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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11 28 2011 PC MinutesM cm ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING INDUSTRIAL & INTERSTATE INTERCHANGE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION November 28, 2011 10:00 A.M. —11:30 A.M. RM. 241 COB The Albemarle County Planning Commission held a meeting due to the presence of four Planning Commission members during the Industrial Roundtable held on Monday, November 28, 2011 at 10:00 a.m, at the County Office Building in Room 241, Second Floor, 401 McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. Planning Commission members attending were Calvin Morris, Vice Chair; Linda Porterfield, Mac Lafferty, and Tom Loach. Planning Commission members absent were Don Franco, Ed Smith and Duane Zobrist, Chair. Julia Monteith, Senior Land Use Planner for the University of Virginia was absent. Other officials present were: Moderator: Lee Catlin, Asst. to the Co. Executive for Community & Business Partnerships Presenters: Elaine Echols (CDD- Principal Planner), J.T. Newberry (CDD — Planner), Wayne Cilimberg (CDD- Planning Director) Call to Order and Establish Quorum: Mr. Morris established a quorum and called the Albemarle County Planning Commission meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. Other County staff/ officials: Name Department Ken Boyd Board of Supervisors, Rivanna District Ann Mallek Board of Supervisors, White Hall District Dennis Rooker Board of Supervisors, Jack Jouett District Duane Snow Board of Supervisors, Samuel Miller District Rodney Thomas Board of Supervisors, Rio District Christopher Dumler Board of Supervisors (elect), Scottsville District Calvin Morris Planning Commission, Rivanna District Mac Lafferty Planning Commission, Jack Jouett District Tom Loach Planning Commission, White Hall District Linda Porterfield Planning Commission, Scottsville District Amelia McCulley Community Development — Director of Zoning Susan Stimart Economic Development Facilitator Andy Sorrell Community Development — Senior Planner Madalen McGrory Community Development - Intern J.T. Newberry Community Development - Planning Members of the public in attendance: Name Organization/ Affiliation Dennis Dutterer Pantops Community Advisory Council Gale Wilson Buckingham Branch Railroad Bill Schrader Crozet Community Advisory Council ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION - JOINT CITY/COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING NOVEMBER 28, 2011 FINAL MINUTES Travis Pietila Southern Environmental Law Center Morgan Butler Southern Environmental Law Center Carolyn Shears CBRE, Charlottesville John Chavan Cavalier Storage Neil Williamson Free Enterprise Forum Mike Marshall Crozet Gazette Mark Thompson Starr Hill Lianne Landers UVA Entrepreneurship Coordinator John Lowery Albemarle Economic Development Authority Jack Marshall Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population Kelly Strickland Crozet Community Advisory Council Tom Click Patriot Aluminum Products Tim O'Brien Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development Chris Engel City of Charlottesville Jeff Werner Piedmont Environmental Council Tom Go eke Crozet resident Note: Due to the expected presence of four Planning Commission members, the Planning Commission meeting from the prior Tuesday was adjourned to this meeting. Planning Commission Vice -Chairman, Calvin Morris called the Commission meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. Although there were five Board members present at the meeting, they did not participate in the roundtable discussion other than listen. Lee Catlin provided an overview of the meeting. Next, Elaine Echols reviewed a PowerPoint presentation on the status of the Comprehensive Plan update and how the workshop fits into the update. J.T. Newberry next reviewed uses currently permitted by -right and by special use permit in the county's industrial zoning districts. Wayne Cilimberg concluded the staff presentation with an overview of recent and proposed zoning text amendments intended to provide greater flexibility in use allowances. Mr. Cilimberg also discussed the possibility of designating additional land for industrial and employment use in the County's Development Areas if the amount of land currently designated and zoned for industrial use is inadequate to accommodate today's industry needs. He indicated that one of the current recommendations on the table is for the County to rezone all industrially designated land that does not have industrial zoning on it in the Development Areas. Public Comments and Discussion: Mr. Cilimberg asked the public for their thoughts on what activities, amenities and infrastructure is needed to support business and industry in the County. Comments from the public are below: There should be easy access to transportation (interstate), human capital and utilities (high-speed Internet). Some businesses will need land with close proximity to the airport and some to rail. Charlottesville needs cheaper (and more) options for shipping logistics —why do businesses have to go to Richmond to find a dedicated shipping company? Secured on -site storage and warehousing is needed with access to highways and interstate interchanges. Support is needed for "very Light Industrial" uses that have less industrial (i.e. less assembly occurring on -site) activity and more office allowed on site, such as a distributor that needs office space for employees rather than as much manufacturing space. Mixture/hybridization of uses (like office/RD/flex) is important and becoming more prevalent. The retail component of light industrial (that needs public access) does not match up with what zoning permits. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION - JOINT CITY/COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING NOVEMBER 28, 2011 FINAL MINUTES • Light industrial zoning permits offices but what if property with light industrial is not available? Business today has a mix of industrial use to office use that is lower than it used to be. w. . There is a need for a commercial/ industrial district — bulk up the commercial office category in such a district. • New business prospects desire land that is already zoned. Some employers find land in industrial parks (such as the UVA Research Park on Rt. 29 North) too expensive and too far away. • There needs to be a better jobs / housing balance; nearby Counties should not be just bedroom communities. There is a greater desire for people to live and work in the same community for example, as Hollymead develops there will be greater opportunity for people to work closer home in the northern part of the County. The trend of relocating truck transport to rail transport is increasing. Don't lose opportunities for rail •access by zoning adjacent lands to non -industrial uses and thereby cutting off opportunities for rail access. Rail network is regional — we need to work on a regional basis with Charlottesville and engage rail •lines such as Norfolk -Southern about their plans. • The results of the Targeted Industry Study - may change ideas about the kind of business and industry the County is trying to attract. • Small business owners are having a difficult time finding space. • Freight service at the airport existed until 2010— however since the volume was low it was discontinued. The airport needs