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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05 31 1994 PC Minutes5-31-94 1 May 31, 1994 The Albemarle County Planning Commission held a work session on Tuesday, May 31, 1994, Room 5-6, County Office Building, Charlottesville, Virginia. Those members present were: Ms. Babs Huckle, Chair; Mr. Tom Blue, Vice Chair; Mr. Bill Nitchmann; Ms. Katherine Imhoff; Mr. Bruce Dotson; and Mr. Tom Jenkins. Other officials present were: Mr. David Benish, Chief of Community Development; and Ms. Mary Joy Scala, Senior Planner. Absent: Commissioner Vaughan and County Attorney. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. and a quorum was established. The minutes of May 17, 1994 were approved as submitted. WORK SESSION - Comprehensive Plan (Economy Section of the Background Report) The first part of the work session was a presentation by Mr. John Baker, from the Charlottesville -Albemarle Technical Education Center. He gave a presentation on CA-Tech's Apprenticeship program. The second part of the work session centered on individual Commissioner's statements regarding their perspectives, concerns, priorities, etc. related to the economy/employment. After these statements were made, there was an attempt to define those matters on which there appeared to be a consensus. [NOTE: Due to the use of inferior recording equipment and noise interference from the air conditioning system, the tapes for this meeting were almost completely inaudible. (The only exception is the period from 8:45 to 9:30 - Tape 3 - when the air conditioning system apparently kicked off.) The transcription shown here is taken from the Recording Secretary's notes, with additions submitted by Commissioners Huckle, Imhoff and Dotson. Mr. Dotson identified the following three topics: --Growth: "Recognize that we will grow, and we will grow significantly." Three approaches are to (1) Resist ("have a no - growth attitude"); (2) Accommodate growth; or (3) Promote growth. He favored the second ---to accommodate growth. He did not favor the creation of a County Office of Economic Development. He felt growth is inevitable and "there is no need to try to push 30 years of growth into 20 years." As to the 'reason for growth of this area, he repeated statements made at a previous meeting by Mr. Rose (UREF), i.e. beauty of the area, work ethic, lack of crime and the lack of regulatory constraints. On the topic of growth, he concluded: "I think that in fact we will grow, so I see no need to promote growth beyond what will /QD 5-31-94 2 occur, in any case." He felt that "some attention to the existing industry which is here would be useful in terms of trying to encourage them to expand." He cited the 1993 Report of the Department of Economic Development in which it was noted that 2/3 of the new jobs in the State were generated by existing plants. --Understanding How the County Compares to Other Areas: He felt caut13n should be used in using State averages because they can often give the wrong impression. He also cautioned against using categories because the definitions of certain categories (e.g. services) are perceived differently. He distributed two handouts. The first (See Attachment A) provided a detailed breakdown of employment and showed that the category "services" includes a wide range of activities from hotel/motel workers, private household jobs, and amusement and recreation workers, all with very low wage indices, to high index categories like legal services, health services and professional services. He observed that it can be misleading to generalize about "services" which make up 22.1% of our area's employment because the category contains such a diverse mix of activities. The second (See Attachment B) consists of two graphs entitled "Community Work Patterns Are Varied." Commissioner Dotson states that state averages can also be misleading. The statewide average percentage of workers who are part-time is 19% according to the 1990 census. Albemarle County is at 22%, leading some observers to say that the County has.a high incidence of part-time workers or underemployment. The first graph shows, however, that cities and counties in Virginia vary between 13% and 38%. In this context the County's 22% does not look so high. The second graph looks at which communities have what percentages. What the graph shows is a remarkably consistent pattern. The state's communities containing its major universities have both a high percentage of their population working and a high percentage of part-time workers. Albemarle County and Charlottesville actually have a lower percent part-time than Radford, Williamsburg, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Montgomery, and Fredericksburg. The other pattern that the graph shows is that the rapid growth Northern Virginia area has a high percentage of the population working but a low percentage part-time. Albemarle seems to be somewhere in between the other university communities and Northern Virginia. Places like Dickenson County, which leads the state with 17% unemployment and Buchanon, Lee and Wise counties in Southwest Virginia offer few work opportunities, period. Based on this graph, Commissioner Dotson suggested that Albemarle County may be just about in the position we would want it to be and certainly the County is not extreme when compared to other university communities. --Who is the Public? - He expressed worry that he may sometimes think "too narrowly" in terms of "who is the public?" He was concerned that he might sometimes view the public as being persons "just like me." He stressed that he did not want to give the impression that he was concerned only about those people "who / 9/ 5-31-94 3 have money, have jobs, etc.", because "that is not at all the case." He defined his "hero" as being "the kind of guy who stops to help you when your car breaks down or you run out of gas. The guy usually drives a pick-up, always seems to be carrying a gas can with his equipment, and won't let you pay him for the gas. He is probably blue collar, served in the Armed Forces, owns a modest home and his kids are average students in the public schools. This guy is a model of success to me." He concluded: "It seems to me that all our planning ought to be in the interest of that guy as much as it is the university professor, and the lawyers, and the professionals. ... We need to appreciate the diversity of people and jobs we have." He pointed out that many people choose to work part time (students, parents with young kids, people in construction and tourism, etc.) and "we need to avoid the temptation to over -simplify." Ms. Imhoff distributed to the Commission a list of questions that should be considered by any community when it is considering economic development. (See Attachment C.) She also noted that the following questions need to be addressed by the Planning Commission and the public when engaging in comprehensive plan and economic development discussions: Where are we now? Where do we want to be? How do we get there? How will we measure our progress? Based on these four basic questions, she asked: "For example, what has our job creation been; what kind of businesses do we want to nurture (which may already be here), and what kind do we want to attract?" She expressed her interest in receiving further information about business type and creation in Albemarle County, particularly the size of businesses that moved to the County in the last ten years. She expressed an interest in receiving more information on the tourism industry in Albemarle County and suggested that staff contact the State Department of Tourism as well as the State Department of Economic Development. Ms. Imhoff also expressed her support for the rural nature of the county, the importance of historic preservation as part of the tourism industry and the need to discuss the important role of the agricultural and forestal industry in the County. She noted that based on the 1992 Census of Agriculture, Albemarle County has ranked 25th in the Commonwealth. She also expressed concern that the "service industry" definition has perhaps been misunderstood by the Planning Commission noting that not all service industry jobs are low paying. She noted that many of the new, smaller firms that had located to Albemarle County in the last ten years were probably defined as "service industry," giving the example of natural resource consulting firms and other professional services. Ms. Huckle felt the preservation of natural resources should be the top priority. She commented: "We must never forget the physical limitations of the County and plan not to exceed our water resources. We can see the results of over development in the water -wars taking place in Tidewater right now. There, r17a 5-31-94 q overbuilt jurisdictions are trying to beg, borrow, buy and, some might say, steal, water from their neighbors. Water is one resource element which we cannot live without and cannot manufacture. Our water resources are the same as when the earth was formed and we must preserve them from overuse and pollution. The more earth we pave over and the more streams we put in pipes, the less recharge of groundwater we will have, the more trees we remove the less rain will fall, and the faster that rain will hurry into the salty ocean." On the topic of industry she commented: "A study of the economic picture of the County shows statistics which many jurisdictions would love to have, and while we are in an enviable position no doubt there can be improvements. The Planning Commission's job is to find ways to improve the county's economic position without going too far and causing harm instead. The U.S. has many cities, formerly prosperous from industry, which are becoming derelict because their industries have moved on --some came south where wages were lower and there were few unions --some have moved on again to Mexico, Tiawan, etc., where they can pay even lower wages. The County must take care not to go into debt to provide infrastructure to lure industries which may be temporary or which may fail. We can profit from the example of Loudoun County which had invested heavily in the area around Dulles airport. When the recession came the payments due on bonds remain but the taxes from the development are not coming from absent or failing businesses. We need to continue to do what we do best --preserve a university, with is cultural advantages, in a bucolic setting which draws tourists and residents charmed by rural ambiance, historic sites, and a lot of good restaurants." (Later in the work session she expressed the feeling that the County should not compete for, or actively recruit, industry.) Mr. Nitchmann pointed out that the existing Comprehensive Plan addressed everything except the economic well-being of the County. Because of that omission, he had, some months ago, proposed an amendment to the Plan, which was adopted by the Board of Supervisors. He stated he still stands by the goals and strategies set forth in that document, with the exception of the recommendation for the creation of an Office of Economic Development. He stated he supports the joint actions of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and the Chamber of Commerce for regional planning. He expressed the need to understand "who we are" and the need to be "pro -active" in determining what industries are best for our area. He was not in favor of waiting to see "what comes our way." He agreed that growth is inevitable and felt that planning should occur which will seek industries which will better serve the community. He also felt that the term "service" job should be better defined. He questioned whether it should be applied to professions such as medicine and the law, rather he perceived it to be jobs such as house cleaning, parking attendants, etc. He stressed that presently 60% of County citizens cannot afford the cost of an IF3 5-31-94 5 average home in the County. He concluded: "We should be doing something for those 60%. We have to supply better jobs." Mr. Blue agreed that growth is inevitable and though he also (as did Mr. Dotson) agreed that plans should be put in place to accommodate that growth, he felt there were ways to get the "right types of growth." He agreed that growth brings more traffic, strains the education and welfare systems, and increases taxes. But at the same time it results in a better educational system and more cultural amenities. He was not in favor of the creation of an Office of Economic Development. He expressed a desire to change the perception (which he feels exists) that Albemarle County does not want new business but he added that that did not mean that "we will welcome any business that comes down the road." (Later in the meeting Mr. Blue asked if other Commissioners agreed this is a common perception about the County. Mr. Dotson stated that though he hears it, he doesn't feel it means anything. Ms. Huckle did not agree with Mr. Blue's statement.) Mr. Jenkins