child care, mental health services, and much more. Another impact that DSS has, really this is a belief that drives our impact, is that we believe that youth do best in their families and that it influences the decisions and the actions that the department takes. So I want to draw your attention to the fourth bullet point where we discuss kinship placements. One of the things that I was really

[01:57:45] impressed by was hearing our department talk about their success in finding kinship placements for children who are in need of support or a foster placement. We have among the highest rate in the state for being able to find kinship placements, and that's something that we should be really proud of. The Family Preservation Services partner with families to create family-specific service plans. They increase child safety, they reduce risk, and they build on the family's existing strengths. This can only be done through the vital collaboration with community partners,

[01:58:19] which you will hear more about just a little bit. Family partnership meetings are based on the following values. We believe that families are the experts on themselves. We believe that all families have strengths and can make well-informed decisions about their children when they are supported. We believe that teams often can make better and more creative decisions than individuals.

[01:58:44] And when families are involved in decision making and share responsibility with DSS for achieving goals, then the outcomes improve for their children. We do have an ongoing need in Albemarle County for foster families who are willing to care for LGBTQ youth.

[01:59:03] This has been a very vital need for the past few months, and sometimes it results in children having to be placed outside of this area because we don't have families in Albemarle who are willing to take them in. Another impact that the DSS has is that we support affordable housing.

[01:59:26] Even though housing is no longer through our office, we wanted to share this information here because it is related. The families that receive a housing voucher have received up to $3.7 million in subsidies.

[01:59:43] But I want you to know that we're able to help only about 20% of the people who need it. The others are referred to outside community agencies and resources. And vouchers and subsidies can really only be a part of this solution. Because of the difficulty in the rental market, we've had to increase the amount of the payment that is given to people for rental assistance.

[02:00:07] And if you remember, a survey from a few years ago showed that there was a need for around 10,000 more affordable units. We have very, very far to go. The DSS helps people find and get living wage jobs.

[02:00:28] We provide job leads daily to people seeking jobs. In our Career Center, of the 846 people that visited the Career Center, 427 were first-time visitors. And our Career Center is known as a one-stop shop.

[02:00:45] We have computers with internet, a fax machine, telephone, and we give resume assistance. We explain and help with local and state employment information, and we help people apply for jobs online and much more.

[02:01:02] We also assist people who have recently returned from incarceration with re-entry support and we help them find jobs to hopefully avoid being incarcerated again. One of the things that I learned recently in the board meeting that was really concerning was the fact that Albemarle is a childcare desert.

[02:01:22] We have people who are working hard to become self-sufficient, obtaining job training, and obtaining very well-paying jobs who have to quit those jobs because they can't find a place for their child to go during the day. This is also hard for people who receive the child care subsidy because so many places will not accept the child care subsidy. So even if they have a spot that can take the child, they can't put them in it because they have to use the subsidy. Our team helps people create a long-term plan to build their own self-sufficiency and celebrates them, celebrates

[02:01:59] with them when clients reach their goals. So I would say this is a huge impact. The DSS leverages really big money. We can turn $10 million into $216 million for Albemarle residents.

[02:02:19] I challenge you to find a better return on investment in this county. We want to thank you for your ongoing commitment to this department and to funding the needs of Albemarle residents. Here's a list of just a few of the collaborators that we mentioned previously who help us meet all of our goals. I asked Kaki which one was her favorite and she wouldn't tell me.

[02:02:45] One thing that I am continually impressed by is how strategic and planful this department actually is. They spent considerable time this year understanding and aligning with your new strategic plan goals. Every work unit and staff member knows now how their tasks and their goals help the county achieve their goals. And as a board member, I've really been impressed by the level of reflection, the openness to feedback, and the responsiveness of the entire department

[02:03:18] during the past five years on the board. The DSS is meeting the community's need. I want to draw your attention to the two numbers at the top, the number of children in the county who live in poverty and the number of people above the age of 65 in the county who live in poverty. Those two numbers used to be closer together. However, recently, we have more older residents than children who are living in poverty, and it will be interesting to see if these numbers stay.

[02:03:55] We do have 16,000 households that are identified as asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed. And this is important for us to remember that they are working, but they are yet not earning enough to support their families. It is very hard to find enough resources, enough well-paying jobs, and enough affordable housing units for all of the residents of Albemarle County.

[02:04:23] If you look at the last bullet point, we have nearly 5,000 Albemarle residents who pay more than 50% of their household income just for their housing. One of the things that the department has done really well and continues to improve on is language assistance for all of our clients.

[02:04:47] It is a requirement of the Civil Rights Act that people with limited English proficiency have meaningful access to our programs, and we meet that requirement through staff interpreters, contracted face-to-face and telephonic interpretation, and now using new technologies like handheld devices that are inexpensive and provide on-the-spot translation. The languages most commonly needed are Spanish, followed by Pashto, Arabic, and Dari. Now for a point of pride, and there are many, but we just want to feature this one. We do have a staff member who was a

[02:05:26] child in one of our Bright Stars classrooms, and I normally hate PowerPoint karaoke, but I'm going to read this quote to you. All it takes is one adult to show up, believe in you, and help guide you in the right direction. I often reflect on my time with Bright Stars and firmly believe that my journey and the person I've become today are deeply influenced by the love, compassion, and kindness of a single person showing up every day, no matter what. As I continue my work in the youth development field, I remind myself that I have the power to help a child feel safe, loved, and respected in an environment that allows them to flourish. And in doing so, the possibilities of

[02:06:04] who they are capable of becoming are endless. When I asked Kaki what is the biggest challenge of this department, she said staff stability. And that is true. They are struggling to fill openings with highly trained people. But one thing you should know is that this department has the highest staff satisfaction rating of all the departments in the county. And that's amazing because with the workloads and the stress levels that I have heard of that this staff manage every day, I would certainly think that would not be the case. And that says a lot about the leadership and the

[02:06:41] organization. These are some pictures of children who were adopted and who agreed to share their names and their faces. And so we love to celebrate successful adoptions of our kids.

[02:06:57] We love to see children get moved into loving and stable, safe, supportive families. In closing, I want to invite you to our board meetings. I have seen Diantha there many times. We love to have visitors. Our DSS advisory board meetings are the third Tuesday of each month from 3.30 to 5 o'clock at the DSS office, and you're always welcome to come.

[02:07:22] That's the conclusion of my presentation. Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm sure the board will have questions and comments. Thank you. Supervisor Lupista Curley. Very impressed. Very impressed. Thank you very much.

[02:07:40] And I think we'll be sent these slides. We'll be able to receive them because this is very, very good information. Thank you very much. I just had one question besides accolades for what you're doing. I noticed when you had the list of people that you're working with, do you also work with CASA?

[02:07:59] I happen to ask that because I was a CASA volunteer for five years and we did kindred placement adoptions. And I'm just thrilled to see that that's part of your program also. Absolutely. CASA is one of our community partners and we certainly work on many cases together.

[02:08:20] Okay, thank you. Once again, thank you. Supervisor Calloway. Yes, thank you, Chair Andrews. Well, thank you, Mary, for your service. I mean, I think after six years of conversations with you related to the work that you've had on this board, while you may not have known a lot going in, you know a hell of a lot now and have been doing a great job.

[02:08:38] So thank you for that. I have nothing but respect and adoration for the department and for everything that's being done. So the questions I'm going to ask while it's picking out on some areas is really just in the spirit of tell me a little more so I can understand it. On page seven of the report under adult services, reports of abuse, neglect, it ends up going to the monthly the monthly touches for those folks it looks like we had a drop down year over year down to that 74 percent that happened in the first two quarters is that a staffing issue primarily you think it's really a community partner issue because we do these cases together

[02:09:18] with others the delays from our community partners affect our data and so we're still trying to figure out how we can actually separate out what we're responsible for and doing on time versus what our community partners are responsible for and not doing it on time without public shaming our community partners so i mean with the increases in the third and fourth quarter it looks like that was aware i mean you were aware of it and started working on it get back exactly exactly we hope that next year the data will be cleaner for you on all of those things on page eight of the report under family preservation or maybe that was the monthly contact piece i misspoke there was a q to

[02:09:57] core Q4 drop to 74%. I mean, anytime I see those kind of drops, do you see where I'm speaking to? Yes, I feel Mary Sebbins standing up behind me to say something more substantive.

[02:10:14] So this is where the target is 90%. I mean, the overall target you're hitting was 87%. 90% of ongoing cases have the required monthly contacts per the state's CPS policy. And is this one of those same answers that we just heard?

[02:10:30] one was staffing related. Yeah. Very specifically. Just didn't have the people to get it to get it there. Correct. I mean do you feel like because that was quarter four we're finished quarter one do we think like we're still there or is that? That's a good question. We were we are down two staff in that unit right now that we are hiring for. I think we just filled one position. We might have filled them both by now. So hopefully those numbers will be going back up. And it just as I was going through these staffing was the one like for me trying to answer the question that was the that's how I kept answering these the thing it was mentioned in the report I appreciated that

[02:11:07] and some of the other questions that I had were answered in the presentation on the CPS referrals so this is page 14 what I've noticed your validations have pretty much stayed similar it's your case your what's been reported has spiked I mean your high point was a 972 back in 20 and over 1200 and that's over 400 more than the previous year so this is one of those ones I'm looking for a little editorial on like okay we got because obviously as as Mary said if we've

[02:11:44] got the reports coming in we need still need staff to figure out if that's a validation to validate which increases workload but that's that's a big jump on the reports coming in so I'm just curious what makes that happen. The vast majority of our reports come from government agencies which is primarily schools in this case and so if you think about fiscal year 23's relationship to the pandemic that's sort of the first full year that schools were back in session for real and so we anticipated across the board actually that we would see a little spike actually I think most

[02:12:20] child protective service agencies were terrified of a huge spike when schools went back into session So a 20% increase is less than I think what we anticipated, and we hope that it's not sustained. Gotcha. So it's kind of a, let's see what happens this year and see if that drops down or if that's the new normal. Because I mean, that goes to your, I mean, you already have the staffing issue. That could really create another staffing issue. In the presentation that was mentioned, the 591 seniors receiving services to remain living independently. Do we think we're missing people? Do we feel like

[02:12:54] we've got a good i mean i i'm certain we're missing people i'm certain that there are folks who don't know what's available or what what they're eligible for or that there are folks who are getting are in a setting in which they're getting more services than they need at the moment the sort of ideal setting or continuum is that you get the services you need not uh you don't go immediately from one to ten but sometimes our system is not set up for that sort of nuanced progressive sort of caregiving so I'm sure I'm certain that there are folks

[02:13:29] that we're missing however we get most of our referrals from caregiving agencies and so we were pretty we don't wait for people to come to us because they say I think I'm eligible for that other people identify them but I'm certain there are folks who are missing and I don't mean to be stereotypical I mean but it just seems that everything we push out that we would say would be available is electronic these days. This is a population where depending on, I mean, where I'm getting at is I'm not trying to say all seniors don't know how to be technologically advanced, but if your information

[02:14:07] is coming only that way, are we doing or what could we do to help in that situation? I do think we work our relationships really hard so that we're trying to do a lot of word of mouth and educating the people who do have natural contact with our client customers and not waiting for them to always to find us on their own, and I would be remiss if I didn't sort of have a plug for digital equity as part of that process to make sure people know how to use the tools or the fiber that's now coming to their house. And those agencies are a lot of times having face-to-face interaction.

[02:14:38] Exactly, or we're talking to a doctor, and we're making sure a doctor's office or that kind of place understands what services are available or how to access them so that those are folks we know are likely customers are already having natural contact with. So if we educate them, they'll pass that message on. That's great. I appreciate everything you guys do. I won't harp on the spend all your money that we give you every year and don't leave resources unattended to in your department, but I'll at least stay that. Not a chance. Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt. Outstanding. Thank you again so much for the presentation and for all the work that y'all

[02:15:16] continuing to do um i have a few things uh in addition to actually some of the questions that supervisor galway already hit on there are a few other things i want to ask about um first my understanding i appreciate y'all bringing up the the energy assistance program my understanding is this is entirely federal pass-through money through those three programs um i am curious if you could speak a little bit to the the need in that area and uh the degree to which you might be seeing it unmet this is something i know i highlighted in our discussion on the comprehensive plan that I was frustrated was not discussed in the comprehensive plan because I see this

[02:15:51] as a major climate equity issue that's potentially facing very low income and increasingly rural residents. So could you speak very briefly, is this an area where you're seeing significant unmet need? I know that one of those pools of money, the emergency money, we've never run into not being able to get an emergency money for somebody, but the traditional money we run out every time. And we run out sooner in the year than we ever have before. So I think our experience with

[02:16:26] giving away the heating and cooling assistance money reflects the reduction over the last 10 years and the amount of money that has been dedicated to these services for people who are most at risk. Awesome. And to Mary and the rest of the board who's with us, I'd be interested the next time this comes before the board, if there are additional local tools that you might be interested in exploring and sharing with us about ways that the county could actually step in for any unmet need that's going on in this. I think this is going to be something that's increasingly important in our community, and specifically increasingly important to members of our poor

[02:17:05] rural community that I want to make sure we're adequately accounting for and dealing with moving forward. I appreciate you highlighting the good work we're doing with kinship placement relative to the rest of the state. And I also just, I want to make sure I'm correctly correlating that with the KPIs. There's also the KPI in which we are doing the worst to our own KPI. Is that correct?

[02:17:29] I understand we're outperforming the state, but I want to make sure I'm associating that with the foster care children are reunified with their family within 12 months KPI that you've set out. Is that a reasonable association? Association, but not exactly the same. So kinship placements are, we don't find this particular household to be safe at the moment and need supports in order to be safe but there's a sister who lives down the street with whom the kids already have a great relationship who's willing to take those kids for this temporary spot so that's the kinship piece

[02:18:02] reunified is really about the case timeline and so i will say that there's a number of benchmarks from the state particularly related to foster care that are wildly optimistic that no one in the state can match in large part because we're also relying on juvenile and domestic relations courts agendas and and what's the right word their caseloads in terms of their timelines for them and so we can do all that we can to try to move through all of the requirements

[02:18:38] for us but we can't move faster than the court can or move faster than some of our community partners. And so this is the piece of data that came up earlier related to adult protective services responsiveness. We're trying to be able to tease out, we want to be able to report accurately whether we're matching the state standards, but also in relationship to other people in the Piedmont region or other DSSs in the state and try to get that data for you. I'm afraid your report is going to be longer, but I think it'll be more meaningful to have that sort of data

[02:19:11] nestled in context sure thank you i'd love just as a again flagging a thing that i'm interested in seeing more information on and more about what we as the board could explore in the future moving forward i'd love to get a better sense of what some principal obstacles we're seeing um when we are actually having uh foster care placements and ways that that ways that we could be actually getting that number up right yeah and the other the other piece to that is um very often our kids who are in foster care their parents have a substance use disorder and that is nearly

[02:19:50] impossible to remedy and provide safety and stability in a 12-month timeline. So it's very difficult to get the services in place, get everything that's needed and then reunify the kids with the parents within a timeline and we see an awful lot of substance use. That is one of barriers to having children come home quickly so i would add that little caveat as well of course thank you so much on that um one other thing i you know i'd be remiss if i didn't talk about it i appreciate uh you hitting on the the housing choice voucher program in this presentation

[02:20:26] uh even though as you noted it seems a little bit tangential it seems like deeply interconnected to everything else i'm curious if you do know just cold our what our um our utilization rate is right now like how many vouchers that are issued are realized I expect we're doing well because we have such professional staff but I'm curious if that's a number that you can summon I appreciate that assumption I think we have had a lower utilization rates because our without adjusting our rent so we recently just adjusted our rents so that we're covering a higher percentage of local rents

[02:21:05] and I anticipate a better utilization. At this point, I don't know what the number is for the number of people who are unable to find an appropriate rental location within the 90 days that's allowable for the housing choice voucher, but it's higher than you'd like it to be. So which is why we're trying to pull some of the additional levers to make sure that people have access to a higher range of potential rental units. Sure. Thank you so much. And again, like I just want to highlight for everyone this does not have to be a wealthy neighborhood poor neighborhood issue this is not a problem that's being caused by the fact that we are an expensive place to live

[02:21:42] ideally taxed to our to our ami through our our fair market rent standard this is really an inventory question and a diversity of inventory question there there are richer communities than us that have uh utilization rates in excess of 95 percent uh and that is something that we should be striving to. And also I just want to highlight that 20% number that Mary threw out, that is the amount of people that we are serving with the HCV program that need it to be able to live and to be able to lead prosperous lives in our community, meaning there's 80% who aren't. I would also

[02:22:18] highlight that Charlottesville has a voucher program called CISRAP that is borderline identical to the HCV program, and half of them live in our county. Those are Albemarle residents, Albemarle voting citizens who are being paid to live here by Charlottesville, and I might suggest it might be prudent to have a little bit of matching on that and to in some way mirror that program or figure out a way to regionalize it. That's all I have. Thank you. Thank you.

[02:22:50] Supervisor McKeel. Yeah, and just to piggyback on great, by the way, great presentation. Very informative and as Bea said I would love to have this presentation what was in our packet was great but this one as well would be really good to have um piggyback on the voucher um do you have is there a way that you could let us know what um apartment complexes and areas are actually accepting the vouchers do you have do you track all of them by law no well no we have um it's a

[02:23:24] moving target always about sort of where there are openings um but they're they are required to accept a housing choice voucher everywhere so as long as we can the housing choice voucher covers the published rent we should they should be saying yes to those things we do keep a list of sort of a moving target list of where the openings are and happy to share that but the minute we share it it becomes obsolete so that's just and i get that do you have a trend or uh any i don't want you invent it i don't want you having to go back and create reports or anything i was just wondering

[02:23:58] if you had a sense of um and i guess where i'm getting with this to be perfectly honest with you um the voucher program we're talking about is different from the irc but the irc says that they have very limited access to apartment buildings throughout the county because the the apartment buildings don't answer the phone. And so I'm trying to get at where the, how this, I'm trying

[02:24:34] to get a sense of it, Khaki, because if you have only apartment buildings in one area who are willing to accept IRC folks or vouchers, I mean, I don't know, I'm just trying to figure out how we would suggest housing navigation is critically needed for almost all of the sort of non-profit providers that are serving people who are struggling financially. It's very hard to sort of create those connections. Landlords are property managers, and so this experience of sort of difficulty navigating the rental sort of world is reflected and experienced by most everybody in our community, particularly nonprofits. And so some nonprofits have actually created

[02:25:12] positions called housing navigators, and their job is to go with the client, to go meet the landlord, to get people to answer their phone. We used, Albemarle County used some of our ARPA funding to support a housing navigator that supports Albemarle County clients at the Financial Opportunity Center. And so that would be my suggestion for IRC and others, is to make those referrals and connections to the Financial Opportunity Center. Yeah, interesting. Thank you for that. Because I know, because the IRC has provided with me the apartment complexes and where the majority of their folks go, they do that for me every couple of years because I'm interested in

[02:25:51] So recognizing that, of course, it's critical that those apartment buildings also are on transit lines and other amenities that their folks need, right, those folks need.

[02:26:07] And so that's another reason why we need to get our transit system up and running better. But thank you. I appreciate that. I do have a couple of questions. I thought it was fascinating.

[02:26:22] I mean, if you can help me a little bit more about the, I had no idea that your department was filling out or helping folks complete their Medicaid applications. Help me with that.

[02:26:38] It was on a slide. Can you go back to that and help me with that a little bit more? We have actually a significant unit in our eligibility department that helps people apply for and secure Medicaid. So that's one of the primary eligibility functions of departments of social services is that we support people applying for Medicaid.

[02:26:57] We have a separate subset of our Medicaid units that's actually sort of embedded at the University of Virginia Hospital that helps people apply for Medicaid who are actually facing medical bills while they're in the hospital. We'll actually, one of our staff will go bedside to help somebody fill out an application while they're actually in the hospital.

[02:27:19] I guess I'm surprised. So is that true across Virginia and across the country that the localities are helping the major universities, are doing the work for the major universities with people? You see where I'm going?

[02:27:35] I just was really surprised that that's coming out of your all's budget and that they don't have people on staff. I should clarify, UVA pays 100% for that unit. I was very confused about why that was happening. UVA pays 100% for that unit, and also that unit has agreements with other localities to represent. If you're somebody who lives in Greene County and you happen to be in the hospital now, our unit paid for by UVA will help you complete a Medicaid application even though you're a Greene County resident. So we have interagency cooperation across most of the eight counties in the state.

[02:28:13] So when their folks are at UVA Hospital, they aren't denied access to our... Yeah. And the work is great. I was just confused as to why you all were paying for that staff to go in. Clarity is always good. I'm glad I asked the question. Thank you. The only other, oh, I have two more things. We definitely have a child care desert in this community. And UVA does a lot to help our community. And I'm not trying to just pick on UVA today. But having said that, they do

[02:28:46] have four child care facilities in our community and they only accept faculty which was very frustrating for me when i was trying to staff as a head nurse at uva and trying to staff my clinics and the number one reason why my nurses couldn't come to work or what or aids or whatever was childcare issues. And as the largest employer in this community, just trying to figure out

[02:29:25] maybe thinking about going forward. UVA stepped up to the plate with affordable housing for us, which is great. But in many, many, many university towns, universities help with childcare. And I'm just simply saying, because a lot of it is their employees, a lot of those need is with their employees i don't know where i go with that except that reaching out to uva trying to figure out how we do this with child care might be and i'm not even sure they're aware of it maybe they are but i know when i was on the school board we reached out several times just to ask for um slots in

[02:30:04] those four um child care facilities um scholarships and um didn't work out so well but thinking about it through the lens of maybe trying to partner more and seeing if we could get UVA to come to the table. Because it really is a concern. And it's a concern for them. I don't know if we have any data. There's no way to have any data on that. Well, we have great data. Oh, you have great data.

[02:30:33] There's a recent report that was done that demonstrates the current sort of emergency state of our sort of desert status. And we're happy to share that. I would love to see that. Yes, ma'am. Thank you very much. And the only other question I have is, I know you referenced the ALIS data, which I've been very, very interested in, and I talk about a lot because of the Jewett District, and 58%, I think, are the folks that live in the Jewett District.

[02:30:58] But do you all have, my data is, ALIS data is old. My data goes back to Siri providing it to me, which gives you an idea, pre-pandemic. I would love to see if you have any current ALIS data, that would be great. The Alice data we have is from 22. But that's better than I have. Happy to share it. If you would share that, I would really appreciate that. And obviously share it with everybody. That'd be great. And that's all I have. Great presentation. And I do appreciate the Medicaid clarification. Thank you. Supervisor Malek. Thank you very much. This is one of

[02:31:36] those presentations that blows me away because of the demands on all of you and your emotional stability when you do this job which is heart-wrenching. I mean I went along on one CPS meeting as at the request of the grandfather who I met with John and others and it was incredible and I was completely wrecked after an hour and I asked how do you all do this every single day and was told, if we can help one child every day, we're doing something wonderful.

[02:32:14] And so I've always remembered that. And every time I see a report, I keep thinking about it. And I'm so appreciative of the work of the advisory board as well because the notes that we get from our representatives are incredibly helpful. And I do have a couple of clarifications. So the caseload thing has been something we've heard about for decades.

[02:32:34] Are we more in balance? It sounds like we're sort of still way over what the state level should say. So I think we are in a better spot than we have been thanks to the positions that we have received, thanks to you all over the past year and a half or so.

[02:32:56] So I do feel we, so I think a main issue of ours right now is now workforce stability and keeping the staff that we have. And so that is a big focus of right now. And I think once we are able to do that, and we're basically fully staffed at this point, so if we can keep that stability, then we'll have a much better idea of where we are in terms of caseloads and not. We are still over, if you saw the workload measures, we are way over caseloads

[02:33:27] in several areas according to those standards. So yes, that is true. So however, we're trying to assess what is the real need based on having staff that are all up and trained and ready to go to have a better idea of that. So work in progress in figuring that out. And thank you also for the update on the family placements with the children in needing foster care for any number of reasons.

[02:33:58] And within the last month, NPR did a really extensive, like maybe it was the through line an hour thing about these young people who had been 20 years in revolving foster care situations when their grandmother could have taken them and no one, they didn't even know their grandmother and that connection was never made. Whereas you all were doing this 10 years ago and I'm just so proud of what you have accomplished already. The voucher question, is it back to an increasing number of dollars or is it still the cap federal dollars that went in with George W. Bush and

[02:34:35] therefore the numbers of vouchers was reduced because our rents were going up and therefore fewer families could be helped. That last sentence is sad but true. It's a fixed pool of money. It's not a fixed pool of vouchers, right? The voucher funding amount is what determines how many vouchers we can actually distribute. Most communities with high cost of living or high rents like we have experience where we have technically we have vouchers that are unused on the table but they're

[02:35:11] not funded because we've used all of the available HUD funding on the other vouchers because we had to increase the rents so you have allocated vouchers but have no dollars to support them that's correct that's what's missing that's correct okay okay good that thank you that is a clarification I'm also very having worked with the workforce center for 16 years I'm also incredibly grateful that you all catch people who are coming to you without even knowing that the career center is there both your satellite and also to help people get connected with the services from all the different federal agencies and state agencies over on rio is really really

[02:35:50] important and has really helped the success of so many different people coming forward the rural folks living alone and not understanding what help might be available do you reach out to any partner churches or is there a pastor organization who is uh can be linked with you i know there's a pastor group that corresponds with each other and i don't know if you have an in with that already or not certainly um there are a number of pastoral groups that um know about the services that we offer and make referrals um to us for them but primarily our outreach uh sort of

[02:36:28] center is through families engaged in schools in the rural communities that hopefully connect to somebody from the department of social services either in their classroom as family support or bright stars or something or through a social worker at the school and get connected to the full support of the department through that outreach okay because there are so many i think rural services that are provided through those very tiny congregations of many all the people are over 80 and they're just all helping each other as best they can so that i will send you some connections that you can do on that, if you can. The Bright Stars, I always remember also

[02:37:08] annually when you come, that was probably in the 2012 or so time when all of the first cohort who had graduated from high school came and sat right there in the front row and told us all about this. So I was thinking about that when Mary was reading the statement from your staff person.

[02:37:24] It's really, really great. But that was all my questions. Thank you all very much. Thank you. I was also very impressed by the presentation, very impressed by the information that you gave us in our packets and the work that you do. I noticed going through how many different areas of work the number of people served has been increasing and it troubles me and I don't know whether it's sometimes because we're serving better or because the needs are really increasing that much.

[02:37:58] You previously referred to page 14, where Supervisor Galloway mentioned the Child Protective Services referrals, and we discussed that one, the total referrals and what has been an impact coming out of the pandemic. But then when I look at SNAP recipients, there's a significant increase on the bar chart over the five years uh 47 percent um adoptive children support subsidy payments going up uh average number of view cases the uh temporary assistance to needy families uh bar chart was just scary in

[02:38:35] terms of the number of uh the increase there and i don't know whether these are again are we seeing just the needs going up here more and more and i could go on with the uh the number of these that I marked Medicaid and child care cases per month and all paragraph by year with everything going in a direction that shows us a real need.

[02:38:58] Yes, I think need is going up, both the intensity of the need for people who are in need and also the number of people in need. But the charts are slightly artificial in that during the pandemic, the federal government loosened requirements for SNAP and for Medicaid and for TANF and so there are more people who receive those services during the pandemic than would have normally and so part of the unwinding that you all have heard about is is about the federal government going back to the pre-pandemic

[02:39:33] standards or rules around who should get those services so over a 10-year period of time we might see a chart that goes up a little up a little up a little up a lot up a lot down a lot down a lot and then normalizes again so I anticipate we're going to start to see some of those changes for our fiscal year 24 report that you'll start to see some of those things go down whether they're a reflection of whether people more people have enough to eat and don't require SNAP or whether that's a reflection of federal policy I think we'll have to look at contextual data to understand

[02:40:10] it okay yeah that's troublesome troublesome to think that it might go down only because the support isn't there right which is worse um the uh there was a discussion about you know staffing needs and staff stability and i guess um there i guess i'm just interested in people burn out is that what happens i mean are we that it certainly does seem like this is a difficult area to work in so um it is people do burn out and um miss malik said you know how do you do what you do. And it's a special sort of constellation of both experiences and intentions and skills and

[02:40:50] strategies that makes a social worker who can last. I think it's the same for firefighters. I think it's the same for police. And so we might get somebody for a year, train them up, and then have six months after their first year where we give them the real experience of the job and they think i'd rather work in a bank and so it takes us a while to get them to a place where they're really trained and experiencing the work to find out whether we're really gonna stick it whether this is somebody who's going to stay with us we're going to have a lifelong social worker and it's a it's a concern for most departments of social services because most departments of

[02:41:27] social services end up taking a number of sort of people who are brand new to social work and you it's a it's an 18 month process to see if that that person can stay or will stay and then if they leave the people who are staying have a higher burden to pick up their caseloads and so that gets harder for them so we try to get out of that cycle and work on this stabilization that mary identified to try to stop that churn because that's that can be deadly for the group thank you and i applaud your efforts it's a very important part of it to prevent that and and i guess i just

[02:42:06] end with saying and nobody's mentioned this but the packet contains pages of acknowledgments and personal stories and i think that that's one of the places where you really see the reward for the work is uh when i read through these stories i'm just blown away by how meaningful what you do is and again i appreciate that you included that in the report even though it's not data It is an important part of our understanding of the real impact this work has.

