Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting – February 5, 2025

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors held its regular meeting on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in Lane Auditorium. All six supervisors were present: Chair Jim Andrews, Vice Chair Diantha H. McKeel, Ned Gallaway, Bea LaPisto-Kirtley, Ann H. Mallek, and Mike Pruitt. The board certified a closed meeting, made appointments, adopted the agenda and consent agenda, received public comment, and acted on four public hearing items, including a budget amendment, two Rio District special-use requests, and a Scottsdale solar project.

Closed Meeting Certification, Appointments, and Opening Business

• The board certified by recorded vote that the closed meeting complied with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and that only authorized matters were discussed.
• The board unanimously appointed Jeffrey Dumars as Director of Directors of Facilities and Environmental Services effective February 8, 2025. Dumars introduced himself to the board, noting prior service as interim director and previous roles at Virginia Tech.
• The board unanimously appointed Amanda Brookman and Naomi Aitkin to the 5th & Avon Community Advisory Committee, Anthony Jarkovski to the Pantops Community Advisory Committee, and Jeffrey Dumars to the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority.
• The board adopted the final agenda by unanimous roll-call vote.

Brief Announcements by Board Members

• Board members announced local events and updates, including the upcoming State of the Community event on February 21, the opening of the Albemarle Employee Care Clinic, the Old Ivy Road bridge replacement detours, fire-and-rescue recognitions, and a planned modular roundabout at Hillsdale/Greenbrier. Supervisor Pruitt also discussed housing advocates, the closure of the Hatton Island Ferry, and local effects of federal funding uncertainty.

Proclamation Celebrating Black History Month

• The board unanimously adopted the Black History Month proclamation, recognizing the 99th anniversary of Carter G. Woodson’s dedication and the 49th anniversary of federal recognition of Black History Month.
• Rebecca King of the St. John Family Life and Fitness Center accepted the proclamation. She spoke about the center’s history as the former St. John Rosenwald School, its community mission, broadband fiber installation, and an unsuccessful but repeated grant application for 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Martha Keene, a retired CEO of the Jefferson Area Board on Aging (JABA), introduced the new JABA CEO, Judith Felser.
• Judith Felser said she now lives in the Rivanna District and thanked the board for investment in aging services. She noted that by 2030, one in four people in Central Virginia will be over age 60, that 31% of seniors in the area live alone, and about 10% live below the federal poverty level.
• Mark Lorenzoni, Samuel Miller District and co-owner of a local business, urged more affordable housing, saying many workers such as Costco employees, UVA Health nurses, firefighters, and teachers cannot afford to live in the community. He said 50 organizations had joined to present a housing plan and that he was prepared to support it.
• Matthew Gilligan, speaking on behalf of 50 organizations, urged creation of a housing trust fund with at least $10 million in dedicated annual funding, expansion of the Albemarle County emergency relief program to at least $2 million per year, and consideration of a real estate tax increase. He also called for AC44 zoning policy changes including more housing in development areas, stronger inclusionary zoning, manufactured housing preservation, community land acquisition, and reduced parking requirements.
• Vicky Bravo, speaking for IMPACT, supported an affordable housing trust fund at $10 million per year, prioritizing households at 60% area median income or below. She cited examples such as Fairfax, where $18 million produced over 1,000 affordable units and where every trust-fund dollar leveraged $7 from outside sources.
• Leela Law, also speaking for IMPACT, supported a trust fund and cited that, on average, $8 is leveraged for every county dollar put into such a fund. She described the loss of affordable units at complexes including Cavalier Crossing, Hearthwood, and Mall side Forest, citing a Cavalier Crossing resident who must move because of rent increases.
• A representative of the Community Climate Collaborative (C3) expressed support for the housing trust fund and made a separate appeal for the county to explicitly fund climate action plan implementation. The speaker said Charlottesville committed to $1 million per year for climate-specific programs and urged Albemarle to match that commitment.
• Sean Cossett, Samuel Miller District, expressed concern about biosolids applied to farmland in the southern part of the county, PFAS contamination, private wells, and the Totier Creek watershed. He noted that only 20% of Scottsville public water supply flows through a charcoal filter and asked for a county testing and monitoring ordinance. He also strongly opposed the proposed 21-acre by-right solar provision in AC44, while saying he supports appropriately sited solar and has 150 panels on his own property.
• Tom Ekman, Rivanna District, described volunteer work with refugees, a homeless shelter, and support for a housing trust fund, saying the housing trust fund request has been made for seven years and needed action.
• Sarah Delgado, Rio District, spoke online in support of county funding for climate action and school energy efficiency, saying federal dollars are drying up and children will be affected by climate impacts.

