This week in county government; Supes to consider creating tech overlay district; BOS to hold public hearing on proposed $208.6 million budget; Youngkin announces hydroponic operation coming to Louisa
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, April 3 through April 8
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 frequently schedules internal committee/work group meetings after publication time. Check the county’s website for the most updated information).
Monday, April 3
Louisa County Board of Supervisors, special called meeting, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 4 pm. (agenda, livestream) Supervisors and VDOT will discuss the county’s Six-Year Secondary Road Plan.
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.
Tuesday, April 4
Louisa County School Board, Central Office Administration Building, 953 Davis Highway, Mineral, 7 pm. (agenda, livestream)
Wednesday, April 5
Commission on Aging, Betty Queen Center, 522 Industrial Drive, Louisa, 10 am.
Other meetings
Thursday, April 6
Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, Water Street Center, 407 Water Street, Charlottesville, 7 pm. (meeting materials) A link to attend virtually is available in the meeting materials.
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.
In hopes of attracting tech biz, supervisors to consider creating technology overlay district
The Louisa County Board of Supervisors on Monday night could make it easier for data centers and other technology-related businesses to set up shop in parts of Louisa County.
Supervisors will hold a public hearing and vote on whether to establish a technology overlay district (TOD), a special zoning designation that would permit a variety of tech sector uses by-right—meaning without a public approval process—on about 6,500 acres in central and eastern Louisa.
Establishing a TOD wouldn’t necessarily mean technology businesses would locate there—that would be up to individual property owners and businesses—but it would remove hurdles for them to do so by not requiring landowners to obtain a rezoning or a Conditional Use Permit. Parcels included in the TOD would retain the property rights granted by their underlying zoning.
Uses permitted under the proposed ordinance by-right include data centers, technology research and development facilities, capital intensive advanced manufacturing facilities, technical schools, conference or training centers, and minor and major utility services. Utility-scale solar facilities providing power to the grid would generally require a Conditional Use Permit.
County officials have said they crafted the TOD ordinance in hopes of attracting lucrative tech sector industries that would diversify the tax base and create jobs while only minimally impacting public services. The proposal is in response to federal and state efforts to expand tech-centered economic development, officials said, citing the CHIPS and Science Act, bipartisan legislation passed by Congress last year to ramp up US-based manufacturing of semiconductors, and various state-level initiatives. Governor Glenn Youngkin announced earlier this year that Amazon Web Services plans to invest $35 billion by 2040 to build data center campuses across the state.
According to a proposed TOD map, the district includes about 100 parcels, comprising six contiguous parcel groups. The assemblages range in size from a few hundred acres to nearly 1,500. Many, but not all, of the parcels lie in the county’s designated growth areas and in proximity to either a 230kv or 500kv transmission line, primary roads, and public utilities, infrastructure generally required for tech sector uses like data centers.
The smallest assemblage covers more than 200 acres along Kentucky Springs and Haley Roads near the North Anna Nuclear Power Station. Three other parcel groups, encompassing between 1,200 and 1,500 acres, lie in central Louisa County near the Northeast Creek Reservoir. The final two assemblages lie just north of Interstate 64: more than 1,400 acres near Gum Springs and the 700-acre Shannon Hill Regional Business Park (See below for more information).
Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon told the Planning Commission at its March meeting that staff chose parcels for inclusion in a TOD, in part, by focusing on the needs of tech sector businesses including access to high-voltage power lines, water and sewer infrastructure, and adequate road networks. They also targeted properties with an eye toward limiting potential negative impacts, avoiding historic areas like Trevilian Station Battlefield and Green Springs, ag/forestal districts, and property in residential subdivisions.
Businesses locating in a TOD would be required to adhere to specific buffer, landscaping, and design guidelines to mitigate their impact, Coon said, noting that the standards meet or exceed what’s required in the county’s designated growth areas. For example, the ordinance would require a 200-foot vegetative buffer for parcels adjacent to agricultural and residential uses, a 150-foot buffer along primary roads, and a 100-foot buffer along secondary roads. The ordinance would also require a landscaping plan and the use of dark-sky compliant lighting. Land in a TOD must encompass a minimum of 125 contiguous acres for a specific use.
