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Home My WebLink AboutDraft Joint City County PC Minutes 10292024ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 1 Joint Albemarle County City of Charlottesville Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 29, 2024 The Albemarle County Planning Commission held a public hearing on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. Members attending were Fred Missel, Chair; Luis Carrazana, Vice-Chair; Corey Clayborne; Karen Firehock; Julian Bivins; Lonnie Murray; and Nathan Moore. Members absent none Other officials present were Michael Barnes, Director of Planning; Andy Herrick, County Attorney’s Office; and Carolyn Shaffer, Clerk to the Planning Commission. Welcome and opening remarks Michael Barnes, Director of Planning for Albemarle County, said that he was very excited that the City and County Planning Commission were coming together to discuss this important topic. He said that climate change was an existential issue that affected them all, and they needed to address it in a way that transcended their individual jurisdictions. He said that he was thrilled to have this opportunity to hear the Planning Commissions’ thoughts. Call to Order and Establish Quorum by City and County Planning Commission Chairs Mr. Missel called the meeting of the Albemarle Planning Commission to order. He acknowledged all members of the Commission were present. He established a quorum. Hosea Mitchell called the meeting of the Charlottesville Planning Commission to order. He acknowledged all members of the Commission were present. He established a quorum. Introductions Mr. Missel said that he was pleased to see them and to meet some of them for the first time, and he appreciated the chance to break out of their individual silos and work together on this project. He said that this was an important conversation, and he was looking forward to exploring it with all of them today. He said that in terms of structure, he believed they were envisioning a workshop format, which should be straightforward and informal. Mr. Missel said that staff had suggested that the Commissioners wait until after the presentation to ask questions, but they were open to minor clarifications throughout the process. He said that he would like to extend a special thank you to the City, County, and University staff who had worked together to organize this presentation and work session. He said that he appreciated the effort that had gone into creating this opportunity. Mr. Missel said that to ensure everyone had a chance to participate, he proposed that they take turns calling on individuals or asking if someone would like to speak on behalf of their group. He said that they could alternate between City and County representatives to demonstrate their ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 2 commitment to collaboration in the conversation. He said that once everyone had had a chance to share their thoughts, they would transition into a more interactive workshop-style discussion. Resilient Together Presentation a. Project Team Introductions b. Context Setting i. How Climate Change Will Impact Central Virginia c. Resilient Together Project i. Overall Project Design ii. Completed Discover & Design Phases iii. Themes, Guiding Principles, Long-term goals iv. Learning from Peer Communities v. Strategy Development d. Climate Resilience Cohort i. Centering Equity & Community Within the Project ii. EPA EJG2G Grant iii. Who Is Participating? iv. What Will They Do? e. Next Steps i. Design Phase ii. Community Engagement iii. Project Deliverables iv. Fitting in with Existing Plans v. Supporting the Resilient Together Project f. PC Input on Potential Strategies i. Strategy 1: Protect areas that provide ecosystem services through improved public lands management and ownership strategies such as conservation easements and private open spaces ii. Strategy 2: Use more compact development and other techniques to increase walkability and accessibility, which increases transportation options during climate hazards, decreases transportation cost burden and supports baseline public health Gabriel Dayley, Climate Action Program Manager for Albemarle County, said that he appreciated the Commissioners time and interest in the topic and the effort they had put into this project. He said that he was one of the co-managers of this project. Emily Irvine, Climate Protection Program Manager for the City of Charlottesville, said that she served as Mr. Dayley’s counterpart in the City and was the other co-manager of this project. Mr. Dayley said that he would also like to introduce Julia Monteith from UVA's Office of the Architect and Serena Gruia, their Public Engagement Coordinator for Albemarle County. He said that other staff attending tonight included Kristel Riddervold, Director of the Office of Sustainability for the City of Charlottesville; Greg Harper, Chief of Environmental Services for Albemarle County; ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 3 and Jamie Powers, Climate Action Project Manager for Albemarle County. He said that he would also like to extend a thank you to all of them for taking the time to be with them today. Ms. Irvine said that to set the stage for their conversation tonight, she would like to discuss regional hazards and the impacts they expect to see from climate change. She said that it was essential that they had a common understanding of what they were discussing. She said that she would like to talk about how central Virginia was being impacted by climate change and how they could expect to be more impacted in the future. She said that while many people viewed climate change as a future hazard, she believed it was becoming increasingly present in their daily lives due to the recent impacts and natural disasters they had witnessed globally, nationally, and in their own state and neighboring state. Ms. Irvine said that as they witnessed these events, it was clear that climate change was no longer a distant threat, but a reality they were experiencing now and would continue to experience in the future. She said that tonight, she would walk them through the hazards they expected to see in their region. She said that both the City and County had conducted climate risk and vulnerability assessments, and she would go over their findings. She said that their assessments revealed remarkably similar results. Ms. Irvine said that one of the impacts they had recently felt was the increasing incidence of extreme heat in their region. She said that in this context, extreme heat referred to a day where the temperature exceeded 95 degrees Fahrenheit. She said that historically, they had experienced about five days of extreme heat every summer. She said that however, this past summer saw more days than that; they could recall periods of extremely hot days and consider how they were starting to impact their community. Ms. Irvine said that by mid-century, they expected to see nearly a month of these extremely hot days each summer, and by 2075, they could see nearly two months. She said that this project aimed to explore how they could adapt their systems to better withstand these conditions. She said that another impact they expected to see was an increased instance of drought periods, characterized by periods of rain followed by dry spells. She said that they had been in a drought period before Hurricane Helene visited their region, resulting in nine inches of rain in just a few days. She said that at the time, their