To build anything of note in Albemarle County—a shopping mall, a cluster of townhomes, an office park—usually requires a rezoning. Sounds simple enough, but rezoning usually requires a series of back-and-forths between developer and county planning staff as they work through a long checklist of ordinances and regulations. Then there are the numerous public meetings with the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. The process can go on for years.
The county’s fee for this “service”? From $220 for a minor amendment to $1,570 for a major one—only 1 to 3 percent of what it actually costs, according to a consultant study done in 2007. A minor zoning amendment costs Albemarle County roughly $15,000, while a major rezoning of more than 50 acres is estimated at $98,000. North Pointe, approved in 2006 to include up to 664,000 square feet of commercial space and 893 housing units, cost $150,000 in staff time, according to Community Development Director Mark Graham.
Should developers pay more and the taxpayer less? For the last two years, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has been considering whether to comprehensively raise these development fees, and on December 2, the Board appeared ready to do so—double or more in most instances, though about 50 percent less than the consultant recommended.
But then, much to the fury and frustration of fellow board members Sally Thomas and Dennis Rooker, Supervisor David Slutzky changed his mind.
Supervisors Ken Boyd and Lindsey Dorrier wanted more time in the name of finding greater “efficiency”—apparently two years and a separate outside study weren’t enough to sniff it out—and so the issue was punted to February and the incoming Board, one perceived as more pro-development.
Slutzky had his reasons, he explained at the meeting. He sees Albemarle’s relatively high standards of review and public participation as a benefit to the existing taxpayer—not the developer—and so one that should be borne by the public at large and “not be funneled into a project as a means of escaping the political reality of having to pay for it.”
Previously, he had supported the fee increases. “I guess the anger in my voice is because staff didn’t present this to us out of the blue,” said Thomas. “…For you to change your mind now after having gone through that process and leading staff onwards is really irresponsible.”
Slutzky took issue with the “irresponsible” tag: “It’s exactly my job to go through this process as long as it takes us to get it right in the end.”
It is unsurprising that Slutzky once again confounded his colleagues at his penultimate regular Board meeting. In his four years on the Board, Slutzky has consistently advanced ideas that have drawn scorn from the local left and the local right. He voted for North Pointe to the chagrin of many environmentalists and argued for higher property tax rates, outraging the budget hawks. His complicated conception of transferrable development rights as a way of appeasing landowners, developers and environmentalists ended with ruffled feathers all around. In all instances, he could explain even his unpredictable positions, yet rarely plainly and succinctly enough to appease his critics. In November, he lost a re-election bid to Rodney Thomas, who championed smaller taxes, deregulation and getting Charlottesville to pay for things.
Slutzky did not return calls by press time.
Rooker still takes issue with Slutzky’s reasoning. Albemarle’s fees are lower on average than Greene County, where a North Pointe would have cost $29,000 in fees, according to the consultant’s report. Rooker’s hopeful the new board will approve the changes.
“There is no free lunch,” says Rooker. “It’s going to be paid for somewhere.”
Yet though he often tangled with Slutzky on the Board, Rooker says he’s not glad he’s gone. “Probably 90 percent of the votes are unanimous. People get engaged in issues and politics. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t like somebody.”
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