Consent Agenda

• The board approved by recorded vote the consent agenda, including the tax refund request, the Southern Albemarle Convenience Center license agreement, and the resolution accepting roads in the Dunlora Park Subdivision Phase 1 into the state secondary highway system.
• The board received for information the Northern Albemarle Convenience Center report and the February 2025 Board-to-Board report from the Albemarle County School Board.

Public Hearing: Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Amendment and Appropriations

• Ryan Davidson of the Office of Management and Budget presented the budget amendment. The total amendment was approximately $16.8 million; $420,000 had previously been appropriated and $16.4 million was before the board for approval. The largest component was $16.3 million in reappropriations for school special revenue funds, plus $383,000 in special revenue fund appropriations and smaller capital and general fund items.
• There were no public speakers. The board adopted the budget amendment resolution, Attachment B, by unanimous roll-call vote.

Public Hearing: Carter Machinery Outdoor Storage, Display, and Sales (SP202400020)

• The proposed site is at 721 Rio Road W in the Rio District and would allow outdoor storage, display, and sales of construction equipment on approximately 4.37 acres in the Highway Commercial zoning district and Entrance Corridor overlay.
• Staff reported the Architectural Review Board and Planning Commission had each unanimously recommended approval after increased landscaping and screening conditions.
• The applicant’s representative said equipment would be screened by fencing and landscaping, noting a 14-foot grade below Rio Road. Board members asked about stormwater, site access, equipment cleaning, and maintenance.
• The board voted unanimously to approve the special use permit with conditions.

Public Hearing: City Church Multi-Use Space Addition (SP202400012) and Parking Special Exception (SE202400018)

• The application was for 1010 Rio Road East in the Rio District. The previously approved special use permit allowed a 10,600-square-foot building; the new request was for an approximately 13,100-square-foot building and 87 additional parking spaces, plus a special exception to exceed the 20% parking maximum.
• The site currently has 74 parking spaces; county code requires 107 spaces, the 20% maximum is 128 spaces, and the applicant requested 161 spaces, approximately 50% above minimum.
• Applicant representatives said the church has used nearby CATEC parking under a non-written agreement, but CATEC was now owned by the city and would not sign a long-term agreement. They cited growth in children’s ministry and the need to keep all ministries on the same side of the road.
• Supervisor McKeel supported the special use permit but voted against the special exception, citing uncertainty about the parking overage and the lack of a formal agreement with CATEC. Supervisor Gallaway supported both, saying shared parking arrangements can fail; Supervisors LaPisto-Kirtley, Mallek, and Pruitt supported both, with commutes and parking concern.
• The special use permit was approved unanimously. The special exception was approved 5-1, with Supervisor McKeel voting no.

Public Hearing: Buck Island Solar (SP202300023)

• The application was for a solar-energy electrical generation facility on about 30 acres near 2826/2828 Campbell Farm Lane, Scottsville District, with an approximately 11-acre panel area and a requested capacity of 3 MW AC. It would interconnect with the Dominion distribution grid and include no battery energy storage.
• Staff and the Planning Commission had recommended approval, with conditions including a solar revenue share condition, screening, decommissioning, and a Pollinator Smart certification condition.
• Nexamp representatives requested two amendments: changing the permit validity from three years to five years, and revising the Pollinator Smart condition to allow a diligent-effort standard with zoning administrator flexibility. The board approved those revised conditions as part of the motion.
• One member of the public, Scott Bazari, spoke in favor of the application, saying the applicant had been cooperative and far preferable to the nearby Ravana Solar project he sees from his property.
• The board voted unanimously to approve the special use permit with the revised February 5, 2025 conditions. One supervisor placed on record an objection to the revised condition changes but voted in favor of the project.

Board Committee Reports and Future Items

• Supervisor Gallaway requested an itemized breakdown of the county’s estimated $9.2 million in federal grant revenue in the current budget, noting the bulk likely goes to the Department of Social Services.
• Supervisor Gallaway also requested that the chair and vice chair schedule a board discussion about the affordable housing trust fund, to clarify the board’s direction to staff. Supervisors Mallek and Pruitt supported scheduling that discussion, including questions about fund structure, NOFAs, grants versus loans, and revenue preservation.
• The board adjourned to February 12, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. in Room 241.

Key Outcomes

• Certified the closed meeting and approved the appointment of Jeffrey Dumars as Director of Facilities and Facilities / Environmental Services.
• Unanimously adopted the consent agenda, Black History Month proclamation, Fiscal Year 2025 budget amendment, Carter Machinery special use permit, City Church special use permit, and Buck Island Solar special use permit.
• Approved the City Church parking special exception by a 5-1 vote.
• Directed future board discussion on a housing trust fund and requested a federal-funding breakdown.