area had declared a drought watch. Ms. Irvine said that this had a relationship with another hazard they expected to see, which was increased flooding. She said that although they would have longer periods between rain, they would experience more intense rain events. She said that as a result, they anticipated increased precipitation and a greater amount of precipitation in any given event. She said that when dryness from periods of drought was followed by a particularly heavy or intense rain event, the ground was unable to absorb the moisture in the same way it would when it was more evenly moist, and this led to more flooding. Ms. Irvine said that the interaction between these hazards exposed their community to an increased risk. She said that considering all this, they saw that their seasons were changing, and this had a significant impact on their natural environment. She said that they were adapted to experiencing periods of cold in the winter here in central Virginia. She said that historical data showed that over the past 30 years, they had had more than two months of days below freezing during the winter period. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 4 Ms. Irvine said that this was crucial for maintaining their ecosystem's balance, as it helped keep pests and invasive plant species at bay. She said that as they experienced overall warming, and saw fewer days with frost, their data predicted that by the end of the century, they would have less than a month of days below freezing. She said that this had a secondary impact, increasing the risk of pests and disease in their region. She said that showing this data could be a visceral reminder, but it was essential to acknowledge that they would have more times of the year where invasive pests harmed both their natural environment and human health. Ms. Irvine said that this included longer periods when ticks and mosquitoes were active, as well as when deer were active, which could disrupt their ecosystems that were adapted to periods of cold. She said that one aspect that she would like to highlight was the impact of climate change on poison ivy. She said that a fascinating fact was that poison ivy actually thrived in higher concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere, resulting in more concentrated and potent toxins. She said that this added another layer of concern to their discussion. Ms. Irvine said that one hazard that was not adequately considered in the City and County's risk and vulnerability assessments in 2022 was wildfire smoke. She said that although the County's assessment did account for wildfire risks, it did not specifically address smoke. She said that last summer and fall, the community was significantly impacted by smoke from Canadian wildfires and regional fires, affecting vulnerable populations such as children, older adults, individuals with pre-existing conditions, homeless residents, and outdoor workers. She said that next, Mr. Dayley would discuss potential adaptations to these environmental changes. Mr. Dayley said that to ensure everyone had a shared understanding, he wanted to clarify a couple of key concepts. He said that these were familiar terms, but they had wanted to explicitly state them. He said that in the climate action space, they worked with two main concepts: mitigation and adaptation. He said that mitigation referred to reducing the severity of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He said that the City, County, and UVA all had climate action plans focused on mitigation. Mr. Dayley said that however, since they had not taken strong enough action as a global community 20 to 40 years ago, they were now focused on adapting to the impacts of climate change. He said that this included building resilience to intensifying weather events like those described by Ms. Irvine. He said that there was overlap between mitigation and adaptation, but they were distinct. He said that to illustrate this, he would provide a few examples. He said that they were not covering everything, but they were highlighting some key actions that focused on emissions reduction and others that focused on adaptation and resilience. Mr. Dayley said that their goal was to develop a strategy that prioritized actions that achieved both results, recognizing that some strategies may be more effective on one side or the other. He said that the next few slides aimed to illustrate a chain of events or a flow chart showing how increased likelihood of hazards and risks, as discussed by Ms. Irvine, could lead to harmful impacts on their community due to extreme weather events and trends. He said that he would walk the Commissioners through a couple of flow charts to demonstrate this concept. He said that for the sake of time, he would focus on one example. Mr. Dayley said that the chart on the left of the slide illustrated an example of how a community could be affected by a heat wave. He said that from a community perspective, they could analyze these charts at an individual level, family system, or any other type of system. He said that here, he was examining them from the perspective of a community system in the context of climate ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 5 change. He said that the left chart showed an example of a community experiencing a heat wave while performing "business as usual." He said that this could lead to a shock to the system, causing harm in the short term. Mr. Dayley said that it was possible that the community may recover, but there was also a risk that the initial shock could be so intense that the community did not fully recover, even after a period of recovery. He said that on the right side of the slide, he was looking at this climate resilience work. He said that by making investments to build resilience now, they could mitigate the short-term harms and hopefully bounce back stronger as a community. He said that to make this more concrete, he asked that they consider an example. Mr. Dayley said that Ms. Irvine had mentioned earlier the interplay between drought and intense rainfall, which can lead to increasingly likely flooding. He said that however, it was not just the hazard or extreme weather event that was a concern; it was also how some community members might be more exposed to it than others. He said that for instance, there were buildings in their area that were located in the floodplain. He said that this exposure to flooding might increase a household or person's risk. He said that they also knew that a lack of stream buffers increased the likelihood of flooding in inland areas and the intensity of flooding. Mr. Dayley said that there may also be vulnerabilities at the household level, not just exposure to the hazard, but a more vulnerable situation for families living nearby. He said that for example, an older building that was less able to withstand intense rainstorms. He said that although there was no adverse impact in this instance, he had recently experienced a small roof leak during a rain event. He said that he was thinking about factors like this, but if it was worse for someone's building, and then combining that with the hazard itself, potential exposure, household vulnerability, they got a range of impacts. Mr. Dayley said that this could include displaced families, costly repairs that could be financially challenging for some individuals, health impacts from exposure to moisture and mold, and so on. He said that broadly, they must consider what they could do to build