This week in county government; PC recommends denial of rezoning for concrete plant, reviews big-ticket capital spending requests; BOS to consider rezoning for more residential lots on Halls Store Rd.
Engage Louisa is a nonpartisan newsletter that keeps folks informed about Louisa County government. We believe our community is stronger and our government serves us better when we increase transparency, accessibility, and engagement.
This week in county government: public meetings, Jan. 15 through Jan. 20
For the latest information on county meetings including public meetings of boards, commissions, authorities, work groups, and internal county committees, click here. (Note: Louisa County occasionally schedules internal committee/work group meetings after publication time. Check the county’s website for the most updated information).
Tuesday, January 16
Louisa County Board of Supervisors, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 6 pm. (agenda packet/livestream) The board will convene in closed session at 5 pm.
Wednesday, January 17
Ag/Forestal and Rural Preservation Committee, Public Meeting Room, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 7 pm. At publication time, an agenda wasn’t publicly available.
Thursday, January 18
Industrial Development Authority, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 8:30 am. At publication time, an agenda wasn’t publicly available.
Other meetings
Tuesday, January 16
Louisa Town Council, 212 Fredericksburg Ave., Louisa, 6 pm. (agenda)
Mineral Town Council, 312 Mineral Ave., Mineral, 6:30 pm. At publication time, an agenda wasn't publicly available.
Additional information about Louisa County’s upcoming public meetings is available here.
Interested in taking your talents to one of the county’s numerous boards and commissions? Find out more here including which boards have vacancies and how to apply.
PC recommends denial of rezoning for concrete plant at Ferncliff, defers consideration of repeal of parts of Lake Anna Shoreline Ordinance
A request for a rezoning that would clear the way for a concrete plant at Ferncliff got a thumbs down from the Louisa County Planning Commission on Thursday night. (meeting materials, video)
The commission voted 7-0 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors deny Essex Concrete Corporation and KFP1, LLC’s request to rezone, from general commercial (C-2) to general industrial (I-2), two parcels (tmp 67-2-C, 67-2-B), covering about 28 acres, near the intersection of Routes 250 and 208 in the Patrick Henry Election District. The parcels are located in the Ferncliff Growth Area Overlay District and designated for mixed-use development in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Essex proposes to operate a concrete batching facility on a 14.59-acre parcel (tmp 67-2-C) while using a shared entrance on an adjoining 13-acre parcel (tmp 62-7-B), currently home to S&N Communications. Essex holds a 10-year lease on the former parcel while KFP1 owns both properties.
In motioning to recommend denial, Patrick Henry District Commissioner Ellis Quarles said that he couldn’t support the request based on the information provided at the meeting. Chief among commissioners’ concerns was how the facility would source its water and the hours it would operate.
After initially stating in Essex’s land use application that the plant wouldn’t use public utilities, attorney Torrey Williams, who represented the company, proffered that the facility would exclusively use public water, but the property’s owner didn’t agree to a proffer that would prohibit the use of a private well across the 28-acre site. Williams said that the plant expects to use about 4,000 gallons of water per day.
Quarles indicated he couldn’t support the application without certainty that Essex wouldn’t rely on a private well.
Even if the applicant agreed to use public water, that water would come from county-owned wells near Zion Crossroads where residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the infrastructure’s capacity. Louisa County Water Authority General Manager Pam Baughman said that the wells have the capacity to support the use, noting that the authority is bringing two additional wells online in the coming months. The county is relying on ultra-deep wells near Zion to feed development along Interstate 64 as it awaits completion of a long-anticipated pipeline to the James River, which is currently wading through the federal permitting process.
Commissioners also expressed concerns about the company’s hours of operations. Williams said the plant expected to operate mostly on weekdays between 6 or 6:30 am and 4 or 4:30 pm, but he couldn’t proffer specific hours because of “the nature of the business.”
