HomeMy WebLinkAboutSE202300001 Correspondence 2023-01-27SHIMP ENGINEERING, P.C.
Design Focused Engineering
County of Albemarle
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, North Wing
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
RE: ZMA202200006 999 Rio Road
Request for Waiver from Sec. 20A.8 — Mixture of Uses
To Whom It May Concern,
Pursuant to Section 20A.8(b), the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors may waive the requirements of
Sec. 20A.8 of the Zoning Ordinance. The applicant for the rezoning of tax map parcel 06100-00-00-
154B0 requests a waiver from the requirement that district must have at least two different general use
classifications.
The commercial market drastically changed during the latter half of the month of March 2020 with the
beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the deceleration of the commercial market and rising
construction costs, the Applicant requests to revise the 2020 Rezoning to eliminate the commercial
portion of the Project and add up to 10 additional residential units. The total proposed gross and net
density will be 20 dwelling units per acre. The Project will still provide ample greenspace, meet the
County's affordable housing requirements, and will be designed to meet the demands of middle -income
residents.
There are a mixture of uses that are within the immediate proximity of the Property. The Property is
within 0.2 of a mile from the Center at Belvedere. The Center at Belvedere offers a variety of events
aimed at "creating opportunities for healthy aging through social engagement, physical well-being, civic
involvement, creativity, and lifelong learning." The Center at Belvedere also has a Greenberry's Coffee
shop inside that offers a variety of food and beverages. Located further along Belvedere Boulevard but
still within a mile is the Fairview Swim & Tennis Club, Fraites Dental, and the Soccer Organization of
the Charlottesville Area (SOCA) Field House. Rio Road East also contains several nearby commercial
uses, such as, the Circle K Convenience store, and several gas stations. The existing commercial zoning
districts of C-1 and Commercial Office allows for further redevelopment of more intense commercial uses
in the future. The amount of existing surrounding commercial uses, as well as the number and size of
surrounding properties with commercial zoning districts satisfies the intent of the mixed -use component
of NMD without the need for commercial uses on this specific parcel.
Due to the variety of existing commercial uses located within a mile of the Property, as well as the
number of nearby properties much larger in size that are already zoned for commercial, it is not necessary
to require commercial within this specific parcel.
912 E. High St. Charlottesville, VA 22902 1434.227.5140 1 shimp-engineering.com