resilience in advance and make those investments. He said that one potential approach was to address vulnerability at the household level. He said that he was reminded of the work done by the Albemarle Housing Improvement Program (AHIP) and the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP), which helped make buildings more resilient. Mr. Dayley said that they could also consider the work being done in the County around stream buffers. He said that additionally, they could think about financing to help landowners increase stream buffers on their properties. He said that they should also consider how to plan for the future, ensuring that they did not build in present or future floodplains, even as those floodplains may grow. He said that by putting all these factors together, he believed they could work together to address their shared risks and vulnerabilities, as Ms. Irvine had previously mentioned. Mr. Dayley said that the impetus for this project originated from a conversation he had with Ms. Irvine’s predecessor at the City, who had reached out to him and mentioned that the City was conducting climate vulnerability risk assessments, and they were starting to see more of these impacts. He said that it was suggested that they consider collaborating between their jurisdictions and the University of Virginia on this project. He said that knowing their neighbors was the first step in building resilience. He said that they had been working on this project for quite a while now, and it had been fruitful in terms of the feedback they had received so far from colleagues, subject matter experts, and the broader community. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 6 Ms. Irvine said that she wanted to share a personal experience. She said that Ms. Riddervold and she recently attended the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) conference in Minneapolis, where they were joined by colleagues from Asheville. She said that they shared stories about coming together with their neighbors after the recent hurricane, and she felt a sense of humility and reassurance that their community was approaching this work with a spirit of collaboration and neighborly connection. Ms. Irvine said that this aligned with their efforts to model that spirit in their work on this project. She said that by strengthening relationships within the community and building on existing networks, they could create a resilient foundation. She said that this was their goal. She said that they came together to explore how this project could unfold and how they could work together. She said that University of Virginia was an early participant, and Mr. Dayley and Ms. Gruia played a crucial role in laying the groundwork. Ms. Irvine said that their aim was to use this project as a catalyst for a community conversation about building resilience in the face of climate change. She said that as they move forward, they would be highly productive in working with the community to strengthen their community in a holistic manner. She said that their vision for this project is to create a strong, safe, and healthy community for everyone who calls Charlottesville and Albemarle home, now and into the future. Ms. Irvine said that the Resilient Together Project will have specific deliverables, which will be climate resilience plans that will be adopted by each jurisdiction. She said that they will develop these plans in parallel and create two separate plans for ease of local government processes. She said that they will discuss how these plans interact with existing projects and documents, such as comprehensive plans and existing documents, later in the presentation. Ms. Irvine said that another primary goal is to build an implementation framework that will enable them to effectively implement this project. She said that they want to create a framework that is not just a plan, but a system that can be implemented and sustained through community engagement and collaboration. She said that by doing so, they aim to build a resilient community that can invest in its own future. Ms. Irvine said that next was their project outline. She said that they had identified key areas of focus, including the discover phase, which they launched over a year ago. She said that during this phase, they shared information about hazards and risks with the community and heard about the impacts on residents. She said that they had conducted a series of staff workshops and community engagement sessions. She said that the define phase will ensure that they are solid in their understanding of the community's needs before moving on to the design phase. Ms. Irvine said that the design phase will involve creating the strategies and plans that will be employed in the community. She said that the decide phase will involve adopting these plans and navigating the bureaucratic process. She said that the do phase will be the implementation phase, which will be ongoing into the future. She said that they had been learning from peer communities and were exploring how other communities are successfully moving from planning to implementation. Ms. Irvine said that they launched the discover phase in October 2023, the first public-facing phase of this project. She said that they conducted a number of workshops, including a few held right here in this room. She said that they gathered staff from across the City, the County, and ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 7 UVA, as well as some regional quasi-governmental partners, including the Planning District Commission, the Rivanna Authorities, the Soil and Water Conservation District. Ms. Irvine said that these organizations also provided subject matter expertise. She said that they also held workshops with community organizations and attended various community events to raise awareness about their plans and their potential impact on the community. She said that they received feedback that many community members had been repeatedly asked about their needs and desires, leading to a sense of engagement fatigue. She said that to address this, they drew on lessons learned from recent planning processes, such as AC44 and Cville Plans Together, to incorporate community input into this project. Ms. Irvine said that the define phase, which had begun over the summer, was nearing its conclusion. She said that they would be sharing their draft principles and goals with the climate resilience cohort, which was a critical component of the project, and with staff before finalizing them. She said that as they transitioned into the design phase, they were also refining a list of potential resilience strategies tailored to their community's unique characteristics. She said that they were not alone in this effort, as they were learning from larger communities that had successfully implemented similar strategies. Ms. Irvine said that the federal government's climate resilience toolkit provided a valuable database of strategy options from across the country, which they were carefully reviewing to create a draft list of suitable strategies for their area, taking into account their hazards, geography, community size, and local context. She said that it had been wonderful to compile the community's input into concrete outputs, and she hoped that everyone had had a chance to review the report they had published as part of the packet for this evening. Ms. Irvine said that they had distilled the community's feedback into nine key themes. She said that given that many of the community