But the TOD proposal includes some elements that sparked concerns when the Planning Commission held a public hearing on the ordinance in March, most notably a staff recommendation to cap noise at the district’s boundaries at 70 decibels during the day and 65 decibels at night. The Board of Supervisors will hold a separate public hearing Monday night to consider amending the county’s noise ordinance to incorporate staff’s recommendation.
Some of the TOD’s permitted uses—particularly data centers—can produce significant noise, a consequence of the large fans that cool the racks of servers inside. The noise, described by some as a constant whirring or humming sound, has sparked contentious battles in parts of Northern Virginia, an area dubbed “the data center capital of the world.” In an effort to quiet the facilities, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors recently removed a provision from its noise ordinance that exempted commercial heating and cooling systems from a 55-decibel limit on nighttime noise in residential areas.
Staff’s recommendation to cap noise at 70 decibels during the day coincides with what’s allowed in the county’s commercial zoning, but the 65-decibel nighttime limit exceeds the 60-decibel cap set for commercial parcels. Seventy decibels roughly equal the sound of a dishwasher or washing machine, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while 60 decibels equate to the sound of a normal conversation. The CDC says that long-term exposure to noise levels above 70 decibels may damage hearing.
Planning Commission Chair John Disosway said that he’s particularly concerned about how noise could impact adjoining property owners, especially those who live on agriculturally-zoned land, and how it could affect the county’s rural character.
“I look at it from the standpoint of the person living at the property line, who’s right now not getting any noise from this, daytime or nighttime,” Disosway said.
Several residents who spoke during the public hearing also expressed concerns about noise, urging county officials to investigate the issue more before adopting the TOD.
“I live on a nice cul-de-sac. It’s nice and quiet. I got my little deer and foxes that come around every night for their dinner. How am I going to be able to sell my house and get a fair market value if it sounds like a swarm of hornets. I think there should be a lot more investigation on this before anyone makes a decision,” said Steve Randolph, who lives in a subdivision on Lake Anna near the assemblage off Kentucky Springs Road.
The commission ultimately recommended an amendment to the county’s noise ordinance, which sets noise limits that match what’s allowed on a parcel’s underlying zoning. Noise levels at the property line of parcels zoned agricultural (A-1, A-2) or residential (R-1, R-2), for example, couldn’t exceed 65 decibels during the day and 55 at night, per the recommendation.
Disosway and other commissioners also took issue with a provision that allows buildings within the TOD to reach 80 feet tall—20 feet higher than the limit for industrially-zoned parcels—but then places no limit on the height of equipment and other appendages on top of the structures.
“I have no idea how tall these building can be,” Disosway said, suggesting that the ordinance include a hard limit.
Coon said that staff crafted the height provision in response to industry needs.
“We are trying to replicate some items that we think would strengthen our position (to attract tech businesses),” he said.
While commissioners voted 7-0 to recommend that supervisors approve the TOD ordinance, they recommended a hard 80-foot height limit for buildings, among several other tweaks.
Residents who live near property in the proposed TOD responded less favorably. Beyond concerns about noise, some said that the county doesn’t have the infrastructure to support the proposed uses and worried how they might impact rural areas. Others complained that the county hasn’t adequately explained the ordinance.
Mineral District resident Mark St. Pierre’s property abuts land in the proposed TOD. He said that he and his neighbor read through the information the county sent, but it left them confused.
“My neighbor, poor little old lady, called me up in a panic when she got her certified letter, she just couldn’t understand it and, honestly, I can’t either. This is written pretty much like legalese. But, on the ground level for us, we don’t even know what the impact could be…before this gets voted on, this should be better explained,” St. Pierre said.
A closer look at property included in the proposed TOD
A proposed map of the technology overlay district includes six assemblages covering about 6,500 acres. Many, but not all, of the parcels lie in one of the county’s designated growth areas and have access to either a 230kv or 500kv transmission line.
One set of parcels covers more than 200 acres near the North Anna Nuclear Power Station. Several of the parcels are zoned for industrial use (I-2), but the largest—a 146-acre tract at the corner of Kentucky Springs and Haley Roads—is split-zoned commercial (C-2) and agricultural (A-2), according to county records. All the parcels are designated for industrial use on the Future Land Use Map in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. A 230kv transmission line runs through the assemblage.
