AGENDA DATE: 10/16/2024
TITLE:
Title
AC44 Community Vision and Growth Management Policy
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Present draft AC44 outline, including document chapter rollout and request for Board feedback on provided draft text within Part 1 - Community Vision and Needs as well as Part 2 - Growth Management Framework, specifically the draft Growth Management Policy and Development Areas Utilization Review.
ITEM TYPE: Regular Information Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Wall, Filardo, Barnes, McDermott, Swartzendruber, Kanellopoulos, Holt
PRESENTER (S): Tonya Swartzendruber, Planning Manager
LEGAL REVIEW: Not Required
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: Albemarle County is updating the Comprehensive Plan through the Albemarle County 2044 (AC44) project. The project has recently moved into Phase 3, drafting language for the Comprehensive Plan document. The structure of the Comprehensive Plan will consist of four main components. Attachment A provides a high-level outline of this structure so that the Board can understand how the Plan fits together.
The following provides a brief overview of these four parts: Part I provides a high-level summary of why the County creates a Comprehensive Plan and how to use it. This section also identifies major trends affecting our county as well as the County’s vision for responding to these trends. Finally, this section establishes the four guiding principles, which were developed in Phase 1 and have guided the development of the AC44 plan. Part II will define the County’s Growth Management Policy and provide a general summary of how it is applied within the Rural Area and Development Area across the ten plan topic areas. This section also establishes an approach and schedule for Development Areas Utilization Reviews that will monitor the Development Area’s capacity. Part III will use a short narrative section to define specific issues facing the County within ten plan topic areas. Then, objectives and actions for addressing these issues will be listed within each plan topic. Those topics are: 1) Rural Area Land Use 2) Development Areas Land Use 3) Transportation Network 4) Environmental Stewardship 5) Resilient Community 6) Housing 7) Thriving Economy 7) Parks, Recreation, and Open Space 8) Community Services and Infrastructure, and 10) Historic, Scenic, and Cultural Resources Part IV will include appendices that provide additional data, studies, and previously adopted plans for reference.
In addition to the high-level outline (Attachment A), a second document takes the outline and inserts the proposed comprehensive plan language into the appropriate section within the outline (Attachment B). For this BOS work session, proposed language is provided for several key sections within Part II. The remaining Part II sections will be added for review during a future work session. Over the next several months, staff will continue to insert new language into this outline and eventually build out the entire document.
Staff will bring the first plan topic, Development Area Land Use, to the Board at its next AC44 work session on November 6th. However, staff will be working in October with the Planning Commission, the AC44 Working Group, and the CACs on the Development Areas Land Use topic. Staff will use this work session to provide the Board with a quick overview on the following key Development Area Land Use tools: the future land use categories, the future land use map, and Activity Centers (Attachment C). This overview will provide the Board with context in case constituent questions arise before the November 6th work session.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Quality of life - Encourage a vibrant community with economic and recreational opportunities that serve all community members.
DISCUSSION: This work session focuses on proposed comprehensive plan language within Attachment B and, more specifically, the Growth Management Policy and the draft factors for monitoring the utilization of the Development Areas found within Part II. Confirming the Growth Management Policy is a critical first step because it provides the overarching guidance for land use decisions within the Development Areas and the Rural Area as well as policy and funding decisions related to county services and capital project investments. (Note: red boxes enclose content that will be the focus of today’s work session.)
The draft language in Attachment B is built upon community input and reflects the feedback of the Planning Commission and the Board. For reference, the following is a summary of previous Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors feedback on the Growth Management Policy and the draft factors for monitoring the utilization of the Development Areas:
- At the August 8, 2023, Planning Commission work session, the Commission recommended that the updated Comprehensive Plan should propose a set of factors for Development Areas utilization review to inform any Board-requested adjustments to the boundaries. The Commission recommended an additional factor (which has since been incorporated) to evaluate and monitor how well the Development Areas are meeting the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan, including having a walkable mix of uses and having amenities and services that support higher densities.
- At the September 6, 2023, Board work session, the Board directed that changes to the Development Areas boundaries are not needed with this Comprehensive Plan update and that potential modification locations should not be mapped at this time. The Board asked staff to further develop the factors related to tracking utilization and establish a cadence for when future Development Areas boundary changes should be considered. Potential locations for changes should not be identified at this time.
BUDGET IMPACT: There is no budget impact associated with this agenda item.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff requests the Board review and provide feedback on the drafts of the Growth Management Policy and the Development Areas Utilization Review approach.
ATTACHMENTS:
A - AC44 Outline
B - Draft Plan Language for Parts I and II
C - Preview of Land Use Categories, the Future Land Use Map, and Activity Centers