made the statement that before he voted on any of the ideas put forth by Mr. Nitchmann, "I have to see it." He pointed out that service jobs, regardless of what the Commission does, are not going to disappear in the County. He expressed a desire for leadership from the State and he foresees the County's role as one of "facilitator." Points of agreement among the Commission were as follows: --There should be an emphasis on existing industries. The Commission asked for a list of all existing industries, large and small. --There appeared to be no support for the creation of an Office of Economic Development. --There appeared to be agreement with the following statement on underemployment offered by Mr. Dotson: "Despite our very low unemployment rate, there is some feeling, though no data, that there may be a significant amount of underemployment due to what might be called our captive labor situation of people needing and wanting to be in this community for various reasons." --There appeared to be no opposition to the following statement (offered by Mr. Dotson) being made a part of the Plan: "Manufacturing is a significant and important mainstay of our local area (etc.).If Mr. Blue determined there was no consensus that "we are losing manufacturing jobs and what we should do about it." Ms. Imhoff commented that she was "undecided." Other comments, questions and concerns included: 5-31-94 6 --There are different perceptions as to the meaning of frequently used terms, e.g. "accommodate," "service sector," "industry." Can some standard definitions be developed. --Where should jobs be located? The placement of employment is important. --Ms. Imhoff expressed support for a "diverse" economy. She pointed out that there are more businesses than just industrial. --Figures indicating that government employment inn the County has decreased are misleading since the recent change in the Hospital's address effects the figures. --Mr. Dotson pointed out that "agricultural services" (as referred to in Mr. Martin's report) means those businesses (e.g. tractor dealers, Southern States, etc.) which serves farms and does not mean the "self-employed farmer." Ms. Huckle cautioned against equating "hobby farmers" with farmers who attempt to earn their livings from their farms. Mr. Blue was of the opinion that the number of farmers, in Albemarle County, who earn their entire living from their farms is extremely small. He did not want to see farming "romanticized." Requests from the Commission requiring staff action were as follows: ---Ms. Huckle asked if there were any figures on the number of retirees who are have recently relocated to the area. --Can the definition of "service sector" as, referred to by Mr. Martin (VEC), be broken down? --Can figures be compiled on "how many people are actually farming --full or part -time --and what industries are being supported by full and part-time farmers?" --Can past projections be compared to current numbers to check for accuracy of predictions? --Would it be possible to arrange for representatives of different small businesses and large businesses to be present at a future work session? --What land is presently available (commercial and industrial)? --Mr. Nitchmann asked that copies of his Economic Development Policy be made available to the Commission. He did not think there were any parts of it which the Commission would object to (with the exception of the recommendation for an Economic Development Office). He expressed the feeling: "If we do nothing, we will fail." --Mr. Dotson asked if "anybody has regionally estimated how much of the gross regional product is in wages and salaries, and looked at the categories?" He raised the issue of "is it our regional responsibility to provide jobs for people in outlying counties?" --Ms. Imhoff felt an expanded definition of "income vs. wages is needed." --Ms. Imhoff expressed a preference for the uses of "tables" instead of charts. --Mr. Dotson suggested the addition (to the proposed Economy section presented by staff) of a paragraph talking about the V16- 5-31-94 7 economic base of the community, i.e. "the many kinds of activities which are a part of our economic base." He also suggested the addition of a statement explaining that "we are not alone" in these problems, i.e. that they are being experienced in both the state and the nation. --Ms. Huckle cautioned against destroying those characteristics of the area which make it so attractive to businesses. Staff comment: Mr. Benish pointed out that the the existing Comprehensive Plan is "silent on evaluating development proposals," i.e. "there is no policy, one way or the other." He stated that presently the staff can review proposals only in terms of land use. Public comment: Ms. Treva Cromwell - She expressed confusion about the term "services." She suggested the formation of a "work committee", to include VEC, which would evaluate the County's economy and suggest ways to measure underdevelopment. She pointed out that the bond ratings for both the City and the County are unusually high, and that is one characteristic of a stable economy. She agreed that there was no need for an Office of Economic Development. Mr. Tom Olivier - He suggested that definitions should distinguish between economy vitality, job upgrading and known population growth. He cautioned against putting into place an Economic Development plan which will depend on constant growth. Ms. Becky Schmitts - She felt it is the public's perception that the County's policy is "yes, we welcome clean industry if it hires local people." She asked the following questions: "Do we want economic development which will help people who are already here, or do we increase the population to help the businesses which already exist?" "What percentage of new employees de we consider acceptable vs. local employees?" Ms. Lisa Glass - She felt the following questions should be answered: "Do we agree that growth is inevitable?" "(If so), how much growth?" "Who are we trying to help." She felt the issue of placement of businesses --Albemarle County or the region? --needs to be addressed. MISCELLANEOUS 5-31-94 The possibility of accepting brief, miscellaneous public comment at the beginning of each meeting was discussed briefly. It was noted that this suggestion has been made before, but was not pursued because it was felt that the Commission's power to deal with a wide variety of problems is very limited. ----------------------------------------- The work session ended at 10:15. DB 197