Two other parcel groups have already been green-lighted for utility-scale solar development, but neither project has been constructed. One site is the Industrial Development Authority’s Cooke Industrial Rail Park, which covers more than 1,200 acres of industrial (IND) and agriculturally-zoned (A-2) land in the Mineral Growth Area between the towns of Louisa and Mineral. Two Oaks Solar, LLC received a Conditional Use Permit last year to build an up to 118 MW solar array on the property and a 50 MW battery storage facility.
The second group encompasses roughly 1400 acres north of the Northeast Creek Reservoir. In 2020, the county granted Aura Power Development, LLC a CUP to develop an up to 244 MW solar array on the property, most of which is zoned agricultural (A-2) and lies outside the growth area. A 230kv transmission line runs through both the rail park and the property north of reservoir.
The TOD includes another nearly 1500 acres across Route 33 south of the reservoir. The agriculturally-zoned parcels (A-1, A-2) lie outside the designated growth area but have access to water infrastructure and the same 230kv transmission line.
The final two parcel groups lie in the Shannon Hill Growth Area and the Gum Springs Growth Area along Interstate 64. One is the 700-acre Shannon Hill Regional Business Park, which the county began developing in 2019 with an eye toward attracting distribution centers, data centers, and advanced manufacturing. The industrially-zoned park (I-2) is served by a 115kv power line. The other group covers over 1400 acres near Gum Springs just north of the interstate. A 500kv transmission line crosses part of the assemblage, which includes tracts zoned both agricultural (A-1, A-2) and commercial (C-2).
BOS to hold public hearing on proposed $208.6 million budget for FY24
Louisa residents will have a chance to weigh in Monday night on the county’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year and the tax rates that help fund the spending plan.
Supervisors will hold a public hearing on a proposed $208.6 million budget for FY24, composed of $148.2 million for daily operations and $60.4 million for capital projects, and a slate of recommended tax rates. Those include a 72-cent per $100 of assessed value rate for real estate and a $2.43 per $100 of assessed value rate for personal property. Both the real estate and personal property tax rates have remained flat since 2016 and rank among the lowest in the area.
But in the face of home assessments that jumped nearly 14 percent this year excluding new construction and improvements and more than 12 percent last year, the proposed budget and real estate tax rate have sparked the ire of some residents. Because assessments have risen and the rate has remained level, many homeowners have seen their tax bills rise. During a fiery public hearing at the board’s March 20 meeting, nearly 20 community members spoke in opposition to a flat rate, accusing supervisors of raising taxes and urging them to slash the rate and rein in spending. Several speakers argued that residents are already struggling to keep pace with rising costs and supervisors shouldn’t add to the burden.
Mineral District resident Joseph Hopkins told the board that, if the rate remained level, his real estate taxes would increase 38 percent since 2021. He accused supervisors of “taxing people out of their homes.”
“What you are doing is really unsustainable,” Hopkins said, noting that he’s a retiree who relies on a pension and social security. “You really need to think about what’s your overall policy and strategy. If you continue down this road, I would suggest that you start setting money aside in the county budget to build a county poor house because you are going to need one.”
Supervisors didn’t respond to residents’ complaints during the meeting and they’ve had limited public discussion about the tax rate. But at a February 21 budget work session, Jackson District Supervisor Toni Williams, a Republican and one of the board’s most fiscally conservative members, appeared to show little interest in lowering the rate. Williams said that, like everything else, the cost of running county government is on the rise, referencing six new hires for the county’s Fire and EMS Department that supervisors approved, via a mid-year appropriation, later that evening.
But at least one board member has signaled that supervisors could offer some form of tax relief. Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams, who’s running for the Republican nomination in the 10th state Senate District, said during a March 16 debate that the board provided $1.2 million in tax relief last year and more could be on the way.
During the FY23 budget cycle, supervisors expanded a tax relief program for income-eligible elderly and disabled residents and temporarily reduced the personal property tax ratio, only taxing vehicles at 90 percent of their assessed value. The latter move came after vehicle assessments rose more than 30 percent. State law prohibits localities from taxing real estate at less than 100 percent of its assessed value, but the board could offer a tax rebate or credit.