members had been engaging with communities around major planning processes, they were likely not surprised that these themes emerged as the most pressing concerns. Ms. Irvine said that when she referred to reliable systems, she was including infrastructure, food systems, and other community systems, as well as hardened infrastructure systems. She said that these were the essential components that supported the daily life and work of the park. She said that from there, they had developed six guiding principles, which were outlined in their report. She said that she would not read them verbatim, but they felt that these six items were essential to their project's success. Ms. Irvine said that they also identified seven broad goals that, if they worked towards them throughout this process and implementation, would help build resilience in their community. She said that she would also like to build on Mr. Barnes' earlier statement that climate change was an existential issue. She said that it was, and it was a threat multiplier, but it was also a symptom of deeper problems, such as their reliance on extraction and exploitation. Ms. Irvine said that by re-examining their relationships with each other and their environment, they could address these underlying causes and build a more resilient community. She said that if they could embody these principles and work towards these goals, they would be taking a crucial step towards building a truly resilient community. She said that this was the exciting part of their strategy development. She said that they were standing at the threshold of a new phase of the project, and it felt invigorating. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 8 Ms. Irvine said that they had been working to define a locally relevant list of priorities. She said that they also did not want to duplicate efforts and were aware of the excellent plans already in place throughout the region. She said that as such, they were beginning the process of comparing their draft list with existing plans and initiatives in the community. She said that by building upon or strengthening existing plans and structures, they could take advantage of their existing systems and avoid reinventing the wheel. Ms. Irvine said that as they moved into the design phase engagement, they wanted to ask themselves three foundational questions: What are the midterm outcomes they hoped to achieve? What impacts did they expect to see? And when considering the answers to t hese questions, what is locally relevant? She said that the final question was particularly important because their strategies must work for this community, as what worked in other places may not be effective here in Charlottesville. Ms. Irvine said that she had alluded to the fact that they had been learning from other peer communities through their staff networks. She said that they had strong connections with staff members from other local governments who were also working on similar projects. She said that for example, they had included a link to Fairfax's Resilient Fairfax Plan in the packet, which she held up as a great example. She said that they had also developed a great relationship with the staff in Fairfax who were leading the development of their community's resilience plan. She said that they had been generous with their experience and expertise, and that was a valuable resource for them. Ms. Irvine said that they had also been relying on a federal tool that supported communities in their resilience planning work. She said that the Environmental Protection Agency had regional plans for resilience, and they provided guidance and support for communities building upon these plans. She said that by learning from others who had come before them, they could develop effective strategies for their community. She said that next, Mr. Dayley would discuss the cohort, which was a really exciting aspect of this project. Mr. Dayley said that he wanted to highlight one point from the last slide. He said that as they may recall from earlier, Ms. Irvine had mentioned that their resilience plans should be structured and written to guide implementation immediately after they were developed. He said that this was one of the reasons why they had found the Resilient Fairfax plan to be helpful, as it demonstrated how to structure it and prioritize strategies with accompanying implementation steps or roadmaps. He said that this particular plan had been relevant to their work, as they aimed to achieve specific goals. Ms. Irvine said that they had also successfully transferred from the planning process into a program for resilience building, and that was something they were also hoping to model as they adopted the plans and moved into the do phase. Mr. Dayley said that the Climate Resilience Cohort, a project they were particularly excited about, was a project within a project. He said that they recently held their kickoff workshop with the 10 sub-grantees of this cohort, and they were thrilled to have had the opportunity to onboard them. He said that given the topic they were discussing tonight, they thought their Commissioners would appreciate that they had to reschedule this workshop from a month ago. He said that originally, they had planned it for September 30. He said that the night before, one of their colleagues ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 9 suggested they consider contingency plans in light of the impending hurricane, even though it was not expected to have the same level of impact as in neighboring areas. Mr. Dayley said that they decided to postpone the workshop if local public schools closed, as this would likely cause unanticipated childcare issues, and also to account for potential road safety concerns. He said that due to scheduling conflicts with 10 organizations, they ultimately rescheduled the kickoff session for a month later. He said that this rescheduling proved to be a bit ironic, as they had to postpone the kickoff of a climate resilience cohort due to a climate change-exacerbated storm. He said that they were excited to finally meet with the participants yesterday and kick off this key project. Mr. Dayley said that the Climate Resilience Cohort was a partnership with 10 community-based organizations serving disadvantaged or vulnerable community members, with the goal of ensuring their insights were incorporated. He said that this project was made possible through a highly competitive EPA environmental justice grant, for which Albemarle County was the lead applicant. He said that as the administrator of the grant, they were providing subgrants to 10 community- based organizations to partner with them on this work. Mr. Dayley said that one thing they were all aware of was that local governments could struggle to reach all members of a community. He said that there were individuals who were often more able to attend public comment sessions and workshops held by local governments, and they sometimes struggled to gather a broad community perspective. He said that to address this, the intention behind this grant was to leverage the relationships they had with local community-based organizations, and the relationships these organizations had with the people they served directly. He said that he would refer to these community-based organizations as CBOs from now on. He said that they received the grant through funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. Mr. Dayley said that one example of adapting their approach was the way they were