Three neighboring property owners spoke in opposition to the rezoning, expressing a host of concerns. Community members said that a concrete plant would create large amounts of dust, impacting air quality in the area, use vast quantities of groundwater, threatening neighbors’ water supply, and create runoff that could impact Venable Creek, which runs through the area. They also expressed concerns about noise pollution from the plant.
Neighbor Heidi Shalloway said that concrete plants are a source of significant pollution and allowing Essex to locate at Ferncliff would negatively impact the neighborhood in a variety of ways.
“How many of you would want to live next to a concrete batching plant, exposing yourself to heart and lung disease, contaminated or depleted groundwater and the constant ‘bang, bang, bang’ and vibrations shaking your home,” Shalloway asked.
Neighboring property owner Edwin Bailey said that rezoning the parcels for general industrial use would be a “radical departure” from the 2040 Comp Plan, which designates the area for mixed-use development on its Future Land Use Map. He noted that there’s no property zoned general industrial within five miles of Ferncliff.
The rezoning request has morphed throughout the public approval process and, in response to community concerns, Williams offered other changes Thursday night. Williams said that when he initially filed the request, he only asked to rezone about four acres of the 14.59-acre parcel and the strip of land on the adjoining property where a shared entrance would be located. But he said that after a neighborhood meeting that no one attended, “the county” noted that split zoning is “not good zoning” and suggested that he ask to rezone both properties as well as an adjoining 11-acre plot next to the Exxon gas station also owned by KFP1.
After neighbors contacted county staff with concerns about the proposal in the days leading up to the Planning Commission meeting, Williams offered to remove the request to rezone the 11-acre parcel and only rezone the other two. He also agreed to proffer that a range of heavy industrial uses wouldn’t be allowed on either property. Outside of a concrete plant, the landowner would mostly retain uses related to utilities, communications and contractor yards, Williams said.
“We’re willing to proffer out a lot of uses, almost all of them. If you look at the uses that are left, they relate to two things: utilities and communications and contractor yards. Why? Because the owner of the property, S&N Communications, may desire to use the properties later for their business,” Williams said. “So, this was our attempt to show you that this was not a camel’s nose under the tent.”
Williams also tried to address other community concerns. He said that the concrete industry is heavily regulated and that the plant must obtain an air quality permit from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. DEQ would also annually audit the facility and conduct surprise visits, he said, a process Essex is familiar with as an experienced concrete plant operator.
Williams also noted that the plant would include vegetative buffers that would help dissipate sound. He said that concrete plants typically generate 83 decibels of noise 50 feet away. At the property line some 400 feet away, that noise would decrease to 64 decibels with no vegetation on the property, he said. Louisa County’s noise ordinance limits noise to 65 decibels during the day at the property line of agriculturally zoned parcels, several of which adjoin the subject properties.
With respect to wastewater runoff from the plant, Williams said the facility would include a wastewater bin that would collect water for reuse and there would be “no wastewater impact” at the site. Regarding dust, he said the facility is required to include a dust collector to minimize its impact.
Williams also mentioned concerns about stormwater runoff, noting that any use on the site would have to manage runoff not just a concrete plant. He said that some of the concerns raised at the meeting would be addressed during site plan review after the rezoning process.
But Williams’ concessions and explanations didn’t seem to satisfy staff or the commission. Staff reversed its previous recommendation to approve the rezoning and the commission subsequently recommended denial.
The Board of Supervisors has the final say on the rezoning request. At publication time, supervisors hadn’t advertised a public hearing on the item.
Commission defers public hearing on repeal of parts of Lake Anna Shoreline Ordinance
The Planning Commission deferred consideration of a proposal to repeal parts of the Lake Anna Shoreline Ordinance, requesting more information from county staff.
Adopted in 2005, the ordinance lays out development and design standards for overwater structures like docks, boathouses and boardwalks and largely mirrors Dominion Energy’s development guidelines. Dominion owns the lake and its shoreline but allows adjoining property owners to construct overwater structures via individual use agreements.
