The housing chapter of Albemarle’s new Comprehensive Plan states that the county needs 10,000 new homes by 2040 to keep up with anticipated population increases. The exact number that gets built will depend on elected officials approving rezonings following a public process that allows members of the public to weigh in. The Places29-North Community Advisory Committee considered two such rezonings at its January 8 meeting.
The first covers 7.35 acres in Hollymead that would be accessible from the Holly Hills development recently approved by supervisors. Developer Nicole Scro submitted three different versions for feedback, all within the density range allowed in AC44: a multifamily apartment layout with 110 units, a townhouse development with 58 units, and one with approximately two dozen single-family homes.
Chair Bill McLaughlin suggested Scro should have come forward with a more definitive plan rather than a range.
“I don’t know how we could have any input on this from the community when there’s a big difference between 22 single-family homes and [110] apartments in terms of the impact on the community, the impact on the schools,” McLaughlin said.
Scro said she brought forward options to give herself flexibility given the long time it takes to get approval to build housing.
“I can’t predict what’s going to happen in three years when I finally can move dirt,” Scro said. “We need housing in our area, and we’re trying to build more housing that meets the Comprehensive Plan.”
Scro requested and received a deferral of this rezoning after receiving comments from staff who, among other things, said building 22 single-family homes is not consistent with AC44. She has until August 3 to resubmit the rezoning.
The Places29-North group also examined a proposal to build between 42 and 147 units on 5.6 acres of land that will access a future extension of Berkmar Drive between Hollymead Town Center and Airport Road.
Charles Rapp of Collins Engineering said the land for what would be called Cornerstone at Berkmar is designated for office and light industrial uses, but the roadway project and a roundabout at Airport Road will make this parcel too small to be viable for those purposes.
“Once this road goes through, it’s going to take away a little over an acre of land,” Rapp said. “So you’re going to have less than a five-acre site, which is challenging for industrial development.”
Rapp said residences in this location will provide customers who can walk to retail in Hollymead Town Center. He said details are still being worked out because construction can not start until the road is finished. The project is not scheduled to be completed until spring 2030, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
The Cornerstone project will next go to the Planning Commission at a date to be determined.
All rezonings now require that a minimum number of units be designated as affordable, which means they would be restricted to households below 60 percent of the area median income. Both Rapp and Scro said attaining that level has been a struggle, but they are committed to providing that number as plans become finalized.