feedback from businesses if needs exists for enhanced freight capacity or volume at the airport. • Keep tourism in mind — the County is an entrance to a national park. • Tourism and agribusiness are components of industrial uses today -such as with breweries, wineries and cideries — people want to see how things they consume are made. • There is a new product distribution model today - marketing directly to consu• mers (end -user). Those in the import/export business often need 10-20-50,000 square feet of space with access to resources but not necessarily direct access to customers. • Business start-ups need 2"d stage affordable, non -smokestack, manufacturing space — ideally such space would be near the airport; examples provided were MicroAire and NIITEK. • The County needs to ensure that existing light industrial zoned land is not lost to other uses — the market hasn't met the need in past; land has been valued higher for other uses than industry. • The County needs to join with the City to establish infrastructure for industrial property. Mr. Cilimberg next asked what items were detrimental and hindered business and industry in the County. Comments from the public are below: • Price and location are issues. Segregation of uses is a problem — the County needs more mixed use centers where infrastructure •already exists. • The mixed -use approach affects affordability — the closer employment and industry is to residential uses the more expensive it is. Charlottesville is very constrained in regard to industrial inventory —only 9 acres remain and it is •fragmented — collaboration between City and County is important. • What is the acreage of land zoned industrial that is being utilized? If a lot is available, is it in the right location? If more land was designated industrial, its price may come down. • Pay attention to industry in areas of the County that have been hard-hit by the recession such as Scottsville. Businesses need buildings that are ready to go and can be used for industrial purposes right away. •Elaine Echols next provided an overview and background on the Interstate interchanges and where they were located. She stated that of the seven such interchanges in the County, three are located in the Rural Areas (Shadwell, Ivy, and Yancey). Ms. Echols asked what the County could do to support the three rural interchanges that would also support and not detract from the rural areas. Rural interchanges should support smaller business opportunities such repair operations, landscaping companies, packing businesses and etc. that specifically serve a need in the community. The following comments were ,. provided: ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION -JOINT CITY/COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING 3 NOVEMBER 28, 2011 FINAL MINUTES • han es could also support ng and age nesses (make sure oot Such intbe ac comm dated) that have ow traffic l vovolume andrno public f traders can water and sewer needs -the aw uses need to be shielded from view. • The market for industrial land is regional — review• what other localities are doing. Rural interchanges should be left as is — too many times nearby residents find that what starts out as a tolerable use becomes a non -tolerable use (Yancey interchange was specifically cited as one to remain as is) The agricultural economy is collapsing — if someone is not in the wine business it is hard to find the •necessary support businesses in the County. • Contact local farm managers and ask them what they need and what support businesses they use — do they have to go out of the area to get service? • Remember that rural interchanges are entrances to our community - we need to protect them — do not relocate problems out to the interchanges. Visibility and commercial needs conflict with entrance corridor requirements — Shadwell is the entry to •Monticello. Mr. Cilimberg asked what businesses would be suitable at the rural interchanges and if they should support rural uses — what is the downside of encouraging industry at rural interchanges? High tech businesses are not necessarily looking for land at the rural interchanges. Jobs come from across the education spectrum. Employers want an "alkin-one" location (office and manufacturing jobs). The County's vision for rural interchanges may not be what people are expecting there — i.e. there is a disconnect between what the public expects to develop at the rural interchanges (i.e. fast food restaurants and big box stores) from what they see in other localities and at the DA interchanges. The public sees lands in the entrance corridors and wonders why the County continues to discuss greater development in these areas. The question is backwards — businesses want to locate where zoned land is —the County needs land to continue to zone and designate land for industry not build industrial parks. 1*101W . Lots of people are moving to the County — the County should have areas zoned specifically for business headquarters. County should initiate process to rezone more land industrial not wait for businesses to come to them. Affordability of land area -wide is a problem. Public private partnerships are needed to add incentives to bring jobs here. The cost in time and money to zone land for industrial use is high. if cost is a barrier to locating in an industrial park (such as UVA Research Park) the County should provide incentives for businesses to locate in industrial parks. • The County should preserve and rezone land to establish a concentration/ critical mass of parcels that will be supported for business/ industry. The County either needs to create new, affordable options for industrial uses or figure out how to use •existing zoned land more affordably. • The County's 1982 interchange policy calls for industry to locate there —why hasn't it been implemented yet and why are we still talking about it 30 years later? (Wayne Cilimberg explained that the County's policy changed since 1982 and that the interchanges are now looked at differently.) • Rural interchanges are not developed yet because people who live near them have invested a lot of time and energy into keeping them rural — residents do not want development here. • The County should help move the process along for the Acme Building in Crozet — County should work with the EPA to get process moving along more quickly. • Why do areas of high growth areas like Crozet and Forest Lakes not have public transportation options? Adjournment Ms. Catlin thanked those in attendance for their input and said that the information they provided would be given to the Planning Commission for discussion at a work -session at the end of January 2012. The roundtable adjourned at 11:30 A.M. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION - JOINT CITY/COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING 4 NOVEMBER 28, 2011 FINAL MINUTES Vice -Chairman Morris adjourned the Planning Commission at 11:32 A.M. No formal action was taken. Adjournment: With no further items, the meeting adjourned at 11:32 a.m. to the November 29, 2011 Planning Commission meeting at 6:00 p.m. at the County Office Building, Auditorium, Second Floor, 401 McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. (Submitted by Sharon C. Taylor, Clerk to Plannir ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION -JOINT CITY/COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING NOVEMBER 28, 2011 FINAL MINUTES