While the board will hold a public hearing on the budget Monday night, they won’t vote on the spending plan or tax rates. Budget adoption is currently slated for the board’s April 17 meeting.
What’s in the proposed FY24 budget?
The proposed $208.6 budget includes about $148.2 million for operating expenses, a $12.8 million increase over FY23, and some $60.4 million in capital spending, a roughly $50 million hike over last year.
Of the county’s operating expenses, $89.8 million, or 60 percent, cover the cost of running Louisa County Public Schools. Another 14 percent, or $21.3 million, pays for public safety including the daily operations of the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s Fire and EMS Department.
Driving some of the increase in operating expenses is a nearly 10 percent hike in school funding, 13 additional county staffers—eight new firefighters, three new sheriff’s deputies, and two new animal control attendants—a five percent pay hike for staff, and a 6.6 percent increase in employees’ health insurance costs. The schools’ budget also includes a five percent salary increase for teachers and support staff, a similar hike in health insurance rates, and funding for four new teachers, three of which were hired prior to the start of the current academic year. (The eight new firefighters/medics include the six hires green-lighted at the board’s February 21 meeting).
The $50 million hike in capital spending is primarily driven by infrastructure projects that will bring public utilities to several of the county’s designated growth areas including $18 million to complete the James River Water Project, a pipeline that will one day channel millions of gallons of water to development along the Interstate 64 corridor, and $27.5 million to deliver water and sewer infrastructure to the Shannon Hill Regional Business Park, a 700-acre industrial site just north of the interstate. The Shannon Hill project—$11.59 million of which will be funded by a state economic development grant—is another step in the county’s effort to the develop the park into a future home for distribution centers, advanced manufacturing, and other large-scale industry that could diversify the tax base and provide jobs.
Other big-ticket items in the capital budget include nearly $3 million for Firefly Fiber Broadband’s county-wide fiber project and $3.4 million for two turf fields adjacent to Louisa County Middle School.
In 2021, supervisors inked a deal with Firefly, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, and the area’s two other electric providers, Dominion Energy and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, to bring universal high-speed internet to the county by 2025. The board committed about $9 million in local funds to the effort, paying its first roughly $3 million installment last year. The project is also supported by $22 million in state grant funding.
The board agreed to include the fields in the budget at the request of Parks and Recreation Director James Smith and with the support of Louisa County Public Schools. Supervisors last year considered placing a bond referendum on the ballot to potentially fund some $16 million in recreation upgrades. But they instead opted for a scaled-down proposal that Smith and LCPS Superintendent Doug Straley said would provide much-needed all-weather playing surfaces for youth and scholastic sports.
To pay for its spending, the county anticipates $157 million in revenue, a nearly 20 percent jump over last year. The county derives its revenue from a variety of sources including about 37 percent from state and federal funding. But the largest source is general property taxes, which contribute just over 50 percent of the county’s income. Thanks, in part, to rising home assessments, that revenue is expected to increase by 13.6 percent over last year.
While revenues outpace operating expenses by nearly $9 million, the board still must cover its $60 million in capital spending. To do that, the county anticipates taking on $37.7 million in debt to pay for the James River and Shannon Hill infrastructure projects. Supervisors are also expected to tap $15 million in county and school capital reserves as well as the operating surplus.
County officials are still waiting on a final state budget, which could impact local revenues and expenditures. During the 2023 General Assembly session, budget negotiators from the Republican-controlled House of Delegates and Democratic-controlled Senate failed to resolve a $1 billion dispute over tax cuts included in the House budget and left out of the Senate budget in favor of increased funding for schools, mental health, and other services. The legislature passed only a so-called skinny budget as a stopgap measure.
County Finance Director Wanda Colvin said during a March 20 budget work session that the board could delay adoption of the county’s portion of the budget, but the school budget must be adopted by May 1, per state law. The new fiscal year kicks off July 1.
Read the proposed FY24 budget here.
Note: Budget numbers in this article reflect figures presented by Finance Director Wanda Colvin at the March 20 budget work session.