Louisa County’s professional planning staff has recommended that supervisors repeal two components of the ordinance, which address “Safe navigation” and “Neighbor policies,” because they mostly duplicate Dominion’s regulations. Staff’s recommendation would leave intact a third section related to erosion and sediment control, which isn’t covered in Dominion’s guidelines. A fourth section addressing dredging would refer to Dominion’s rules. A provision that mandates the use of dark-sky compliant lighting on overwater structures would be moved to another section of county code.
Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon said during a work session Thursday evening that county officials met with Dominion and the company asserted that it has control over what’s built on its property. He said the current system of overlapping regulations is causing confusion and eating up staff time even though the county doesn’t have the final say on what can be built on the lake.
“Dominion made it abundantly clear the agreement to build on Dominion easement is between Dominion and the property owner. They are not going to worry about our rules and standards…Because of that statement and that stance that they’ve taken, this is an attempt to try and remove the extra regulation that (people) need to jump through to get an approval to build on Dominion property,” Coon said.
Coon added that, if the regulations are repealed, property owners would still need to come to the county for a building permit after getting Dominion’s approval, but staff wouldn’t apply a duplicative set of regulations.
But several commission weren’t ready to consider changes without more information.
Board Chair and Mineral District Commissioner John Disosway asked for an overview of how the county’s rules differ from Dominion’s. He said he couldn’t vote on removing parts of the ordinance without knowing exactly what the county is giving up.
Community Development Director Josh Gillespie responded that while Louisa’s ordinance, in some cases, includes more detail than Dominion’s, the intent of the repeal is to ensure there aren’t different standards.
“Part of the purpose of this is, if there is some discrepancy, to strike it where the discrepancy doesn’t belong, which is on the county side, given that (the lake is) a corporately maintained and corporately operated resource,” Gillespie said.
Mountain Road District Supervisor Tommy Barlow, the board’s liaison to the commission, took issue with that statement, reiterating concerns he expressed at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting when the board opted to send the recommendation to the Planning Commission for consideration. He contended that the county needs to be careful about relinquishing full control over the lake to Dominion because the company could allow something to be built that the county finds problematic.
Barlow said that the shoreline ordinance was adopted, in part, because a developer proposed a 15-acre floating community near the Route 208 bridge. He said the developer told county officials that if Dominion okayed their plan, the county had no say in the matter.
“We determined that, indeed, they did not have a right to go out there and build a 15-acre development out there on the water,” Barlow said, adding that the lake shouldn’t be exempt from county oversight.
“My concern about this is that we have ordinances that apply to every landowner in Louisa County. Dominion is a landowner. There is land under that water, so I don’t see how we can say ‘well, it’s Dominion’s land and it’s Dominion’s lake.’ There’s a whole lot of people in Louisa County, but we don’t say (to them) ‘well, it's Tommy Barlow’s land, we don’t regulate that,” he said.
Coon said that the county isn’t trying to say that its rules don’t apply to Dominion, but rather avoid a situation where the county tells a property owner they can’t build something and Dominion says they can, and they end up in court. He said developers are coming to the county and trying to pit staff and Dominion against one another and, ultimately, it’s in the best interest of the county to get out of the way.
Staff agreed to provide the commission with a line-by-line comparison of Dominion’s rules and the county’s ordinance at next month’s meeting. Coon also told the commission that staff is interested in hearing any suggestions it might have about how to address shoreline issues outside of repealing parts of the ordinance.
Any changes to the Lake Anna Shoreline Ordinance require a public hearing in front of both the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors and an affirmative vote by the board.
PC approves adoption of new Comp Plan chapter
In other business, the commission unanimously approved adding a section addressing public facilities to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The new section documents current county facilities across all departments and assesses future needs. Read the chapter here.
