Albemarle County and the University of Virginia are both betting that properties on U.S. 29 north of Airport Road will yield an economic development bonanza.
Now a development company representing the owners of the now-closed Bamboo House restaurant at 4831 Seminole Trail are hoping to capitalize on investment in both the Rivanna Futures project and the North Fork Discovery Park to attract a buyer willing to redevelop the property.
“We view this site as an ideal infill development prospect within a rapidly growing corridor, which leverages the existing infrastructure and nearby amenities,” says Sam Orr, executive vice president of McKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services.
Orr said the restaurant has been closed since 2020 and the site could support a multifamily or a small commercial building. However, the two parcels totalling four acres are within Albemarle County’s rural area and the Board of Supervisors would need to approve a rezoning for any meaningful development. The Comprehensive Plan discourages such approvals on rural area property.
“Our Growth Management Policy prioritizes building efficiently in Development Areas over expanding the current boundary,” reads the draft of the new Comprehensive Plan called AC44.
The northernmost section of Albemarle County’s growth area is across from the Bamboo House property. Albemarle owns the land directly to the south after purchasing over 450 acres from developer Wendell Wood as part of the Rivanna Futures transaction in December 2023. While the county rezoned a portion of that property to prepare for a future defense and intelligence sector, the northern portion remains in the rural area.
The North Fork Discovery Park was added to the growth area in the early 1990s at the same time around 3.75 square miles were added. The property is within the jurisdiction of the Places Master Plan which describes what infrastructure is desired when land there is rezoned.
Albemarle County has been reviewing its Comprehensive Plan since November 2021 and the process will wrap up this fall with public hearings before the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. The AC44 update does not include any expansion of the growth area but does state that the boundaries are not set in stone forever.
“The Board of Supervisors could pursue a boundary revision independently of a future area planning effort and should request the county executive to direct staff to develop a Development Area report,” AC44 continues.
That report would include whether potential development-area land would have access to public water and sewer, a key reason why the growth areas were created in the 1971 Comprehensive Plan, and why supervisors voted to downzone much of the county in 1980.
One observer of Albemarle real estate says the county should look to U.S. 29N as one place to expand the boundary.
“Considering the infrastructure investment made, it would be irresponsible for planners not to look to northern Albemarle for future development,” said Neil Williamson of the Free Enterprise Forum.
Williamson said that includes millions spent by the Albemarle County Service Authority to extend utilities and replace aging infrastructure.