[02:42:33] So thank you. Supervisor Lupista Kirtman. Yes, I just had two, after the presentation, such two points of clarification. You said that 8.5% of our children live in poverty. You also said that 11% of those over 65 live in poverty.

[02:42:52] My question is the third one, 24% of people over 65 live alone. Would that be living alone in poverty or just total? Because two separate definitions of risk for me. One, living in poverty.

[02:43:08] The other, living alone. So no, they're not the same. 11% lives alone or 11% in poverty, 24% live alone. Okay. Maybe with means, maybe with not. Pardon? Maybe with means, maybe without. Exactly.

[02:43:23] Well, that's what I was, that was my point of clarification, with means, without means. Okay. And the other question I had, I know with CASA, kinship can mean not only family members, but also non-blood family friends that would be kinship.

[02:43:43] And so someone could either adopt or foster someone. And I think that at least that's the way it was for CASA. I don't, if that's the same definition that you don't have to be a relative. you can be friends, have a relationship with the parents, and foster a child in need.

[02:44:03] Absolutely. We call that fictive kin. It's a separate category within kinship. But yes, we often will look outside of family when needed. If it is a close family friend who knows the family, sometimes it might be a teacher, a bus driver, somebody who knows the kid well, but outside of blood relatives.

[02:44:26] But we call those, name those fictive. Right, and that's within the kinship umbrella. Okay, good. Those are all my questions. Thank you very much. Thank you. And once again, thank you. Supervisor Malek. Thank you. One, I forgot, jumped over.

[02:44:42] Mary had mentioned the reporting dilemma of the sometimes you can't meet the 12-month deadline because there is medical health, mental health, substance abuse issues. Could there not be an asterisk to give yourselves a little break on this.

[02:44:59] I mean, the safety of the child is absolutely the most important thing rather than some state deadline that is meaningless because they're not taking this into consideration. So I'll just leave that thought with you all to consider. Okay, thank you very much.

[02:45:14] Very helpful presentation. Look forward to it every year. Okay, board, our next presentation, Mr. Trevor Henry is coming forward, Deputy County Executive on a Ravana Futures Update.

[02:45:34] Welcome, Mr. Henry. Chair Andrews, members of the board, good afternoon. We are just cranking well ahead of schedule today. The presentations are just so efficient that we're just moving right through them.

[02:45:55] It's hard to follow khaki in a presentation, I will tell you that. We'll have to work on that timing in the future. Thanks for the opportunity this afternoon. I'm honored to be here to present on the project that we have been working on for quite a while.

[02:46:13] Today primarily will be myself and Michael Barnes, our Director of Planning, who will be here at the podium. But we have a great team. Pretty much everybody that's down in the first, I'd say the first few rows in the auditorium have been supporting this project from the inception.

[02:46:31] And many of us are continuing to meet on a weekly basis. So even though we did a lot of work last year to get us through the acquisition, I joked with the team that that actually was the easy work. And so we continue the work both internally and with some engagement that we'll talk about today.

[02:46:52] The purpose for today is just to provide an update. We closed in December, but the work hasn't stopped. As we said last fall, there was things we needed to do just to, you know, get the property zoned appropriately.

[02:47:08] You had inconsistent zoning, and that's some of what we'll talk about today. And then also some significant engagement. This work, I will just, you know, thank the board again for this action because it has created a buzz in the intelligence community, and we've had some outreach to us in a pretty meaningful way over the past quarter or so.

[02:47:29] Just a handful of slides that we will go through and ample time for board questions. And again, for either Michael or I to answer or with my esteemed colleagues that are here to support as subject matter experts. This is a visual that we've used really throughout the process.

[02:47:48] It's a 3D rendering, kind of the art of the possible, if you will. It's the concept that really was created through state work back in the 2014 timeframe. It shows a potential campus-like extension, completion of Boulder Road, some opportunities for federal expansion, along with, you know, university support and other entities that would really be support in or around the mission areas.

[02:48:18] Again, this is a concept, but it is, I think, a great visual that has carried through and, you know, the intelligence and national security innovation campus is really the concept that we've been moving forward with. Today, we'll just hit on, you know, the acquisition, some work that we're doing on site readiness that Michael will talk about, some things that will be back in front of the board over the next few months.

[02:48:44] And then I'll end with some partner engagement updates for the board. Big picture, I think our last presentation to the board was in November on this. And that really is where we recommended, you know, the green light to closing.

[02:49:03] We did close in December, December 15th. Some heavy lift out of the CFO's office and our county attorney's office to make this happen. Extraordinarily grateful for that work to get us through December and then the work that has been, you know, ongoing since.

[02:49:22] Just to orient the slide, the image on the right, let me see if I know how to do this. I need JT up here because he's a whiz at this. So the laser pointer, just kind of orienting, is 29 North.

[02:49:41] So that's the orientation on your screen. Boulders Road, which is a VDOT road, comes in and terminates. At the commercial building, this is outside the fence line, this is the folks that work on Ravana Station refer to this as Boulders 1.

[02:49:58] It's a commercial building owned by an outside LLC, but has housed elements of support for DIA and GIC for well over a decade. It is hardened on the inside. A lot of money has been invested by the federal government to support their work in that facility.

[02:50:20] And it's also my understanding that the Army is extending that lease for another five years, which reflects the demand down there. That, again, doesn't show great on this image at this scale, but the red boundary is generally the property that the government owns, the Army.

[02:50:43] Fort Belvoir is the property owner. Technically, this is a sub-installation of Fort Belvoir, and it comprises 75 acres, nearly fully built out with this last addition that's happening. The National Ground Intelligence Center is this facility.

[02:51:01] It is undergoing a significant addition, which will be open a year from now. The Defense Intelligence Agency is this facility. And of note, we've been talking about child care. there's a child development center that is this little dot here this facility that has been under renovation for the past year that is supposed to be opening up the spring and the wait list is is great it's to support um you know staff that that work this this facility you know and so again one i i know the board knows this but i think for the benefit of the public i'm just kind of give a

[02:51:38] giving an orientation to this work. The county has been involved, you know, with the state certainly, with our Defense Affairs Committee for the past decade around this property. There are many reasons why the board moved forward with the acquisition in support of staff's recommendation last year. One of the main reasons, you know, was around concerns that have been raised over encroachment and built out of this property in an income compatible way or incompatible use that would threaten this use and so Mr. Richardson has

[02:52:14] referred to that as kind of a defensive maneuver to help secure you know through through the land acquisition the existing function and what that brings to our community and in support of our defense and in the offensive side of this is we believe there is demand and a need for for some expansion of this function of this work and there will be some economic development opportunities that come with that. Also worth just noting and reminding that the Defense Affairs Committee, of which the county is a funder to support that work, I'm one of the steering team members on

[02:52:54] that committee, and did a study end of 2022, released in 2023 by Walden Cooper, to assess economic impact in our region. We knew defense was significant. We didn't realize it was the number two economic generator in our whole region, region being Nalmar County, the city, and Green. Those were the sponsors to the tune of about $1.3 billion annually, with Rivanna Station being really the anchor of that work at over 50 percent and nearly 3,000 employees. Just a little

[02:53:29] more orientation, the yellow or the white outline reflects the total acquisition of the property. You know, we believe the yellow is what is currently is an approximation of what is in our development area. But we told the board last year, even though the yellow is development area, some of the zoning is mixed.

[02:53:50] And so one of the things that we need to do as internal work is to get that zoning consistent. That allows us to do things with the state that we currently can't do. Some of the requirements that Mr. Barnes will talk about here in a little bit. And it's also worth noting that as we became the property owner, there's an existing parking lot, which is just under where my cursor is now, the red laser cursor, that as property owners, we also inherited a lease with the Army.

[02:54:27] And we get about just under $30,000 a month that then helps cover the cost of the maintenance and other things that we need to do up there. So, now, as property owners, so, you know, a handful of slides, you know, we were responsible for the safety and security, we were responsible for maintenance, you know, a minor thing, when we had the one, really the one weather event earlier this year, a complaint that has existed out of Ravana Station is, you know, that's considered a secondary road.

[02:55:03] you know vdot has a methodology by which they they do treatment and they work through their process and and that had created historically challenges for for staff there's elevate there's some elevation and some slope and anyhow we had that storm we were able working through our facilities department and our contractor that was out clearing the you know the parking lot because we're the owners they also ran the blades up and down the road and next week we got a shout out from the commanding officer at the National Ground Intelligence Center, his staff said

[02:55:40] that's the first time in 10 years the roads were cleared, you know, that quickly, and so it caused no, really no intervention. That's a minor thing, but that's just an example of, you know, us as the neighboring owners, we have the ability to control some things like that. You know, there's work we need to do, you know, on site, just, and luckily we have some revenues that help cover cover that work. And so we just are being the best neighbors that we can be. We're building our relationship with Fort Belvoir, who is the property owner, but also with

[02:56:13] the entities on Rivanna Station that are there day to day. In my role with public safety, I've also been very engaged with them over the past year on emergency management. We have a memorandum of agreement on fire rescue we're in the drafting side of one for for police for response and we have some discussions around potentially doing a tabletop and maybe even a field training exercise for a for a response similar what we did with schools those are the things that I think being

[02:56:46] a good neighbor entail moving on to site readiness so we're going to talk for the next handful of slides work that we're doing internal around kind of conceptual engineering really I would say is technical work to assess the property and continue kind of what is building out of our due diligence and then Michael will talk about the rezoning process which is which is underway and what that looks like this is a busy slide I think we we probably talked about this at one or two of the

[02:57:24] meetings last year. But this really represents, from a state perspective, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, VEDP, they do an assessment around site readiness for development. Tier one being the least ready. Tier five, basically everything is zoned, is permitted, is ready to go vertical. And so that's meaningful for businesses and companies that are looking at you know, moving sites, moving, you know, moving their functions.

[02:58:00] And so what we have stated as a goal throughout this process for our, you know, what's under our control in the immediate area next to Rivanna Station is to get that site, that land, into a Tier 4 readiness. That was part of the justification of our request to the state to provide us with funding to help support that.

[02:58:23] You know, that aside, the work that we are recommending and what's in front of the board over the next several months, just getting us consistently zoned will get us to tier three, which is meaningful. And that work, along with the work that's happening in AC44, you know, kind of establishes us there.

[02:58:42] That also is a trigger to allow us to make application to the state for some site readiness money. And so that's really what the goal of this internal work is over the next couple of months. This is a conceptual engineering document.

[02:58:58] Again, when we went through the due diligence, we knew there was certainly an intent to provide security to the existing function. But we also needed to validate that we believed it was buildable to get a return on the investment.

[02:59:18] So this is just strictly a, you know, concept plan, block plan. Our engineer went through and felt we could develop, you know, upwards of the adjacent, you know, to the west and to the north, 100, 125 acres.

[02:59:33] That's what this concept reflects. Our initial focus really is that immediate adjacent kind of campus that I showed in the first slide. And the engineering work that we're doing is really to kind of validate that work that is just adjacent.

[02:59:53] Our facilities department is managing that work. It will feed into the work that we're doing on the rezoning side. We're doing aerial utility mapping, walking the site, developing concept plans that, again, at a concept level, roadway, traffic generation figures, stormwater management.

[03:00:16] You know, all of the things that you need to do as part of that technical master plan. The expectation is that as we continue on our engagement at the state and federal side, we do this work over the next several months.

[03:00:32] We will likely go out via an RFP to bring in services to help then actually master plan and development to develop the site out further, utilizing, you know, consultant services that do this on a large scale in areas around bases and installations to help inform us, and we would really lean into those organizations that have worked with the intelligence community, because that's one thing that we've really learned, and some of the folks that, you know, are on the board that have had engagement at Ravana Station, it's not a typical Army or Navy base. It, you know,

[03:01:09] It is a specialized group, how they communicate within each other, how they communicate externally. It takes some sensitive work in working with that entity. Therefore, we would want the right contractor to help with that.

[03:01:26] And so that's really kind of the summary of the internal work we're doing on the technical side. Michael has a couple of slides to talk about the rezoning process, and then he'll hand it back to me on the engagement side. Welcome, Mr. Bartsch.

[03:01:42] Good afternoon. Michael Barnes, your new director of planning. So basically, we've done a good job trying to get you to understand why we're getting to where we're trying to with the tier three and four. A lot of what I'm talking about is trying to get us to tier three, which is properly zoned.

[03:01:57] Obviously, there's a lot of work that's going to be going on with the technical master planning that Trevor was referencing. And so a lot of what we're trying to do here, the slide that you're looking at shows the area, the orange boundary around it. The white is currently zoned rural areas.

[03:02:16] The green is an old planned residential development that preexisted our purchase of the property. This rezoning is to an LI with a special use permit for office uses. This first supports the light manufacturing and office uses that are envisioned by the project.

[03:02:35] And it gets us to that zoning level of a tier three, which meets our second immediate goal, which is enables our eligibility for Virginia Economic Development Grant, which will help hopefully build out like the first phase or so of the project.

[03:02:53] I would stress that when we start to know more about the project, we've done a bit more master planning. It may well be a subsequent rezoning on this parcel. Again, we're trying to push this through quickly, in large part, to be able to be eligible for the grant. Again, the land that we're talking about, the blue is sort of showing sort of a close-up.

[03:03:16] You can sort of see how it wraps around the Ravana Station Complex. That's about 462 acres. That's what we purchased last year. And what we're talking about rezoning is in this area in orange, about 172 acres.

[03:03:32] Finally, I would sort of give you a timeline that's kind of showing sort of both the conceptual planning and the rezoning. The rezoning is kind of that darker green with a yellow highlighted stuff that's sort of talking about some of the work that FEZ is doing.

[03:03:50] But again, March, you all passed this resolution to authorize the submittal of the application, which was done in March. We hope to get to the Planning Commission in May for a public hearing to June, to you all, June 12th, so that we'll be ready this summer for this grant application.

[03:04:09] At the same time, you see in April there's the kickoff of the conceptual engineering, the aerial surveys and other work that they've been doing, and then in June starting a little bit more on the conceptual road layout. Thank you.

[03:04:25] Thanks, Michael. And again, we'll go back to any questions the board have on any of the slides. This is the last slide. It's our layer cake slide. That's a joke, but bad joke.

[03:04:42] This really is trying to represent the different elements of the work. The, you know, the critical path, the critical component with site control, which we have, this has allowed us to engage in a public and meaningful way. We have had meaningful engagement at the state. We did, Senator Deed submitted as part of the board's legislative priorities, a budget amendment resolution. That did not make it through as requested. We have had engagement at the state at the General Assembly's Military and Veterans Caucus. We presented the project,

[03:05:18] Mr. Richardson and I presented to multiple secretaries and the chief of staff in late February on the project and have provided other information to secretary transportation to finance and have had great engagement with through through commerce specifically the EDP with with several of their their other officers and so we continue to do that work it's my understanding that that the state is going back to the drawing board on the budget so there may be opportunities there with, you know, with additional requests that will, that's, that's breaking news that

[03:05:57] we'll pursue, you know, as a team. We've had multiple engagements with representatives of our CODEL, our congressional delegation. Senator Warner has been briefed by Mr. Richardson and I in person. We've had several engagements with his key staff. We have toured with Senator Cain's staff on site. And there is strong advocacy and support from the entities at Rai Vanna Station on this work and the future and the need. This is one of the biggest mission growth areas.

[03:06:32] The intelligence, our intelligence community and that work in our defense is one of the biggest growth areas in our defense strategy. This has been a very active site through the global war on terror, and it continues to be a very active site in the world that we're in right now.

[03:06:54] And so I think even with the addition that's going to open up next year, they feel that they're already site constrained and need some additional space. And so we just, we continue to do that work with a goal that that eventually will lead to some actionable requirements that we've also had great engagement with the Virginia national guard we're meeting with the adjutant general either may or or june i think there's great interest in the development of a of a armory type function here that has skiff space it

[03:07:33] supports the reserve side of of the work that the guard does and so that that's they've been an active participant in our meetings i mentioned that the the addition will be opening up sometime in february March next year. That will be a grand opening event of which I think we'll have dignitaries coming down from D.C. The board will be part of that. The other thing that we are working on in coordination with our partners at the state is trying to host a intelligence and national

[03:08:07] security alliance conference. So it's kind of the professional conference that the intelligence community are members of. They have, just like there's a, you know, there's an association for local managers. They have an association that they bring together the best and the brightest on a periodic basis. We're hoping to host one of those in Elmore County, Charlottesville-Elmore County this fall, and we're asking Senator Warner to be the keynote for that. So some opportunities that will continue to to communicate to the board as as that as that develops we're looking in the

[03:08:46] november time frame maybe december for that last thing before i turn it over to the boards for questions and hopefully you'll bear with me on this but i think it's it's relevant to the what we believe the future entails with this work in the site there's a company called data shapes. They relocated to Abomar County and have taken up a home at North Fork and have rented space there. It's a smaller company, probably 12, 15 employees, but they are AI-based, AI-focused,

[03:09:23] and they are working specifically in the world of electronic warfare and intelligence solutions. And so if you'll bear with me just for a second, I'm going to read the quote. It's a person I've never met and actually we didn't know until we saw the press release that this this company had moved to her to her area and I can I can share the press release with the board but the quote from Logan Selby co-founder and president Charlottesville I'm going to add in Albemarle Charlottesville has emerged as a hub of innovation attracting top companies from Silicon Valley

[03:09:57] its proximity to DC underscores the crucial nature of our collaboration with government and defense organizations. That, I think, hits the bullseye of the opportunity that we see and the future of supporting our intelligence community at this property on this site.

[03:10:21] And so with that, Board, I will turn it over to the chair for any questions you have of me, Mr. Richardson, our team. Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Lopez-Dokertney. Yes, thank you very much for a very informative presentation.

[03:10:40] And I understand that company, they're from California, correct? Yes, ma'am. So they're bringing all their big California salaries and spending them all here. I like that. I really like that. And it's all done remotely. Incredible.

[03:10:55] Just incredible. So my understanding is you had mentioned, I think it was $1.3 million a year. $1.3 billion. Billion. With a B. That's why I wanted a point of clarification. There's a little bit of difference there. I know it was one, but that's in the region, correct?

[03:11:14] And we get about half of that? Is that correct? It is Alburo County, Charlottesville, and Green is where the 1.3 applies. Half of that is generated at Rivanna Station. And I actually have the Weldon Cooper study. I think that has been shared with the board before.

[03:11:31] I believe the Alburo piece of that is somewhere in the 700 million region, but I'd have to go back and fact check that number. Right, and I was aware of the 1.3 million, but I thought I heard 1.3 million, so that's why I wanted to...

[03:11:47] I may have, my Pennsylvania dialect, I apologize. My hearing, I think Supervisor Pruitt was talking to me and distracting me. I understand that there are 120 to 125 acres that are available, adjacent that are available and that's what you're planning on developing is that correct within the development area let me go back a couple of slides because i know we have 462 but

[03:12:22] correct so so the image on the right we have 462 acres that that is what is bounded by the the white outline the yellow is the development area which is 232 acres our focus has been on the immediate west and kind of northwest which is about a hundred 125 acres there may be further development opportunities just that's been the initial focus of our work and that's where you're at planning on asking for a rezoning in the northern area in the western area I think mr.

[03:13:01] Barnes covered that you know the the rezoning is is is the area that is in gold orange it says orange on the slide and what's gold to me but that's the area of the rezoning so we're not actually we there's additional development area that could be rezoned at this point we're just focusing on this initial set if that makes sense i think as we do a master plan as we do further definition we may be back in front of the board with additional rezoning work down down range and last question i understand that uh you're you're getting a lot of support from state and

[03:13:41] feds regarding this whole project. And you mentioned federal and private partnerships. Has anyone reached out to you or have you reached out to any private partnerships at this point in time? We have been contacted by the private sector, but we're really focusing first with the state and the federal engagement first. Well, it's just good to know that private partnerships have already contacted you. Yes, ma'am. That's good. Thank you. That's all I have.

[03:14:15] Thank you. Supervisor Galloway. Yeah, thank you for the update. I just wanted to clarify one point. Was it the tier three what qualifies you for state funding or tier four? Tier three. So that's what allows us to get going this summer. Yes, sir. Great. Well, I appreciate all the information and full speed ahead. Thank you. Yes, sir. Supervisor Pruitt. I know probably the next thing that's going to come before this board is going to be related to the zoning piece of this. And I see from your presentation that we're looking at light industrial and this literally occurred to me for the first time sitting here but i'm curious if if any of the partner agencies um anyone at rivana station

[03:14:54] has raised any concern about possible uses that might not be covered under light industrial i don't know what amount of work they do that's primary or primary intelligence or collections but i'm curious if there's things like any primary collections tools any laboratory spaces that actually would not be covered that we might want to have embraced in that zoning?

[03:15:17] That's a great question, and Mr. Barnes has jumped up to answer it. Thank you, Mr. Pruitt. We believe that the light industrial zone will allow a fairly wide array of uses that would meet most of their deeds. In addition, there's the opportunity for the special use permit to allow for the office uses.

[03:15:38] There was some discussion about potentially Army barracks there, that for more of a residential use we believe we could get to that if need be quickly but that's not in this particular round of the rezoning again i think a lot of this is trying to get us ready to tier three to make us able for the grants we get to tier four i think once we get there we'll have a much better idea of the permutations of stuff and we'll be able to make sure that that the property is adequately zoned to meet the exact profile of needs thank you so much and i do just want to this is maybe more for the board's benefit um but i see our conceptual designs

[03:16:17] and there's a part of me that is like damn that's a lot of parking um and i i can also speak from personal experience when i was at the office of naval intelligence our um parking garage was condemned because it was going to collapse um and this was a major systematic problem because gsa moves very slowly and authorizing new construction for parking. And the only way that that installation was able to continue to be successful, the Suitland Federal Center and the O&I compound thereon, is because they had access to reliable commuter transit with a direct lineup associated.

[03:16:56] So I would just suggest that an important piece of making this an incredibly viable site is going to be making sure that we're in parallel developing robust, reliable commuter transit service. And when we get there, figuring out how to get those buses through the ECP because it's a big site.

[03:17:12] I don't want people walking from the gate. In hindsight, maybe I should have asked for this data and I could get it, but this area is contained within our microCAT pilot. I'm not aware of the level of service that's happening there now, but I certainly could follow up with our partners at CAT on it. Good. Thank you. Supervisor McHugh. I don't have any questions, Trevor. It's a great presentation. Thank you. This is not about Ravana, but just to get to your point, there have been

[03:17:48] several news reports recently on the condition of parking decks and garages in the United States and concerns about many of them. Exactly. But thank you very much for this report. It was really good. I appreciate it. Thank you. Supervisor Malek. I'm so glad I lived long enough to get today.

[03:18:09] this is so great um a couple of things let me come back to the beginning to look for my all caps here um so i have received questions about why are you expanding the growth area in this way and my answer has been we're not because the ra section within the boundary might be wonderfully used for recreational pathways etc but that is so i just want to make sure that is correct um another was is the the local government going to follow the same rules and processes as local businesses and

[03:18:46] my answer has been yes so the clear you're nodding that's good um the i'm very grateful for the clarification about the residential because the barracks attitude or people intricately involved in 24-7 work at the station was the way i had interpreted it but i'm very glad to know that that is what was being considered and that can be done separately so that is good too um when we were meeting with general messina earlier i remember him saying that they were having trouble staffing the child care center and that was one of the biggest problems to their numbers but hopefully that will perhaps we should get our workforce center helping him on that um

[03:19:25] the supervisor malik on that and we we've offered multiple times to host a job fair anything that we could do um through our our network and facilities to support fort belvore They've not taken us up on that offer yet, but we have made it.

[03:19:43] He's a busy boy. When you mentioned about the lack of snow plowing, et cetera, I know that our emergency facilities at the state or Dominion and we don't have separate lists for hospitals and things like that, and perhaps this would be an appropriate place to put on that list because we need to have our people being able to get to work in this circumstance.

[03:20:06] Let me see it down here. I was very glad to see on your slides, locally driven, state supported, federally shared. This is what it took us 15 years at Admiral County to understand was the order of business.

[03:20:24] Everybody sat back for 10 years and said, oh, well, the feds will come and do it all. But that is not the way it works. This is the way it works. The locality has to make a stake first, get the state involved, and then the federal government will fill in the cracks, maybe. But I'm just very grateful for this board and for staff to be able to get us to this point.

[03:20:44] It's really exciting stuff. And there is a whistle-stop plan, which I've had in my brain since 2010, for profit, because there is a train station there. And whenever I mention this slightly in jest to people at NGIC, they've said, yeah, yeah, let us know when it happens, because they could run a shuttle over there, people jump on the train, and be at Belvoir in almost no time.

[03:21:09] So that's something we can keep on the front burner when we get to that point. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, I'm very impressed with what you put together, and it's exciting what's coming.

[03:21:27] I guess, you know, thinking about the fact that, you know, the development will go through a lot of the same processes that private development has gone through, that I just want to be mindful that we had a public comment earlier about making sure we have an impact analysis, that we have some understanding of what it is that we're expecting from this. And I'm not expecting it today, but I'm saying, you know, as we go forward, of course, we're going to be looking at the impacts of each of the pieces of development and it's an important part of the process. I appreciate that comment earlier.

[03:22:01] Thank you. Are there other questions or comments? Thank you, Board. Thank you very much, Board. This brings us to item 15, which is our closed meeting. Supervisor Pruitt, do you have a motion? I do. I would like to move that the Board of Supervisors convene a closed meeting pursuant to section 2.2, TAC 3711, Parents A, of the Code of Virginia, under subsection 8, to consult with legal counsel regarding specific legal matters requiring legal advice relating to the county's authority to regulate recreational

[03:22:34] uses of Ragga Mountain Reservoir under section 11, TAC 303 of the Albemarle County Code. Second. We have a motion from Supervisor Pruitt, second from Supervisor Malek. Without objection, if the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malek?

[03:22:50] Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews? Yes. Mr. Alloway? Yes. Ms. Pisa-Kirtley? Aye. Thank you. We will now go to closed session, Board.

[04:01:50] Yes.

[05:00:06] Okay. Good evening. We will, Board, we will now come out of closed session. Supervisor Pruitt, if you have a motion. Yes. I would like to move that the Board of Supervisors certify by a recorded vote that, to the best of each supervisor's knowledge, only public business matters, lawfully exempted from the open meeting requirement of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, and identified in the motion authorizing the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered in the closed meeting.

[05:00:33] Second. We have a motion from Supervisor Pruitt and a second from Supervisor Lepisto-Curley. Oh, I was wrong. Oh, Supervisor Malek. I'm sorry. I didn't hear it clearly. Without objection, Mr. Clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malek? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye.

[05:00:54] Mr. Andrews? Yes. Mr. Galloway? Yes. Ms. Lupisto-Kirtley? Aye. Thank you, board. Sorry about that snafu there. Next item is from the county executive. Mr. Richardson, do you have a report? Yes, sir, I do. Thank you, Chair Andrews and members of the board. This is our monthly report on county operations. And so I certainly appreciate the opportunity to be here this evening to highlight some of the work that is going on in Albemarle County.

[05:01:22] and without this attention from the department heads back through our community and public engagement folks, this is work that might not rise to the level of us paying attention to it. And I think it matters.

[05:01:37] So thank you very much. Board, I wanted to take a minute to recognize Almar County's recent loss. The Almar County Fire Rescue Department experienced a tragic loss of firefighter Micah Myers on Friday, March 29th, off-duty death, and on Saturday, April the 6th, the fire department and our community paid tribute to Firefighter Myers through a public memorial service.

[05:02:04] In response to his death, our fire rescue leadership and Chief Eggleston and Deputy Chief Puckett are here this evening, and I appreciate them both being here. They immediately recognized the need to fortify their counseling and peer support services to provide mental health support to the personnel that were impacted by the loss.

[05:02:25] The department also provided extensive support to Firefighter Myers' family. And in the face of the tragedy, our organization has come together with support of one another by listening, active listening, offering assistance, empathy, creating a supportive environment.

