AC44 Monthly Digest: May 2022 | |
|
|
Welcome back to the AC44 monthly digest for the County’s Comprehensive Plan update! This is where we’ll share the work we’ve done over the past month, the feedback we heard, and upcoming opportunities to participate.
Because the Comprehensive Plan involves so many different interests, this monthly newsletter is being shared with everyone who has subscribed to one or more County email lists. More frequent AC44-specific updates will be sent to AC44 subscribers.
To subscribe to the AC44 list, please visit this webpage and check the box next to "Albemarle 2044 - Comprehensive Plan Update"
| |
|
June 2022 Upcoming Events
In June, we will continue Phase 1: Plan for Growth. Later in the month, we will have a variety of ways for you to share your input. We will share information about existing conditions and the potential future buildout of the County’s Development Areas. We will ask you for input on various options for growth management.
Engagement opportunities this month will include both in-person and virtual open houses. We will also have an online questionnaire. Save the dates below for your chance to connect with the AC44 Team! The content and opportunities for input will be the same at each location.
- Friday, June 17, 12 - 1 pm Virtual Open House via Zoom (link to be announced)
- Tuesday, June 21, 4 - 6 pm In-person Open House – Northside Library Meeting Room
- Wednesday, June 22, 5:30 - 7 pm In-person Open House – COB 5th Street, Room A
- Monday, June 13 through Friday, June 24, Online Questionnaire
| |
What We Did
We hosted pop-ups, held virtual “office hours,” and had an online questionnaire in May. We asked you to share your thoughts about the current Growth Management Policy and what we should prioritize with an updated policy.
We also held the first meeting of Working Group 1. The Working Group spent time getting to know each other, learned about the history of Comprehensive Planning in the county, and shared some initial feedback about the Growth Management Policy.
| |
|
May Engagement By-the-Numbers
116 visitors to pop-ups/virtual office hours
139 online questionnaires completed
1,245 visits to the project website
| |
About 37% of people who participated in the questionnaire felt that the current Growth Management Policy accurately, or very accurately, reflects their vision for growth. However, 25% of respondents indicated that it does not reflect their vision for growth. |  | |
Themes we heard at our pop-up events and in the online content include:
- A need to better support population growth with infrastructure and facilities, including schools and transportation improvements such as roads, transit, and sidewalks
- Concern about the rising cost of living in the county and the lack of affordable housing options, and concern that the limited amount of Development Area land is increasing housing costs
- Concern about the density and form of new development and associated impacts such as traffic
- The need for more housing options in the existing Development Areas, especially around the City of Charlottesville, and to prevent sprawl
- Importance of protecting resources such as the County’s waterways, forests, and scenery, and making sure that our Climate Action goals are incorporated into the Growth Management Policy
Review the Online Responses
| |
About the Comprehensive Plan
AC44 (or Albemarle County 2044) is the project name for the County’s Comprehensive Plan update and is one of the ways the County is planning for an inclusive and resilient future. The Comprehensive Plan sets priorities and serves as a guide for the future physical development of Albemarle County. The Plan includes recommendations for how and where the county should grow, supporting local businesses and industry, protecting and enhancing natural resources, providing transportation options for walking, biking, taking transit, and driving, and allowing and encouraging a variety of housing types.
The goals for the project are to:
- Update plan content to reflect recent county-wide strategic initiatives including climate action planning, economic development, and multi-modal transportation planning.
- Ensure that equity is integrated into the engagement process and the updated plan content, consistent with the County’s recently added “Community” organizational value.
- Improve Plan usability by articulating clearly prioritized goals, incorporating metrics for tracking progress, and applying a modern, streamlined document design.
The Comprehensive Plan will be updated in a four-phased approach, with the adoption of the final Comprehensive Plan expected in late 2024. We are currently in Phase 1: Plan for Growth, which will be focused on the County’s Growth Management Policy.
Why the name 'Albemarle County 2044 (AC44)’?
The process to update the Comp Plan kicked off in early 2022 and is anticipated to be completed by the fall of 2024. When adopted, the Comp Plan will be in effect from 2024 to 2044 with periodic updates, in response to changing conditions and trends in the county. 'AC44' is an abbreviation of the full project name.
| |
Meet Our Team
We have a talented, multidisciplinary team working on AC44. Contact us by phone or email: AC44@albemarle.org -or- (434) 296-5832 ext. 3272
| |
|
Rachel Falkenstein
Planning Manager
| |
|
Tori Kanellopoulos
Senior Planner II
| |
|
Mariah Gleason
Urban Designer
| |
|
Ben Holt
Senior Planner II
| |
|
Serena Gruia
Public Engagement Coordinator
| |
Have You Visited Our Online Engagement Center?
We are looking forward to providing you with a variety of robust tools designed to enable you to share your expertise, ideas, and feedback with us on a regular basis.
Please visit the site and register to access current and future projects.
| |
| | | |