implementing the project. He said that originally, they had planned to give each organization an equal $40,000. He said that they reconsidered this approach and decided to pivot. He said that instead, each organization would receive a certain portion of the funds to contribute to the planning phase, helping them develop and vet the strategies they had been discussing in conjunction with their resilience plans. He said that there would also be an additional pot of money available for grant applications, followed by a second round for implementation of projects. He said that the change they made was to allocate funds in a way that allowed each organization to contribute to the planning process, rather than simply receiving a fixed amount. Mr. Dayley said that they were aware that some of these organizations were already collaborating with each other or had collaborated on various projects. He said that therefore, they decided to offer them this option. He said that they would see what types of projects emerged from this collaboration. He said that they would be facilitating a participatory design process with them later in the first year of the grant to develop the projects they would undertake. Mr. Dayley said that they were excited about the 10 projects they had. He said that some of these organizations were ones they had worked with in the past, and they were familiar with the community service they provided. He said that they were also cultivating relationships with new organizations. He said that this mix of existing and new relationships would allow them to gain a better understanding of the connections among these organizations. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 10 Mr. Dayley said that yesterday's discussion provided insight into these existing relationships as well as new ones that were being fostered. He said that they had previously mentioned the grant's timeline and elements, but he would briefly review. He said that the grant consisted of two parts. He said that the first part, the planning phase, overlapped with the remaining phases of the Resilient Together planning process. He said that this part would conclude when they adopted resilience plans for their entities, and then part two would begin. Mr. Dayley said that this second phase would allocate a separate pot of money, allowing these organizations to implement pilot projects and start implementing the resilience plan. He said that they were excited about this opportunity. He said that this aligned with their next steps. He said that Ms. Irvine previously presented a visual representation of the Resilient Together project phases, including discover, define, design, decide, and do. He said that they were currently between two and three phases, right on the cusp. Mr. Dayley said that he wanted to draw attention to a point that Ms. Irvine had previously mentioned, and he believed now that they had completed the climate resilience cohort, he wanted to reiterate that the themes, guiding principles, and long-term goals they had identified were the foundation for this project. He said that however, he wanted to ensure that they were aware that this group of 10 organizations also had the opportunity to provide input on these elements before they finalized them. Mr. Dayley said that moving forward to the design and decide phases, in the design phase, they would combine the information they had gathered so far, including the goals, guiding principles, themes, and research on strategy options, to develop a comprehensive plan that would help them meet their objectives. He said that he would then move into the decide phase, where they would put everything into a detailed plan, structured in Word documents, which they could then present to their elected bodies for adoption and implementation. Mr. Dayley said that the design phase would also include community engagement, building on Ms. Irvine’s earlier comments about the need to address engagement fatigue. He said that they received feedback that while there may be fatigue with general informat ion, there was a strong appetite for creative design thinking and idea-crafting. He said that this phase would involve significant engagement with the 10 organizations in the climate resilience cohort, as well as broader community engagement in strategic geographic locations across the city and county, to gather input from as wide a community as possible. Mr. Dayley said that they would also continue to meet with staff and subject matter experts from City, County, UVA, and other relevant government agencies. He said that they wanted to ensure that these projects aligned with their guiding planning documents for the City and County, which involved the Planning Commissions, as seen in Cville Plans Together and AC44. He said that he would turn it over to Ms. Irvine to discuss the plans in more detail, and then he would conclude their discussion. Ms. Irvine said that one thing she would like to reiterate is that the City of Charlottesville is a part of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. She said that as a result, they have a commitment to develop a climate action plan and a climate resilience plan. She said that they had already adopted their climate action plan, and it was incorporated as a functional piece under the umbrella of their updated comprehensive plan. She said that their intention is to do the same for the climate resilience plan. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 11 Ms. Irvine said that they hoped that this plan will become a functional plan, part of the broader comprehensive plan. She said that many of their final strategies will impact multiple chapters, not just Chapter 7 related to the environment, climate, and food equity. She said that she thought they had covered a significant number of chapters. She said that in anticipation of this, she would like to foreshadow the possibility that they may need to amend the comprehensive plan to incorporate the climate resilience plan. Mr. Dayley said that on the County side, they had the opportunity to engage in resilience planning in conjunction with the AC44 comprehensive plan update. He said that this allowed for cross- pollination between their teams. He said that as they had been working with their colleagues in planning, they had been able to incorporate themes and ideas from their work into their own efforts. He said that they had also attended engagement events through AC44, where they had heard relevant themes that aligned with their work. He said that this collaboration had been very beneficial for them. Mr. Dayley said that the AC44 draft plan intersected strategies related to climate change mitigation and adaptation resilience, and they saw opportunities for integration with their County's climate action plan, mitigation plan, and resilience project. He said that specifically, the resilient community chapter would incorporate smart goals that they had been developing, relating to their climate action plan, mitigation plan, and resilience project. Mr. Dayley said that he wanted to pause here and check in with Chair Missel. He said that he had mentioned wanting to have space for general questions. He said that the next two slides presented potential strategies that they had identified, which they had shared in their memo to him in advance. He said that he wanted to check in and see if he would like to proceed with discussing these strategies, or if he would prefer to have a general Q&A session. Julian Bivins said that at some point, it