[05:02:41] We also emphasize and lean into resources like the Employee Assistance Program and peer support groups when these types of things happen. And I would like to take a second because I learned the other night at one of our community town halls the amount of effort that our volunteer fire departments and our rescue services across the county, they stepped forward on Saturday, April the 6th, and they covered all of our departments across the county in order for all of our professional paid service staff to be able to attend the services for fallen firefighter Myers.

[05:03:15] Our hearts continue to are with the family and as well as the Fire Rescue Department. Well, here we go with FLIP graduation. And here is our very own Deputy County Executive, Ann Wall.

[05:03:34] FLIP Incorporated is one of the recipients of the inaugural Community Climate Action Grants. Through the grant, they have provided free training to Albemarle County residents, preparing them to become solar installation technicians. Shown here, Ms. Wall gave the keynote address at the most recent graduation.

[05:03:54] FLIP's work is important as our society transitions to clean energy. The Community Climate Action Grant was launched by our Climate Protection Program in 2023 to support creative local projects and leverage community resources outside local government to help implement the county's climate action plan.

[05:04:15] and board you will know that this aligns well with goal two and that is designing programs and services that are focused on climate resiliency so thank you man back to fire rescue and our partnership with american red cross at the end of march and i spoke to this at the last board meeting but i want to say a little bit more about red cross they supported our fire rescue department through through two crucial efforts assisting crews during the brush fires on march the 20th and then with smoke alarm distribution event on March 23rd.

[05:04:51] During the brush fires, Red Cross volunteers worked around the clock to provide support to fire rescue, and that included food and water for the crews. On the 23rd of March, our fire department partnered with Red Cross with their Sound the Alarm program, and they canvassed and installed smoke alarms in the Willow Lake neighborhood.

[05:05:11] They installed 59 smoke alarms to address resident safety. And again, this would be aligned with goal one, and that is nurturing a safe and healthy community. Board, this is exciting for me because we don't hear about this type of the work that's going on in social services at this level very often, and I get excited about it.

[05:05:34] These are two fraud investigators who recently passed the Certified Welfare Fraud Investigator Test. Amanda Stevens and Sherry Turner, two fraud investigators in social services, passed a national certified welfare fraud investigators test.

[05:05:50] Certification provides them with specialized expertise to efficiently detect and prevent welfare fraud, and it was both a professional goal of theirs. Investing in their professional development, it makes our organization stronger, but it also helps us to be more fiscally conservative, to meet our state and federal obligations with taxpayer dollars, and it is investing in our workforce.

[05:06:14] We recently learned that Albemarle County Government is one of Virginia's top employers for interns. Albemarle County has been named one of Virginia's top employers for interns in 2024, and that is by the Virginia Talent and Opportunity Partnership, VTOP.

[05:06:30] The annual award celebrates Virginia employers who provide high-quality internships to students. The recognition highlights the Department of Finance and the Budget Internship Program, which has provided opportunities to learn through two tracks of learning, one for accounting and the other for finance.

[05:06:47] Six interns have participated in the program so far, including David Bashamy, Laura Ondrake, Nusha Dow, who have worked over the past three years to build, design and build a program that enhances careers for interns. And so we continue to work hard with some key partners in our community to build that talent pipeline as we look to do good succession planning.

[05:07:12] Recently, I'll talk about a regional training. This is an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Regional Training. Our own police department hosted a four-day Internet Crimes Against Children class with 29 investigators from 16 local, state, and federal agencies that were participating.

[05:07:31] The training provided the tools and techniques necessary to develop an effective response to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and internet crimes against children. When you're looking at the new transportation project dashboard, this was introduced in our budget and transportation town halls recently across the community. Transportation planning and community development launched a transportation project dashboard on the county's website.

[05:08:04] This interactive map allows your users to click on projects from around the county to learn what it is, what phase it's in, as well as provide links to websites or plans to give the citizen more details. This tool will be able to provide a near comprehensive view of the work that planning staff has been working on. The Office of Equity and Inclusion has partnered with several local partners, including the City of Charlottesville and Charlottesville National Organization for Women for this spring's community read. The spring's book is All We Can Save, an anthology

[05:08:41] of ridings by 60 women at the forefront of climate work. The initiative culminates with a panel discussion on April 21st. I mentioned briefly our community town halls. The purpose of these budget, transportation, and traffic town halls, we wanted to create an accessible and welcoming opportunity for community members to come and share ideas, questions, and feedback. Thank you the Board of Supervisors who staffed all of the seven town halls with the staff from a wide range

[05:09:15] of departments. As we talked about our fiscal 25 budget process with high level content, we had transportation funding on current projects. Thank you to community development, and we had traffic enforcement and traffic safety initiatives. Thank you to the police department for their efforts for all 20 all seven of these events we had our count is 134 community members that participated in these town halls and we had 48 staff members provide support to these events the staffing changed at each one of the events and we we had a nice uh

[05:09:52] participation level from across departments we'll go back and i was mentioning it to miss malik at the break we'll go back and evaluate our work and our goal will be to improve for next year we We want to do a better job next year getting more timely information out for these town halls and hopefully create some momentum from this year going into next year.

[05:10:12] Thank you to CAPE, too, to the Community and Public Engagement Division that did, I thought, a very good job of framing these town halls and supporting these town halls with the work they did to get them ready to go, to get them staffed, and then to clean up with some pretty late evenings.

[05:10:29] So we're going to do a report recapping the themes and the takeaway for the staff and board We'll follow up with you because we'd love your feedback as well. Ravanna Solid Waste Authority 2024 Household Hazardous Waste Days.

[05:10:44] Please take note of this board to pass this through the community. Our household hazardous waste days are Friday, April 26th and Saturday, April 27th from 9 to 2 at Ivy Materials Utilization Center. In addition to that, the authority, Ravanna Authority, is also offering free mulch to customers at the Ivy Materials Utilization Center.

[05:11:06] and all the details can be found at ravanna.org. The board, that's it for this month. And as you know, coupled with the budget town halls, has been a very busy time with budget work sessions, along with full normal meetings on the first and third Wednesday. But again, thank you for the opportunity to be in the community on our budget and transportation town halls. And again, thank you to staff. Happy to answer any questions you may have for this evening. Thank you. We'll go through our order supervisor lupisto currently thank you very for a very informative recap of

[05:11:41] what's going on and i assume we'll be able to get a copy of this also oh yes ma'am and i like you asking that question it's becoming i think a normal process step for us to share these on a monthly basis that should be in a ready to show format you'll have the notes the speaker notes in case you are in the community and you're speaking with CACs or other types of community events and you want to blend some of this information into your presentation. Thank you. And also the public

[05:12:11] can access this on abamora.org? That's a good question. Record for sure. We can, yeah. So Ms. Kilroy is thinking through that, but I think your question will elicit us to think through the accessibility on our website. Thank you for asking that. Thank you. Supervisor Galloway. Thank you, Mr. Richardson for the information. I know the town halls, the PowerPoint, the presentations that we had for that, I have used in other settings now, even just to refer to, to help answer questions. And I think the inclusion of the transportation and the safety information was

[05:12:50] interesting. It seems at least folks in my district had a lot of questions about the transportation projects that were going on in addition to some of the budget information. So thank you for that and for all the other items you reported on. Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt.

[05:13:06] Thank you so much. And I want to, of course, thank staff for all the work that's gone into the last month or two with all our budget town halls. I think I might have commented on this earlier, but it bears repeating. It came up recently at our neighbors' city council meeting that they are concerned that they are not doing enough messaging about the budget and what all goes into that.

[05:13:30] And that's something where we really bring home the news on that. We go out into our community, we share the good news about the budget, and I just want to recognize all the incredible work that goes into that. And I do, of course, want to recognize the work that our fire department has put in toward healing and toward focusing on the impact to the team and to the family.

[05:13:55] And my prayers have been with the Myers family and with the rest of the department, so thank you. Thank you. Supervisor McHugh. Yes. Jeff, it was a great presentation. Thank you. I always learn something, and I'm really pleased to see the internship program. That is a great local way to grow your own, and very appreciative of that. It also might be good for you just to remind or to let people know, because I often

[05:14:27] join you for the employee town halls and just listen, because what I really like is hearing the questions that our employees ask, but just to give a quick, so that people know that we're doing town halls with our employees routinely. We are, and for board members that are running hard on Thursdays in the morning hour, we should have on your calendar at 11 o'clock that we've got the virtual employee town halls. They are always at this time on the Thursday after the second meeting, and we will have some of this information embedded in the town halls. They

[05:15:06] are one hour long we do tape them and then we put them out to all employees who are either off or in the field working in the field that have no way to be able to access it we're trying to push timely information out and appreciate the board members listening in because it's good because we do have an open mic we'll go with 30 to 40 minutes of information and then we'll open it up for questions and we get really good questions from our workforce and there are times that we have to step away and say we'll think about that and get back to you because we don't have the answers but there's a lot of good questions where we're able to clarify. We usually average between 125

[05:15:44] to 175 staff that are on these calls and had a very brief meeting today about are there things we could do to shake it up to get more people on these because obviously we're capturing it and then putting it back out. But the higher the number, the more engagement, the better.

[05:16:01] You just can't over-communicate, as Pruitt said, on the budget. We can't communicate enough. Yeah, yeah. And I just want to take the opportunity, as many of the supervisors have said, I see Dan in the audience and some of our folks with the fire department, and we really are terribly sorry about your loss.

[05:16:22] Thank you. Supervisor Malek. Thank you very much. As I said earlier, the extra information provided by the staff presentation at the Town Hall and Crozet really helped to jumpstart questions that people might not have had had they not had that more polished presentation than what I usually provide.

[05:16:43] So it's one thing to lay out a whole lot of pieces of paper and people look at them, but this really was very pleased. People are particularly interested in the Whitehall District about the public safety statistics, so I should have given more early warning about that interest, but that may be something to think about for next year as well because sort of a sort of standard boilerplate because I expect that others other districts would be interested in that as well thank you oh one other question uh the little free libraries Emily will the book be I went too soon I guess to the one at Chris Green so I did not get one then for

[05:17:21] the books um the Emily Kilroy assistant to the county executive uh the books were placed a couple of weeks ago in all the little free libraries in the county so if you went after mid-march they may just be out but we certainly can help make sure you get a copy. I went as soon as I saw the communication so I will find one some other place. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, very appreciative of everything that went into that presentation, the different activities. I noticed a theme early in the presentation on training and workforce development including the internships which

[05:17:53] I think is a real feather in our caps. Remind me again what does the FLIP acronym stand for? was that an acronym was that was it it was slide three i think it was oh yeah i don't know okay you you've duly stumped us sorry you'll probably have an email you i bet you'll have an email by tomorrow i'm sorry oh thank you very much yep all right uh board we can move on to number 18 which

[05:18:29] is matters on the agenda but not listed for public hearing or matters previously considered by the board or matters that are pending before the board. And Vice Chair McKeel will read the rules for public comment and introduce speakers. I will be happy to read the rules and we have one speaker and no one online. So with that, during the time set aside for matters on the agenda but not listed for public hearing, individuals may address the board of supervisors concerning the matters previously considered by the board or matters that are pending before the board other than items listed on the agenda for public hearing.

[05:19:08] Individuals are allowed one opportunity of up to three minutes to speak at each board meeting during matters from the public. A sign-up sheet is managed by the clerk's office. Timekeeping is conducted through a timer and light system at the podium. The green light will go on when you begin speaking, which begins your allotted time.

[05:19:26] The yellow light indicates you have one minute to finish speaking. The red light indicates your time has expired and you will be asked to end your comments. To give all speakers equal treatment and courtesy, the board requests that speakers adhere to the following guidelines. When addressing the board, state your name and, if you live in Almar County, your magisterial district.

[05:19:45] Address comments directly to the board as a whole. Any written statements or other supporting material may be given to the clerk. If representing a group or organization, you may ask others present to raise their hand in recognition. Speakers may not share any unused time with another speaker.

[05:20:02] Back-and-forth debate is not permitted, and do not speak from your seat or out of turn. All comments are live-streamed, recorded, and published on the Almar County website. And our speaker this evening is Libby Jones.

[05:20:21] Welcome, Ms. Jones. Please adjust the microphone. Thank you. No problem. Thank you so much for having me. My name is Libby Jones, and I am the new executive director here at the SPCA in Charlottesville and Almar County.

[05:20:37] I wanted to take a moment to come and introduce myself. I am our organization exists in Mr. Galloway's district and I wanted to personally invite all of you this weekend we have our Bow Wow Walk event it is our annual fundraiser event we've been working really hard to look at our budget it looks like currently for 2023 public funding accounts for about 18.1 percent of the expense budget for the SPCA. So we rely really heavily on our fundraising. And this weekend is a big event for us. It's our Bow Wow Walk. We're at

[05:21:16] Boar's Head from nine to one. So please, if you can share and participate, we would love to have you. If you're not a walker, that's totally fine. You can also participate as a golfer at our golf tournament. There is a golf tournament happening at Creekside, I believe. Hold on one second. For the RJ Hess Memorial Golf Tournament, it is being held at 9 a.m. at Meadow Creek Golf Course. This is in honor of U.S. Army First Lieutenant Robert Joseph Hess, who died in

[05:21:50] combat in Afghanistan in 2013. Each year, the Cavalier Battalion holds an event in honor of First Lieutenant Hess, who was commissioned in 2010. So if you're not a walker and you prefer to golf, please also consider going to that event. The battalion and Mr. Hess's family decided to honor us with the proceeds this year. So we really appreciate it. Thank you.

[05:22:19] Thank you. Thank you. Board, this brings us to the first of four public hearings this evening. Our first being public hearing on the Board of Supervisors fiscal year 2025 proposed budget. And this will be led off by Mr. Jacob Sumner, the Chief Financial Officer, with Mr. Ryan Davidson, Deputy Chief, Office of Management and Budget.

[05:22:43] Welcome. Thank you. Give us just a minute and we'll get things organized. All right. Good evening.

[05:23:00] Thank you, Chair Andrews. I greatly appreciate it. Once again, my name is Jacob Sumner. I'm the Chief Financial Officer for the county. And this evening, we'll be holding a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget. I'll provide an overview of the proposed budget in the following slides before turning it back over to the chair to hold the public hearing.

[05:23:19] The proposed budget starts with the board's strategic plan. Back in 2022, the board adopted the plan you see on the screen, which focuses on goals and objectives related to safety and well-being, resilient, equitable, and engaged community, infrastructure and placemaking, quality of life, education and learning, and workforce and customer service.

[05:23:40] When preparing a balanced budget, we take into account many factors. We start with that strategic plan, and then we work through our five-year financial plan together. We look at our economic outlook and how that may impact our revenues and our revenue growth. We then consider obligation and existing commitments we've made in our previous budgets, and these are all considered with an eye on the Board's financial policies and commitment to fiscal stewardship.

[05:24:05] In our economic outlook, we have seen inflation fall, but it's higher than pre-pandemic. That's actually a similar story to our vehicle valuations. And some of these statistics you'll see that I talk about are on the screen. Real property assessments are up 4%, which is much less than the more than 13% we saw in last year.

[05:24:24] That's a much more normal level of growth when you look pre-pandemic. Our consumer-driven revenues, which are sales tax, food and beverage, and our transient occupancy tax, are also up. They're up 4.7%, which is positive growth. But again, this is at a much lower rate than last year.

[05:24:41] Our transient oxygen tax, which is on overnight stays at hotels and B&Bs, have really rebounded from the pandemic downturn and grew 17% this past year. In addition, our business-driven revenues had 1.5% growth, but this is down from over 11% last year.

[05:25:01] This shows continued growth, but at a much lower and slower pace. The theme for fiscal year 25 is really to continue to build momentum with what we began in fiscal year 24. 24 was the fiscal year of the first year of the new five-year strategic plan, and we're looking to continue making strides towards progress along that plan.

[05:25:25] We approach annual budgeting in the context of the five-year plan and the outlook for the economy. Last year, while revenues were far outperforming expectations, and with a new strategic plan, we hired key positions, we launched key programs and services, and we activated the strategic plan.

[05:25:40] We anticipated at that time that the years ahead would be much more average and we would return to a normal economic growth rate. While the pace of growth in the local economy is cooling from the past few years, the work the board did last year, which included increasing the budget stabilization reserve and directing a portion of our new ongoing revenues as a one-time transfer to the capital fund, positioned the county to soften the impact of our slowed growth.

[05:26:04] And because of that, we entered 25 in a strong position to continue to advance strategic plan priorities, because we are shifting from shoring up our foundation to building momentum. Board, you've seen this slide before. We budget annually, but decisions from one year affect what happens in the next.

[05:26:24] Decisions from last year are part of this year's budget story, and the decisions the board makes in fiscal year 25 will impact our budget in FY26. In FY25, we were beginning to pick up some of these costs that previous policy and funding decisions required.

[05:26:41] The new courts were a capital expense but require staffing to operate the new building and expand the square footage. And we have grant-funded initiatives that were scheduled in FY25 to require additional local funding. In the same vein, we were keeping an eye-2 on FY26, as other plan expenses would require local funding as well.

[05:27:02] Board, our past decisions can drive our future budgets. On the screen, you'll see some examples of how past decisions drive these future budgets. We launched a number of pilots over the past several years to see how things could work. And some of these pilots are over and done, and some are still gaining momentum, and we want to keep them moving forward.

[05:27:22] When we first plan for new facilities, we focus on the capital improvement plan, the cost to borrow, and the ongoing service, debt service. We have two facilities that will have operational impacts in FY25 as they open and they require additional staff to function. Also, when we accept grants, we acknowledge that if we want to keep the program or service going, we need to plan to pick up the ongoing expense.

[05:27:45] We have been very successful in receiving FEMA Safer grants to support hiring firefighters, and now those early grants are starting to expire. That means we're moving to local funding. We're also slowly coming off federal and state funding for our transit services related to CAT and micro-CAT.

[05:28:01] The proposed budget for FY25 is $635 million. This is an increase from FY24 of $80.4 million. This increase is due to our annual fluctuations in our capital program needs, which is typically based on timing of capital outlays and our debt issuances.

[05:28:20] This increase is also driven by our debt service from our last issuance, which was used to help fund our Rivanna Futures Project and our Quartz Project. We also are incorporating further commitments in our obligations in FY20 and fiscal year 25 into the general fund.

[05:28:36] And speaking of the general fund, we tend to focus on the general fund during our budget season because this is where all tax revenues are received and is the primary funding source for schools and capital in debt and is where the board has the maximum amount of policy discretion. The general fund revenues for fiscal year 25 are estimated to be $438 million.

[05:28:57] The budget process has three major milestones. The county executive's recommended budget, the board's proposed budget, and the adopted budget. After several work sessions to dig into the details of the county executive's recommended budget, the board, back on March 17th, improved a proposed budget that includes two potential rate increases.

[05:29:19] One is personal property. The proposed rate increase would bring the overall revenues from this source back to where it was in fiscal year 22, which is when the board decreased this rate in order to mitigate the effect of the rapid rise in vehicle values during the pandemic. The second is our transient augusty tax, which is applied to overnight lodging stays at hotels and B&Bs.

[05:29:39] This tax is borne by those visiting the community who benefit from our high quality of life while they are here. The city of Charlottesville recently increased their rate by 1%, and the board felt it made sense to increase this as well because we share the same tourism market with the city. I'll go into the details of these increases on the next couple of slides.

[05:29:59] Personal property and machinery and tools. The proposed tax rate for personal property and machinery and tools is $3.96. This is a 54-cent increase and would generate approximately $4.5 million. Since this tax is a shared revenue, it is split between capital and debt, public schools, and county government operations.

[05:30:18] The revenue split for the additional revenue generated is in the chart you see on the screen. Transit Occupancy Tax. The proposed budget includes a rate increase for the TOT. This increase from 8% to 9% would generate approximately $900,000 in additional revenue.

[05:30:37] This tax is a shared revenue as well and will go through the funding allocation. The recommended expenditures are balanced on the proposed revenues. Thus, the proposed general fund expenditures also total $438 million.

[05:30:54] On the screen are some major areas where we're recommending to allocate new revenues in FY25, including $13 million to schools per our funding formula, $9.3 million to workforce and customer service for salary adjustments, health care costs, and implementation of the community development system.

[05:31:13] Additional funding is included for our partner agencies, as well as transportation costs with MicroCat and Cat. We are also investing $2.4 million in safety and well-being with operational costs for the General District Court building, additional firefighters to support an ambulance in the Berkmar area, and to address the 24-7 staffing needs at North Garden.

[05:31:32] There is an investment for expansion of the HART team, as well as an additional sheriff's deputy and a police officer. The proposed budget also supports the five-year capital improvement plan. The schools-related capital projects within the five-year plan totaled $206.8 million.

[05:31:48] This plan includes funding for projects including High School Center 2, a Southern Feeder Pattern Elementary School, and a Northern Feeder Pattern Elementary School, along with system-wide renovation and maintenance projects. The local government side, the local government capital projects within the five-year plan total $128.8 million.

[05:32:08] This plan includes funding for projects including transportation leveraging, biscuit run, ports, central lobby renovations, and capital needs at two of our volunteer fire stations. Circling back to our strategic plan, here are the major areas where we're recommending our new revenues in FY25.

[05:32:26] This includes opening of Biscuit Run in FY25. It also includes continuing our micro-CAT services, and includes achieving universal broadband access across the county. As I mentioned earlier, there are three major milestones in the budget process.

[05:32:43] The county executive's recommended budget, the board's proposed budget, and finally, the adopted budget. The difference between the county executive's recommended budget and the proposed budget, which we're talking about today, Includes technical adjustments, which occur after the budget is recommended, as well as board-driven adjustments, which were discussed during work sessions.

[05:33:02] I'll address those two areas on the following slides. On this slide, we have outlined the technical adjustments that staff have identified through the budget process. We've talked about these before, so I'll just hit these very briefly. The item for jaunt is the county's portion of funding, which is available above the jaunt's fund balance policy.

[05:33:21] We consider this a one-time funding, as this cannot be counted on in any given fiscal year. State revenue includes updated adjustments to state reimbursements from the Compensation Board for those county-funded positions eligible for state reimbursement. This would be ongoing revenues available for use in the FY25 budget.

[05:33:39] RSWA. This is the updated county contribution as approved by the RSWA Budget Subcommittee. The county's contribution in the FY25 recommended budget was based on a draft that we received in early March. The board may remember that you all recently approved RSWA to consider raising their tipping fee rates.

[05:33:59] And this figure is inclusive of that additional revenue. On the capital side, we spoke previously and during the work sessions on the removal of funding for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. And also, as part of the RSWA budget amendments, there was an increase in the portion of the annual contribution for the Ivy Landfill Remediation Project.

[05:34:18] And finally, our budget amendments. This slide outlines the Board of Supervisors proposed adjustments to the recommended budget. On the revenue side, we have the personal property tax and the transient occupancy tax, which I discussed previously. And on the expenditure side, the board has proposed funding for additional firefighters to support that ambulance in the Burkma area and to address the 24-7 staffing needs at North Garden.

[05:34:41] We also have the investment for the expansion of the HARC team, as well as additional sheriff's deputy and police officer. We've also included operational efficiencies and reserve for contingencies in the recommended adjustments. On the capital fund side, the board requested to move the funding for the community capital requests from Earliesville and Seminole Trail Voluntary Fire Stations from FY27 into FY25, and those adjustments are included in the FY25 proposed budget.

[05:35:08] And while there are a lot of numbers and figures in the budget document, we wanted to highlight just a few more. These figures are direct results of what the budget funds and what our staff accomplish every day. In 2023, we had 74,000 police calls for service and 18,000 fire rescue calls for service.

[05:35:27] We had 35,000 building permit inspections and serviced over 2 million visits to our county parks. It's amazing work by our staff, and it's one of our favorite slides of our presentation. And this is our final slide, and we'll conclude my formal remarks.

[05:35:44] We are nearing the end of the budget calendar. We have one more public hearing, and that will occur next week, and that will be on the tax rates. We'll then move into final budget adoption and appropriation on May 1st. So, Chair Andrews, this concludes my formal remarks for the public hearing on the proposed budget.

[05:36:01] Before you open the public hearing, if Ryan Davidson and I are here, if the board has any questions, we'd be glad to answer those if you have. Thank you. Yes, before we open the public hearing, we'll go through our order for questions. Supervisor LePiesto-Curtley. I just wanted to commend you on an excellent presentation. Very informative, and I think this will also go on our newsletter, perhaps, for the public to be able to access this information. Good, good. It will go on our website.

[05:36:31] And also I just want to, as a little aside, we're doing a lot for modernization, which actually makes it more efficient for building, for development, for other things when you can do things online and we can shorten the process, which I think is very beneficial.

[05:36:54] So we delayed modernization for years for many reasons, but now we're catching up, and I think that's one of the hallmarks also of what this county is doing. That concludes my remarks. Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Calloway.

[05:37:10] I'll start with a comment, which will lead to a question. I appreciate you outlining the county executive brings us a recommended budget. We have some technical adjustments, then the board has a recommended budget. And you put out what those changes are.

[05:37:27] If maybe for the 24th we could have the numbers associated with that so that we can track, all right, the board, the technical adjustments, I mean, those are going to happen regardless of what goes on. Those always happen throughout the budget. But then when the board said, all right, we're going to advertise an increased tax rate, which equates to this, and here are the added things that those dollars are going to pay for.

[05:37:49] And then my question is, I've never actually done the exact math. Are we dollar to dollar on that? That the advertised tax rate and what that increases in revenues, has it all been programmed based on the changes that we asked for?

[05:38:05] Is there more or less? It is balanced. So, yes. So, we have the additional, on the expenditure side, the support for fire rescue, the sheriff's deputy and the police officer, as well as expansion of the hearts team. Also, there was some additional revenues that support increasing our reserve for contingencies just slightly for 25.

[05:38:27] Because most of those positions, if you recall during some of our work sessions, those were funded at half of a year based on our hiring cycle, particularly for our public safety folks. In recognition that in 26, we'll bear the full cost, annualized cost for those positions.

[05:38:43] I think it would be nice both for the board and for the public to see the dollars, especially in that change from what the county executive brought forward. to what this board asked to have happen. We can do that. We'll absolutely bring that back. Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt. I have no questions.

[05:38:58] Thank you. Supervisor McKeel. Wow, it came to me fast. Thank you for the really good presentation. I have a couple of comments, and then I'd like you to clarify a couple of things for me. My first comment is that this board had 13 hours of work sessions.

[05:39:19] The public, if they're curious at this point about anything that we discussed or any decisions that we made, can go back in and listen to, if they want, 13 hours or one hour or four hours of those work sessions.

[05:39:36] But we had staff there, and we had department heads talking to us, and we really talked in depth about this budget and what we were adding and what we were not funding. We had, I believe, eight pages of unfunded requests that were not wish lists, but requests from departments that they felt like were really important.

[05:40:00] Eight pages that we did not fund. And that gets me to, Jacob, maybe just for people that don't, that are not familiar, could you explain the split between the schools and county government for new monies?

[05:40:18] And the reason I ask that is because that is unusual. That's not something that by law we have to do. That's something that we choose to do in this community. But I don't think everybody understands it. Sure. Thank you for that question, Supervisor McKeel.

[05:40:36] So the splits between our revenues is articulated in board-approved financial policies. So that's where the authority that we look at to split the revenues. And these aren't all revenues that come into the general fund.

[05:40:51] These are what we consider our shared revenues. And the formula takes 10% off the top of those shared revenues and moves that to capital and debt to fund those expenditures there. 54% of the remaining shared revenues is allocated towards the public schools.

[05:41:10] and the final 36% of the shared revenues comes to fund local government operations. Thank you. And the reason I wanted to just point that out is people see that we're getting, we're giving or asking for a one cent or a two cent raise in the TOT or whatever it might be, but the new monies that come in would be divided with the schools.

[05:41:30] Yes, ma'am. So it's not all going to county government. And the other thing that I would, or item that I'd like you to clarify is, you had something on the screen about efficiencies. Could you talk a little bit about the board and staff discussed helping to balance our budget with at least $500,000 worth of efficiencies?

[05:41:56] Can you talk about that a little bit? Sure. One of the things that we looked at when we were proposing to balance was to introduce additional efficiencies into our budget throughout the county as an organization. And this is really in recognition of the work that we've been doing as staff in modernizing some of our systems.

[05:42:16] That's our core systems modernization project. That's the community development system is a part of that. The new financial system that will be coming after that is also part of that effort. But we're also looking organizationally at how we can do things differently and be more efficient and make sure that we are doing the right things and doing the right things well.

