Does the area want more big-box retail? Such was the gist of a contentious public hearing at the Albemarle County Planning Commission at their October 10 meeting, where commissioners considered, but deferred, rezoning 87 acres of county land to accommodate almost 400,000 square feet of commercial development on the southern side of Charlottesville.
Representing developers New Era Properties LLC and Avon Holdings LLC, local attorney Steven Blaine requested guidance and approval for the project, which has been under discussion since 1997. The current incarnation of the plans includes a home improvement store, a discount department store, a grocery store, two restaurants and several smaller retail stores. The new strip mall would be built between Fifth Street Extended and Avon Street Extended; some of the site includes what was formerly a City and County dump. Blaine said developers would build a parkway that connects Fifth Street to Avon Street, though that was not formally offered to the County.
Two local residents asked that the commission approve the project. “The south side of Charlottesville and Albemarle County needs retail space,” said Hugh Underwood, a lifelong area resident who lives off Fifth Street. “I’ve got the traffic now, I’d like to have the convenience.”
County staff, however, recommended denial because the plans lacked information about critical slopes, traffic and an assessment of the former landfill, among other concerns.
“I’m just floored by the application,” said Commissioner Eric Strucko. “I don’t understand why it exists at this level of incompleteness. With all of these unfavorable factors, I have too many detailed questions about the proposal to accept this report.”
Representatives from the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) suggested that this project adds more retail space to an area already saturated by retail.
“It’s highly doubtful this new big-box center will somehow reduce city traffic and traffic on 29 North,” said Jeff Werner of the PEC, who estimated that four million square feet of additional area retail has already been approved or is in the pipeline.
Responding to such concerns about retail oversaturation, Blaine said his clients, rumored to include developers Coran Capshaw and Hunter Craig, know the demand is there. “This commission is not competent to determine what the absorption of retail space is,” said Blaine.
Commissioners, however, said they have an obligation to consider overall zoning for different types of use like residential or commercial.
“Perhaps the applicant should feel that he has an obligation to bring to us a complete set of information,” said Strucko. “I’m fully versed in the comprehensive plan.…and part of our responsibility is also to review complete applications, especially coming from applicants who have been through this process before.” Strucko was referring to the fact that Blaine and master planner Frank Cox have brought many other projects through the County review process.
Blaine says that much of the project’s ambiguity stems from building on a dump that local government didn’t take responsibility to clean up. He feels that he accomplished his goals at the meeting. “They needed to tell us tonight that they would support fundamentally our land plan,” said Blaine. “I think that we got that.”
The planning commission will next review plans at a December 5 work session.
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