would be helpful to understand how the climate action plan they developed in 2022 fit into this project. He said that given the numerous potential deliverables, they did not need to address them now, but perhaps they could discuss it further with the Planning Commission. He said that he was struck by the introduction, which effectively outlined the 10 partners, the 10 community-based organizations that served disadvantaged community members. Mr. Bivins said that while he appreciated the efforts of these organizations, he would like to have a clearer understanding of their effectiveness in achieving the desired outcomes. He said that specifically, he would like to know more about the impact of these organizations on this work. He said that he had a question regarding the process of bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to design this project. He said that since the for-profit entities were the ones who would ultimately adopt and implement the plan, he was concerned that they were not engaging them early enough in the process. Mr. Bivins said that he sensed a mistrust among some community members towards the for-profit entities, which may hinder their willingness to participate. He said that he believed that the County and City had limited leverage to encourage these private entities to take action, except perhaps through offering incentives such as increased density or other benefits on their properties. He said that while he believed this development may be a positive for their jurisdiction, he felt that there was a significant gap in not being able to include some individuals who were passionate about this project and would be the ones to implement it in their own processes. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 12 Mr. Bivins said that being inclusive was crucial, as he believed there was an opportunity for them to learn from each other. He said that they did so in their CACs. He said that there were opportunities for their young people in school to get involved and learn about this work, and he thought it would be beneficial for them to reach out to local schools and invite a few students to participate in the planning process. He said that involving students, rather than teachers, would provide a unique and engaging perspective that could help shape the future of this project. Michael Joy said that he knew that they were working towards a roadmap to complete this study, which served as a third way in the process. He said that it was interesting to note that as they developed the deliverable, they were gaining a better understanding of what it entailed. He said that this was an ongoing conversation that would be refined and adapted as new information became available. Mr. Joy said that the second point he would like to make was related to the climate action plan. He said that although it may overlap with this plan, he was curious about the conversations being had with large utility providers and for-profit companies. He said that he wondered if there were efforts to collaborate and align priorities, particularly those that shared similar goals. Ms. Irvine said that they acknowledged the need to connect with state-level agencies and utilities, and they were actively working to build those relationships. She said that they had received valuable advice from their colleagues in Fairfax on how to effectively engage with utilities and state agencies, and they were using this information to inform their approach. Ms. Irvine said that in the County, VDOT had a significant impact, and they were working to establish connections with them. She said that they were also reaching out to their colleagues to facilitate connections with other state agencies and utilities. She said that to better understand their needs and operations, they were engaging with their Economic Development team to explore ways to connect with the business community. Ms. Irvine said that they planned to conduct business-specific workshops during the design phase to gather input from developers and other stakeholders. She said that their goal was to foster a collaborative approach, allowing them to effectively engage with the community and gather meaningful feedback. She said that to achieve this, they were being intentional about their asks and ensuring that their requests were clear and concise, so that they could maximize the impact of the feedback they received and make the most efficient use of the community's time. Mr. Joy said that it may be helpful to consider that as this project came to fruition and they had a final report, it could be shared with a larger regional area, allowing them to adopt components of it. He said that the report could be developed as a series of modular components, or plugins, that different areas could adopt, even if they lacked municipal oversight or deep resources. He said that this would provide a framework with guiding principles that could help them make informed decisions. Ms. Irvine said that that was a great idea. Nathan Moore said that he had some questions about the potential strategies, but he would save those for later. He said that in the meantime, his first comment was that he appreciated the long- term goals. He said that the list was quite comprehensive. He said that he appreciated that this was focused on adaptation rather than mitigation. He said that this project's approach was different from mitigation strategies. He said that he was a bit surprised to see that the primary ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 13 resilience strategy was greenhouse gas reduction, which was actually a mitigation strategy. Mr. Moore said that Charlottesville and Albemarle County could be carbon neutral tomorrow, but even then, there would still be 30 days a year with temperatures over 95 degrees in 2050. He said that he did not want to say that they should not do some things, but he felt that if they focused too much on mitigation, they may miss out on the more necessary adaptation strategies, such as improving communication and collaboration, strengthening their backup systems, electricity systems, and water systems, which he believed were more critical for adaptation. Mr. Dayley said that recognizing that they were just beginning the strategy development process, the first guiding principle was to avoid taking up too much space in the room for actual strategies, while acknowledging that increasing emissions over the years was making this problem worse and making adaptation and resilience more challenging. He said that from a resilience perspective, the first and most effective step was to drastically reduce emissions now. He said that they could then flesh out strategies that were more focused on preparing for and mitigating the impacts of future challenges, such as putting up bulwarks against storms. Betsy Roettger said that she thought prioritizing was key. She said that effective communication and collaboration were crucial, but they kept emphasizing the need for more information and involving everyone. She said that perhaps it was as simple as visually organizing the goals and objectives, making it clear that they were working towards them; emissions was one of the many initiatives being worked on. She said that she thought it was well-thought out. She said that she was impressed by the collaborative effort. Ms. Roettger said that she was interested in the grant because it was allowing them to bring people together and explore new opportunities, such as partnering with schools to find additional