[05:42:35] And so this year we're going to be taking a look at that, and our target is $250,000 for the 25, fiscal year 25, within anticipation of keeping that going into the 26, that more around the half-million-dollar range that you referenced earlier. Right. Thank you.

[05:42:51] And we'll be hearing more as the year goes on about what those efficiencies are. And you'll be coming back to us with reports. Thank you very much. That's all I have. Thank you. Supervisor Malek. Thank you very much, and I appreciate the presentation. Again, this is very helpful.

[05:43:06] So a further question about the split in the schools. At one of the town halls, someone asked me for more information about this, and it prompted this question to you to explain so I can explain it better next time. So in 2008, the legislature in August of that year sent a notice to the county saying, that $6 million we were going to send you, well, we're not.

[05:43:29] And so that reduction was absorbed by schools and local government based on the policy. Was that same split also taken into account when there was a reduction in the revenue from the reduced personal property tax due to the lower rate for the cars in three years ago?

[05:43:52] Thank you, Supervisor Malek. That is a great question. Yes, that goes both ways. So when we have additional revenues, that is split. And also when those revenues may come in less than the previous year, that reduction is also split in the same fashion between capital and debt, public schools, and local government.

[05:44:07] Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, that's good to know. I appreciate that clarity. Thank you. I'm very impressed with the budget and particularly appreciate this slide and the general fund expenditures that we did decide to include, especially towards safety.

[05:44:28] and the heart expansion this news in the past couple weeks have highlighted how much we need this going forward so i very much appreciate that um i do think that you know we're waiting to hear what happens in richmond um it has gotten even more complicated i think today and i look forward to that but this is a budget i'm quite pleased with thank you uh with that um we will open the

[05:45:00] public hearing. I believe we have a few signups. All right. Let's see what we have. We have my mic over. We have no one online and we have four folks that have signed up to speak. So I will read the instructions. The following rules apply to the first two public hearings that we're going to have.

[05:45:28] the public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget and adoption of the ordinance to modify the real estate tax relief for elderly and disabled. So, the following rules apply.

[05:45:45] These rules are also included on the published agenda for the meeting, which can be found online and on the sign-up table to the audience's right. During public hearings, the board will acknowledge speakers addressing the item listed for public hearing. Speakers are limited to one appearance of three minutes per public hearing item. Timekeeping is conducted through a timer and a light system at the podium. The green light will go on when you begin speaking, which begins your allotted time. The yellow light indicates you have one minute to finish speaking.

[05:46:15] The red light indicates your time has expired, and you will be asked to end your comments. To give all speakers equal treatment and courtesy, the board requests that speakers adhere to the following guidelines. When addressing the board, state your name and if you live in Albemarle County, your magisterial district. Address comments directly to the board as a whole.

[05:46:35] Any written statements or other supporting material may be given to the clerk. If representing a group or organization, you may ask others present to raise their hands in recognition. Speakers may not share any unused time with another speaker. Back and forth debate is not permitted. Do not speak from your seat or out of turn and all comments are live streamed recorded and published on the almar county website thank you all right and with that our first speaker is lydia brunk

[05:47:07] welcome please adjust the microphone thank you hello my name is lydia brunk and i live in the samuel miller district i'm here in front of you with one specific ask please increase the funding for emergency rent relief to at least two million dollars. There are a lot of things that are important to me and I know that you're balancing a lot of priorities and a lot of constituent interests and I appreciate that after 13 hours of work sessions you're still willing to listen

[05:47:46] to constituents speak about those things that are truly important to them and for me nothing is more important than the fact that people in our community have a place to live one of humanity's most basic needs. We all know that housing prices, both in terms of the value of houses and of rent, are going up and up and up in this community. When I graduated from college, I grew up here, I graduated from college, I moved back, and the first job I got out of college was as a cashier, and the only way I was able to live in this community was because I was lucky enough

[05:48:25] to have a family member who was willing to let me live with them for reduced rent. And even now, having what I would consider a better job, it still took me about six months to find a place that I could afford comfortably. And I would like this community to be a place for cashiers, for teachers, for bus drivers, for custodians, for sanitation workers, for firefighters, for health care workers, for library techs, for government officials,

[05:49:02] for everyone who provides us with that quality of life that was talked about. And of course, a key part of that is going to be an effective safety net for people who already live in this community. It is so easy as the price of rent goes up and up and up for one little thing, like a chipped tooth that necessitates a visit to a dentist or a pair of broken glasses or a car part that needs repairing to spiral out of fiscal control. You miss one rent payment and then you get late fees and soon you're in a hole you can't recover from. And we truly need effective safety

[05:49:41] net, a fully funded emergency rent relief program to help the members of our community remain in their homes. Rent relief is not going to be effective. We have to keep reducing that payment amount that is available to individuals because the funding provided for that program is not enough. So I'm asking you sincerely and from my heart, please increase the funding provided for this program. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Gustavo Espinoza. I'll get it to flow off my

[05:50:17] Tony at some point here. Welcome. Hello, Chairman Andrews. Hello, Board of Supervisors. My name is Gustavo Espinoza. I'm a community organizer with the Legal Aid Justice Center. I've now testified at a few of these public hearings about the dire need for more investment in the Albemarle County Emergency Relief Program, or ACERP for short. I have three things to emphasize this time, so thank you in advance for your attention. First and foremost, your constituents, each and every one of your constituents, continue to need and ask for increased investment in ACER to keep county residents safe and housed. A couple of us from Legal Aid Justice Center, alongside a handful

[05:50:53] of tenant leaders from Albemarle County, visited some of the top evictors and low-income housing communities across your districts, each and every one of your districts, meeting families and asking them how life is going in the county for them. Almost every single person that answered the door mentioned unaffordability, the risk of displacement, and their neighbors being evicted, and they supported the petition for more emergency relief. We collected 272 signatures from over 40 neighborhoods and rental communities in support of more funding. We've given the petition to the clerk and emailed it along with a list of the top 15 evictors and a report on evictions in

[05:51:30] Albemarle County and Charlottesville City over the last year. Second, ACERP needs and warrants more time and attention in the budget conversation year-round and low-income residents need to have more voice in the process. It's great that there are newsletters and budget town halls and lots of public engagement opportunities, but there needs to be a lot more. As the county executive said, the more engagement, the better. The board and staff have discussed ACERP's level funding at the work sessions, but we ought to spend more time understanding the need and how many more people the program could protect with more funding. Also, the community and you as representatives would benefit from a better understanding of the current program operations, including eligibility,

[05:52:08] The average amount that is requested, the average amount that is given, how that changes over the fiscal year, demographic information about applicants and recipients as well. The affordable housing shortage obviously impacts lower income people most, and it also disproportionately affects people of color.

[05:52:24] Third, the board should take advantage of every opportunity to get ACERP the money it needs to be effective, including fiscal year closeout money, as well as unspent American Rescue Plan Act, ARPA money, and state and local fiscal recovery funds. I'm asking the board to be creative about using every single funding source available, including the budget, to try to get this program the money it needs.

[05:52:47] Finally, in addition to meaningful emergency rental assistance, we also need the board to commit to fully establishing and investing in an affordable housing trust fund. All the research shows it's the best way to ensure long-term funding, planning, and accountability of affordable housing.

[05:53:03] Albemarle County faces a preventable mass loss of subsidy for hundreds of affordable apartments as low-income housing tax credit time limits expire over the next five to ten years. The only way we will be able to effectively prevent homelessness and maximize family stability is dedicated funding.

[05:53:21] Thank you. Thank you for your time. Thank you. The next speaker is Christy Hagen. And if the speaker is unable to complete, you can please leave your comments with the clerk to get them to us. I appreciate that. And Christy, I wasn't sure if it was Hagen or Hogan.

[05:53:38] It's Hagen. Hagen, great. Thank you. Hi, my name's Christy. I'm a resident of the Ravana District. I've lived in Albemarle County for most of my life, and I'm fortunate to also be able to live with my family here. I work as a social worker at UVA Hospital, where I meet with patients in this area who wonder how they will pay for their rent, their medical bills, and food.

[05:53:58] Most of my patients are out of work during the recovery process, and some may never work again. Their job may not offer short-term disability, if it does it's a pay cut they pray their recovery is a quick one that they can get back to work as soon as possible and i give them resources that have long wait lists reduced funding and no guarantee of support affordable housing needs to be a priority for albumall county and there's no one solution to solving the housing crisis we have today we need many approaches to increase the

[05:54:32] number of affordable units and prevent evictions and i am here in support of the emerging increasing the amount of funding for the emergency relief program to help individuals and families in crisis stay in their homes, whether that's because of an injury or a medical illness or any other kind of crisis that leaves people unable to afford their rent or mortgage. And yes, I'm asking to increase the funding in the coming year and make it a top priority for the county. Thank you. Thank you.

[05:55:01] The next speaker is Margaret Rubin. My name is Margaret Rubin. I'm in the Samuel Miller district.

[05:55:18] We can't hear you very well. I'm sorry. Is that better? My name is Margaret Rubin. I'm in the Samuel Miller District. I'm also asking you to increase the emergency assistance rent funds. I hear it's now $260,000, and it had previously been $2 million, and I think that the $2 million figure was more right.

[05:55:42] Um, I feel like it's a, an investment because, um, I volunteered with, um, loaves and fishes and I went all over the County. Almost all the clients were people who rented. I saw a lot of people in low comparatively low rent apartments and I saw people get evicted. And once someone gets evicted, they're still in the County, but these were working people who very often lose their job once they get evicted. So they were contributing, but not only they lose their car,

[05:56:18] they lose the place for where their kids are. I had a client who got evicted with a six-month-old baby. So if she had somebody coming in to take care of the baby in the apartment, she doesn't have anybody anymore. So she loses her job. When you get evicted, they hit you with huge fees.

[05:56:36] so you are in debt for a long time. It's hard, again, it's just you lose all your possessions. So pretty much all of your family assets are wiped out. You very often lose your car and your ability to contribute to the community is gone. Your children are devastated. They might not be, they're taken out of school for a while. Very often they couch surf. Again, these are people who are part of our community. After they get evicted, they're still part of their, our community,

[05:57:15] but they're no longer able to contribute and their children are traumatized. Thank you very much. Thank you. And that's everyone that signed up. Okay. Thank you. Board, I take the time now for us to. Any additional comments or questions before closing the public hearing? Are we going around yet? We'll go through. Supervisor Lupito-Gurley, okay. Supervisor Galloway? I have no additional comments right now. Supervisor Pruitt? I'll wait till we close the public hearing. Okay. Supervisor

[05:57:53] McKeel? Supervisor Malin? So we're going to have discussion of topics later. This is only regarding questions of staff. Before I close the public hearing. Very good. We could still talk to staff. Okay, I thought you had something to say.

[05:58:09] So we will close the public hearing. Thank you. And now the board has a chance to speak one more time, I guess, if there are any comments before we go on to our second public hearing for the night. Again, Supervisor LaPisto-Curdly? Regarding the budget, I have no questions.

[05:58:29] Supervisor Galloway? The only comment I'll make is I'm still considering where I'm at on the advertised tax rates and then the expenditures they're paying for and look forward that we'll be continuing to have those conversations in the sessions leading up to our votes.

[05:58:45] Supervisor Proulx? Just in light of the comments we just received, after we close the hearing, I can still direct questions to staff, correct? That's what I thought. Mr. Sumner, I actually have a few questions. My understanding is that the board contingency that we identified that we're programming additional funding to, That is distinct from the 2% strategic contingency.

[05:59:09] That is distinct from the 10% operating funds contingency. That is also distinct from the county executive's contingency that is sometimes used to fill in gaps. Is that correct? This is a fourth contingency. I would say that the county executive's contingency is synonymous with what the reserve contingency is.

[05:59:29] So I would really say that there's three. And this contingency is one that is already appropriated. once we get to that part of the process and is one that can address more immediate needs that come up throughout the fiscal year. Can you remind us what the current amount coming into this session is in the board contingency? I think it's like one point something, 1.9. I'm struggling with that off the top of my head. I may have to refer to Mr. Davidson with that one. So the 1.9 that you were referring to is the board's strategic capital contingency that's in the

[06:00:09] capital program. The reserve for contingencies, which was being discussed on the budget amendments, as part of the proposed would be approximately $830,000. So that's $830,000 of new funding that we're putting forward into contingencies. That is correct. And I just want to acknowledge that some very quick napkin math, says that to triple the size of the Albemarle County Eviction Prevention Fund, I'm sorry, I'm blanking suddenly on the many different acronyms, would run at

[06:00:46] 7,080, or 7, yes, 780, three zeros. It's late. 780,000, meaning we could increase the amount that we are funding to support contingencies and triple the amount that we are putting forward to eviction prevention with the currently advertised rates without having to do any additional revenue sources. I just want to make sure I'm understanding that correctly. So with the rates that have been

[06:01:22] advertised and the proposed budget that has been advertised, that includes that $800,000 of reserved for contingencies. I will say that there's a little more context to the reserved for contingencies, those are split between ongoing and one-time funding, one-time funding sources. And so we typically would recommend as best budget practice to match that with the use of those funds. I will say that it's also best practice to start with the reserve for contingencies because there are things that will come up throughout the year that we don't know, particularly as we start this budget process, you know, late fall through the winter into the spring. And as we move through

[06:02:00] the fiscal year there will things that will come up and this is our first line of defense so to speak to help us overcome some of those unknown challenges that may come up throughout the fiscal year. Sure and just to close I do want to acknowledge that I began with where I did because from at least my vantage point we have several additional lines of defense for these kind of considerations. We have a reserve for capital contingencies. We have a strategic reserve, and we have operating fund reserves. And there's varying degrees to which we don't want to access

[06:02:36] those. But this is a third or a fourth tier of accessibility that we have in new money that we're proposing to program. We have an emergent need that's coming before us. Also, I should acknowledge, I just stated my math wrong. We could quadruple it for 780 because we, in fact, have already program to 26, or 260,000. God, math. So we could triple it, we could quadruple it, we could double it, all within the amount that is currently advertised, if the board chose to act on that,

[06:03:14] again, without dipping into any existing contingencies, and while still being able to save for funding an additional contingency. I find that to be a very simple decision. I would just submit that to the board. May I respond, Mr. Chair?

[06:03:30] Sure. We have eight pages of other things that we aren't funding. I'm happy to have that conversation, but it's going to get stacked up against those other eight pages, and then we'll prioritize and vote from there. Thank you. Supervisor McHugh? I haven't lost my place.

[06:03:51] We're on comments, right? Well, we're finishing up. We finished the public hearing and comments before going on. I do appreciate what both the gentleman to my left and the gentleman to my right have said. And I appreciate the concern about the folks that have been evicted.

[06:04:11] I think we, at one point, were talking about $40,000. Now we're up to $10 million. So that's a stretch for me. Having said that, I agree with Ned.

[06:04:28] I'm very comfortable right now where we are. We have eight pages of unfunded needs that we were presented with several months ago before our 13 hours of discussion. Having said that, one point of clarification, when our revenues come in in June, we will realize we may or may not realize some overages.

[06:04:55] You want to talk about that a little bit, Jacob? Sure. So we're not talking about the tax rates today, but the tax rates for the public hearing is for next week. But I did address those in the presentation. And so those tax rates are calendar year tax rates. So that's for the current, for 2024. So that would impact the tax bills and particularly the personal property, because that's the one that it will span across multiple fiscal years. The first half, when it's just due in June, as you referenced, that would be reflective of the tax rate that the board would take into consideration or under public hearing next week. And that's what we discussed on the slides today. So should the tax

[06:05:35] rate for personal property be increased to $3.96, we would recognize some additional revenue in the current fiscal year for fiscal year 24. That could go into our fiscal year-end funding. And as our typical form is to come back to the board after the audit is complete and year-end is complete and look at those additional funding, one-time funding opportunities, should we have residual funds after that. And that additional funding would go into that calculation. Right. And that's where I'm going with that. And that would be the time when we could take a look at what Ned is

[06:06:05] talking about and any other items that we might want to have a discussion about. Okay. Thank you. And I want to be clear, that's not me counterpointing you or disagreeing with what your priority may be. I may vote with you, but it's not going to be done in a vacuum. It's not that simple of a decision as you put it forward. There's several things, and we just heard a DSS report today that has me frankly concerned about where we landed with positions with them and that discussion needs to be had and weighed against a

[06:06:39] priority like this so I don't want anyone to be miss you know to for me to perhaps miscommunicate where I might be on something we haven't had that discussion where we put them up on a list and go right on this particular list what's priority one two and three we can do that I'm happy to do that but there's a time to do that that's what we're saying is that there's a right time to do that. Supervisor Malek. Thank you. And under the same vein, when it is the right time to do that, whether it's after the public hearing next week or at the end of year fund balance side,

[06:07:15] we've heard a lot from residents about the climate investments, the biodiversity investments, the invasive species investments. And so I would like to make sure that that is on the list as well. And by then, perhaps we will all have a better understanding of what the ongoing effort is today and then where the shortcomings are. Thank you. Thank you. Just one question following up on this is this discussion about this reserve for contingencies being one time. We have had reserve for contingencies in previous budgets and so to the extent that there is a reserve in a

[06:07:50] budget it is there every time you do the budget and whether you used it or not that will depend upon the circumstances of that particular year. So I guess when I hear about it as new money it it bothers me because like any reserve you you set it aside at the beginning and then decide whether you're going to need it or not fair okay thank you um supervisor i always come in at the end since i'm the first speaker i just have to follow up i i understand uh the concern and we're

[06:08:28] i think we're all as board members we're all all concerned about that i would like to see when we for the new fiscal year if we get additional revenues toward the end of the year have the discussion regarding the eight pages of unfunded things that we've asked for because things change things are changing rapidly in between now and the end of the year a may have been our priority but then it ends up being b at that point because everything has changed the world has changed

[06:09:02] so i'm all for frankly waiting to see if we get additional revenues and then have that discussion about where we want to put those monies thank you thank you board with that i believe we'll move to our second public hearing for the evening public hearing to consider adoption of an ordinance to modify real estate tax relief for elderly and disabled persons and this will be led by jennifer metheny of chief of revenue administration welcome miss metheny give us just a minute as we

[06:09:34] switch chairs and bring the next presentation up here we go welcome thank you good evening board

[06:10:27] i'm jennifer metheny chief of revenue administration it's truly my honor to be here with you this evening for the public hearing to amend almore county code chapter 15 on taxation specifically to modify our real estate tax relief for the elderly and disabled program excuse me i truly appreciate this opportunity to be with you this evening. So I have about 10 slides that I'm going to go over with you regarding the program. And with this agenda, I plan to just do an overview

[06:11:04] of the current program and then propose program updates, which will be the subject of the public hearing. And then we'll transition to the public hearing itself and conclude with the staff recommended proposed ordinance. So let's begin by reviewing the current program. The first thing I want to do is share with you that my team and I believe this program is one of the most important offered in Elmore County. We find assisting these applicants rewarding, knowing that we're helping

[06:11:39] them to be able to remain in their homes. And most of the participants that we work with in this program would not be able to afford the taxes to maintain home ownership in the county without this program. So we get to witness firsthand how it's life-changing, and I'm grateful to be part of that positive impact in our community. So let's talk about the current program. You have to be 65 and older or totally and permanently disabled and you must own the property as of January 1 and that

[06:12:18] property cannot be used for a business purpose. Then we have two other criteria that impact the amount of relief you get. One is income, the other is your net worth. Currently the income is at $83,850. That's the maximum. And the net worth is $250,000. Then that's tiered based on your income level between $100,000, $75,000, and $50,000. You all made changes to the program to simplify

[06:12:54] that chart, which makes it a lot easier for applicants to understand. One thing I did want to mention here, because it does seem to create some confusion, is that this program has excludes your primary residence and land up to 10 acres. That is not a limit on the amount of land you can have. So if you have 15 acres, your dwelling plus 10 acres would receive 175 or 50% relief.

[06:13:32] And then those remaining acres, for example, if it was 15, those remaining five acres would still be taxed at the regular rate. I'd just like to clarify that because participants have questions about that and when they're applying. So when the income and net worth limits were raised last year, it allowed for more people to apply for the program. So we had 94% of the applicants who

[06:14:02] applied were approved based on these increases. That's up from 89% that was from 2022. There were 811 households that participated in the program in 2023, and $1.8 million in total relief was was rewarded.

[06:14:24] The average income of these applicants in 2023 was $32,000, and the average net worth was $48,000. The chart at the bottom illustrates what percentage of relief the majority of the applicants are receiving, so 73% of the applicants got 100% relief, versus 22% at 75%, and then 5% at the 50% relief.

[06:14:56] You've seen this chart before. and I wanted to just share it again. The orange line is the countywide average tax bill based on 2024 average assessed real estate value of $436,300. This chart just highlights and reinforces the point that the current program design, the bulk of the applicants are below that average, and this is just looking at people that receive that 100% relief, which is that largest group.

[06:15:32] Again, just another indicator that the program is currently, as it is currently designed, are helping those who are the most economically vulnerable. So how can we make it better? Span the program with a basis that is reasonably understandable.

[06:15:50] We have a program that's relatively easy to explain. The applicants understand it. And so in looking at that, we want to keep with this same easy-to-understand, grounded and prudent financial management? And can it be administrated with little impact in terms of the system and being able to make it happen for calendar year 2024? So if we can expand the

[06:16:26] program, we can increase that net income limit and the net financial worth limit. They have been funded in the fiscal year 25 proposed budget that you've been looking at, and it'll provide we're we're doing our best here about 120 000 in expanded relief this change if we increase the limit and the net worth is something that my staff would start working on first thing tomorrow morning because we need to get all the current that that deadline was april 1st for renewals

[06:17:05] so all those people have applied all of them have gotten their award letters and the ones that may have an increase in their tax relief we've got to get them new letters get them updated before we generate the bills at the beginning of May.

[06:17:24] So for the past two years, the Board of Supervisors has tied the income criteria to 80% of the area median income for a family of four. And that metric tied to the affordable housing policy. Using the same approach for calendar year 24, that limit would increase to $88,800.

[06:17:46] And this is reasonably understandable. It can be implemented for calendar year 24. And our current tax system can make that happen as soon as we make some updates on limits within the system.

[06:18:02] So there's no administrative burden. It can be done relatively simply. It does have an increased cost, but it's reasonably predictable. This budget impact includes people who are new, newly eligible to the program, and it's also considering those that would move up to a higher percentage with a budget projection impact of about $60,000.

[06:18:38] Next is an increase in the net worth. So we're proposing $305,000, and that's tying it to inflation. There was an ongoing conversation that from 2007 until last year, it was $200,000.

[06:18:59] And so the staff proposed that that be increased. It went to $250,000, and that was like the first step in trying to move that up. There was a lot of unknown about that. We feel like if we move it to 305 based on last year's data and assumption, we will pull in more, more people, but we can budget for this with a little more confidence now that we did that increase last year, and we've seen how that impacts the program.

[06:19:34] So we feel a little more comfortable than we did last year in making a recommendation to go to 305. Again, with a fiscal year 25 budget projection of about $60,000. In 2023, there were three applicants that would have become eligible if this increase was made last year, and so we're basing some of that information on that data from the previous year.

[06:20:06] So our intent is to bring this to the board on an annual basis, because we've already discussed maintaining 80% of the area median income and rate of inflation. Any other programmatic changes can be explored this fall when we return to discuss these updates.

[06:20:24] To conclude my formal remarks, this slide highlights the changes for public hearing. The green represents the current program, and the blue represents the proposed changes. So now I'd like to turn it over to Chair Andrews to open the public hearing, and we're here to answer questions that you all may have.

[06:20:48] Then after the public hearing is concluded, we have one more slide for formal action on the proposed ordinance. Thank you. Thank you. Before we open the public hearing, I'll just go through the order. questions. I'll wait until after we close the panel. Okay. Supervisor Calloway. No questions.

[06:21:05] Supervisor Pruitt. No questions. Thank you. Supervisor McKeel. No questions. Supervisor Malek. Sorry to spoil it. Spoiling. Were there any cases where someone's income had increased and therefore they didn't qualify this year when they had in the past?

[06:21:25] No. Okay. That is something that we typically do not see in this program. Okay. All right. That is very rare. I have not witnessed that in my tenure with the county. Very good. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. I have no questions, so I will open the public hearing. Do we have anyone signed up to speak? We do not, so I will close the public hearing. The matter is back before the board.

[06:21:49] For comments, Supervisor LeCousteau-Tribble. Yes, a question. You mentioned that there were three people that would have qualified if we had this new criteria. Would that have been at the 100 percent or 75 percent or 50 percent do you know that for last year that would have it would have put them i believe at the 75 percent okay and um you also earlier in your presentation you mentioned that 94 you had been able to service 94 people 94 percent of the applicants and is that

[06:22:28] because we ran out of money or is that because they didn't qualify they didn't qualify okay but That was a true qualification issue. Okay, that was true. Okay, those are all my questions. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Supervisor Galloway. Yeah, I'm glad that we've got this, the net worth attacked for inflation.

[06:22:48] I'm glad that we've got the income based on an AMI, because now that just seems procedural year over year. So it's almost like we're incrementally getting to where some of us may want to go eventually, but it's with some good diligence that we're doing it this way. Also, with property values somewhat coming down or stabilizing to what we previously had, that's also going to be some help because they're not seeing the spikes in bills that they had in the past couple of years.

