As one of her first acts in office, Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed an executive order to create a task force to recommend ways to reduce barriers to building houses.
“Slow permitting, outdated zoning, labor shortages, and paper-based processes are driving up costs and delaying housing across the Commonwealth,” reads the order to create the Commission on Unlocking Housing Production.
One of the barriers to building more housing in Virginia is a legislative process that allows members of the public to weigh in before developers can amend previously approved plans. That was the case on January 13, when Greenwood Homes requested that the Albemarle Planning Commission allow changes to a rezoning from October 2004 that cleared the way for the Belvedere community.
“The original neighborhood model was approved for 775 units,” said Rebecca Ragsdale, a principal planner with Albemarle County. But Greenwood Homes wants to remove a condition from the original zoning reserving a parcel of land along the railroad tracks for a once-planned, now-discarded extension of the John Warner Parkway. Ragsdale said the developer seeks to build 128 townhomes in that space for a total of 903 units.
At the public hearing, current residents asked the Planning Commission to uphold the neighborhood’s original vision.
“It featured a town center with shops, a civic core with neighborhood amenities and architecture,” said Denise Kirschner, who built her home in Belvedere in 2010. “The original covenants and codes and development, which were last updated in 2014, do not support the rows of townhouses that dominate the newer acquired blocks being developed.”
Terry Bossford, another Belvedere resident, said the reserved land currently satisfies the original developer’s promise of having every home within 250 feet of green space.
“As currently proposed, it will be an unbroken line of hyper-dense horizontal development of over 150 units replacing the existing green space,” Bossford said, suggesting Greenwood Homes construct fewer units.
Chris Schooley, vice president of land development for Greenwood Homes, said the new proposal would expand the amount of greenspace by adding land for a greenway.
Planning Commissioner Karen Firehock said she usually supports additional density because of the need for additional units, but said this proposal is too much.
“It just feels like it’s really packed in there,” Firehock said.
Planning Commission Chair Luis Carrazana supported the reuse of the reserved land for building space but did not feel the proposal was ready.
“It’s a development worth doing,” Carrazana said. “I just don’t think they have it quite right yet.”
As Firehock moved to recommend denial, Schooley appeared to request a deferral.
“We think there is an opportunity for us to find the right plan moving forward,” Schooley said.
Firehock encouraged Schooley to enter into dialogue with neighbors.
“This area is slated to be developed in some way,” Firehock said. “We just want to see a better project that can hopefully have community support.”
