This week in county government; After brutal snowstorm, supervisors to hold first meeting of 2022; Two public hearings on Planning Commission agenda
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This week in county government: public meetings, Jan. 10 through Jan. 15
Monday, January 10
Louisa County Board of Supervisors, Public Meeting Room, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, Organizational meeting, 2 pm., Regular meeting, 3 pm. (agenda packet, livestream) After a historic snowstorm prompted county officials to postpone last week’s board meeting, supervisors will convene this Monday afternoon, holding their annual organizational meeting at 2 pm and following that with their regular public meeting at 3 pm. See below for more information.
Thursday, January 13
Louisa County Planning Commission long-range planning work session, Public Meeting Room, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 5 pm. (agenda packet, livestream) Planners will hold a work session to discuss the county’s Capital Improvement Plan. They’ll hear presentations from Louisa Fire and EMS, Louisa County Public Schools, and the Louisa County Water Authority as well as the county’s General Services, Economic Development, and Parks and Recreation departments detailing their capital investment priorities.
Louisa County Planning Commission, Public Meeting Room, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 7 pm. (agenda packet, livestream) The Planning Commission will kick off the meeting with its annual reorganization, selecting a chair and vice chair. The commission will follow that with two public hearings. See below for more information.
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.
After brutal snowstorm, supervisors to convene year’s first meeting, hold two public hearings
Winter Storm Frida pummeled Louisa County on Monday, knocking out power to most homes and businesses and shuttering county government’s public-facing offices for much of the week. The storm, which dumped a foot of snow in parts of the county, prompted the Louisa County Board of Supervisors to delay its Monday, January 3 meeting until this Monday, January 10.
The county is still struggling to recover from the storm. At publication time, nearly 13 percent of the locality lacked power and the Virginia Department of Transportation reported that about a dozen roads remained at least partially closed.
According to the Associated Press, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office indicated there was at least one storm-related fatality. The AP reported that Louisa County resident Jacob Whaley attempted to walk home Monday night after his truck broke down in a neighboring county, according to information Whaley’s family provided to the Sheriff’s Office. A relative said Whaley told them he thought he was lost. LCSO said that Whaley’s cell phone died, per the AP, and that deputies immediately responded to check the area where the relative thought he might be based on his last communication.
According to the AP, LCSO said that Whaley’s body was found Thursday in dense woods about 200 yards off a road and that his death was directly related to the storm. WRIC reported that an investigation is “ongoing.” To read more, click here and here.
For the latest updates on the storm’s aftermath and the county’s response, click here.
Jan 10 meeting
Supervisors advertised their Jan. 10 meeting on Thursday with the same agenda as last Monday’s meeting. The board has the option to amend the agenda when they convene.
Supervisors will kick things off a bit earlier than usual, holding their annual organizational meeting at 2 pm where they’ll choose a chair and vice chair, set their meeting calendar for the coming year, and adopt bylaws.
After the organizational meeting and a brief closed session, the board will convene the remainder of its public meeting at 3 pm with two public hearings on the agenda. Supervisors will hold a statutorily-required hearing to appropriate over $3.65 million in federal pandemic relief funds, courtesy of the American Rescue Plan Act. They’ll follow that with a second hearing to consider a commercial rezoning for property adjacent to the Louisa County Industrial Air Park.
Supervisor Rachel Jones will join the board for her first official meeting, taking over the Green Springs District seat, previously held by Bob Babyok. Babyok served as the board’s chair for the last two years. Jones defeated him in November’s election by a little over 200 votes.
Agenda highlights:
Public hearing for appropriation of ARPA funds: The board will hold a public hearing and consider the appropriation of more than $3.65 million in federal pandemic relief funds, which the county received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The hearing is required because the appropriation exceeds one percent of the county’s annual budget.
According to the proposed resolution, the county plans to spend $2.1 million to purchase an office building and adjoining lot in the Louisa County Industrial Air Park. Supervisors approved the purchase at their December 20 meeting.
The acquisition includes a 5.8-acre lot (tmp 41B 1 4), home to an office building that formerly housed the headquarters of Virginia Community Bank, and a 3.95-acre adjoining parcel (tmp 41 200). Both properties are located off Industrial Drive near the park’s main entrance.
According to a sales contract, the county will pay Virginia Community Bank $2 million for the parcels, roughly their assessed value. The deal is expected to close on January 19.
County Administrator Christian Goodwin told supervisors that the office building will provide much-needed space for local government services and the vacant adjoining lot will offer room for future growth. He hasn’t publicly shared plans detailing which agencies will move into the space.
Per the resolution, the other roughly $1.55 million in ARPA funds will be appropriated as “American Rescue Funding.” No specific information is provided regarding how the county plans to use the money.
The resolution notes that localities are authorized to expend ARPA funds “to (1) respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency or its negative economic impacts (2) respond to workers performing essential work during the COVID-19 public health emergency (3) government services to the extent of County revenue loss due to the COVID-19 health emergency and (4) to make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.”
Louisa is expected to receive about $7.3 million from ARPA in two tranches. The first round of funding arrived last spring and the second round is expected this spring, according to the US Department of the Treasury.
Public hearing to consider commercial rezoning for self-storage facility: Supervisors will hear public comment and consider a request to rezone for commercial use about four and a half acres adjacent to the Louisa County Industrial Air Park.