[06:23:15] Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt? I don't think I have anything new to say other than we've already discussed this in some depth at a previous work session that was open to the public. My understanding is I'm looking at basically the outcome of that conversation where we're taking the straight down the pipe. I think it was choice A in that iteration. I appreciate y'all bringing it back to us for a vote. Thank you. Supervisor McHugh. I'm just really glad that we have now for two years in a row begun this process and are in a way, as Ned says, we sort of have a

[06:23:49] process now that we can institutionalize, which is really great. That's tied to a metric that everybody can understand. So thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Malik. Thank you. I am very grateful to staff and to the community members who supported this change and also for the recognizable understandable comprehensible metrics that you have chosen thank you very much thank you thank you for the presentation i also am very supportive of this so board i believe that we are being asked

[06:24:21] to adopt the attached attachment a proposed ordinance to set these rates for the eligibility for this real property exemption so moved second motion from supervisor malik super second from supervisor mckeel without objection if the clerk will call the roll ms malik yes ms mckeel yes mr pruitt hi mr andrews yes mr galloway yes miss lakisto kirtley hi thank you board we will now

[06:24:56] move on to item 21 zma 2023-4 cornerstone community church project in the revana district and take a moment for transition as miss rebecca ragsdale planning manager will come up to present welcome i'm swapping chairs tonight thank you um for your patience as i bring up my presentation

[06:25:32] and get situated here i am like you said rebecca man and rebecca ragsdale planning manager with community development and as you mentioned this is a rezoning for cornerstone community church and it also includes another item for you to act on this evening and that is a special exception that's associated with this request it is a rezoning from r1 residential to c1 commercial

[06:26:05] and i will take you through all the details in the site location and such it is located i think everyone's probably pretty familiar with it it's located between riverside village and wilton farm on route 20 just north of its intersection with richmond road and stony point the property is pie shaped and it is consists currently of a single family home a carport some

[06:26:42] other smaller outbuildings and then a larger garage and storage building and there is a pretty big parking area though it's been used by the residents on the property as well it does have two entrances but those will be consolidated as i mentioned the property is zoned r1 this is a zoning map for the surrounding context of riverside village located across 20 is zoned neighborhood

[06:27:13] model and also has some commercial uses along 20 mix of uses now in terms of that property and then to the south is the commercial area of pantops this is our comprehensive plan it is designated urban density residential where we would expect secondary uses like a religious assembly and neighborhood scale commercial so we didn't have any issues

[06:27:48] with consistency with that so jumping into some of the particulars of the plan here this is the concept plan that is proffered and it includes a building envelope in this dark dark line so that would include utilizing existing buildings removing a good portion of the parking out of the stream buffer and a a commitment to plantings in that area to restore that area as a stream buffer and it also

[06:28:23] applicant is also limiting the commercial development to 13 500 square feet and anticipates a maximum of up to 300 seats in terms of the religious assembly use so that's generally what is provided with the rezoning there was a lot of detail in your packet with the proffers they do cover as i mentioned a commitment to this concept plan a commitment to restoration in the stream buffer limiting the number of stories and then limiting the types of uses that are allowed there was some discussion about what would be appropriate for this site and the uses that are allowed the

[06:29:03] rezoning is to c1 that would not include any that that would not allow any auto-oriented uses and what is proffered to remain is consistent with the code of development across the street at riverside village so we looked at a few of those things considered um the comp plan and um neighbor input in that regard um so that is sort of a general general overview of the proffers and we can go into those of course any with any questions you have in more detail the special exception um and i do have a number of reference slides when we get to your questions if we didn't

[06:29:38] cover anything um so the special exception is related to this property line along the rear of the property um and i know we reoriented you but wilton farm is to the rear that's residential so with commercial districts there's a requirement for a 50-foot setback and that is shown with this black dash line so as you can see there are buildings that are shown in tan or portions of buildings that are encroaching and not meeting what would be the new requirement for the property

[06:30:12] the 50 foot setback so there will be removal of the items in tan and what will remain is one corner of building number two which is the house that would be set back 47.6 feet and then another larger corner of the garage building that would be proposed to remain at once the portion is removed at 28.5 feet now that still allows given the limited locations and that they would still be maintaining the 20 foot required landscape screening and use buffer to that property line

[06:30:51] that special exception was recommended for approval or by staff the planning commission did not comment on that special exception going back to the plan I forgot to point out that or go over the stream buffer or excuse me the floodplain information for the property I'm sure when you read the minutes there was a great deal of discussion about that where we have the new mapping from FEMA with regard to the floodplain and it has changed significantly for this property in terms of the map showing that it would no longer be in the floodplain the stream buffer

[06:31:29] would still be applicable because that is still a stream so this property has parking in the flood plain with this proposal there wouldn't be any buildings that would be in the flood plain the line that we have now is kind of along here so even if the maps for the floodplain didn't change exactly anything changed with the fema maps which we're not anticipating and we expect we'll need to address that within um before the end of the year in terms of our ordinance and maps what would remain is that a portion of that parking area that's already there

[06:32:08] parking is allowed in the floodplain but no overnight storage of vehicles or overnight parking so that um was something that i think may have gotten a little confusing but this this plan um you know we're we had commented that we would have preferred that all parking be removed from the floodplain but there is it isn't allowed use and a great deal of it is being removed and then there are the stream buffer proffers so that was in the analysis that we provided i think we've gone over the special exception which we've provided that recommendation and

[06:32:45] resolution for you and again only these little pink which i love that i think this exhibit is great only the pink or may appear red on the screen corners of the buildings would be what is encroaching into the 50 foot setback um and it's come up you know there there are a number of things that are distinct from this rezoning and a prior one that you all may recall on the property there was more work with the concept plan proffers and addressing those issues in the stream buffer so the planning commission recommended approval as did staff and we included those factors

[06:33:25] and the things that we talked about with the applicant which were of concern and they've work to address to the extent that that we've gone over with you. So I'll be happy to answer any questions. Hopefully I didn't go through that too quickly. Thank you. We will go through our orders. Supervisor Lupisto-Curtley. Yes, if you go back to well, maybe I'll wait till after the public here. Yeah, let me do that. Supervisor Calloway. Well, one of the questions was or in

[06:34:01] the um what document am i on it's the staff report summary that one of your first attachments i mean it talks about how the um one of the items was to in the community meeting and community input was why they were pursuing the rezoning versus just a special use permit and then it stated later somewhere that doing it to the commercial would allow the daycare i mean wasn't this a site that was trying to be a daycare several years ago a couple years ago so i mean is this just a way to

[06:34:35] get to the daycare well this is a rezoning to commercial and it's rezoning to a district that allows religious assembly uses by right so unlike what we see with some properties that get special use permits for these uses and keep coming back it allows ultimate flexibility for the for the that use and daycares are often associated with a religious assembly use and we have existing buildings that you've seen quite often would include a daycare but we're not opposed to the

[06:35:09] daycare use and the way that this current proposal has been crafted in terms of the proffers and the limits for the commercial traffic was evaluated there was a turn lane analysis there weren't any concerns at this point with the scenario but that would have to be re-evaluated as any commercial proposals would come forward so it wasn't the use itself before I think it was a number of other factors that were I wasn't opposed to the daycare use back then I'm just I remember the stream buffer and the stream being in the floodplain being so I'm sure that'll get

[06:35:44] asked those questions will get brought up but to say that again now if they do in the future go to move to have a daycare then there's some re-evaluation that happens or they just proceed The only re-evaluations through another rezoning process would be if they wanted to amend anything with the proffers, but that evaluation that I was speaking to would be the actual expected trip generation figures, the actual uses that are proposed on the site with VDOT evaluation of the turn lanes and that stretch of road there.

[06:36:23] All right. Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt. I don't believe I have any questions at this time. Thank you. Supervisor McHugh? Yeah, I don't have any questions right now. Supervisor Malek? I'll come back. Thank you.

[06:36:40] I'm going to just follow up on that just to make sure I understand. So this was, I don't think of this, I know it says church, but I think of it as a C1 rezoning. And with some exceptions that limit which activities could take place there.

[06:36:58] But when you say the turn lane analysis and traffic analysis, if this is rezoned C1, but then some other use wants to come in, but it's part of the allowed uses for C1, they would need a traffic analysis at that time? You know, our Kevin McDermott may want to come up and talk to you about what the thresholds are in terms of what may trigger another traffic analysis, but trip generation figures are always provided with each site plan.

[06:37:28] Did you want to? Sure, I'll try and respond to that. Thank you, Kevin McDermott, Deputy Director of Planning. So the analysis that we've seen with the trip generation addresses the uses that they're allowed to do with the commercial at 13,000 square feet, I think that's right, and then the church use.

[06:37:48] And we didn't see any issues with the amount of traffic that could generate. The only reason we would ask for additional traffic analysis would be if they wanted to rezone or get a special use permit for something that is currently not allowed under this rezoning. But there is a separate issue related to the turn lane. Anytime a new use is proposed, and this could be the commercial use or whatever they want to do, something within this rezoning, if they want to propose that and they need a site plan,

[06:38:23] through the site plan process, VDOT would review the traffic generation for something like a turn lane if that were needed. VDOT always reviews all site plans for the need for left or right turn lanes. The analysis that we do is broader and looks at, you know, larger issues. Is this going to impact a major intersection somewhere nearby? So the VDOT evaluation would still occur under any uh under any site plan that they come in with okay thank you i answer i i think i

[06:38:57] understand now better um and the list of allowed uses is consistent then with across the street yes okay and if i may um it's still it doesn't prohibit any of the special use permit uses that are still on the s the c1 list residential is one of them um i don't have that list up but the just to clarify that the proffers are solely addressing the by right uses okay thank you board with that i think we will open the public hearing and i will look to see if we have anyone

[06:39:34] signed up we do not we do not so we will close the public hearing and uh the matter is the applicant oh the applicant i'm sorry i got got into the role from the previous one and i and i have it right here i'm sorry so uh we do not close the public hearing we now without public comment we definitely want to hear from the applicant uh kendra moon a senior engineer project manager from line and grade i believe you're here to present i was looking right at you and just like

[06:40:03] sorry sorry well we all do we're all from the previous one we're going to ask while you're getting ready supervisor mckeel will read the rules for applicant only presentations because

[06:40:41] i just want to make sure that you have a sense of i know you've been here before yeah so applicants are limited to a 10-minute presentation of their proposal and are allowed a five-minute rebuttal at the close of the public hearing timekeeping is conducted through a timer and light system at the podium the green light will go on when you begin to speak which begins your allotted time the yellow light indicates you have one minute to finish speaking the red light indicates your time is expired and you will be asked to end your comments all comments are live streamed recorded and

[06:41:10] published on the almar county website technical issues yeah i apologize usually i'm able to make it full screen, but I feel like I'm confused every time that I come up here, but we can just go on. I'll just click the next one. It's pretty full. Yeah, we can. All right. We're okay. Good evening. I'm Kendra Moon with Liningrade. I'm here on behalf of Cornerstone Community Church. So I will, I'll kind of breeze through the topics that Rebecca already covered. Thank you. And then I will walk

[06:41:47] you through the evolution of this application since there was an application a few years ago, and it kind of helps explain where we're at today. So Cornerstone Community Church has been in existence in some form since 1933.

[06:42:05] They currently have over 100 members, and they're hosting their services temporarily at Regal Cinemas in Stonefield until they can find a permanent home. So that's why this property is an ideal candidate. It already has infrastructure on site that they could move into and host small services while they fundraise and make plans for future renovations and growing into the site.

[06:42:35] In the near term, they would expect to move into the metal garage building with implementing the necessary infrastructure that they need. They need to hook up to public water and make some sort of issues to the building.

[06:42:55] But this site would allow them the opportunity to move immediately. It is currently zoned R1 residential, but the proposed commercial use is consistent with the zoning of surrounding parcels.

[06:43:13] there's highway commercial adjacent and R15 residential just behind the property commercial across the street. It is consistent with the comprehensive plan. This is half urban density residential and then half parks and green system. Well, I'll touch on the parks and green system portion in a little bit that has to do with the floodplain designation. But in terms of urban density residential. This is consistent with the primary and secondary uses in this

[06:43:47] district. And R15 would be allowable by special use perm of C1 zoning. The history of the site, there was a previous ZMA for a child daycare. The main concerns, I actually watched that board meeting, so I know main concerns were parking in the floodplain, and we'll get to that.

[06:44:14] um and traffic was also a current concern so with a religious use you know traffic is not as big of a concern but i do acknowledge that this is a rezoning to see one so other uses could be um could be implemented on this site but we did there's an existing left hand turn lane into the site um and before i forget to mention we plan to close this entrance i think vdot will require it anyways when we go through the site plan process but so we'll just have one entrance there's already a left-hand turn lane. And then I ran a turn lane warrant analysis for right-hand turns. And I think

[06:44:50] the only use that got close to requiring one would be a pharmacy. That was one of the highest uses, but even still just with the traffic on this road, it didn't warrant one at the size that this site would see. So for the floodplain revisions, what's shown in red are the current limits per FEMA's maps and the GIS maps. But then if you actually look at the base flood elevation identified by FEMA and topographic data, then the pink magenta line is where the floodplain is. So this existing

[06:45:30] garage structure is close, very close to the current floodplain limits. However, the draft floodplain limits remove the entire property from the floodplain. So we don't expect this to be a concern. And then I actually asked Frank Pohl recently an update on that. And he just said that, you know, things are still moving, but there's no set date for when we think that it'll be adopted. So as in terms of the stream buffer, they're actually at the beginning of this application, there was no stream buffer because this was not identified as a perennial stream at

[06:46:09] the time during the community meeting that concern got brought up and county staff evaluated the stream and found it to be perennial and I guess now it's there is a stream buffer shown on GIS but throughout this process it hadn't been included yet but we decided to go ahead and move forward assuming a stream buffer 100 feet and making sure that all parking and site disturbances are outside of that stream buffer but this so this does result in a decrease in the usable area on site and i point that out just to point out that the applicant has been really willing to work with the county

[06:46:49] on addressing all of these concerns so this was our initial concept with parking down closer to the stream and we've since proposed removing any disturbances in the stream area with the exception of we're proposing to actually remove the existing parking that is there already so in terms of the special exception you can ignore this graphic it's just an earlier concept but I have it to highlight the areas of buildings that will be removed so shown in this orangish

[06:47:27] brown color portions of existing existing structures that we will remove but then there will be small encroachments still into the 50-foot setback from residential properties and so again just pointing out this was a reduction in the existing building on site that the applicant thought they had when they were first looking at this property and just Rebecca already mentioned this but 21 and a half feet encroachment would be the most

[06:48:01] significant encroachment into the setback from this property. For our proffers to help mitigate impacts due to this rezoning, we are proffering a diagram rather than a concept plan since the church would like the opportunity to grow into the site. They're not exactly sure what their final build-out will look like, but we can say that there will be no parking in the stream buffer.

[06:48:37] we propose to remove the existing parking that's in the stream buffer and restore it the buildings will be in approximately this location keeping in mind that we'll need you know travel ways so it's not like you're going to have a huge building this shape and required setbacks will be observed except for the existing buildings that we're asking for exceptions for. Again, related to the building constraints, we are proffering the

[06:49:11] maximum height of the buildings to be consistent with the comprehensive plan for this area. And we don't have to go through all of these, but the uses generally that we proffered out for this site were uses that are out of scale with a neighborhood service center or not walkable.

[06:49:38] So a department store, you're probably not going to walk to. We believe an indoor theater was a bit out of scale for this site. So just an example of some uses.

[06:49:55] And the final proffer is for stream buffer mitigation for disturbed areas within the stream buffer. So I appreciate your time.

[06:50:13] This rezoning is very important for Cornerstone Community Church to serve their existing congregation in Charlottesville and Albemarle. Thank you. Thank you. Board, I will go through the order.

[06:50:29] Okay. Supervisor Lupisto-Kurley. Thank you. Thank you for your presentation. Regarding the floodplain, what would be your plan should FEMA, they're supposed to change their, we're supposed to get the final draft this year, If something happens or that they don't do that, how much would that impact you?

[06:50:53] If they keep the original floodplain parameters, and I don't know, maybe they have no intentions of doing that, but just being cautious. Yeah, that's a great question.

[06:51:09] If FEMA does not adopt it or it just takes longer, if we're getting to the site plan phase and they haven't adopted it, we would probably hire another firm to run a hydraulic analysis themselves and submit a LOMAR to FEMA.

[06:51:28] because they can approve a letter of map revision just for this site. That will go a lot quicker than adopting this entire new floodplain map for the area. But if, for whatever reason, there was a mistake in the current modeling for the area, then we would just have to revise, make sure no buildings are within the area.

[06:51:57] And honestly, we would have to seriously consider parking because we need, per the county's ordinance, you know, one parking space per three seats in the church. So we probably would need significant parking on the site.

[06:52:17] Okay. And I appreciate the fact that you're regarding the stream buffer, because I've been there and I've been along the stream, that is definitely a stream that goes through mainly all the time. My other question was if you can go to slide eight. Okay. You're listing the two structures that are currently there that

[06:52:52] would remain in place. You're listing those as daycare. Yes. Sorry. This was a context slide for the previous rezoning. I didn't mean to confuse. We're not proposing a daycare. This was just to walk through the sequence of the history of this this property okay so the lower one is currently a garage correct and the upper one is currently the home correct and are you proposing the church in one of those or both the church is looking at renovating the garage

[06:53:27] to to to host services in okay that's for renovating the garage and then later on i think it's uh slide 13 okay you're talking about see the 13 or 15 but you're talking about uh putting in a larger structure closer to 20 a new structure for the church or your or you will you i think

[06:53:59] go to 15 i think maybe 15 okay i wonder if here this was um yeah the original cut we do foresee expanding this garage structure but in a later so it would probably be just for funding purposes for the church. Phase one would be just to renovate the existing structure, move in, and then plan for an expansion of that structure forward towards Stoney Point. And that's where the church would be with the, okay. Okay, now I understand that. But it, and then the garage church slash

[06:54:38] church, would that then become perhaps a daycare center? There's not currently a plan for a daycare center, but we like to leave that open, you know, in case there are other uses they would like to bring onto this site. In my concern, one of my concerns is encroaching 28 feet into the 50-foot buffer. You have Wilton Place, which is all residential, right next door, and I'm any kind

[06:55:11] of a commercial entity or that would make noise i'm concerned about that buffer and i'm wondering if you have any plans to because it's a 20 foot long buffer that you're going 28 feet in correct and would that would you be doubling up your efforts regarding trees bushes things like that that would really protect the neighbors in place.

[06:55:43] Yes, we do. I think it's in the special exception. We talked about additional planting behind that garage structure to mitigate impacts to the adjacent residences. But also, yes, I guess that would be a concern if it were a future use, not a church.

[06:56:02] But that 50 foot is required for C1 adjacent to residential. So if this were to be an R1 use that we just did a special use permit for a church, then that 50-foot buffer wouldn't be required. But I do see, you know, there could be something besides a church that comes in the future, so I see the concern.

[06:56:22] But we do plan to plant. And I have nothing against churches, but sometimes they can be loud. Yeah, I understand. And so I'm worried about, you know, the noise level. That's why I was asking about the other buffer.

[06:56:39] And I do know, are you having plans to perhaps do something with the fencing in between your property and Wilton Place? I understand there's... Yes, I forgot to mention that. Rebecca sent me an email earlier today that there's concern about the barbed wire fencing.

[06:57:02] I believe portions of it have been removed, and we definitely plan to remove that. The church does not want that there either. But, yes, thank you for bringing that up. Well, that was brought up to me. Okay, good. Thank you very much. Those are all my questions.

[06:57:20] Thank you, Supervisor Calloway. Thank you, Ms. Moon. Can you go to the slide that shows the uses? I don't remember the number. I know, it's probably like...

[06:57:35] Is this version going to be in the proper statement? May I answer? Either one.

[06:57:51] No, this is not comprehensive of the included uses. I believe in the proffer statement. It just shows the right side. Gosh, I can't even remember. I may have included the tireless and crossed them out.

[06:58:08] No, I think I just included the excluded uses. Yes, sorry. The proffer statement for future uses looks like it just basically states the right side of the screen. That's fine. But seeing the left side helps me understand what's not in that right side.

[06:58:26] And when you look at sporting goods or hardware store, like department stores almost becoming an outmoded or an outdated term. We don't really have department stores anymore.

[06:58:41] I guess we think of that as still like the Belks of the world. But, you know, Dick's Sporting Goods is every bit as big as a department store. How is staff, I mean, is department store becoming a, is that a specifically defined entity for these reasons?

[06:59:03] It's like what's the difference if somebody plops a... I'm sorry. This is bringing to light why we need to modernize our ordinance. And so you'll see this list has things like photographic goods, visual and audio. It's sort of an outdated list.

[06:59:20] But we don't have a definition for every single one of these things on the list. But, you know, we felt like that some of the other factors that were proffered, or some of the other proffers with the limit on the square footage. We were not as concerned about some of these other uses.

[06:59:40] If there is sort of a micro-dick sporting good or micro-public lands that can operate in 13,500 square feet, that is comparable, you know, if it was kind of like, it's comparable to some of the other smaller commercial neighborhood scale type developments that we've seen.

[07:00:02] okay where did i miss the 13 000 square foot 13 500 square feet is um that's in the that's well that's another point actually that this came up in the planning commission i meant to address it as well that was outdated from our first submission um we included a concept plan that showed a conceptual you know expansion of the church and 13 500 um commercial but that's not included in the proffer. We purposely didn't proffer building sizes because of the development

[07:00:36] area that's there on site. And just with parking, we didn't feel it was necessary. Well, some of the proffers do state a square footage and some don't. So if we were trying to get it a total, then that's not, I don't see where that's included unless I'm just missing it.

[07:00:57] But it sounds like we weren't supposed to be including a total square footage. yes that she's correct in terms of um that being sort of the prior estimate that was discussed and but the current concept plan um the approach that we took to this one given like this was in the commission planning commission minutes as well um given the size of this parcel the wedge that they'll have to work in the constraints that she went through um we had that discussion between i think it might have been before we finalized the proffers. So we're still, I'm sorry if I misspoke,

[07:01:36] but the $13,500 is not in the proffers. It's an estimate, but it's not up on the screen. The concept plan we felt was sufficient enough in this case not to have more specificity or limits.

[07:01:52] So basically the proffers are trying to get at anything that's high volume, high impact. We're We're just trying to say no to this site, and that's why you're taking those buy-write uses out via the proffer statement. Is that right?

[07:02:15] What are the peak use times for the church? Like, when are the church services? They're currently only operating on Sundays, so there may be, you know.

[07:02:31] That's fine. Sunday is a good answer. Was moving into the site going to allow them to expand into evening services or other? Do they have that in the? That's not the current plan, but, again, it's kind of they're very focused on getting a permanent place right now.

[07:02:49] So, yeah, potentially in the future, but currently it's just Sunday services. Well, you picked a nice, quiet roadway to put this on. So Sunday it's not going to be as much of a deal for those attending the service. I mean, I hate to say it that way, but it's going to be different if you try to have a 6 p.m. service over there.

[07:03:08] So that's where impacts and residents being concerned about traffic are going to come up. Sunday, a lot of times churches are off the peak of commuting times, which are good. But I would, well, I guess you'll learn that once you're in, if this is approved.

[07:03:26] All right, that's all I have right now. Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt. Thank you. I want to just begin by congratulating a new church plant on finding a physical home. Finally, I know that's a big step, and I'm excited for you all.

[07:03:42] I want to make sure I'm also properly capturing, you said 100 congregants. I read online that y'all recently transitioned to two services on a Sunday. Is that correct? I know we got an elder from the church over here, right?

[07:03:59] It's still only one. Just one service. Just one service. Do we know how many people we have in pews on a Sunday? Because that is less than your total number of congregants, I would assume. I could have Tony come up here and answer.

[07:04:16] I don't know those specifically. Good evening, Tony Chavone, Cornerstone Community Church Senior Pastor. If I understand your question, what you're asking is how many chairs that we have available?

[07:04:35] I'm asking how many people you have in the room on a Sunday during worship. Roughly about 100 people. Okay, so your 100 congregants is your butts in pews on a Sunday number. Correct. And I assume that you have an aspirational growth outlook, right?

[07:04:54] like charismatic non-denominal churches grow fast right i guess i i just want to ask very frankly how you're squaring that with this site sure that's the question yeah i'll try to do my best to answer we're part of the wesleyan denomination um and we are uh anticipating based on just the number of seats that we can get in a particular square footage so you know however that building is designed long-term we're not we're not looking to be a church of a thousand fifteen hundred two thousand or whatever that is we're probably going to be in the range of like three to six hundred

[07:05:30] depending on multiple services mainly Sunday morning services for the large gatherings um are you we've heard some concerns about traffic sure um and I'm frankly concerned about just the ability to park on this on this plot on this parcel as you develop it out um are you expecting to also expand that into week night fellowship offerings, like Wednesday night fellowship offerings?

[07:05:55] Yeah, anything during the week is probably going to be smaller gatherings, like small groups or trainings or classes or local community partnerships. But the larger gatherings are primarily going to take place Sunday mornings is the vision for that. Do you have a good sense of when you might expect any, your application is heavily focused on the possible additional revenue partnerships, do you have any sense of when you would expect those to come online?

[07:06:22] In terms of like the second phase of addition, is that what you're referring to? No, right now the total focus is just renovation and parking and site development. I would anticipate years down the road, not immediately, and a lot of that's just due to cost. Last question, and thank you for being so game. Can you help me understand a little bit of what your AV looks like when you're actually in worship service and if there's any plans built into your renovation plan for this garage that would address the concern I'm sure you can hear in the question,

[07:06:59] which is if you're using a pretty robust AV system. I'm just curious what kind of sound mitigation you're going to be looking at. Yeah, definitely we'll have AV for worship and music and whatnot. But, yeah, our hope is to work with a general contractor to make sure that we have proper insulation that would really protect against that.

[07:07:19] We share the same concern. We don't want to be a nuisance to Wilton Farms and want to do our best to work with them and probably would even look to have discussion with leadership over there to make sure that we're in partnership. I lied. I have one more question.

[07:07:35] Have you started touching base with the neighbors about future prospective parking, easements, parking, MOUs? i know that's sometimes a way that we go with these things i'm just curious if you're already laying that groundwork again my main fear is that you're you're going to grow faster than the site is sure um all right try to answer that with two answers one if we outgrow the site we look at multiplication not additions in other words we'd find other strategic sites to plant smaller churches rather than to keep adding adding adding adding adding you know so there's going to be a lid eventually so we don't anticipate you know finding parking all over the the area

[07:08:16] we've talked had very brief conversations with across the street or maybe utilizing the park but our hope is really not to to get to that place we would go towards more multiple services and then when we hit a breaking point of two or three services we would look at multiplication and other strategic locations throughout the region awesome thank you congratulations cool thank you so much thank you supervisor mckeel um that's interesting utilizing the park so i'm looking at rebecca so we did not discuss any of these you know off-site parking options with them

[07:08:55] during the process obviously um utilization of the county park would um be something we would have to discuss the county attorney's office yeah i'm sorry not be excited about you no i misspoke we've we've done um during covet we actually met in the park and um we're meeting weekly there so So that, I mean, more events, not having like weekly parking in the park.

[07:09:19] So I apologize for that confusion. Okay. So just for clarity, so we know you're going to be building an addition on the back of the garage. You've already said that in the future.

[07:09:34] So that expansion, that is already an expansion that you're anticipating. So I guess I'm thinking about the parking as well and how that expansion and traffic with an expansion.

[07:09:53] Rebecca, would that expansion trigger coming back to us? No, there is no building footprints. There's just a general building envelope, and that's the gray triangle. So there are no commitments to exactly what happens in that gray triangle.

[07:10:13] And the expansions would need to comply. They couldn't enlarge the building and do any further encroachments without coming back. But because there isn't a commitment to certain building footprints or certain square footage, as we talked about before, there is that flexibility within that triangle, which obviously they would probably need for this type of site.

[07:10:39] So that wouldn't, the expansion to that building or existing buildings, as long as they comply with this concept plan and the special exception is approved, would not need to come back. It would go through the site plan process. Would they have to go to VDOT for traffic if they expand?

[07:10:56] So I think Kevin McDermott clarified that earlier. I'm sorry, I may have missed that. No, we've talked about it a lot, but I believe, you know, they would revisit the turn lane. Okay, yeah, so it would trigger. Yes, and VDOT reviews all of ours. Yes, that's great. Just for my...

[07:11:13] I guess that's all I have right now. Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Mellon. Thank you, Rebecca, for your presentation as well. So I'm running back to the top of my list here.

[07:11:30] Just one second. I'm a little... I'm struggling with the sort of wide-open nature of this, but it's getting a little better with the columns of lists of things. There are... And I think I understood you to say that if the reason of not having it stay R1 where churches are also welcome is so that there could be another use such as a daycare center.

[07:12:00] I'm thinking all the rural churches in the Whitehall District have preschools and use their Sunday school rooms for things during the week. Both my kids went to preschools that just happened to be in churches for space.

[07:12:19] So that is also something that could be happening in the rural area. So I guess I'm struggling with the shift to commercial. And I guess the first question that comes along with that struggle is, would all of the real, the bona fide setbacks that would apply if there weren't any existing buildings on here, would those be applied if it's some other commercial use?

[07:12:46] So the setbacks, you know, the ordinance covers the setbacks, and that's a 10-foot setback for a front setback, And then the maximum of 30 feet for any new buildings that, you know, depending on where they want to locate them.

[07:13:05] And then, you know, it allows additions to existing buildings. So that's, as we said, it is a C1 rezoning. This is the applicant before you with what they're anticipating to the best of their future planning.

[07:13:20] But it is a rezoning to commercial. So the waivers that would be given for this would also apply to any other use coming in in the future. they wouldn't have to, that was my, my poorly worded question was that these waivers would go forward even though the use is dramatically different. Well, in terms of, I mean, you know, any of those uses, religious assembly, daycare, the ones that were up on the screen, office, you know, any of those C1 uses that would still be allowed could happen. Could be within that 50

[07:13:55] foot buffer to the back toward Wilton, which would still be maintained. So there's a 50 foot building setback line and there are the corner encroachments into that for commercial uses and we recommend this as a condition for religious assembly uses in residential districts as well or there's the 20-foot use buffer the 20-foot screening requirements of the ordinance apply and those so the question earlier about whether there would be plantings there have to be

[07:14:28] plantings to the standards and the 20 foot depth in our ordinance so there's a setback and you know the within that 50 feet is the buffer and screening requirements so there couldn't be any you are only approving with the special exception if you choose to approve at those little pink corners to go into that 50 feet well they're not little but because one of them is like 20 feet but yeah that is what that special exception would approve anything else happening within that 50 feet or 20 feet would have to you know if it didn't comply with the ordinance would have to come back as a special

[07:15:05] exception and the original footprint would apply so if those buildings were gone no new building would be able to come into that spot so grandfathering the soda rules well so um i don't have the resolution um we can check on that um as far as how the resolution um to approve was worded So let me just give you a minute.

[07:15:32] We can circle back to that when we get to that. Here I have the next, while you're looking, a question for the applicant. So I see on the charts there's lots of parking which is being removed, which I appreciate, from the buffer. But where's it going?