funding. She said that it seemed like they had already done a great job of tying these goals to existing initiatives, so when they moved to implementation, it would be helpful to have a clear list of potential funding sources, including dollar amounts, to make it easier to discuss with communities. She said that having the specific available funding could help alleviate disappointment when they had to make tough decisions and explain their choices. Ms. Irvine said that when they created their implementation roadmaps, the costs would certainly be something to consider. Rory Stolzenberg said that he was curious about the extent to which data gathering and analysis of existing data were factors in this process. He said that they did have vulnerability assessments that touched on this, but he was wondering if data analysis played a role in prioritizing the different strategies they developed. He said that he was thinking about the County's dam study, and the presence of numerous private dams and stormwater systems throughout the County. He said that there was a number of culverts that were vulnerable to being washed out, such as the one in Ivy a couple of years ago. He said that he was wondering if data analysis was a part of this process, or if it would be addressed in a separate initiative. Greg Harper, Chief Director of Environmental Services for Albemarle County, said that he may have been the one discussing the dam study within the drainage infrastructure management program. He said that the risk factor in this case was a company called First Street, which provided the data they had recently purchased. He said that this data included flood data, both current risks and projected risks in 30 years based on various climate scenarios, such as heat, smoke, and other hazards. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 14 Mr. Harper said that they were seeking to receive, consume, and disseminate this data to some extent. He said that they were relying on the vulnerability assessments conducted, as he had mentioned, and through various programs already administered by the County and City, and UVA, such as the drainage infrastructure management program, were more data-intensive. He said that was his perspective on how they were utilizing data. Mr. Dayley said that one helpful aspect of the risk factor data package was that it included both City and County data. He said that he had noticed that sometimes County data sets could have gaps or inconsistencies, but fortunately, for this project, they were able to obtain both City and County data, which would provide a more comprehensive understanding. He said that the data set they received was more spatially refined than some of the maps found in the County's vulnerability assessment. He said that they were hoping to utilize this more refined and updated data to inform their strategy development. Ms. Irvine said that the City had a flood resilience plan that had been adopted by or approved by the Department of Conservation and Recreation . She said that this plan included a list of projects that they could apply for funding through the Community Flood Preparedness Fund (CFPF) to implement, which would allow them to secure funds for projects identified through that plan. She said that they envisioned that this plan would relate to their own plan, and it would be part of the implementation roadmap. She said that for example, they would take their approved plan and apply for funding to progress with the projects. She said that on the City side, this plan was specifically focused on addressing flooding. Mr. Murray said that he would like to highlight the significant overlap between addressing climate change and another pressing global issue: the Holocene extension. He said that they were witnessing a massive loss of biodiversity worldwide. He said that Albemarle County had a Biodiversity Action Plan, which set them apart from other localities. He said that some localities had made mistakes in addressing climate change, such as Chesterfield's massive solar project, which would risk destroying several endangered species in Virginia. Mr. Murray said that this example illustrated how addressing climate change could go wrong. He said that he would like to know what they were doing in Albemarle County to ensure they were not only addressing climate change but also considering the biodiversity aspect. He said that similarly, in Charlottesville, they should be working to make sure their efforts were comprehensive, addressing both climate change and biodiversity. Mr. Dayley said that first, they needed to prioritize their strategies. He said that one way they planned to do this was by considering multiple benefits at once when evaluating strategies. He said that Ms. Irvine’s presentation highlighted the importance of addressing climate change as a challenge and as a symptom of deeper issues such as environmental extraction and exploitation, and its impact on biodiversity and species extinction. He said that as they moved forward, they wanted to adopt a root causes mindset when evaluating strategies, and they were exploring ways to score or check off strategies that addressed these multiple challenges. Mr. Dayley said that this might include strategies like backup generators for critical facilities that could not accommodate rooftop solar, but these solutions often came with trade-offs and may not have addressed the entire issue. He said that another approach they were considering was to learn from their colleagues in Community Development, who had successfully integrated biodiversity protection and clean energy promotion into their policymaking efforts. He said that by ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 15 building on these successes, they aimed to prioritize biodiversity protection while also promoting clean energy in the county. He said that this was ongoing work, but he believed these strategies could help them achieve their goals. Philip d’Oronzio said that he would like to briefly mention that the slide showing progress in Charlottesville mentioned a forthcoming zoning ordinance, but that ordinance was actually now passed and in effect. He said that to speak to a slightly larger aspect, his interest may be less in the specifics of what they do, but the strategy of how they implement it. He said that because at the beginning, they had discussed not wanting this to be just another plan. Mr. d’Oronzio said that his concern was that they needed to be mindful of developing an implementation strategy even before they had a fully formed plan, or else they risked not being mindful of the process of implementation and how this would roll out and what it would look like. He said that they could end up in a frozen, constipated space where some of this work did not get done. He said that he was concerned about this and believed it deserved serious thought on how they could approach it. Mr. d’Oronzio said that he would like to follow up on Mr. Moore's comments on greenhouse gases. He said that while it was easy to measure, it was obligatory because they wanted others to follow suit, but it did not actually change the climate or environment in the City of Charlottesville or Albemarle County. He said that they were not a significant contributor, so it was obligatory rather than impactful. He said that his main concern was that they actually implemented this and invested time and resources in developing a comprehensive strategy. He said that, if necessary, they may need to hire external expertise