FY25 budget: PC reviews millions of dollars in capital spending requests
County officials pitched the Louisa County Planning Commission on millions of dollars in capital spending requests at a work session Thursday evening, part of the commission’s review of the Fiscal Year 2025 to 2044 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The CIP is a 20-year roadmap for spending on big-ticket items like fire trucks, school buildings and infrastructure projects. (meeting materials, video)
Commissioners are tasked with reviewing the CIP before forwarding it to the Board of Supervisors for consideration as part of the FY25 budget process. The commission will hold a public hearing on the draft document next month. But supervisors have the final say on whether an item is included in the plan, and when and if it receives funding.
The draft CIP for FY25 includes more than $73 million in spending requests, about $32 million more than last year. Here’s a quick roundup of the items the commission reviewed on Thursday.
LCPS requests at least $52 million for school construction projects: Louisa County Public Schools is requesting at least $52 million in FY25 for two significant construction projects: a 500-seat addition to Louisa County Middle School and an accompanying alternative education center and 200-seat Career and Technical Education Center adjacent to Louisa County High School. But school officials have suggested that the facilities’ price tag could rise.
The division is currently asking for $26 million for the middle school addition to alleviate crowded conditions at that facility where some classrooms and the alt ed center are housed in trailers outside the school building. According to Director of Maintenance Todd Weidow, the addition would cover two stories and more than 64,000 square feet. The middle school section would include 32 classrooms and a 200-seat cafeteria while the alt ed center would include 14 classrooms.
Weidow said that the division is also considering renovating the school’s science classrooms, replacing its chiller and expanding the auxiliary gym. If officials opt to tack on those items, construction costs could rise. Weidow didn’t provide any details about the extra projects’ impact on the budget.
The division is asking for $25 million for a 54,500-square foot Career and Technical Education Center, but Superintendent of Schools Doug Straley has called that figure a “placeholder.” He told the Planning Commission that the division has three goals in building the center: expanding its CTE program to include new areas of study, expanding existing in-demand programs and increasing the capacity of the high school.
With respect to the latter goal, Straley said that school officials are considering adding a partial second story to the center to relieve pressure from growing enrollment at the high school. Straley didn’t provide the commission with any information about the potential size of the expansion or how much it could cost.
“We are getting ready to have some conversations about what that might look like. Would we want to move forward with what we just presented you or would we want to maybe add a few more seats to that and make it maybe a two-story building instead of a one-story building in the parts that could be,” Straley said.
Completed in 2015, the high school enrolled 1,653 students during the 2022-23 academic year, according to the Virginia Department of Education, and has a 1700-student capacity. The school’s enrollment grew by more than 100 students between 2020 and 2022, per VDOE.
CTE Director Kenny Bouwens said that the center would allow the division to grow its thriving CTE program, noting that the space would house several new programs including HVAC service, computer-aided design and drawing and graphic design, among others.
Bouwens said that the division is currently looking at ways to “tweak” its plans to accommodate a program that would train students for jobs with Amazon Web Services. AWS plans to invest at least $11 billion in the county by 2040 to build two data center campuses. The facility is also expected to include a meeting space for presentations and large gatherings, Bouwens said.
Straley added that the division is designing the facility as a flexible space that can accommodate employers’ changing demands.
“We really feel like what’s going to be extremely important in this new center is having flexible space. Things are really evolving quickly. What jobs look like change. The demands change. We want to be able to have flexible spaces where (we’re) not tied down to any specific program,” Straley said.
Outside of those costs, the division is asking for $1.15 million to cover architectural construction services for both structures.
Supervisors have already approved about $2.5 million for design work for the addition and the center with roughly $1.8 million of that coming from a one-time state grant. Construction at the middle school could begin as soon as this summer. Construction of the CTE center could begin later this year.
The county is expected to issue debt this spring to pay for the buildings.
As the county grapples with continued growth, the division anticipates spending $36 million on elementary school construction between FY30 and FY34 though staff and the school board haven’t had detailed public discussions about those plans.
Straley said that the division doesn’t currently have the data to determine if it will need a new elementary school in the next five to 10 years or if it can get by with adding on to an existing facility.