[07:15:48] Because it looks like you need 100 spaces. And I saw maybe 15 or so on the drawing, but I don't know where the rest of the 100 would go. Is that around the frontage of the property or something like that? I wasn't counting fast enough to see. looks like there's 20 maybe right there okay so we do anticipate that some will be relocated to the side of the building um but not in the 50-foot buffer toward will correct yeah okay well not within the 20-foot buffer the 20-foot use buffer the 50-foot buffer is a building setback but

[07:16:25] there's a 20-foot use buffer where no grading or um construction it can be and then the 20-foot landscape buffer beyond that which is pretty close to 50. No that's they're they're both this it's a 20 foot use buffer is basically the the screen in their landscape buffer there's no it's not 40 foot it's a 20 foot. Yes it's not 20 and 20 and the so parking is allowed up to 20 feet on commercial properties. Even up against residential because that's where I got confused

[07:17:04] there was a big map that said there's um and these are our standards for any commercial property okay um across the county that would apply you know it's being rezoned a commercial and um we don't often i guess this is we're getting into a lot more ordinance discussion because you know it is um the the way that the concept plan is before you um i did want to clarify the special exception approval references the specific exhibit so it would be limited to what's shown on that exhibit

[07:17:32] very good uh let's see that maybe i think i will stop here thank you very much thank you i i guess i get confused by some of these things now um so my understanding was this special exception allows the building to be closer and if they tore down the building they still have that special exception that would allow them to keep a building closer than the 50 feet so is it

[07:18:09] grandfathered or not i mean is it is it this building that's going to be allowed or is it any building at this point that would be allowed based on that that footprint it would just be based on that footprint the pink but a new building with that footprint could still take up that same space and still encroach so it's not as if it's we're not looking at this as a non-conforming no use that we're allowing we're looking at as an actual indefinite special exception that's well i'm not

[07:18:43] sure how staff worded the, but our intention was for just the existing non-conforming building to remain. So that's why they're renovating the existing building. But we're not intending to write it such that any building in the future could be in that pink area.

[07:19:04] It's up to you to write that. That's weird. So I'll ask council if we can, if you think that the special exception, if I may, If the special exception resolution covers that or if they could add to their motion when they act on the special exception and they do choose to approve it to make that distinction.

[07:19:27] Here comes the man. Welcome, Mr. Herrick. So good evening. Andy Herrick, Deputy County Attorney. Ms. Ragsdale is correct to a certain extent that the current resolution is worded to allow a revised setback based on the exhibit.

[07:19:44] If the applicant or a future owner of the property chose to demolish the building, they'd still be entitled to rebuild in that same footprint. So it's not limited to the existing structures. Replacement structures could be constructed by this owner or a future owner in that same footprint.

[07:20:01] And I thought the next question was whether there was an option to change that at this point. It would have to be, we'd have to reword the resolution. And then I just want to point out, the original summary of the Planning Commission action talks about 13,500 square feet plus the 300-seat religious assembly use.

[07:20:30] So those are two separate buildings. But now I understand that there isn't any square footage limitation. There's still a 45 height limitation in the proffer, but no square footage limitation on the commercial use or the overall size.

[07:20:46] just the building envelope is the only limitation at this point if i'm correct that's correct okay and then i i was the one who uh asked about it so i will just follow up the uh there is a fence in the back uh i don't know whether there's been any communication with wilton farms uh or whether that uh boundary is one that's uncrossable but um i did notice a fence with razor wire all along

[07:21:19] it yesterday and uh i felt like i didn't know if that was consistent with the sort of connectivity and commercial use but uh again it's not your it's it's up to your neighbor whether you would be allowed to cross that but at the same time i i hope that razor wire at least is going away um all right i had no additional questions you ah okay i think you addressed that saying that would be taking down the razor wire and I don't know if you're planning on keeping the fence or

[07:21:57] not but at least the razor wire is coming down we're not not exactly sure I'd be curious to talk to Wilton Farms to see what what we could do with that but certainly the impression we don't want to get yeah the razor wire is not acceptable so we'll try to get that down at ASAP and then discuss the fence to see what's best for everybody okay and I have a couple other questions if that's Okay. Do you plan on, I know you talked about insulation, do you plan on soundproofing when you build the garage there?

[07:22:37] Yeah, like I said earlier, we're just working with a general contractor. That would be ideal, and that would be our intent, and we haven't gotten really in-depth to that, but yeah, especially with it being a metal building, the more insulation that we have, the better. Okay. And the area that is in the setback, going 28 feet, that garage, isn't that part of an outdoor overhang?

[07:23:05] Or is that part, or is the, where the building actually is, is it just solid? There's, yeah, I'm sorry, there's two pieces to that. They're both steel structures, but one was added on later, and there were no walls.

[07:23:25] It was just a roof with a concrete base, and then walls were added later. But they are two separate structures just kind of put together. And that's the structure that encroaches. The overhang will be removed.

[07:23:45] You can kind of see it there. So that will be removed. Okay, so what's shown is actually solid walls. Okay. And do you know the daycare, you're not even planning for a daycare so far, but in the future you're not sure the population would just depend on the congregants?

[07:24:08] I think having the flexibility to do that would be good, but in terms of the vision of what we have now, we don't have any desire to start a school or preschool or daycare at this time. Okay, and then you did mention one thing, because we were all going on the 300-member church, and then you said 300 to 600.

[07:24:27] I mean, those things are hard to predict and project. I think a good guiding post would be the number of seats that we can fit in a particular building. So, for example, if we can do 180 seats in this initial phase, I think it's, you said, three to one.

[07:24:47] So parking is going to really dictate that for a particular service. So, you know, you have 60 parking spots, and then you do the math. And, yeah, hopefully that makes sense.

[07:25:03] Well, I think I know where you're going is if you have 600 people, you're going to have to have a lot more parking, which I'm not sure you have that here. No, no, no, no. 600 would be multiple services, and 600 would be a really high-end number.

[07:25:18] I think a safer number would probably be 300 to 400 people. Okay. All right. Thank you. Those are all my questions. At this time, you actually have a five-minute opportunity for rebuttal if you choose any additional comments.

[07:25:44] If not, I'll close the public hearing this time for real. And the matter is back before the board. Supervisor Lapista-Curdly, any additional comments? Yes, I have not heard, I suppose the first time I have not heard really anything from the neighbors or anything that would cause me not to support this.

[07:26:11] I think they have enough cautionary things in place, and we have enough. Oh, I did want to ask one of the questions. Resolution. Could we do a resolution that wouldn't allow any other existing building to, you know, if they wanted to tear down the garage, but another existing building?

[07:26:37] I mean, could we have a resolution or something in there saying anyone that comes in, if you tear down that building, you have to abide by the 50-foot setback? I guess that would be an Andy Herrick question, perhaps? Is that not the question that was already to Andy Herrick?

[07:26:55] Well, I think he mentioned the word resolution, I think. Yes, so I've been suggesting or provided some suggested language to Mr. Rosenberg that he can share with the board if the board is interested in pursuing additional language to the existing special exception resolution.

[07:27:12] Again, the board will be considering two items. It will be considering the commercial rezoning first and then a special exception. We can alter the wording of the special exception with some additional language if the board's interested in pursuing that as an option. Oh, okay. Thank you.

[07:27:29] Supervisor Golley? I mean, if there's... I was ready... I'm fine with the resolution as is. I'm not going to object if board members want to change the resolution. It sounds like the applicant, if they tear down and rebuild, that was their intent.

[07:27:45] So, I mean, that seems fine. It seems like the stream buffer and the floodplain issues from the last time this application was before us, that the things that were concerning then have been addressed. And the proffering away, the way these by-right items are here, seems to take away some of the bigger high impact, especially for transportation.

[07:28:07] So I'll be supportive of the application. Supervisor Pruitt? Yes, I think I already kind of indicated I'm supportive of the application. I'm excited for this church to find a new home. I think they've done due diligence making sure that they're lining out the more intensive uses that this could possibly be used for.

[07:28:27] And as has been pointed out both in the staff report and by the applicant, the uses that are remaining are still ones that are conducive with neighborhood character that are identical or actually less intensive than the ones that are directly across the street. And I also, frankly, don't feel strongly about any changes to the resolution.

[07:28:49] If that's the board's will, then we can move ahead with that. But, I mean, it's not what the applicant submitted also, which I think bears some mention. Professor McKeel. Yeah, so while I'm a little concerned, I'm probably willing to support this.

[07:29:08] Let me ask Rebecca one more question. I'm a little concerned about a metal building and the sound. Can we include a requirement, I'm not trying to start over again with something, but for buffering the noise? Well, I think...

[07:29:24] Or do you think that's necessary? I mean, what... Yeah, we have not discussed any conditions about soundproofing for religious assembly uses before, but I think the building code and the standards that they would have to meet and with the 20-foot buffer would be sufficient.

[07:29:43] And we haven't, I can't recall any noise complaints that we've gotten from any of our existing facilities out there. But I don't know, is that something that you're suggesting or asking if we could add that to the special exception?

[07:30:04] I'm just wondering about a metal building and the noise from the acoustics or the, I mean, from the music. And I just wasn't sure whether or not we could require buffering for the noise. That was my question. But if you feel comfortable that our follow-up will handle this, then I'm...

[07:30:25] I do. You do? I think so. I mean, with the things that the architect will have to verify with that building, I think that it will be sufficient. Okay. All right. That was my only question.

[07:30:42] Sure. Thank you. Supervisor Malek. Thank you. i have no further questions and i will say that as we have metal buildings on our property and they're much noisier inside than outside the smallest little bit of rain sounds like niagara falls if you're in the barn whereas outside you can barely feel it so i think that will be tremendously in their personal favor for operations to make sure that they're soundproofing i guess i'm going to look to the uh county attorney i i know that we you know we've closed

[07:31:18] the public hearing i don't know whether we can change this at this point but i would feel more comfortable if i knew that they would follow the usual setbacks were they to tear down the building so i i certainly think that the board um can um impose that additional requirement mr chair and i

[07:31:50] I am emailing to you, to the board, here in just a second, a revised provision of the resolution.

[07:32:11] Of course, you're going to act on the ordinance first. That's a separate action, a special exception? That's correct. Okay. So the ordinance is first to approve the rezoning with proffers. And then the second action would be to consider an act on the resolution granting the special exception.

[07:32:32] And in the email that I've just sent to you, there's a correction and an addition. The correction is to change the word step back, which appeared in the draft or the proposed resolution to set back.

[07:32:54] And then if the board desires to limit the special exception in its application to the existing structures, there's an added phrase and limited to the existing structures presently on the subject property that could be added to the operative provision of the resolution.

[07:33:17] So I think that, you know, when it comes time to make a motion to approve the resolution, the motion could be made to approve the resolution with the amendments and revisions suggested by the county attorney.

[07:33:46] And that will be sufficient to... Oh, boy. Thank you. Well, first we will look at the motion that's on the screen and ask for the supervisor of record if you'd like to make this motion. I move to adopt the attached ordinance attachment E to approve ZMA 20-23-00004 Cornerstone Community Church for the reasons stated in the staff report.

[07:34:11] Second. We have a motion from Supervisor Lupisto-Curtley, a second from Supervisor Malek. Without objection, call the roll. Ms. Malek? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews? Yes. Mr. Galloway? Yes. Ms. Lupisto-Curtley? Aye.

[07:34:27] Great. Thank you. Now we need to move to the special exception motion, which... isn't okay is what you have so it's what i have to make that right i have it right do you want just read it as you have it okay uh now now therefore be it resolved no let me interrupt you i think if you just um make the motion that's on the screen um and then um add the add the language

[07:35:00] to add on to that to say with the operative provision revised to read as follows operative vision to read as follows operative provision revised to read as read as follows okay and then you can then you can read the email okay thank you very much i move to adopt the attached resolution attachment F to approve SC-2023-00031 Cornerstone Community Church for the reasons stated in the

[07:35:35] staff report and the with with the operative with the operative revisions provided uh to read as follows now therefore be it resolved that the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors hereby approves a special exception to waive the 15 foot setback requirement of County Code

[07:35:57] 18-4.19.5 on parcel 04500-00-000-800B0, 04500-00-09000,

[07:36:20] 500-00-00-901C0 and 4500-00-00-091D0 and limited to the existing structures presently on the subject property. I'm afraid that that revised language may have been using the incorrect parcel information. I don't know what the board's plan is for a recess or a brief recess between items, but this might be an opportunity for Mr. Rosenberg and I to confer on the corrected

[07:36:56] language if the board wishes to take a recess or... There's only one. We'll take a five-minute recess. Okay, good. Thank you. Sure. Thank you.

[07:43:23] Let me explain, Mr. Chair. First of all, I want to apologize. I was singing from a different song sheet, and I had, in hopes of ending the meeting sooner rather than later, I had moved on to the next item.

[07:43:42] So you have another email now, and my suggestion to Supervisor Lapisto Kirtley is that she withdraw the motion that she has made and then make a new motion in the form that I have emailed to the Board of Supervisors. I would like to withdraw the motion that I made. I hope I don't have to read it, but I would like to withdraw that. Okay. I can restate all those zeros.

[07:44:13] And make sure you miss again the ones you missed the first time. Please proceed. Okay. Well, I need a second. Yeah, I made the motion to read. Do you want me to read So you need to read the one that's in your e-mail. The one that's in your e-mail.

[07:44:29] It's in your e-mail. Okay, but don't I need a second to? You need to make this motion that's in your e-mail right now. Okay, fine. I move the attached resolution, attachment F, to approve SE202300031 Cornerstone Community Church for the reasons stated in the staff report with the addition of the phrase, quote, and limited to the existing structures presently on the subject property, end quote, at the end of the operative provision. Second. Okay, thank you. We have a motion from Supervisor Lupisto

[07:45:03] currently, a second from Supervisor Malek, with Supervisor McKeel, excuse me, without objection if the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malek? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews? Yes. Mr. Galloway? Yes. Ms. Lupisto Aye. Thank you. With that, we move on to our last public hearing of the evening, ZMA 2023-6 Woodbrook Apartments. This will be led by Mr. Andy Redewalk, Senior Planner 2, who's been waiting patiently, along with the applicant. And I hope you brought your sense

[07:45:41] of humor with you, Andy. Good evening, members of the Board of Supervisors. My name is Andy

[07:46:18] Redewalk, and I am a Senior Planner with the Albemarle County Planning Division. Tonight, we are here for a rezoning request, ZMA 2023-6, called Woodbrook Apartments. To provide some context on the location of the site of this rezoning application, I've provided an aerial view showing the four parcels that are included in this application. They are located on Woodburn Road to the east side. You can see the South Fork Ravana Reservoir up in the upper left-hand corner of this slide. The Albemarle Charlottesville SPCA is to the northeast of this property and

[07:46:57] Agner Hurt Elementary School is directly to the south. This property also has easement access to Woodbrook Drive, which is the cul-de-sac that you can see to the southeast of the highlighted parcels. Looking at the zoning, all four parcels that are part of this rezoning application are currently zoned R6 residential, which permits six units per acre. By right, the property owner could develop a total of 43 residential units on this property currently. Adjacent parcels are zoned

[07:47:36] R6 to the north and south. There is one property zoned R15 to the south as well. The properties to the east are zoned C1 commercial and to the west across Woodburn Road, the properties are zoned rural areas. These parcels are also located in the Airport Impact Area Overlay District.

[07:47:57] These parcels are within the PLACES 29 master plan. They are designated as Urban Density Residential, which recommends residential uses between 6 and 34 units per acre, along with small-scale secondary uses, such as retail office and commercial that support the neighborhood.

[07:48:16] The recommended residential building height in urban density residential is a maximum of four stories or 45 feet. Nearby land use designations include office R&D Flex Light Industrial to the northeast, urban mixed use to the east, institutional to the south, that's Agner Hurt Elementary School.

[07:48:39] There are other parcels designated for urban density residential surrounding these four parcels as well. And then to the west, across Woodburn Road, is a part of the designated rural area of the county. So the applicant's proposal, as I mentioned, is to zone these four parcels to R6.

[07:49:00] The four parcels together total approximately 7.202 acres. The existing uses include a few single-family detached houses with accessory structures. The applicant is requesting to rezone these four parcels to PRD, Planned Residential Development, with a proffer statement. The applicant is requesting a maximum of 244 multifamily dwelling units, which would come out to a density of about 33.9 units per acre, which is at the top of the

[07:49:31] range recommended for urban density residential. This slide shows a screenshot from the application plan that is a part of this requested rezoning. So you can see the general layout. There would be five residential buildings scattered throughout the site. Two fronting on Woodburn Road and three that are more interior to the site. There are several areas for recreational facilities and amenities including one central space that is being considered for a clubhouse and a pool.

[07:50:10] There's a dog park up in the top kind of a triangular area. There are other smaller recreational facility and amenity areas as well and several buffer areas throughout surrounding the property on the perimeter of the property and I also wanted to point out that there is an existing cemetery in the far top right corner of the property it's kind of a orange colored square parallelogram and the applicant is proposing to of course not disturb that cemetery

[07:50:47] and to fence the portion of the cemetery that is on their property as well as provide access to any descendants of the individuals who are buried in that cemetery. These slides just go into more specifics of the proposal. As I mentioned there are five multi-family buildings proposed, two on Woodburn Road, three interior to the site. The height ranges of these buildings range from three to five stories depending on where they are there are two main access points one from woodburn road

[07:51:21] and one that is using an easement access that the property owner does have legal ability to use which would access the cul-de-sac of woodbrook drive as a prd a minimum of 25 open space is required throughout the site and i kind of went through the open space areas the recreational facility and amenity areas. And on the application plan, the applicant has demonstrated that they can meet that minimum requirement. And as I mentioned, there is a cemetery, existing cemetery on the property. The applicant is proposing a pedestrian path, a mixture of sidewalk and crosswalks across

[07:52:00] the travel aisles and parking lots that would connect the terminus of the cul-de-sac of Woodbrook Drive with the entrance on Woodburn Road. The applicant is proposing 15% affordable housing at 80% AMI, and that is consistent with the county policy at the time this application was submitted and reviewed. This application originally being submitted back the middle of last year.

[07:52:27] Two special exceptions are also being requested along with this rezoning application. One is to waive the step-back requirement for all buildings. So for buildings above the third story or 40 feet, a step-back is required.

[07:52:43] And because several of these buildings are requested to be four stories and above 45 feet, they are requesting that the step-back be waived for those buildings. In addition, the applicant is requesting a special exception to reduce the minimum rear setback on the property from 20 feet to 10 feet um in addition the applicant has provided a proffer statement with two proffers um one is a contribution of ten thousand dollars to the capital improvement program for construction of crosswalk and pedestrian signal at the

[07:53:22] intersection of burkmar drive and woodbrook road to help um residents in this area access the commercial uses and properties on the other side of Berkmar Drive. And this proffer also includes a provision for increasing the cash amount based on an inflation rate so that in case it's not built for several years, it doesn't remain at just $10,000. And then the second proffer is a provision, it's off-site, but a provision of pavement markings on Woodburn Road, largely in front of Agner Hurt Elementary School up to the subject property's northern

[07:54:01] boundary to help provide more clarity on the lanes on Woodburn Road and especially since Agner Hurt Elementary School does see some traffic from buses and students of course entering that property helping to provide more safety along the Agner Hurt frontage this slide just shows an illustrative exhibit of the plan a way that it could be developed based on the application plan and showing the five residential buildings, which are brown, the clubhouse and pool that I mentioned in the center,

[07:54:35] and various amenity spaces, recreational facilities, the buffers, and the central path that I mentioned. The pedestrian path is kind of the brown line that runs through the middle of the property from the Woodburn Road entrance over to the cul-de-sac on Woodbrook Drive.

[07:54:55] Looking at schools, of course, additional students would be generated by this proposal. It was expected using the ACPS student yield ratios that the planning division uses.

[07:55:14] It's expected that approximately 20 students would be generated at Agner Hurt Elementary School, eight students at Burley Middle School, and 15 students at Albemarle High School for a total of 43 students. Agner Hurt and Burley are both currently under capacity and would remain so with these additional students. Albemarle, however, is currently over capacity and, of course, would remain so with additional students. In staff's review of this application, the positive aspects that were identified is that it is consistent with the uses of urban density residential and the density,

[07:55:50] a range of 6 to 34 units per acre, that are recommended by the PLACES 29 Master Plan. The request is consistent with the applicable neighborhood model principles. The request provides the affordable units at 15% of the total number of units constructed, which is consistent with county policy at the time this application was submitted and reviewed.

[07:56:11] And the request has proffered those improvements to Woodburn Road and the cash contribution for transportation impacts at Woodbrook Drive and Berkmar Drive. The concerns that staff identified is that the proposed development would result in additional student enrollment at area schools, including Albemarle High School, which is over capacity.

[07:56:37] And one of the buildings is proposed to be five stories. That is building number five, which is most interior to the site. And at five stories, it is one story higher than the maximum recommended by the Places 29 master plan. However, as I just mentioned, it is located interior to the site, farthest away from the other residential uses and the Woodburn Road frontage, and it is near existing commercial uses.

[07:57:02] This application went to a public hearing of the Planning Commission back on February the 27th of this year, and the Planning Commission did vote 6-0 to recommend approval of this zoning map amendment. and then special exceptions are not required to be reviewed by the Planning Commission but in staff's review staff does recommend approval of both special exception requests one of which is to waive the step back requirements on all buildings and the other is to modify the rear setback requirements throughout the whole property. That is the conclusion of my presentation and I'm

[07:57:39] available for questions either now or after the public hearing. Thank you. Thank you. We'll go through order. Supervisor Lupisto-Curdling. No questions at this point. Supervisor Galloway. Thank you, Mr. Reiterbach. I do have some initial questions and this will be kind of echoing, not echoing, what am I trying to say? Well, you know what I mean, coming up for you too, there'll be similar questions. So Valerie should listen. Yeah, pay attention. So let's talk about

[07:58:12] Woodburn Road. So the proffer for the extended markings, the markings do not go to Agner Hurts entrance currently if my memory serves so are they picking up where they left off to all the way to their to their site uh my understanding is it would be mostly in front of agner hurt elementary school is where the markings would go so the markings wouldn't even go all the way up to the entrance to the property the development up up to the um northern entrance of this property

[07:58:44] okay um okay so and this is a question for staff bigger kind of picture because woodburn road is a unique situation. There's plenty of places in Ryo Road where development or not, traffic could increase without development. You know, Ryo Road, you know, Northfield, a lot of those could just see increased traffic whether anything builds in the immediate area or not. Woodburn Road, the increased traffic is because of the development. Because there's nothing down unless, you know, all of a sudden we have a Bassmasters tournament or something at the reservoir and all these people

[07:59:23] head down that way. So that road is truly, and this is the hard edge, this is one of these hard edges of development area to rural area. So the impact of that road is significant with the number of units that are coming online. Now granted there's another entrance and I understand, but at what point does the county and or VDOT say this road isn't sufficient because of the increased development? Because pavement markings isn't going to get, this wasn't really made for a lot of this cross back and forth traffic two-way traffic and there are parts of that road it's past this property but it's starting at this property line where if you're crossing at a certain speed

[08:00:03] another car it can it can be a little tight so at what point does something get triggered that VDOT goes well we've got a responsibility here the county has a responsibility here to improve this road in a way that's not just adding painted lines to it um I think it would be a case-by-case basis looking at each development and of course VDOT at the site planning stage VDOT also looks at the development to see if any specific road improvements are needed

[08:00:35] in the frontage of this property and I don't know if maybe Mr. McDermott would have anything else to add on a transportation planning perspective because as he comes up I mean there's other developments. Some are empty and under Woodburn, some are not. So most of it is granted. I'm hoping most people that live here, and I'll make more commentary on this later, will go to Berkmar.

[08:00:56] But it still gives a point that Woodburn, forget about even it intersecting with Ryo Road and my concerns there, but the road's not that wide. Painting is going to help. There's not really a lot of shoulder or anywhere to go. So how do we wrestle with that, being that this is a dead-end road for the most part, but for development, we would not be seeing increased traffic on this road.

[08:01:25] Yes, Kevin McDermott, the Deputy Director of Planning. I think Andy actually did really hit it on the nose there that this is something that VDOT will review every project, whether it's by right or through rezoning, to see whether or not we think that the roads that they are going to be adding additional trips to are able to handle that. This particular project expected very few trips to go out on Woodburn. We expect almost all these

[08:02:02] trips to actually utilize Woodbrook to get out to to Berkmar there. So, but as we continue to move forward, I have not assessed Woodburn Road. I've driven it before but we've never actually looked at what the width requirements are. VDOT does have different requirements for the the type of road based on the the use it's getting but as far as I'm aware VDOT has not raised any concerns yet with Woodburn. It's something that I think we need to keep looking at and I will say that we do know there are additional projects that will be coming to

[08:02:38] the board in the future that will give us another opportunity to check in on that. So the follow Okay, thank you. And the follow-up then, because this has the two entrances, one is an emergency access, so it's not going to be open all the time, correct? The southern entrance? On Woodburn Road, yes. One is an emergency access on the south side, and then the main entrance is the one more in the middle. So that main entrance in the middle, is that being required by the county or VDOT? I don't remember if we required it, but certainly something that staff recommended as

[08:03:16] just allowing more access points into the development. Okay, thank you. Supervisor Proven? I'm sorry, that was just thanking on that.

[08:03:34] Oh, I've got some questions here. Okay. How do we, so for stormwater, and obviously I'll talk to the applicant about what they're planning to do with stormwater, et cetera, in terms of what's going to leave the site. But this is, for the most part, a tree site. I mean, there's a lot of trees on the site.

[08:03:49] How do we determine the current level of what's leaving so that we can benchmark against what they're allowed to release in their stormwater management system pre-construction? How do we figure that out? Or is that something that's on the applicant? That may be something the applicant could provide more information on, but my understanding is that in the WPO and VSMP plans that are submitted to our engineering division during the site planning stage, they have to identify what level of runoff is occurring currently

[08:04:25] and how to mitigate that with the development and the impervious surface that they're proposing with their new development. And then who goes behind to make sure that's happening? My understanding is that it's the engineering division and the inspectors when the engineering origin and sediment control inspectors are going out there ensuring that what's happening on the property is consistent with what is shown on the plan. And you're saying our county be our county

[08:05:01] folks. The crosswalk at Berkmar, they're contributing the money to that. Is that a planned project? Do we bank that or do we know what the timing would be relative to the, I guess, full build out of the site? Do we have any sense of that? I do not think it is a planned project at this point. I'm just going to sit up front from now on. So currently we don't have that project

[08:05:39] as a plan project and we recognize that $10,000 is not going to be sufficient to actually construct it. So we are currently working on the extension of the Birkmar shared use path that really starts out on the north side of Woodbrook and Berkmar there and heads north from there. We have a future, we've proposed in the future to extend that further south all the way down to Rio.

[08:06:08] I think that if we were going to look at upgrading that pedestrian crossing, it would become part of that extension south from Woodbrook down to Rio. But as I said, we don't currently have that as a funded project, and the 10,000 is not going to be enough for us to fully fund it, so I don't think we'd move forward with it. And it's designed for their portion of it. It's not that they pay for the left. Exactly. So the current funded project, though, does stop at Woodbrook. It doesn't give you a crosswalk from north side of Woodbrook to the south side. Actually, yes. I think it does

[08:06:45] have the crosswalk to get to the south side. This crosswalk that we're looking at is actually to across Birkmar, not across Woodbrook. So the crosswalk for the current project would be, that is part of the current, I couldn't remember if that was part of the current project or not.

[08:07:02] Yes, I think, and I will have to verify this, but right now we did have to shorten that project because I think you may remember that initially we had proposed that to extend further south of Woodbrook because of funding constraints. We had to end it at Woodbrook, But I believe we still kept on the east side of Berkmar, the pedestrian ramps on both the north and south side and the crosswalk across Woodbrook.

[08:07:35] But then it would end right at that pedestrian ramp. So there's really nowhere else you can go until we get another crosswalk across or south from there. And there's sidewalk on the west side. So if we could get that crosswalk piece, there would at least be infrastructure that kind of connects.

[08:07:53] Yes, exactly. All right. Thank you for that. When the, regardless of those crosswalk pieces, you shouldn't have sat down, Kevin.

[08:08:08] Andy came with his A game, though, so he might have the answer to this. The timing of the light at Burke, Moore, and Woodbrook. Obviously, if this is going to be the main exit entry point for the development, that light is not expecting all the queuing that's going to start occurring coming from the west side there.

[08:08:26] So does that get re, I mean, I'm just assuming that that gets addressed after the development's up and done if it's approved. That's correct. When the site plan comes in and we start to see the traffic numbers that we expect or the development that we expect, then we would work with VDOT to re-time that signal as necessary.

[08:08:47] And that's something that VDOT's constantly doing when they see problems with signals. They'll go in and adjust those to the best of their ability. Great. Thank you. That's all I got right now. Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt. This is a very simple question, but I know during the planning commission, the applicant by and through council mentioned that there would be additional outdoor amenities, including fire pits and gathering spaces.

[08:09:16] And just, I am not clear where that is. Is that all crowded into amenity area in the bottom left? I think several of those facilities are proposed in that amenity area.

