A long and meticulous conversation has been held all year about proposed new rules and regulations for buildings in Charlottesville, and the Planning Commission will likely take a final vote on a recommendation on October 18.
Since a public hearing was held September 14, the six remaining planning commissioners have held four meetings to finalize their recommendation on what City Council should consider. That has resulted in many potential changes.
Most notably, there is a new proposal to limit building size on Preston Avenue, unless developers guarantee 20 percent of housing units as affordable and provide community space. Council would need to grant a special exception permit for additional height. Development on all but one other corridor would be by-right.
“The purpose is to ensure that larger new development projects in these corridors include community supportive amenities, like more affordable housing units, than would otherwise be required, [as well as] affordable commercial space for community assets like grocers, laundromats, or health services, or community-oriented space,” says Neighborhood Development Services Director James Freas.
Under the new proposal, all of the property between Rosser Avenue and Fourth Street NW would be designated as Corridor Mixed Use 3, which would allow less building space than the CX-5 and CX-8 districts that have been on the draft zoning map since it was released in early February.
That includes the land that Stony Point Development Group announced would be included in its expansion of the mixed-use Dairy Market project. Stony Point had expected to amend an existing special use permit to build seven-story buildings facing Preston Avenue, but withdrew the plans after public outcry. Technically, the company will be able to go through the amendment process even under the new development code, but it would still need approval from City Council.
The same Core Neighborhoods Corridor Overlay District would also apply to Cherry Avenue between Ridge Street and Roosevelt Brown Boulevard, but the draft zoning map has designated that as CX-3.
There is already a precedent for this approach. In September, City Council approved a rezoning at 501 Cherry Ave., to allow 118 units with 24,000 square feet of new commercial space. Beforehand, Woodard Properties had entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Fifeville Neighborhood Association to work with Piedmont Housing Alliance to provide affordable units and offer space for Twice is Nice and the Music Resource Center.
Chris Henry, president of Stony Point Development Group, said the point of the zoning rewrite was to set developer expectations by allowing by-right development and not leaving decisions up to council.
“If a significant reduction in proposed density is desirable on Preston Avenue, we need to be comfortable with the significant reduction of affordable housing, tax revenue, and other community benefits that can be derived from a successful collaboration between city, developer, and community,” Henry said.
The Planning Commission will also consider a restoration of the “sensitive communities” districts that had been removed at the request of the city’s Housing Advisory Committee.
The appointed body has also reached consensus to recommend to City Council that some commercial uses be allowed in Residential-B and Residential-C without a special use permit if the property is on a corner lot. It will likely recommend the allowance of more height in several zoning districts.
City Council will hold two additional work sessions before its public hearing.