Parks and Rec Department eyes new rec center, skate park, aquatic center: Parks and Recreation Director James Smith pitched planners on a trio of projects aimed at expanding recreational opportunities in the county.
Headlining his wish list is a $6.6 million request for a multipurpose recreational center that would include a large gymnasium with space for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, gymnastics, martial arts and group exercise classes. The facility would also include fitness equipment, a walking track, exercise studios, locker rooms, a children’s activity room and a teen lounge.
Smith is asking for $600,000 to begin planning and designing the facility in the coming fiscal year and $6 million for construction in FY26. While the department hasn’t settled on a location, Smith said in an email to Engage Louisa that it’s considering space adjacent to the Betty Queen Center. The center houses most of the county’s indoor recreational facilities.
Smith said that, since the Betty Queen Center was completed in 2003, Louisa County’s population has grown by 48 percent, yet his department’s facilities have seen little expansion.
“We need more space. From a recreation standpoint, we are growing. We are consistently adding more, doing more and trying to serve more people in the county,” he said.
A group of pickleball enthusiasts have already started lobbying for the project. After pleading their case to the Board of Supervisors at its January 2 meeting, several community members weighed in at the Planning Commission meeting, emphasizing the need for more space for pickleball and other activities.
But Chair John Disosway questioned whether the county should foot the bill for more pickleball courts, pointing to an article in The Central Virginian, which quoted a Spotsylvania County resident who said she travels to Louisa to play pickleball. Disosway wondered if Louisa County should spend its tax money on recreational facilities for those who don’t live here and asked Smith if he could provide data on how many people travel into the county to play pickleball.
Smith said that he didn’t think the number was very large, but noted that the department tracks pickleball players through a membership card system. He said he would get back to the commission with more information
Smith is also requesting funding for two other significant projects: $375,000 for a concrete skate park in the next fiscal year and $400,000 that would be set aside for potential construction of an indoor aquatic center in FY26.
With respect to the former request, the county previously had a skate park adjacent to the Betty Queen Center. That facility was uprooted in 2012 to make way for the Health Department, which operated out of trailers at the site for about a decade.
At the time, county officials told skateboard enthusiasts that the park would be rebuilt when the Health Department found a permanent home. The department moved to the former Louisa County Medical Center in the Town of Louisa in December.
Smith said his department hopes to build a 65,000-square foot concrete skate park, noting that the county previously had a concrete pad with wood and fiberglass ramps. He said that wood and fiberglass structures don’t last and require a great deal of maintenance hence his recommendation for a concrete park.
With respect to the latter request, the county currently operates an outdoor pool on a seasonal basis near the Betty Queen Center, but some residents have pushed for a year-round indoor facility. An indoor pool would also serve Louisa County High School’s swim team, which currently travels to Fork Union Military Academy in Fluvanna to practice.
Supervisors have set aside $1.2 million for the project over the last three fiscal years, but they’d have to appropriate at least $6.6 million more in FY26 (or another upcoming budget cycle) to make the center a reality. Smith also estimates that the facility would generate about $630,000 in annual staffing and maintenance costs with about $260,000 of that offset by membership fees, rentals and water aerobics programming.
FEMS Department talks new stations, renovations: Fire and EMS Chief Kristin Hawk pitched planners on a pair of new fire and EMS stations: one at Zion Crossroads proposed for construction in FY26 and a second at Ferncliff or Shannon Hill in FY27. The Zion Crossroads facility, expected to cost $7 million, would replace an existing station off Poindexter Road. The Ferncliff/Shannon Hill station, expected to cost $6 million, would be the first emergency service facility in either area.
With respect to the Zion station, Hawk said that the department needs the facility because the current station is too small and isn’t ideally located. Hawk said that moving the station to the Route 15 corridor would enable the department to better serve the Zion Crossroads Growth Area and answer calls to the north near Gordonsville. She noted that the Gordonsville area is currently served by an all-volunteer department based in the town whose station doesn’t house an ambulance.