[08:09:32] kind of to the east of building one, between building one, that parking lot, and the existing apartment buildings, as well as in the general clubhouse fitness and pool area. I think that's the only question I have at this juncture. Thank you. Supervisor McHugh. Talk about going back to the basics, Andy. So this proposal, these units will be rental? Yes, that's what the applicant

[08:10:05] has said is their intention at this time yeah their their intent is to have it run um and no public roads no um it's intended that it would be all one parcel under one management company so it would just be um entrances uh onto the two existing public roads woodbrook and woodburn so it's going to have a management company uh that's my understanding an applicant may be able to provide more information about that um we're just looking at my notes here uh parking exception

[08:10:43] can you talk a little bit about the parking exception i was wondering about yeah yes so the applicant is also interested in um reducing the number of parking spaces uh there are ways in the county zoning ordinance based on um other transportation uses such as um biking pedestrian facilities transit to be able to reduce the number of parking spaces and so they are interested in doing trying to do that and I think we've seen that before

[08:11:21] on some of these other larger developments that maybe the parking specifically required by the zoning ordinance is more than what the the developer has identified is usually what's needed and I would agree I just was wanting to make sure that that was part of what they were requesting. That's good. And just to remind folks, Albemarle High School is definitely overcapacity. There is a master plan, and political will is all it takes to get extraneous facilities off of that piece of property

[08:11:57] so that it can expand as it is needed. I'm just pointing that out for everybody, right? Political will, master plan, it's all good. And I guess, really, that's all I have right now.

[08:12:15] I may have a few questions for the applicant. Supervisor Malek. Thank you. Starting at the bottom, the timing of the signals in relation to Supervisor Galloway's question, all those signals along Berkmar work together.

[08:12:32] So that's going to be a real challenge, much easier than just making one longer because then the backup goes to RIO and down to 29. So that will be, that is one stretch I'm very familiar with. I am still confused about the evaluation of the sufficiency of the road being put off until later.

[08:12:53] Because, yes, VDOT will review it later, but the approval will already have happened by then if it does get approved. In which case, there is no then opportunity for the applicant to participate in the improvement. So can you give us any more information about that?

[08:13:11] So VIDA, in their review of this specific rezoning application, they took into account the number of units proposed and the expected traffic generation from these units, and at this time they did not express any concerns with the existing road capacity in this development.

[08:13:37] However, it would be looked at again during the site planning stage to see if there are road improvements like turn lanes and that sort of thing that are required and for the overall rights of way on Birkmar and Woodburn Woodbrook Drive all the nearby adjacent streets as additional new developments are submitted whether they're by right site plans or rezoning they would reassess capacity and the ability of these roads to handle that new traffic so it's reviewed each time a new

[08:14:11] project is coming in. And so with this application specifically, at this time, VDOT did not identify any concerns. So they're going to plan to get the money for it sometime in the future. I'm joking, sadly, unfortunately, because it is going to fall to the taxpayers of the county, because we're not acting on it now. That's my concern, and I don't have a way to act on it now, but it's coming. I mean, 2,000 cars a day, even if they're split half and half, I mean, 1,000 onto the southern or the eastern exit is going to be mind-blowing on that intersection and the thousand the other thousand

[08:14:49] on woodburn to ryo is going to also be nobody's going to be able to turn left out of there so here we go again with the 29 overpass with all the backup over there it's um anyway those are concerns i have thank you thank you um it sounds like i'm not the only one who actually ran in there and tried to come out of woodbrook and waited and waited and waited at that light to it out. But I appreciate the comments on that. I understand we've got a proffer that is deemed to

[08:15:23] be a contribution towards the crosswalk and signal cost. Do we have an estimate as to what that total cost might be to understand whether this really represents the impact? Oh, I know that.

[08:15:46] The applicant would probably be able to address that a little bit more. They offer that through the proffers that the applicant would be the one that would make that determination. Some sense of what is going to cost?

[08:16:03] Yeah, and I am aware we did look at their estimate, and it does look like that's approximately the percentage of traffic overall going into that intersection. and then when we look at the estimate that they're going to generate that that's it's about that much and um speaking of estimates um we we run into this over and over and over again but there's an estimate as to the impact on the schools and it's 244 apartments but it's 43

[08:16:37] students and i i just feel like that's a small number uh but i don't know i mean you know it's obviously a much smaller percentage than you'd get from single family and I have no idea whether anyone's looked at what for example the Greenwich Greenwich Center the the I guess those are adjacent apartments there and what kind of generation numbers I mean the fact that this is next to an elementary school seems like an ideal location to have small children but I'm still in the dark as to how these are determined?

[08:17:18] So the numbers that we use, the Albemarle County Public Schools in their LERPAC report, long-range planning, I forget what the full acronym is, but for their 2023 report, in one of the appendices, they have a table for student yield ratios for each school in the county, as well as the different housing types.

[08:17:49] So multifamily, single-family detached, townhouse, mobile home. And they provide the expected multiplier for each of those. And so when the planning division looks at the school generation numbers, we just use the multipliers that the school system has provided times the number of units proposed the housing type the number of units and housing type proposed so 244 multifamily in this and that's how we come up with the overall number for each school level

[08:18:27] so they never take into account proximity to the school actually um not not that i'm aware i'm not sure how the school system has developed those those ratios okay thank you i have no further questions. Anyone else? Yes, I've been using my little phone to try to figure it out. I finally found Woodbrook Drive. I understand that that would only be used for emergency exits.

[08:19:02] So the... On to Woodbrook? Woodbrook Drive, the cul-de-sac in the bottom right of this visual. That would be one of the two primary entrances. And then the second primary entrance would be the one on Woodburn Drive on the left side of this slide, the one in the center. And then there's another entrance in the bottom left-hand corner below building number one, between building one and the entrance into Agner Hurt Elementary School. And that entrance would be

[08:19:37] the third entrance and that would be emergency access only okay right the emergency access only but going on to woodburn uh exiting from there i'm looking on my my map where does it connect it only connects to rio is that correct um woodburn connects to rio and then would would go out toward burkmar right okay and that would be one of the primary entrances okay yes got it thank you thank

[08:20:11] Thank you. Board will open the public hearing. Do we have anyone signed up to speak? The applicant will be first. Okay. Okay. So we have one person signed up to speak. The applicant will be first. Go ahead. Yeah. So I'm going to read the rules. No one line. Okay. That's great.

[08:20:46] During public hearings, the board will acknowledge speakers addressing the item listed for the public hearing. Speakers are limited to one appearance of three minutes per public hearing item. Timekeeping is conducted. Oh, I'm sorry, there isn't.

[08:21:02] Applicants are limited to a 10-minute presentation of their proposal and are allowed a five-minute rebuttal at the closing of the public hearing. Timekeeping is conducted through a timer and light system at the podium. The green light will go on when you begin speaking, which begins your allotted time.

[08:21:18] The yellow light indicates you have one minute to finish speaking. The red light indicates your time has expired, and you will be asked to end your comments. To give all speakers equal treatment and courtesy, the board requests the speakers adhere to the following guidelines. When addressing the board, state your name, and if you live in Alomar County, your magisterial district, address comments directly to the board as a whole.

[08:21:38] Any written statements or other supporting material may be given to the clerk. If representing a group or organization, you may ask others present to raise their hands in recognition. Speakers may not share any OU's time with another speaker. Back and forth debate is not permitted. Do not speak from your seat or out of turn.

[08:21:56] All comments are live streamed, recorded, and published on the Almar County website. And we will start with the applicant represented by Valerie Long and Megan Dostup from Williams Mullin. Welcome. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the board.

[08:22:28] I am Valerie Long with Williams Mullin representing the applicant, GW Real Estate Partners. Joining us, we have our team here tonight, several representatives of the development company, particularly Rob and Will Gordon, who are the brother principals of the group.

[08:22:44] We also have Scott Collins of Collins Engineering, and participating remotely is our traffic engineer, Carl Holtgren. So I will happily allow him. I'm going to take a step addressing a couple of those questions, but I know he'll have better expertise. Thank you to Mr. Reidelbeck.

[08:23:00] He's covered the project so thoroughly. A lot of our slides are duplicative, so rather than spend time going over things I think you're clear on, I'm happy to go through, but I thought I might skip ahead to a couple of exhibits we have that will address some questions, and then I'll try to just go through the questions you all have raised, but feel free to stop me any time.

[08:23:21] Just for clarification, this is a vicinity map. It does not exactly show where Woodburn Road goes, Supervisor Lapisto currently, but it does connect to Rio. I will clarify that's actually a secondary entrance. The primary entrance will be off of Birkmar and Woodbrook here.

[08:23:39] It's a primary entrance because of the signal here. We did have a traffic study prepared and our traffic engineer estimated that only 10% of the trips would come in or out on Woodbourne. Happy to talk more about that at the appropriate time. As was shown, the property is surrounded by SPCA land, the school, another existing four storey apartment building, and then Woodbourne Road forms the edge of the development area.

[08:24:05] Sounds like several of you have been out here lately, but just in case you haven't, some images there to the right. Top right is where the entrance would be through this location, which is a reserved access easement. Woodbourne Road shows the existing wooded condition and sort of would form a nice hard edge to the development area as per the neighborhood model district. The site on the left is part of the project area.

[08:24:31] You can actually see, in response to Mr. Galloway, your questions, there's actually no striping on Woodbourne Road right now for the school. So we're proposing to add it the entire way, and I've got a slide I can show you. You all have seen this illustrative plan, happy to come back to it.

[08:24:48] Lots of project benefits we've talked about, consisting of the comprehensive plan, doing a lot for multimodal transportation. It's, I think we can all agree, an ideal location for apartments. the community application plan. This is the official one. It's hard to see. I really want to get to the proffer exhibits, but these are the three amenity areas. These are all conceptual.

[08:25:13] At the site plan stage is when the applicants will have to program those more formally. These are what are likely to be there. GW Real Estate Partners has two projects under construction right now in Albemarle, one at North Point and one on Rio Road that you all approved a couple of years ago. So it would be very similar to those communities. There's also adjacent obviously with the school they have a large playground with equipment for a variety of student ages, sport courts, and of course a ball field. It gets a lot of use. Real important thing that we want to flag

[08:25:49] is in the Places 29 master plan it specifically contemplates or calls for a bicycle or pedestrian connection from Woodbourne Road to the Woodbrook Cul-de-sac. So we worked hard as part of the design to ensure that that consistent, seamless pedestrian path was maintained throughout. There's sidewalks everywhere else as well. There's bus stops, many of them in close proximity. And this is, these are two slides showing these are actually actual exhibits to the proffer statement. So the area

[08:26:25] shown in yellow is where we're proposing to contribute to the cash for a future sidewalk. A proportionate share, as some have indicated, there are a large number of new residential developments to the north on Berkmar. Those are all buy-write projects, so they're substantially increasing the need for better pedestrian improvements as well, but don't have any obligation to contribute to future sidewalks. This is the exhibit I really wanted to show you.

[08:26:53] The area in yellow is where the pavement markings are proposed to be as part of the proffer. So including both the frontage of the entire project site as well as a large portion of the school site. So that will substantially increase safety, we believe, based on the comments that we received from the public school division.

[08:27:15] Happy to come back to that. This was an exhibit we showed as part of the request for a step-back waiver. this is on woodbourne road showing two different things one is the sort of hard edge between the rural area and the development area but also what the four-story building on woodbourne how that relates to the sidewalks in terms of massing and distance we think they're at four stories that a step back is not necessary and we can say for certain that it would create a significant hardship on the property on the project because it would impact the floor plan of the building so

[08:27:54] substantially. At the Planning Commission, there was a request for more information about how the five-story building, which is this building here, would be, you know, would it tower over Berkmar? Would it tower over the adjacent commercial buildings? I know there's a lot going on right here, but this is the proposed building on site. And for context, here's Berkmar. So this two-story office building is this two-story office building, if you're able to follow my cursor. And then I can't get my cursor far enough over this building here is represented by this one so it is at a higher

[08:28:33] elevation obviously but it's fairly far back and there are parking lots and buffers and vegetation in between so we we thought that was an appropriate massing for this area of the development area but we're obviously happy to come back to that come back to this this is the impact that the step back requirement would have if it were imposed and not waived, as we've asked. This is just a representative floor plan, not necessarily the floor plan that would be at this particular site, but if the first 15 feet of the top floor, the fourth floor, were required to be removed

[08:29:12] to accommodate the step back, it would, as you can see, hopefully really have an impact on the floor plan and just the space available. I think our next slide shows a little bit more detail. it really has an impact you know you can maybe tell those are those are bedrooms there family rooms balconies it would all be impacted so it really doesn't work as well for residential buildings and given it's just four stories and there's an appropriate amount of setback of that building from woodbourne we think that makes sense the the step back requirement actually

[08:29:48] applies to all buildings within the site not just those along the road so all the others are mostly internal. Lots of project benefits that I can list in terms of commitments from the application plan as well. It really is an ideal location for rental housing close to employment areas, destination centers, of course, Agner Hurt Elementary. We think it could be an ideal location for teachers at Agner Hurt or those perhaps at Albemarle High School. It's really walking distance to many, many destinations. The five-story building that's proposed is

[08:30:23] internal to the property and not on the edge of the rural areas again this is the illustrative plan showing how that would work one thing i'll point out because some have asked questions is this purple line and what that represents and what this area is when the spca obtained their zoning approvals i'm not sure when it was maybe five or ten years ago or so because this land was zoned r6 It's my understanding that the board at the time was concerned that the dog walking in this area might have an adverse impact on future residents of this project site.

[08:31:01] And so they believe the applicant in that project proffered, or I'm not sure if it was a proffert, was a condition of approval. But this is a 50-foot buffer that's on the SPCA side of the line that's required to be maintained. So we just show that for context only.

[08:31:19] and clarification again this is that secondary entrance about 10 percent of trips estimated for the entire project going in and out and this southern entrance is emergency access only it will be closed off other than for emergency vehicles and this of course is the primary entrance here and there's sidewalks it's a little hard to tell but there is a sidewalk there on woodbrook that will connect this uh community here is a four-story apartment building it recently

[08:31:54] changed its name it's now called the perch but so we think again these are four-story buildings adjacent that the building height is consistent with those compatible and the only exception is the five-story building but we don't think that will have an adverse impact and finally we show pedestrian connection to the school site it's a conceptual location we will be working with the school division facilities to identify how to make that work safely there's already a footpath in this area where resident i'm just assuming residents somewhere are are walking to already

[08:32:31] okay thank you and i'm happy to answer questions at the appropriate time yes and we can go through For questions first, and then the speakers from the public. So, Supervisor McEaston-Curley? I have no questions at this time. Okay. Supervisor Galloway? Oh, I do.

[08:32:48] Well, I'll just pick up on that comment that that's an ideal spot to put that entrance to Agner Hurt, that path, because as you continue on the side, on that side of the road, they don't have to cross the road. So they continue to, they come off your site head left, then they hit a sidewalk, which is the bus drop-off and parent drop-off anyway.

[08:33:11] Exactly. So the fact that it hits that and stays on that side is ideal, so whatever is worked there. So one of my questions was actually that southern, you've got the top lot and the amenity area there, and then this five-foot buffer where you've got all these trees. I'm assuming that was a screening buffer that was required.

[08:33:28] In this location here? Nope. Inside of it. Your whole, nope, and up. Between the years and perch. Yeah, this five-foot. Oh, up here. Yeah. We're showing that just as there's requirements for landscaping along travelways and parking lots.

[08:33:47] Yeah, I mean, my only, it almost, well, it's an emergency access, so maybe it's safer for them to cross where you have it, and then it lets you do your bike path. I just, it almost seems ideal that the kids could walk along that side to get to the top lot end of the school.

[08:34:04] Do you mean come through here and then through there? Yeah, it's not a through way. No, no, just kind of loop around to your top lot to where you have your path now. the trees i was wondering would be walkable where those trees are and maybe it will be but it's five feet probably not if trees sorry i'm i'm apologize i'm not quite following are you talking about this across the street from your clubhouse where your trees are over here acquired landscape like that's almost seemed like a natural walkway to get to the top lot to the school path versus but the way you have them crossing is i mean i'll let you go ahead and that you guys work that out that's that's the plan is what we want to get input from the school

[08:34:44] division as to what they think works best and obviously the site has to be fully engineered at the site plan stage as well because i imagine that five foot landscaping buffer is required um this let me talk about the storm water for for a moment so um staff kind of punted that well they you know you have to do that analysis so this is a pretty well-treated lot and you have to determine what the pre-construction runoff is and then build a stormwater facility to match that

[08:35:16] So can you just talk through that process of how you determine and then what you guys are planning to put in so that I can, and then I already understand where this is leaving the site and what system it'll get into. Okay. And that's my concern. I want to know what's leaving the site and how you're going to figure that out and police them.

[08:35:35] Sure. I will ask Scott Collins with Collins Engineering, the civil engineer for the project, to come forward. He was far more qualified than me to address your questions. And you didn't get to participate the last time we saw you. a whole lot Scott so we're going to get that's right thank you very much my name is Scott Collins Collins engineering uh yes um you're exactly right the stormwater management requirements are very different between site to site based on the existing conditions if you had a a predominantly impervious area per previous site that you're redeveloping you don't have to do about 15 because you may actually be reducing the amount of impervious area on it

[08:36:14] when you redevelop it. This on the other on the flip side is has a fair amount of some water management requirements because you're offsetting natural wooded area and that's the great that's the the most extreme when you go from wooded area to highly impervious area with this proposed development.

[08:36:38] What's interesting about this site is that it was originally set forth to drain to the what's the used to be riot shopping center i'm not sure if that's changed names or anything there's a pond down there and this was one of the tax parcels that was incorporated into that overall storm management plan to drain to it um which it does but we can't use that for our stormwater management requirements anymore because back in the 70s stormwater management requirements were far different than what they are now.

[08:37:11] So we have to do on-site stormwater management for the site, which is going to be predominantly underground detention because it is, we are detaining so much to get down to that pre-existing condition. When we release the water from the site back to off our, you know, tie into the storm sewer systems, the existing storm sewer systems around the site, We have to release the drainage at that pre-existing condition, which that pre-existing condition is wooded area, predominantly wooded area.

[08:37:42] So that all gets incorporated into stormwater management plans reviewed by Almar County, who reviews it per the DEQ requirements. And then all that whole facility is installed. It's as-built-ed, inspected, and certified, and then DEQ ultimately signs off on the fact that you've done it correctly and installed it, and it's operational.

[08:38:08] So that's how all that works. As the water goes in or comes out, litter, things that get into the water, how does that get mitigated, or does it? You talk about trash or so?

[08:38:23] Oh, right, because since all this, everything, 90%, 95% of this, the drainage will go to this underground detention facility. It actually has orifices within the underground detention tanks that release the water.

[08:38:41] And those orifices on the low-flow orifice, it's about three or four inches in size. So it's a very small orifice when it's all said and done, releasing water over time as it, and all the water gets detained in these large pipes. So that, with its trash racks underneath there, definitely sort of collects a lot of the trash that you might have into these systems.

[08:39:08] And then they routinely, they need to be inspected and, you know, any trash being removed from those areas. And yeah, with those small orifices, because we are limiting the amount of flow releasing from the system, it does a good job of collecting trash.

[08:39:30] So, I mean, and I'm not going to hold anybody to a number here, but I mean, we're talking at 80%, 90%, 50%. Like, it's not going to be perfect. There's stuff that's going to get through, even at that low flow and those diameters. But is there some sort of expected kind of, I don't know, range in the world for stormwater for that trash stuff?

[08:39:52] And then how often it gets, I don't need to know how often it's removed, but I've got a lot of downstream issues that I'm starting to understand more and more. So I guess, you know, this area still flows into the storm source system along Woodbrook Drive. And it actually still goes down to the pond and Rye Hill Shopping Center.

[08:40:12] So, you know, they have their own trash racks and, you know, facilities on that storm management facility, too. So it kind of gets treated twice, so to speak, you know, as far as sort of with trash before it's then released, you know, to one of the streams.

[08:40:31] So it has two chances, so to speak. Gotcha. All right. Thank you. Thank you very much. Actually, I don't know if it's appropriate. I can talk a little bit more about Woodburn Road a little bit more. may be beneficial to discussions myself and Kevin McDermott were talking about a little bit so if you notice from some of those pictures Woodburn Road is wider as from Rye Road to the school and as properties get developed whether it's by right or whether it's through this rezoning the streetscape gets improved in front of those properties just like this property here

[08:41:10] And just like one of the by-right properties we did about a year and a half ago, further down, Woodburn Road, which is Victorian Heights. So that streetscape gets improved. We basically curb and gutter, planting strips, sidewalks.

[08:41:25] The road gets expanded from that center line over to the property. So that 18-foot road or 17-foot road that you saw in that picture gets expanded on our side to a VDOT standard road along the frontage. So now you have a wider road from Raya Road down Woodburn Drive to the school.

[08:41:49] And then now it's going to be expanded across our front edge of our site. So then you have the SPCA property. It's a lot of undeveloped property. If they come in and do an entrance off the back, they'll improve that streetscape as well.

[08:42:05] And so as these properties get developed, those streetscapes do get improved, which is and thus widening Woodburn, Woodburn Drive, Woodburn Road. And so what you'd only have is maybe one or two little spots where the road that if a property is not redeveloped, it's a little bit narrower, but, you know, it's not the entire road.

[08:42:26] And that's just kind of how those that progresses along with VDOT standards. So just a little bit of information on that. That's helpful. And the markings that you're going to put down, I mean, are these going to be with the additional width? would it be a double line or would it be basically what's existing now continued up or would it be some different type of marking because i mean i didn't think i mean it's helpful to know the width is going to expand yes then that makes me seem all right well then maybe there can be a double yellow line some white lines on the side that sort of thing is that what's envisioned yes i mean

[08:43:02] certainly the double yellow line would extend down that road and yes certainly well you wouldn't really need it on the side where you have curb and gutter but you may paint a white line on the other side the rural area side that still has a roadside ditch but yes very good that's very helpful thank you absolutely thank you valerie the um the litter control on site that doesn't go into the storm water i mean it's an apartment complex most of these places have maintenance crews if they're managed well and don't want litter on the site can you just talk to what their plan is about i mean development area we had 180 tons picked up off the streets

[08:43:42] this stuff just blows and blows and goes all over the place so can you just talk a little bit about this particular management plan to keep the site tidy so it doesn't get into storm water or leave the site that's what i was going to say is hopefully most of it gets retrieved before it enters the on-site storm sewer system but gw does employ a third-party property management company and as you implied they have a high incentive to you know keep the trash removal up every day go out, walk the site, remove the trash. Obviously, they have trash receptacles throughout the community as well to hopefully make it convenient for people to just use those. But they do address

[08:44:22] that in a more proactive manner as well. It's expensive, I believe, to maintain and clear the trash out of those underground stormwater facilities. So I think there's the added incentive to keep it out of there. Exactly. And I see that it's labeled as trash compactor. Is really going to be a compactor i don't know maybe that's a i didn't know that was a norm in apartment it is now a norm i'm i'm at least for projects we've been involved in and that's during business hours not during i mean i don't know if those things make noise or not oh i don't actually know

[08:44:53] do they brief noise so in the development area sometimes when dumpsters get picked up emptied places get a little aggressive wanting to get there a little too early before the time they're allowed so the noise can be you know anywhere that there's a hard edge going up against you're probably not going to get a complaint from your neighbors in the development area, but your neighbors across the street.

[08:45:19] So is the exit on Woodburn, is that required or is that something you all want? I believe it's required. Well, you certainly have to have a secondary entrance anytime you have more than 50 units, but also it does help disperse trips throughout the property.

[08:45:36] So that is what the traffic engineer had recommended that they're, I mean, we know we need a secondary entrance, But what he had looked at as part of his process is a site trip distribution analysis. So then he makes assumptions as to how many cars will go each direction, and the TIA gets reviewed.

[08:45:56] We submitted that as part of the rezoning. And so, again, there was an estimate that about 10% of the trips would go on Woodbourne, that the remaining 90% would want to use the primary entrance at Woodbrook because that's where it's signalized.

[08:46:12] And it will be much safer, again, as someone implied, if you wanted to turn left onto Rio, so is that going east, it's much easier to do that at the signal to turn right at Woodbrook onto Berkmar and then go down to the signal at Berkmar and Rio and have a safe signalized left turn instead of trying to do it from Woodburn to Rio, which probably wouldn't be safe or desirable for anyone.

[08:46:39] I mean, there's going to be some natural deterrence. Anybody that tries to leave there during school bus time is going to be, well, you might as well go back home and put the news on. And the turning left on Rio. So most of your traffic leaving would be heading west on Rio, going down and going that way.

[08:46:57] Is there a way for the property management company to encourage and or say that the primary entrance is the best entrance? I know we can't force that, but look, the infrastructure is down there. woodburn road with concerns of of that road until it's eventually all the way improved because even what's there up to agner hurt isn't necessarily the best right um but is that something that the that that they can do with residences to encourage them to use that primary entrance yeah and i did if it works i pulled out the traffic study during the peak hours morning and

[08:47:33] afternoon the 10 estimate it's about 10 trips per peak hour even a little bit less so it is a very small number of trips but certainly the property management folks can work with them neighbors and their residents to encourage them to use the primary entrance to the extent necessary um down here at your entrance it looks like there's two medians are those what those are those hard to keep the people from running into each other you're talking about right here that little green thing and that little it's a conceptual entrance uh or conceptual illustration but yeah i I think that's part of the concept.

[08:48:12] There's still, you know, work to be done to design that further. But the idea would be to have, if possible, a landscape element right there. I mean, turning right in, if you're turning out, you know, it just seems like that could be problematic for folks heading in the same direction.

[08:48:30] Again, that's just an illustration. Certainly, there's rules about turning radiuses and site distance and making sure that cars can maneuver that turn safely and without hitting each other or hitting adjacent properties, that sort of thing. And remind me, the hope to have it up and completed, billed?

[08:48:51] The schedule? Yeah. Well, right after this, if it's approved tonight, they'll immediately start the site plan process, which will take probably at least a year. then they can do some, start the site work, which will take time as well. So I'm going to estimate two years.

[08:49:08] Is that 26? Second half of 2026. Thank you. So that's about two years from now. The cemetery fencing you said you're going to do on your side, was the intent to leave the other, is the other property owner not willing to put a fence up, or is it best to leave it unfenced?

[08:49:29] is it we we didn't want to impose any requirements or obligations on the other on the spca so we wanted to be sure to commit to fencing on site certainly that's something we can if if they're amenable to that you know i'm sure it's it's not a big deal to enclose the rest of the cemetery with fencing as well i don't know what the visitation would be for such a small spot but i presume some parking's allowed and yes not that you would necessarily define it for that but nobody's going to get ejected if they're there? Absolutely not. In fact, that's why it's a little hard to see on this plan, but it's on the application plan. There's a sidewalk specifically or pedestrian

[08:50:06] route, and you can see a little bit of it here, that is intentionally to demonstrate that access to the cemetery is permitted. And obviously there's a parking lot right there. Hopefully there'd be plenty of spaces there. We do know there's at least one descendant in the area of someone who's buried there who visits so well thank you for that sure the extra level and the setbacks i appreciated the visual for the setbacks but can you equate that to units if you were the setback was enforced and you weren't allowed the fifth story how many units do you lose of the 244 so just for clarification you're talking about the building's step back step back i'm sorry it

[08:50:43] will depend on how many units are actually in on each row but say it's i mean because it will vary they haven't designed the layout yet of or the floor plans but um i'm going to estimate about four to eight units across the front he can come up you'd lose yeah i will let him talk because he's saying you lose because we got a spot with the units and if we allow that special exception then you know what are you gaining by allowing those exceptions uh will gordon resident of

[08:51:17] albemarle county sorry uh by imposing the step back requirement it would actually just effectively eliminate the whole floor because of the efficiencies lost and the additional cost in the construction and the framing the articulation around the step back so it would just drop the whole floor plate down and that would it roughly 12 units on a 10 to 12 units per floor or per bill well no on each floor of the building so if you did the step back and you took effectively

[08:51:53] half of that floor away we would just say we need to cut the whole floor for efficiency second. Gotcha. And that's for how many buildings? Just the one. It goes across all five. Step back for all five. Correct. So then the one building, the fifth floor, would be about 10 to 12 units.

[08:52:10] Correct. So you've got, that's a lot of units. Yeah. I'm good. Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Pruitt. Thank you. I promise I will try and make this brief. I want to get quickly to the striping.

[08:52:40] I understand that you're proffering that you will provide for striping on the roadway, but my understanding is that doing the striping and maintaining the striping are separate. Am I correct in interpreting that through?

[08:52:55] We didn't contemplate maintenance, the installation of it. Sure. I mentioned this as someone who represents the Scottsville District, where we have a private road where the striping is completely faded, and there's very little we can do about it.

