Riverbend Development first filed for a rezoning for a property in Albemarle’s growth area in 2022. Supplied photo.
For decades, Albemarle County’s Comprehensive Plan has placed a portion of land near the intersection of U.S. 29 and Interstate 64 in the growth area.
Riverbend Development filed for a rezoning for the property in early 2022, and the Planning Commission held a public hearing on September 9.
“We do think that there are lots of reasons to support this rezoning,” said Ashley Davies, a vice president with Riverbend. “In a location adjacent to the city and UVA, there’s commercial and office space that can foster local employment opportunities and strengthen the county’s economic base.”
In total, the company wants to rezone 62 acres of land to the Neighborhood Model District, a category created in the early 2000s to encourage dense development in the county’s urban areas. Around a third of the land is zoned Highway Commercial and the rest is zoned Residential-1.
“Right now, the R1 property could yield anywhere from 43 to 68 dwelling units,” said Cameron Langille, a principal planner with the county. The land zoned Highway Commercial would need a special use permit and could have between 279 and 373 units.
Under the rezoning, Riverbend asked for a range of potential uses in order to be responsive to the residential and commercial market.
Commissioner Karen Firehock said she could support a rezoning at the site, but the potential range of uses was too vague.
“I don’t know if I’m voting for 100 units of housing or 1,200 units of housing,” said Firehock, who represents the Samuel Miller District. “I don’t know if I’m voting for 50,000 square feet of commercial or 440,000 square feet.”
Access to the site would be via two entrances onto U.S. 29, with one of them using the existing Gold Eagle Drive. The second entrance would be to the west and would include a traffic signal.
Riverbend would also construct an at-grade pedestrian crossing and upgrade an existing park-and-ride lot on Teal Lane, across from the development at the entrance to Sherwood Farms.
Several Sherwood Farms residents asked the Planning Commission to recommend denial, in part because existing conditions are not ideal.
“When I come home at 5:15 in the afternoon from UVA, there is a backup that backs up almost as far as Ivy Road,” said Reid Forbes.
Suzanne Fox lives further down on U.S. 29 and said she was concerned that approving this rezoning would mean that development would spread further into the rural area.
“If this starts, I can see it just hopping down 29,” Fox said.
Commissioner Julian Bivins said Albemarle County lacks land for development but this location is suitable.
“I’m supportive of the project because I think that it is in a location that will help sort of spread out some of the density that we’re having troubles with in other parts of the county,” Bivins said.
Commissioner Corey Clayborne also supported the project and said the second traffic signal might help improve conditions by slowing down the highway, while Commission Chair Fred Missel said he usually supports rezonings in the growth area but found this one to be more problematic.
“The traffic and the vehicular circulation is a major impact,” Missel said. “I’m not quite sure even with a signalized
push button, how people are going to get across 29 with traffic moving at the pace that it’s moving.”
Davies asked for a deferral when it was clear there were not enough votes on the Planning Commission to recommend
approval.
“We would be happy to come back with an updated plan that gives maybe a tighter range of uses to give you more comfortability, a more comfortable assessment of what we’re doing,”
The company will come back with a more detailed proposal at the December 16 meeting.