Hawk said that the Zion station would need to be far larger than the New Bridge Road station, which opened near Lake Anna last year, to accommodate more equipment and staff.
While moving the Zion station would shorten response times along Route 15, it would increase the need for another station along Route 250 and Interstate 64, according to Hawk. To fill that gap, she’s asking for a station at either Ferncliff or Shannon Hill in FY27.
Hawk said that the department would look at call volume, response times and other data to determine where to place the station, noting that it would likely be slightly smaller than the Zion station. But she said the facility would need to be big enough to house specialized equipment for emergencies on the interstate.
Given the potential differences in size, Hawk flipped her initial CIP request. She’s now requesting $7 million for Zion and $6 million for Ferncliff/Shannon Hill.
To fill more immediate needs, the department is asking for $294,200 for renovations at the Locust Creek Volunteer Fire Department in the coming fiscal year. The renovations would consist of a two-phase project. In the first phase, the department plans to add a 20-foot extension to the building to accommodate a secure, climate-controlled area for EMS supplies and medications and a bay area for two fire trucks. The relocation of the two fire trucks would enable phase 2 of the project: an expansion of the station’s living quarters and workout area.
Economic Development Department requests funding for Lake Anna WWTP expansion, transportation improvements: Louisa County’s Economic Development Department is asking for funding for two infrastructure projects in the coming fiscal year: $7.5 million to overhaul the Lake Anna Wastewater Treatment Plant off Route 208 and $348,000 for a road improvement project at the Shannon Hill Regional Business Park.
The wastewater treatment facility, which currently serves Lake Anna Plaza and adjacent townhomes, has the capacity to treat 20,000 gallons of wastewater daily, but the county intends to expand it to handle 99,000 gpd, its permitted capacity.
The expansion would allow the plant to support future economic development along the Route 208 corridor, most notably LA Resort, LLC’s plan to build luxury condos and hotel on 15 lakefront acres across the street. LAR proffered $1 million toward the facility’s expansion when it rezoned its property for mixed-use development last year.
Beyond supporting future growth, county officials have said they purchased the troubled facility, which discharges its effluent into Lake Anna, to protect the lake’s water quality, noting that the plant repeatedly ran afoul of Department of Environmental Quality regulations under its previous owner.
According to a written request from County Administrator Christian Goodwin, the county plans to “implement state-of-the-art treatment technology” as part of the overhaul. Construction could begin in late 2024 and is expected to last 18 months.
County officials will likely issue debt to pay for the project, but Goodwin has said that new customers and increased economic activity could help offset the cost.
Economic Development Director Andy Wade, who couldn’t attend Thursday’s meeting, is also asking for funding for an ongoing project to upgrade transportation infrastructure at the Shannon Hill Regional Business Park, a 700-acre industrial site that the county is developing just north of the Shannon Hill exit off Interstate 64.
The nearly $350,000 Wade is requesting for FY25 would be used to widen a stretch of Shannon Hill Road near the park and implement other enhancements, build a commercial entrance into the park and construct internal roads. The county already has about $1.7 million reserved for the project and hopes to pay for the rest with state grants.
Wade has said that the transportation improvements would increase the marketability of the SHRBP, which the county envisions as a future home for distribution centers, advanced manufacturing and other large scale economic development projects that broaden the tax base and create jobs.
LCWA requests funding for dam improvements and more: Louisa County Water Authority General Manager Pam Baughman is asking for funding for a trio of ongoing projects including $250,000 for improvements to a dam in western Louisa County, $249,500 for upgrades to the Louisa Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant and $200,000 for reclamation of the James River Water Project’s right of way.
Over the last several years, the county has been saving for enhancements to the Bowler’s Mill Dam near Gordonsville with $1 million already reserved for the county’s estimated $2 million share of the project. The dam is considered a “high hazard” dam and requires improvement under federal law. The county anticipates relying on grant funding to pay for most of the project. It plans to save $250,000 a year through FY28 to cover its share of the cost.