[08:53:14] so I just wanted to flag that um but that would I suppose be something that VDOT could handle in the future if it does wear it out that's of course Woodbourne Road is a public road but yes and just for clarification since you mentioned if you don't mind I our intention is to stripe it however VDOT and or the county school division directs sure so I presume that as Mr. Collins said it would be a double yellow line in the middle but I just wanted to didn't want to ruffle any feathers at VDOT if they had different ideas or standards in mind um this isn't even so much a question but just

[08:53:51] i would like to point out that once again we have a very large development that is coming before us that um is coming in after we implemented our new uh inclusionary zoning standards and uh but time such that is not going to be effective um which i think is just a an important reminder to everyone here about the importance of acting quickly because these things matter and having them on the books and time matters. So 10 years of affordability and the degree of affordability that is offered in those 15% of the units are pretty meager. They're still going to

[08:54:28] be more expensive than, frankly, any mortgage I've ever taken out, which I think is upsetting. That is not me casting aspersions on the applicant. We don't blame the tiger when the tiger tamer is is eaten right it is it is the fault of the tiger tamer so um that's all i have thank you okay supervisor mckeel um yes thank you um so obviously there are public roads around but the

[08:55:08] interior roads will be private um there'll be travel ways not even technically a private road it's a travel way which is the standard or typical for apartment complexes technically it's not a road it's a travel way because you have parking along it and i understand yeah i just wanted to clarify that i didn't want you to think i'd misrepresented what it was well yeah um so this is rental um and property management i'm dealing right now with four i've been dealing for the last

[08:55:44] two or three years with property management companies that the the residents can't get on the phone are not very helpful i'm just my concern about property management companies that's not to say they're all like that but we certainly have a good number of them especially as the buildings get older we're in a university town um is this going to be a local property property management company i don't know do you know i don't know if that's been decided but um the developers one of my department buildings that i represent the property management company

[08:56:23] is out of Maryland. Another one is out of here. Another one is out of there. It's just very concerning. I'm not offering any suggestion because I don't like to complain without offering a suggestion. I'm just very concerned. Okay. They do have two other complexes that are under construction in the county right now. So, and obviously they're here hearing your comments, but knowing the standards that they maintain their properties to, hopefully it's different.

[08:56:50] And I know it's different, even not knowing what properties you're talking about, presumably. But they also live here, which I think makes a big difference. And I've seen the property management companies change sometimes every two years. It is a challenge.

[08:57:06] Yeah, and I understand it's a challenge, but it's concerning for our residents and the people that live in those. And we have very little control. I understand. And for what it's worth, the communities like this will be very competitive with others in the market, particularly others of a similar standard and quality that are coming online at the same time.

[08:57:29] So there'll be, you know, incentives to, if you want to lease your units and have people be able to want to live there, you want to have it well maintained. And that's not just the first few years, but five, 10, 20 years from now to maintain the value of the property and the leaseability and the attractiveness of it. So not that that's a perfect solution, but I hear you. I don't know a better option other than having i understand i'm just expressing my concern sure i i appreciate it when you hear about it from your constituents and you've probably seen it i can i've lived in

[08:58:04] some um not so great apartments in my day as well and i know how that goes i had no no heat in my very first apartment after college um in the winter so i i i get it um yeah and one of those complexes would surprise you so i'm just sure okay what they're paying maybe we we can chat offline afterwards and and um you can share your your list of companies that we should maybe not consider yeah or they should not consider thank you um so i guess one question that we're hearing a lot or

[08:58:38] we're one issue we're dealing with a lot right now on invasives is what our invasive plants sure so all your plantings you will not be putting in any bradford pear trees or invasives they have not planned officially what species but certainly as part of the site plan process they do have to go into that detail and i know the county maintains a list of approved plant species and they are um good at pointing out when things are not on there yeah and i just say that as a reminder yep that's That's a benefit of having a local civil engineering firm who has a good landscape architect, too,

[08:59:15] who understands the county's rules and what the expectations are. And I guess I only have one more question or comment. Oh, I wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you, because I think for the first time you all have agreed for an inflation.

[08:59:37] Yes, you can thank your planning commissioner for that comment at the meeting. The Planning Commissioner and I talk about this a lot because we're constantly getting projects that we can't even support because the cost has gone up. So that is really great. And I think I mentioned this with the University of Virginia Research Park project.

[08:59:57] And was there an inflation clause in it? And there was not. But I'm thrilled to see that you all have agreed to this. Thank you. I have to give them credit for reminding me about it. But this is something that we really ought to be talking about a lot as projects are coming because it would maybe help us a little bit in not having that big gap where we have to fill it at the end of five years or ten years.

[09:00:19] The other question I have, and this may be more for the engineer, but there was a development that has, and I'm familiar with the buried tanks where the stormwater goes in and then it creeps out slowly and you drain it out and it goes through a pipe into wherever it's supposed to go right one of the projects developments that we approved about maybe 10 years ago nine 10 years ago the underground

[09:00:55] piping had to go through someone's backyard and they refused permission and now it's become a swamp and now they're complaining because it's a swamp so i guess my question is and maybe i don't even know if this is to who is this to one number one does you does this piping to this existing pond stormwater pond have to go through any private property where they could refuse to

[09:01:30] allow it to go through and if so is that just it that that's what happens i'll i'll i'm sorry i know that i've dealt with this issue now several times and it's just well you didn't want the pipe you didn't allow the pipe now you have a swamp now we have mosquitoes i'm just saying that no it's it's very very challenging to secure off-site easements for utilities from adjacent owners yeah i can attest to that yeah and again scott will clarify but the ryo hill shopping center

[09:02:05] there is a large stormwater facility right adjacent to route 29 and as i understand it that that, as he indicated, was designed to serve as a regional facility, and there's underground piping under, for example, the Rio Hill Shopping Center parking lot, and that all of this, all of the development in this area drains into that pond. But if I understood it, that with the new or more current regulations, you have to taint it on site first. My understanding is there are easements and everything is in place because that facility's been there for so long um but otherwise i will

[09:02:42] let scott i believe otherwise it ties into the existing storm drains that step up to the property just protecting ned on this one because i want to make sure that this doesn't have this is not something that we're going to have to go through private properties no that's a great question because you know actually 75 of the site actually does drain north through the spca property and there's a drainage basin kind of just north of the cemetery and it's a 30-inch pipe. We've decided

[09:03:14] not to take our drainage there as our primary outfall. We actually worked with the property owner of the commercial building with that parking lot right there adjacent to building number five. We're going to take a drainage easement. It's going to come from the underground attention over about the cemetery it's going to come through that parking lot area the cursor yeah so the underground attention area is going to be sort of right in this area because it's the lowest spot of our site then it's going to come right here across this parking lot right here and then

[09:03:52] tie into the woodbrook drive woodbrook drive storm service system which then drains down to Rio Hill Shopping Center. That's going to take all the storm from the one-year storm event and the 10-year storm event. There will be a small outlet pipe right here to handle storms higher than 10-year storm to release some water to that drainage soil that goes to that 36-inch pipe, which is sort of right in this area, this location right here. But we're not going to drain any storm

[09:04:28] prevent below the 10-year storm that way, because you do exactly what you're talking about. We don't want to create any potential drainage issues, especially when you do change the hydrology of a site from all wooded area to primarily impervious area.

[09:04:47] So we've made that decision to take the drainage to the existing VDOT right-of-ways down to the right-of-heel shopping center. Where you have control over it. Exactly. Because the one I'm referring to is there are like four houses, and everybody gave permission, but the one in the middle, and that kind of sunk the problem.

[09:05:07] I mean, is that a play on words? It's a problem. So you all don't have that problem. That's lovely. I'm glad to hear that. Yes, that's why we've done this design this way, to do exactly what you're talking about. Just to get to what Ned was concerned about, too, I think.

[09:05:23] Thank you very much. I appreciate it. And that's all my comments or questions. Thank you. Supervisor Mellon? Yes, thank you. my only remaining anxiety because of all the other questions which have already been asked is about the schools and i know you were in the room when old trail first came up and 2004 it's all going to be retirees we're not going to have any school impacts and now three buses actually we didn't think that we were going to have retirees in old trail well i don't know how then the school formula failed so miserably because there were supposed to be no impacts to those schools. And there are now hundreds and hundreds of children who very happily

[09:06:01] live there. So it is a concern. I don't have an answer for it. You know, we just have to do with what we are given. But I just, it's been years when this concern has been mentioned over and over again. And I don't seem to see any improvements. And this is all outside what you have responsibility for. But perhaps someone can help to get some better answers.

[09:06:21] One clarification, which is that it's not a significant number, but with the existing R6 zoning, the number of units that could be built by right, I believe it's 43, based on the school's estimator, there are 14 school children that would go, I'll call them by right school children.

[09:06:42] So the 43, it's somewhat confusing because 43 is used twice. 43 is the number of units that could be built by right on this site under the existing R6, six units per acre zoning, which equates to, using the school's formula, 17 children.

[09:07:01] Hang on, let me get my numbers right. I wrote it down. Pardon me. R6, 14 estimated school students under a by right development.

[09:07:21] With the proposed rezoning to plan residential development, 244, the estimate is for 29 new students. So just clarification, because the staff report talked about 43, that's the total, but that didn't net out the by-right students.

[09:07:40] So I just did, for what that's worth, it's not 43 new students. But I certainly understand your comment and your concern. As was noted, Agner Hurt is under capacity, as is Burley, so they will not exacerbate that.

[09:07:57] And I know, hopefully, having this be such a desirable location, though, for families with children who would go to Agner Hurt, perhaps young teachers who would go there, it's just such a great location for them to be able to walk. And as Ms. Malik indicated, I know there's been so much work and funding put towards the Lambs Lane campus to address the capacity issues at Albemarle.

[09:08:21] So hopefully that will help. Thank you very much. Sure. Thank you. Most of the questions I have, I think, have been answered. I do share this concern that you've basically gone from 43 by right to 244, 201 more units, and added 29 kids, which is because the way the formula works based on the unit distribution, I think, of apartments versus single family. I had previously asked, and I don't know if I just missed it, if you had provided, I kept looking for it, the estimate of what the pedestrian crossing signal

[09:08:59] would be, how you came up to the $10,000. I know it's considered your share, but I just didn't understand that. I believe, and I may ask Carl Holtgren, our traffic engineer, to weigh in, but I believe that was based on his estimate of what a crosswalk at a signalized intersection usually costs. Carl, if you're there, does he just need to unmute? He should be online. His

[09:09:30] name is Carl Holtgren. I'm not seeing him. Okay, he may not be there, but that's, he was the one who provided, who looked at the information and said, well, here's what a typical crosswalk, and it's not just a crosswalk, I should add, because there's also other infrastructure elements, ramps, and perhaps the button, the push button to get the light to change and so forth.

[09:09:57] But that 10% based on the proportionate number of vehicle trips added to the existing trips at the intersection. I believe that was the basis. So they do the traffic study, which the first thing they do is count the existing trips. They have a company that goes out and literally counts with a clicker the trips during the peak hours in the morning and evening. So they calculate how many trips, which direction they're going, and then estimate based on the proposed development how many new trips would be generated at that intersection. They also factor in what they

[09:10:36] call the background traffic, the increase in trips that would occur even if this property did not redevelop. So then they estimate, okay, at full build out, which is estimated at 2026, what proportion of total trips at that intersection will be coming from this project?

[09:10:56] And the estimate was 10%. And so then based on the estimated cost of a signal and related infrastructure improvements, $10,000 was an estimate on a proportionate. I'm not certain on the total numbers on percentages, but that's, we did not just make it up, if that helps.

[09:11:19] One other thing I could add, because I meant to do so in my presentation with regard to traffic, we do have a traffic study. All of the intersections that were studied have a level of service of C now, which is actually good. It's not like school grades. C is very acceptable. Post-development with this project, they will all continue to be a level of service of C, and the traffic study did not recommend, didn't identify any problems, nor recommend any necessary improvements. So I know there were concerns about traffic, and I just wanted to, since I did not mention that in my earlier presentation. Thank you. Thank you. My only other

[09:11:58] question, maybe for staff, and at some point I'd like to understand our setback rules, since they seem to apply to every building in the site and i know there's concern about the canyon effect but then we end up waving them because everyone comes in and says well we can't lose this last story and i'm still not certain why they're there if that's going to be the case but maybe we'll have to have that conversation later i think at this point we will uh turn to

[09:12:31] member of the public who has been waiting patiently to be heard um i will ask libby jones to come up and speak please thank you for your patience you all should be concerned i'm very persistent i've been here for nine hours i think so uh definitely i'm excited to be here um first i want to just highlight the positives that have been highlighted i think it's great that we are building more affordable housing. I agree it would be great if we had even more. And what I found

[09:13:08] absolutely remarkable and exciting was that you have a dog park planned. My questions would be in line because obviously I'm head of the SPCA. This is something we deal with on a daily basis with our social services. What are your pet restrictions going to be? What are your size restrictions going to be? Where are they going to walk these animals? Because lately, all the developments around us have had sidewalks that go to the SPCA. And we are a public shelter that houses dangerous animals. So that just becomes very problematic. And I don't know if we're

[09:13:48] really considering the property that has been here for the past 70 years that has been housing animals that are dangerous, impoundments, protective custody cases, animals that are reactive to other animals. There's a lot of factors here and all of these homes are basically funneling straight into our property where we're having people rip down no trespassing signs and we're

[09:14:19] having to talk about fencing in 14 acres as a non-profit. This is truly concerning because it seems like some of these things haven't been fully vetted out before we're approving the building of a amazing complex and i am full support of building the complex i just think that there should be some answers to some pretty dire questions also i would love to invite all all of the volunteers that come to our spca as well as the staff to attest to the word burn road

[09:14:54] If you're going to have people living in this area, they're going to want to walk their pet. And are they going to walk their pet towards the school? No. They're going to walk their pet towards the wooded area. There's no shoulders. There's no painting lines further up. And again, you have a sidewalk that is leading to a wooded road. People are going to walk on that road and it is just not going to be safe for your residents as well as for others who are going to be driving up and down that road. And it is a traffic nightmare. So I understand all these studies

[09:15:29] are happening. I also really quickly want to talk about, I am a recent transplant. I have had a hard time finding a rental that accepted my two dogs as well as my three boys. So I really think of this thank you um you have five minutes rebuttal yes thank you thank you i'll be brief obviously would love to chat with the new director of the spca and um i'll connect her with our folks

[09:16:06] and they i think it makes sense for them to connect and talk about all of these issues certainly we don't want to do anything that would put any of the existing dogs at the spca much less any owner's pets at risk there. Thankfully, there's plenty of other sidewalks, you know, on Woodbrook Drive, all up and down Brookmar, plenty of other public sidewalks, I think, for people to safely walk their pets. I don't know if we can, certainly can't prevent people from making poor decisions and walking their pets in Woodburn if they do that. At least there'll be a sidewalk on the front end of this site. And as Scott was saying, hopefully more, but I think

[09:16:42] there will be you know actually I don't think dogs are allowed at the county school parks anyway I feel like those are issues we can certainly work together on but we'd be happy to answer any more questions that I might have missed thank you we'll go through our order again or questions or comments oh you still want to add more on your we didn't we turned off the timer I apologize. Just one thing I wanted to point out is that because of the topography

[09:17:16] of the site, the side facing the SPCA will have a retaining wall. And so that's a pretty substantial barrier on the direct impact. That's important. Okay. Thank you. Good to know. Thank you. Okay. Before we close the public hearing, I'll go through the order one more time.

[09:17:38] if there are questions for the applicant or staff related to this supervisor lopisto currently yes so you're saying that the dog park uh amenity that would have a retaining wall all the way around it i i guess i'm asking for clarification regarding the dog park and whether or not there would be also a fence between your property and the spca property because every they can go to the dock park where it has a retaining wall, they're not going into the wooded area. But if they live in building four, building five, they may want to go into the wooded area. So would

[09:18:17] there be a fence preventing that? Yes, there's a retaining wall starting about where my cursor is right here. It comes around here. These are some steps, but get down to the cemetery. But then that retaining wall continues all the way through here. The retaining wall comes up through here. I think it gets pretty close to grade right there but then another retaining wall starts again right here and you can actually see it on this retaining wall it's actually two retaining walls around this dog park right here and then extends up here and it kind of ends right in there so that's extensive retaining walls which do have a fence on top as well for safety okay so I'm sure

[09:18:57] you'll work with the SPC regarding the concerns those are all the questions I have thank you I i i like supervisor galloway i have no further questions or comments when that round happens right supervisor pruitt i have no further questions thank you supervisor mckeel no questions supervisor malik and i have no questions so we will close the public hearing the matter is back before the board uh for comments supervisor lopiso currently no i think this is a i don't have any other questions a lot of questions have been asked and answered

[09:19:33] and I like to propose that. Supervisor Calloway, I'm going to make several comments so I'll try to go quick. I'll put my approval up front so you don't get concerned by some of the first comments but I'm planning to support the project.

[09:19:53] It's just jarring that when we have these hard edges of the development area to the rural area for the folks that have lived in the rural area for so long to see this pop up. It's been jarring along Berkmar for the buy rights and I want to acknowledge that. So I'm appreciative of the impacts that are solutions being put in to the impacts, especially along Woodburn Road and the pedestrian and traffic facilities down at Woodbrook and Birkmar.

[09:20:20] With all due respect to the speaker, you know, we don't put fences up when we have residential abutting residential. I'm not about to start putting fences up even if the retaining wall wasn't there. That would be their choice on their property if they so desired. The connectivity and the pedestrian walkways and the multi-use path that are going into Berkmar are all helping in this area.

[09:20:43] So the contribution to the crosswalk, the fact that it's going to be coming on 26, transportation staff ought to know that I'll be going after this crosswalk as any time I can when it presents itself to try to get that in before this development's up and running. The public impact to Woodburn Road, I just really want to emphasize any help by the management company to really encourage and educate residents to go out Woodbrook Drive as much as they can. I think that will be to their benefit and not just there's no one here speaking against traffic impacts along Woodburn Road. Most folks know this is development area. I'm pleased that

[09:21:19] this one is coming forward for a rezoning so that we can have some say on the impacts. I would have liked to have had some say on those by right projects, but we didn't get that swing. You know, i'm not as concerned about the numbers for the schools um the redistricting that the schools did is putting an additional 59 students into agner hurt i'm assuming that was taken into account here if it was not then the numbers could be a little bit skewed but that redistricting is getting ready for the northern elementary school which they've already started to define the site and where those

[09:21:54] kids will come from so even with that redistricting this should be able to absorb it in agner hurt and, of course, at Burley. Center 2 should be up and online, right, by the time this is closed? You would hope they'd be, yes, I would think it'd be very close. So by the time this project's up, the Center 2 model at Albemarle should be in place, so the school impacts should be addressed.

[09:22:15] I really appreciated the commentary and taking the time to explain the stormwater system. I think that's something that you should know that residents in the area are very concerned about, specifically the way that all this piping leads to the natural channels. and the increased volume that we see with rain events and then all the issues that it's creating for private property across 29 yours is going to go behind the south end of woodbrook and loop around and head out through carsbrook to the river and that area is of concern right now but i do appreciate your acknowledging that it's a treat site and that uh it's a it's the most extreme

[09:22:51] change and that the storm water system is going to impact that um the i'm happy to you know i don't know if they asked for it but i i this applicant in particular i would trust their expertise on the parking needs for this type of site based on their experience with other facilities and sites that they've done and then the last comment i hope i just want to make the comment that this was close to the finish line like they presented six days after we approved the developer incentives to the

[09:23:26] planning commission so it's unfortunate that this one is getting through not it's not unfortunate it's getting through it's unfortunate that we didn't have developers like this who i know are willing uh partners or will be willing partners in the future for this developer incentive program i think this project is a great one to have continued conversations about even though it won't necessarily be put in place here and i know that those are ongoing with staff so that both sides can learn so i appreciate your participation in that and look forward to future conversations about how projects that come forward from you folks in the future will help us get even more affordable units online.

[09:24:05] So I appreciate that. And with that, I'll be supportive of the project. Thank you. Supervisor Prood. I have very little to add after all that, only to say how much I appreciate highlighting the value of pedestrian interconnectivity.

[09:24:22] We think about it as just a way to get from point A to point B, but it's also a fundamental amenity that makes it so that people are able to live their lives the way they want too. In deeply urban areas, unlike kind of a strode-heavy community like we have historically built in Albemarle, you still have places to walk a dog. We need to make sure that this is, as we continue planning for the future, the kind of connectivity that we continue to prioritize.

[09:24:47] But I am generally supportive of the project, and thank you. Supervisor McKeel? Yes, I too am supportive, and I agree with what folks have said here. I will encourage, though, the developer to make sure that the property management companies have mature people on site and that they take really good care of their property for themselves, but especially for the residents.

[09:25:17] Thank you. Professor Malik. Thank you very much. I also support this, and I really appreciate the detail and the excellent effort to address the impacts going forward, and I especially appreciate learning a lot more about financing at this outside funding scale, to which I had no real experience before.

[09:25:39] It's very different than single-family houses where they sell one and use that money to build the next one. So that was fascinating and a real brain-exploding experience, so thank you. Thank you, and I've thought a lot about this one as a very, very dense project, but happens to be very close to a lot of amenities make it appropriate for that yet that hard edge on the other side uh rural area will be will be jarring um i i i rather than say i'm supportive i say i wouldn't i'm not standing in the way on this one but it uh it is it is it is jarring but

[09:26:16] it is right there in a place where there's access to a lot of amenities people will be able to trans to walk to to bike to get to things and get transportation so uh with that uh we'll turn to uh supervisor galloway if you want to make a motion if we could put those up we've got three i believe to consider um and it's two motions correct three three motions there we go they just popped up i move that the board of supervisor adopts the ordinance attachment e to approve ZMA 2023-6 Woodbrook Apartments.

[09:26:51] Second. We have a motion from Supervisor Galloway with a second from Supervisor Malik. Without objection, the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malik. Yes. Ms. McKeel. Yes. Mr. Pruitt. Aye. Mr. Andrews. Yes. Mr. Galloway. Yes. Ms. Lupisto, currently.

[09:27:07] Aye. Thank you. And that brings us to the next motion. Is this it? Yep. I move that the Board of Supervisors adopts the resolution, Attachment F, to approve special exception request SE 2023-26, Woodbrook Apartments.

[09:27:24] Second. We have a motion from Supervisor Galloway. Second from Supervisor McKeel. Without objection, the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malik? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews? Yes. Mr. Galloway? Yes. Ms. Lapista? Currently? Aye. Thank you.

[09:27:41] And motion 34. I move that the Board of Supervisors adopts the resolution attachment G to approve Special Exception Request SE-2023-33 Woodbrook Apartments. Second. Motion from Supervisor Galloway. Second from Supervisor Lupisto-Kirtley.

[09:27:57] Without objection, the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Malik? Yes. Ms. McKeel? Yes. Mr. Pruitt? Aye. Mr. Andrews? Yes. Mr. Galloway? Yes. Ms. Lupisto-Kirtley? Aye. Thank you, all. So, Board, that brings us to Item 23 from the Board, Committee Reports and Matters Not Listed on the Agenda.

[09:28:21] I will turn to Supervisor Lupista Kirtley. I have nothing, thank you. Okay, Supervisor Galloway. I would like to make one, I don't know if this is a question. Please be, respect us to finish the meeting. Thank you. And in part, this was brought up even in the public comment for the last application from the Executive Director of SPCA, but then is also related to the incident that I spoke to earlier today at Belvedere.

[09:28:49] So I'm just curious when folks, if it's an HOA on common area, are finding folks that could be trespassed. I'm seeking information on how to advise these places properly. I got some questions at a town hall meeting or the meeting that I was invited to last week and from folks in the Belvedere section.

[09:29:13] And I want to make sure that I'm telling them accurately that if somebody makes a 911 call for trespass, regardless of what the issue is. I'd like to know kind of what the process is that happens and how the resident is involved, because there was a question of concern about whether the resident has to go with the police officer to confront the individual or to ask them to leave.

[09:29:34] And I don't, that was a question I was not ready to answer. So I'm just bringing that up. But I'd like, I'm bringing it up publicly to say that it's important for folks, not just for their property and for their safety and concern, But it's actually for the safety and concern of the individuals who may find that they are needing to live on someone else's property.

[09:29:56] And there are services and supports, and we have an approach in this county that we're going to deal with that. I think we've proven that we're going to deal with this in a way that is thoughtful. And so it is helpful to both sides to get that resolved.

[09:30:11] If it's just simply a matter of trespass and somebody's walking on property that it shouldn't be, that's a little different animal. But at the end of the day, if you discover somebody on your property, whether you're private, commercial, an HOA or whatnot, I'm asking for just what is the right thing or the right way to advise people to respond and react to that.

[09:30:32] And I don't need a response tonight. I'm just I'm looking for that information. And I think we should do a little bit of outreach as board members in the county to kind of tell folks that this is this is how this stuff would be handled and how it plays out. In addition to you just making the phone call. Thank you. Thank you.

[09:30:48] Supervisor Pruitt. One brief issue, but kind of an item of business. I've broached this via email, and I mentioned it again during my remarks at the beginning of the evening. But we don't have an ordinance on the books that makes use of the enabling legislation that would allow us to seek reimbursement in the case of bomb threats and terror hoaxes.

[09:31:11] I am looking for possible consensus that this be something that we pursue in the future. that it would be a pretty perfunctory ordinance. It would not have to be uniquely tailored. I'm curious if there's an appetite for this from the board.

[09:31:28] - Supervisor Gallup? - Remind me, was this one that the enabling authority is there, we just don't have it on the books in the county? - Correct. - Yeah. - The main purpose here would be to add that extra layer of deterrent. I also think it symbolizes a certain resolve of the board that we're taking the action that is available to us.

[09:31:47] - May I ask, could we look at other jurisdictions at some point, at least to know what's been done? There are other jurisdictions that have implemented the enabling authority included in the state code, and I'm happy to share examples with the board by email if you'd like.

[09:32:09] I'm okay with this. I should say, as has been addressed with other issues that have come up, having the staff be able to inform us in the future of the overall impacts as well, that would be important. Right. We're just getting a chance to look at it.

[09:32:25] and consider it. Yeah. Thank you. And Steve said he would help us out with that. I'm happy to pull together other examples. I think the most significant issue, Supervisor Malek, is collecting. Yes. Sure. Right. Sure. Well, I mean, there's going to be other... Maybe it is only legal, in which case, if there aren't other departments involved, then it's not as thorough as when you try to do other types of stuff. Well, you have to document the expense that's incurred and it's been incurred by the locality so it's not without consequence for

[09:32:59] you know fire rescue and and police department um they've already incurred the expense to some extent just now they have to document it correct to be able to collect it back right but you'll get back to us thank you supervisor mckeel i do i just and this is just quickly something to think about. Very often when we have these proposals, the topic of schools and capacity and how in the world do they figure that and how accurate it is, it might be a good for us to just put on our

[09:33:33] tickler list to let the school board, school system know at some point that we'd like more information about how they do this. Maybe it's a quick agenda item at a joint meeting with the school board at some point, but I think it would be helpful for those, especially for those that haven't been on the school board, but, and since I was on the school board, they may have changed their, how they do that formula, but it would be just an interesting topic for us to understand better so that it's not always coming up with these proposals, which is fair. They're actually tighter on the development stuff since we've been on. I think they are too. I think they're doing a

[09:34:10] better job, but having said that, I think it'd be good for everybody to understand, just something to think about. Supervisor Malik. Pardon me. Quick addition to Ned's request for information about the sort of public safety question.

[09:34:28] Two different times have come to me in the last several weeks about people who, you know, is there an incidence here, as one person seemed to indicate, of people who go away for the winter to some other seasonal place and come back to find that someone has been living in their house.

[09:34:47] And who helps to address those kinds of people, especially if there's someone still there? So this was a complete surprise to me. But I will be interested in learning more about what one can say and who to send other than go call the police chief.

[09:35:05] Because if someone comes to my door, I say, how can I help you? And, well, I just wanted to come and look around. Well, actually, this is private property, and please don't come back. But it's a little different when there are many people. And I might be also in different circumstances intimidated by having to confront someone who is marching around on their property.

[09:35:28] So it's very, probably needs some really affirmative direction, I think, on what suggestions the staff might have. Thank you. Thank you.

[09:35:43] I have nothing further. I'll look to the county executive if there's anything further tonight. I thank everyone for their patience tonight. It's been a long night. But we will now adjourn. To our next scheduled meeting, which is a meeting of Wednesday, April 24th, 2024, 6 p.m. here in Lane Auditorium, opportunities for the public to access and participate in this meeting are posted on the Albemarle County website, on the Board of Supervisors' homepage, and on the Albemarle County calendar.

[09:36:11] Participation will include the opportunity to comment on those matters for which comments from the public will be received. Good night.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coraggio Consulting · aguyonx.com