CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Albemarle County Supervisors will hear about community development and affordable housing initiatives scheduled to be implemented under the new AC44 comprehensive plan during Wednesday’s meeting. The Board will also begin to debate legislative priorities for the upcoming General Assembly session.

At 1:45 p.m., supervisors will be in a work session involving a Housing Albemarle Policy Review with one of the larger objectives of possibly deciding to form a Housing Advisory Committee.

The agenda item notes supervisors in July 2021 adopted Housing Albemarle as a policy framework for county affordable housing policies.

The policy contains a dozen primary objectives which included creating the Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF), increasing the supply of long-term affordable and workforce rental housing, and reducing regulatory barriers to affordable and workforce housing production.

Housing Albemarle served as the County’s policy response to a regional housing needs assessment in 2019, according to the agenda briefing, that identified the need for 10,070 additional units of affordable housing to meet the expected demand in Albemarle County by 2040.

“Since that time, 5,439 units of affordable housing have been preserved, created, or proffered, meeting over 50% of the target, with the need for 4,631 units”, according to the documents. “During this same period, Albemarle County committed $46,389,627 in funding to support affordable housing activities including the Affordable Housing Investment Fund, housing programs funded by the Human Services Funding Process, staffing costs of the Office of Housing that are not covered by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, emergency eviction prevention assistance, and tax relief for the disabled and elderly.”

Along with possibly approving a Housing Advisory Committee charter, supervisors will also look into expedited review and reduced permitting fees to incentivize developers to provide more than 20% affordable units in a new project.

Coming back from a brief afternoon recess, supervisors at 2:45 will get a presentation on what will be the 2027 Community Development Work Program.

“The presentation will provide the Board information on CDD’s current workload, recent project accomplishments, required ordinance amendments, program priorities endorsed by the Board, and a general timeline of CDD’s overall work program for FY 27,” according to the agenda briefing.

The group’s strategic plan involves “investing in infrastructure and amenities that create connection, opportunities, and well-being; encouraging a vibrant community with economic and recreational activities that serve all community members; and recruiting and retaining engaged public servants who provide quality government services”.

The board will take no action on this item, but supervisors might ask questions and give input along the way.

At 3:30, supervisors go into another work session with this one pertaining to Activity Centers as they are defined in AC44.

“Activity Centers are places that have a variety of businesses, services, and housing (either now or in the future) where we can gather, shop, stroll, and go to meet our daily needs,” the county’s website says.

They can be a neighborhood corridor or town plaza, preferably contained in an area that is walkable or bikeable end-to-end in ten minutes.

According to the work session agenda briefing, they are, “identified locations of higher density development and redevelopment, tax base diversification, and public initiatives” as the county prepares to welcome a projected 31,000 new residents through 2044.

Staff chose three initial possibilities and is recommending the U.S. 29-Airport Road corridor south to Ashwood Blvd. as the county’s first designated Activity Center.

Other possibilities, likely to be chosen in the near future, are the U.S. 29-Rio area and South Pantops.

Supervisors are expected to advise whether they agree with the first Activity Center selection.

Supervisors will also hear a report on Shenandoah National Park that borders the county to the west from Deputy Superintendent Kristin Gibbs, later on a hear a review of the county’s 2026 legislative priorities and begin discussion about what they’d like to see the General Assembly do in 2027, and the only public hearing at night is consideration of a permit for James River Runners to expand their Scottsville campsite along the James River.