As part of another ongoing project, Baughman is asking for $249,500 for upgrades to the Louisa Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant to meet freshwater ammonia-nitrogen standards. The county already has $1.25 million set aside for the project and Baughman is requesting that another $748,000 is saved incrementally through FY27.
Upgrading the plant to limit ammonia-nitrogen is required under state law, according to Baughman, to prevent harm to snail and mussel habitats in the waters of the commonwealth.
Baughman is also requesting $200,000 to reclaim the James River Water Project’s right of way. As part of the project, the county built a 13-mile raw waterline from its water treatment plant at Ferncliff to just north of the James River in Fluvanna County to channel water from the river to feed development along the Interstate 64 corridor. The James River Water Authority, a joint entity with Fluvanna tasked with completing the final leg of the pipeline, is waiting on a federal permit to begin construction, leaving the already-constructed waterline unused.
Baughman said in her written request that the right of way for both the waterline and an accompanying effluent line is overgrown, preventing staff from performing maintenance and threatening the infrastructure’s structural integrity. She plans to use the money to clear brush and vegetation in the right of way.
General Services requests funding for landfill, building updates: Director of General Services Anderson Woolfolk shared several requests with commissioners. In the coming fiscal year, he’s asking for $175,000 and $150,000, respectively, for the landfill cell closure fund and for the landfill cell development fund. Woolfolk described the funds as “savings accounts,” explaining that the county aims to set aside money each year for costly projects at the landfill like closing off cells when they’re full and opening new ones. Woolfolk is also requesting $75,000 for updates to the fire training building.
In FY26, the General Services Department is asking for $375,000 to replace flooring and wallboards at the Betty Queen Center and $265,000 for renovations to Louisa Family Practice, a privately-owned doctor’s office that rents space in a county-owned building in the Town of Louisa.
Airport requests money to match grant funding: Louisa County Airport Manager Ed Jarvis is requesting $468,000 for FY25 for a range of projects including hanger construction, lighting updates and a taxiway extension, among others. The airport derives much of its funding for capital projects from state and federal grants and the county funding would meet local match requirements.
BOS to consider rezoning for more residential lots on Halls Store Road; FY25 budget process kicks off
The Louisa County Board of Supervisors will convene for a relatively busy meeting on Tuesday night with two public hearings on tap. The board will also kick off the Fiscal Year 2025 budget process with a discussion about the budget.
Supervisors to discuss FY25 budget: Supervisors will kick off the Fiscal Year 2025 budget process with a discussion about the budget with Finance Director Wanda Colvin. Colvin is expected to provide the board with a broad overview of where county finances stand at the midpoint of the fiscal year and how that financial picture impacts both the operating and capital budget for the coming year.
Though the meeting materials don’t include any information about the budget, the county has released its draft FY25-FY44 Capital Improvement Plan, a 20-year forecast for spending on tangible, long-lasting and high-value items like new fire trucks, school buildings and infrastructure projects. The draft, which doesn’t account for County Administrator Christian Goodwin’s recommendations, includes more than $73 million in spending requests for FY25 alone with about $53 million coming from Louisa County Public Schools. Learn more about the FY25 budget process here.
Supervisors to consider rezoning to allow more residential lots on Halls Store Road: Supervisors will consider a controversial rezoning request to allow more residential lots on Hall Store Road.
The board will hold a public hearing and vote on GK Structures, LLC’s request to rezone, from A-1 to A-2, 21.9 acres at the corner of Halls Store Road (Route 612) and Jefferson Highway (Route 33) (tmp 73-6-4) in the Jackson Election District. The rezoning would allow the applicant to divide the property seven times, four more than what’s permitted under its current zoning.
According to its land use application, GK Structures intends to divide the property into seven parcels, ranging in size from 1.6 to 6.8 acres. Six of the lots would front Halls Store Road, each with a private entrance. The seventh would have an entrance off Route 33.