Other business:
Beyond the three public hearings, Monday’s agenda includes one discussion item and one presentation.
Gapser to explain real estate assessment process: Amid citizens’ concerns about soaring real estate tax assessments, County Assessor Rich Gasper will provide a brief presentation on how the annual assessment process works. Click here for an assessment explainer, courtesy of Louisa County.
Board to discuss ‘housekeeping amendments’ to Land Development Regulations: Supervisors will discuss enacting seven amendments to county code that Community Development Director Josh Gillespie describes as “housekeeping.”
In a March 10 memo to the board, Gillespie writes that the comprehensive overhaul of the county’s Land Development Regulations adopted by supervisors in February 2021 left out amendments that “were in-progress and adopted while the code amendment project was underway.” Now, those omissions need to be rectified.
The amendments include the creation of and updates to the Yanceyville Ag/Forestal District, an update to the South Anna AFD, limiting the time applicants have to submit proffers prior to the Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors’ considering a land use application, and a change in the fee schedule for an application to collocate new antennas on an existing telecommunications tower.
Youngkin announces hydroponic operation to locate in Louisa
Governor Glenn Youngkin on Friday announced that Better Future Farms, Inc. will build a cutting-edge hydroponic greenhouse and processing facility on a 61-acre site in the Louisa County Industrial Air Park. The facility will enable the company to produce several million pounds of leafy greens annually for sale across Virginia and the mid-Atlantic region.
The greenhouse will bring “tens of millions of dollars in new capital investment to the county,” according to a press release from the Governor’s Office, and “create local year-round jobs” as soon as 2024. The release doesn’t specify exactly how much money the company plans to invest in the facility or how many jobs it’s expected to create.
“This project exemplifies agricultural innovation. We are pleased this facility will bring new job opportunities for our residents while affirming the county’s commitment to agribusinesses as a growing and vital part of our local economy,” Louisa County Board of Supervisors Chair Duane Adams said in the release.
Better Future Farms recently secured funding through Generate Capital, a leading sustainable infrastructure investment and operating platform, to help fund the project. The facility is also supported by a $200,000 grant from the governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund (AFID) that’s matched with local funds. The company has a sales agreement for its production with Taylor Farms, the nation’s largest salad and fresh-cut vegetable producer.
“This investment in controlled environment agriculture helps boost the Commonwealth’s position as a leader in the next generation agricultural sector. I am pleased that the Commonwealth could partner with Louisa County through the Governor’s AFID Fund to secure this exciting win for Virginia,” Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr said.
At the request of the Louisa County Industrial Development Authority, the Board of Supervisors last fall rezoned the 61-acre parcel where Better Future Farms plans to build its greenhouse from industrial to agricultural use. The property is located at the southern end of the air park and accessed off School Bus Road.
According to a conceptual plan submitted during the rezoning, Better Future plans to construct a nearly 12-acre greenhouse including a 387,502-square foot growing area, a 32,291-square foot germination floor, and a 99,459-square foot head house. Economic Development Director Andy Wade told supervisors that Better Future would implement a hydroponic growing system that uses recycled stormwater collected in a retention pond at the site. The company remained anonymous throughout the rezoning process.
According to the governor’s release, the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program will provide support for Better Future Farms’ job creation. Launched in 2019, the program was created by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System and other higher education partners to aid start-ups through the direct delivery of recruitment and training services.
Wade said during the rezoning that the company also expressed interest in partnering with Louisa County Public Schools’ Career and Technical Education Program to train horticulture students.
Founded in 2022, Better Future Farms is a partnership between entrepreneurs John McMahon and David Drescher. Since 2014, McMahon has operated Schuyler Greens, an indoor farming facility that produces leafy greens in Albemarle County. Drescher has co-founded and run multiple venture capital and private equity-backed companies. He lives with his family on a grass-fed cattle farm and has a passion for farming, according to a short biography on the company’s website.
Click here for contact information for the Louisa County Board of Supervisors.
Find agendas and minutes from previous Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission meetings as well as archived recordings here.
Click here for contact information for the Louisa County School Board.
Click here for minutes and agendas for School Board meetings.
Click here to access past editions of Engage Louisa.