Louisa Mini Storage LLC applied to rezone to General Commercial (C-2) two parcels along Davis Highway (Route 22) just east of its intersection with Industrial Drive (Route 780) in the Mineral Voting District. One parcel (tmp 41-207) encompasses 4.214 acres, currently zoned industrial (IND). The adjoining parcel (tmp 41-208) includes 0.479 acres, currently zoned General Agricultural (A-2). The forested properties are included in the Louisa Growth Area and designated for industrial use on the Future Land Use Map in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Brandon and Darrell Payne, who own Louisa Mini Storage LLC, plan to build and operate an approximately 72,000-square foot self-storage facility. The Paynes run a similar business in Greene County.
Under C-2 zoning, the property would have more than 40 by-right uses beyond the operation of a storage facility, an issue that sparked concern among some members of the Planning Commission. Planners worried that if a storage facility wasn’t built, the property could be used for another commercial purpose with significant traffic implications in an already congested area.
When planners first considered the rezoning request at their November meeting, the Paynes only agreed to exclude five potential uses in their proffers. To ease planners’ traffic concerns, the applicant returned in December and offered to exclude 13 uses.
Justin Shimp of Shimp Engineering, who represented the Paynes, told the commission that they chose to exclude uses that are likely to generate the most traffic including a grocery store, post office, commercial kennel, restaurant, and day care, among others. Shimp said that storage facilities typically have little traffic impact.
As part of their proffer statement, the Paynes also agreed to only allow access to the facility between 5 am and 10 pm, to use dark sky-compliant lighting, to keep the facility free of trash and debris, and to plant and maintain a vegetative screening buffer along the property’s eastern boundary.
After tabling the Paynes’ application in November, planners voted 6-1 in December to recommend to the Board of Supervisors approval of the rezoning and attached proffers.
Other business: The board’s agenda includes one discussion item: “Request to Proceed with Assistance to Firefighting Grant Application.” No additional information about the item is included in the meeting materials.
Planners to hold two public hearings, work session on Capital Improvement Plan
The Louisa County Planning Commission will convene on Thursday evening for a pair of meetings. A 5 pm work session will focus on the county’s Capital Improvement Plan with a slate of county officials scheduled to provide details about their departments’ capital investment requests. These requests include everything from new fire stations and a school addition to park improvements and an aquatic center.
The plan serves as a roadmap for the county’s short and long-range capital investment priorities, specifically expenditures and projects defined as “the purchase or construction of long-lived, high-cost, tangible assets.” The Planning Commission is tasked with reviewing the projects to ensure they conform with the Comprehensive Plan. Planners then forward their recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.
Commissioners will hold their regular monthly meeting at 7 pm with two public hearings on the agenda. The commission will start that meeting with its annual reorganization, appointing a chair and vice chair. Former Chair Holly Reynolds, who represented the Green Springs District on the commission for about a decade, announced in December that she would no longer serve on the body.
Agenda highlights:
Planners to consider CUP allowing an agricultural operation in residential zoning: Commissioners will hold a public hearing and consider whether to recommend to the Board of Supervisors approval of Nathan and Chelsea Newcomb’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to establish an agricultural operation on three adjoining parcels zoned General Residential (R-2). The Newcombs own the parcels via Farmhouse 5 LLC.
The properties (tmp 97 68A, 97 68 B, and 97 68 C) cover about 8.2 acres located along Owens Creek Road in the Mountain Road Voting District and lie adjacent to a larger parcel owned by the Newcombs. The land is surrounded by properties zoned Agricultural (A-1, A-2) and General Residential (R-2).
According to their land use application, the Newcombs hope to establish a farmette with a garden and some livestock. Louisa County’s land development regulations allow for passive agricultural activity on property zoned residential by-right including the cultivation of crops and silviculture. But, keeping and raising farm animals and fowl is specifically excluded, requiring a CUP on R-2-zoned property.
The commission first considered the CUP request at its December meeting. After Cuckoo District Commissioner George Goodwin asked the Newcombs if they were willing to cap the number of animals they’d raise, the applicants requested a deferral to allow time to research appropriate limits. The Newcombs told commissioners that they aren’t looking to run an extensive livestock operation but want to get their three children involved in 4-H.
According to an email from Chelsea Newcomb included in the agenda packet, the Newcombs have agreed to cap chickens to 50 per acre, goats and sheep to five per acre, and horses to one per acre. In addition, they agreed to cap heifer/calf units to one per two acres. Newcomb noted that they worked with Louisa County’s agricultural extension office to come up the limits.
Under a condition recommended by county planning staff, the CUP would prohibit the Newcombs from raising swine, apalcas or llamas on the portion of their properties zoned residential. The Newcombs also own land zoned agricultural.
Considering an amendment to county land development regulations regarding impoundment yards, impoundment lots, and towing services: Planners will hold a public hearing to consider recommending to the Board of Supervisors an amendment to county land development regulations regarding impoundment lots, impoundment yards, and towing services.
The amendment would delete “Impoundment Lot” from the county’s matrix table, which delineates where specific land uses are permitted across the county’s zoning districts. The amendment would add “Motor Vehicle Impoundment Yard” and “Motor Vehicle Towing Services” to the table under Industrial uses and “identify those districts, with the appropriate designation, where these new classifications are permitted.”
At its December meeting, the commission voted unanimously to recommend to the Board of Supervisors approval of amendments to the county’s land development regulations that define “Motor Vehicle Towing Services” and “Motor Vehicle Impoundment Yard” and establish the zoning districts where they are allowed. The amendments also establish specific criteria to obtain a Conditional Use Permit for an impoundment yard and delete the definition of “Impoundment Lot.” Amending the matrix table is another step in codifying these changes.
The definitions and related amendments approved by the Planning Commission in December will be the subject of a public hearing at the Board of Supervisors’ January 18 meeting. To read more about the amendments, check out Engage Louisa’s coverage of the Planning Commission’s December 9 meeting.
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