The company plans to build a single-family home on each lot with a target sales price between $300,000 and $350,000. As home prices climb in the county, the applicant argues that the rezoning would benefit the community, enabling GK Structures to provide more affordable housing options that meet the needs of young families and empty nesters.
“(The) developer/builder applicant has a history of providing affordable one level living homes targeted at entry level buyers, aging in place buyers, and retirees,” GK Structures representative Larry Giannasi wrote in an email to county staff. “The home buyer who has historically purchased their homes has been of great benefit to the county. They usually are just starting out or empty nesters putting little strain on county resources.”
The applicant argues that the rezoning wouldn’t negatively impact the neighborhood, noting that the property is heavily wooded so it has ample mature vegetation for buffers and that the average lot size would likely exceed the size of many surrounding parcels. The property is surrounded by a handful of smaller lots zoned A-2 and several larger parcels zoned A-1.
GK Structures’ plan has sparked pushback from neighbors. At the Planning Commission’s public hearing, which spanned its November and December meetings, six community members spoke in opposition to the proposal, arguing that it would increase traffic on Halls Store Road and disrupt the rural character of their neighborhood.
“When we moved here five years ago, we bought land where we bought land specifically because we weren’t interested in having multiple neighbors. We’re raising a family. We have a farm. Having multiple houses around us and multiple people who may not like our farm and may not like the smell of our farm, that will create an issue,” neighbor Alicia Reynolds said.
Commissioners were originally scheduled to hold a public hearing on the request in November but, at the request of Jackson District Commissioner Cy Weaver who couldn’t attend the meeting, they pushed back formal consideration until December. Chair John Disosway opened the public hearing in November to allow citizens in attendance to weigh in then continued it until the commission’s December meeting. The applicant didn’t show up at either meeting, requesting a deferral in December, which the commission denied.
Planners ultimately voted 7-0 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors deny the rezoning. In his motion to deny, Jackson District Commissioner Cy Weaver said that, as a resident of the district, he wants to “keep it rural.”
Supervisors to consider CUP and proffer amendment for contractor’s office on Kentucky Springs Road: Supervisors will hold and public hearing and consider whether to approve Stafford Contracting, LLC’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to allow a contractor’s office and shop on a 1.12-acre parcel (tmp 30-18-4) on Kentucky Springs Road (Route 652) in the Cuckoo Election District. The property is zoned light commercial (C-1) and in the Lake Anna Growth Area Overlay District.
The board will also consider approval of a proffer amendment to a previous rezoning that would permit the use on the property.
Christian Ellis, Stafford Contracting’s owner, told the Planning Commission at its December meeting that he plans to store equipment for his general contracting and home improvement business at the site, which he’s prohibited from keeping at his new home due to HOA regulations. Ellis intends to build a 3,500-square foot metal building to house work vehicles, equipment, tools and related materials.
Ellis said the use would generate little traffic because of the nature of the business, which requires work to be done at customers’ homes. He plans to share an entrance with an adjoining property owner who plans to open a restaurant.
“I just want to fit in over here. I don’t plan on making any noise or any racket. I’ll be the only one in and out...I’m excited about being here in Louisa and fitting in the fabric (of the community) and increasing property values by continuing to work on homes that are here and building new homes as needed in the future,” said Ellis, who just moved to Lake Anna from Stafford County.
According to a preliminary site plan, Ellis plans to construct the storage building near the middle of the lot. He plans to rely on existing trees and supplemental plantings to provide a visual buffer for adjoining properties.
When the parcel was rezoned for light commercial use in 2007, the applicant included about 30 permitted uses in a proffer statement attached to the rezoning. Because that list didn’t include a contractor’s office, Stafford is asking to amend the proffers.
The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the CUP with five conditions including a prohibition on the external storage of equipment, vehicles, and supplies and a requirement that all exterior lighting be dark-sky compliant. The commission also unanimously approved the proffer amendment.
Other business: Supervisors will hear a presentation on Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a book gifting program for children under five years old, and discuss a “photo contest.” The meeting materials don’t include any information about the latter item.
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