to discuss strategy, and he was unsure about their internal resources for this. Mr. Missel asked if Ms. Irvine had a response to Mr. d’Oronzio’s remarks. He said that he had had a similar question. He said that in addition to how they do it, he wondered how they would measure it and ensured they were doing the right thing or if they needed to change direction. Ms. Irvine said that she believed that was something they were aware of as the project team, and it was a critical aspect of their strategy development. She said that this was also an issue they frequently encountered in their mitigation work. She said that for instance, they had been working on implementing their climate action plan, and it was challenging to measure the effectiveness of each item on their work plan. She said that they had just released their first report on their progress, and it was certainly difficult to quantify the impact of each item on the work plan, such as the amount of carbon produced by a particular action. She said that this was a complex aspect of their work, and they would continue to consider it as part of their strategy development. She said that while it may not be a complete answer, they had not quite arrived at that point in their planning. Mr. Missel said that it seemed difficult to directly measure certain impacts on the environment. Ms. Irvine said that they did provide some services, including measurement and verification, as part of the implementation phase. She said that as they developed the implementation roadmaps, they recognized the importance of building this into the project. She said that one of their guiding principles was that these must be actionable strategies that they could develop. She said that at this stage in the project, they felt that this was a critically important aspect to emphasize. She said that this was a guiding principle that they would not develop unless it had real, tangible, and world- impacting consequences. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 16 Mr. Dayley said that they were planning to develop a second piece, which involved putting out logical frameworks for all the strategies in the plan. He said that although he did not have a document to show for it, he had briefly showcased it on one of their slides. He said that this framework aimed to provide a clear understanding of the theory of change for each strategy and how it would achieve the desired impact. Mr. Dayley said that when discussing metrics, it was essential to consider the real-world applications, as there was always a gap between short-term outcomes, medium-term outcomes, and long-term impacts. He said that this gap could be challenging to bridge, as it often involved making conjectures about long-term effects rather than being able to measure them definitively. Mr. Dayley said that building a logical framework or logic model could help address this issue, making it more cost- and data-efficient. He said that by developing this framework, they could ensure a clear understanding of the strategy's theory of change and its potential impact. He said that this would also enable them to be more transparent about their assumptions and engage in a collaborative process with their colleagues to think through these complexities. Julia Monteith said that they were not yet at the point where they could accurately assess the situation. She said that it was essential to remember that they were currently in the design phase, and as such, they must first determine what they intended to do before they could measure its impact. Corey Clayborne said that he would like to start by expressing his gratitude for this collaboration, and he hoped it would become a more regular occurrence. He said that he would like to mention that his first question was not intended for immediate answer, but rather something to consider as the process evolved. He asked what the cost was of doing nothing. Mr. Clayborne said that he had found a relevant signal on page 170 of the County Plan, but it should be brought to the forefront. He said that the potential consequences of inaction could extend beyond financial costs, such as affecting life expectancy in the region. He said that he believed that economics and health were crucial indicators of a community's vitality. Mr. Clayborne said that regarding the building performance piece, he would like to push back a bit. He said that as someone who worked for the American Institute of Architects, he was aware of the numerous firms across the country that measured progress. He said that he had seen the annual reports on the impact of building performance, and he thought it would be negligent for them not to prioritize this focus on reducing greenhouse gases and buildings. Mr. Clayborne said that he thought it was essential to consider how they would communicate their progress to the community. He said that this would be crucial in sharing their findings and outcomes. He said that he appreciated the mention of Mr. Dayley’s theory of change. He said that he thought this concept was particularly relevant, as it allowed them to break down complex problems into manageable, bite-sized chunks. He said that they could test these chunks, assess their effectiveness, and recalibrate as needed. He said that this iterative approach would be essential in their efforts to address this issue. Lyle Solla-Yates said that he was very grateful to be here and was excited about the importance of this work. He said that he was eager to see how equity would be integrated into this project. He said that in the Charlottesville Plans Together plan, approaching tit with an equity lens was a ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 17 crucial component of that initiative. He said that he would like to hear more about how this project would incorporate that approach. Mr. Solla-Yates said that they had found the Virginia Equity Center to be a valuable resource in this area. He said that he was curious to know if this project would utilize their expertise. He said that housing was another essential aspect of the Charlottesville Plans Together process, and he was pleased to see that some housing was included in the list of organizations. He said that he had questions about emergency housing and how this project planned to address it. Mr. Solla-Yates said that he also did not see any mention of regional transit and transit-oriented development, which he believed would be essential in achieving the land use and climate goals they were discussing. He said that he was concerned about the climate impacts of permitting and infill estimates. He said that it would be beneficial to have more information on the effects of these changes. He said that furthermore, he was aware that their current legislative authority was outdated and constraining, and he believed that legislative reform should be considered as part of this project. Ms. Irvine said that all of the elements Mr. Solla-Yates mentioned were included in the draft strategy list, focusing on density, transportation, and housing. She said that these were key considerations that arose during their engagement during the discover phase. She said that they aimed to incorporate these concepts into their report to highlight their importance. She said that housing was a particularly pressing concern for many community members. Ms. Irvine said that additionally, they were actively working at the state level to advance their legislative agenda through their professional networks. She said that Ms. Riddervold, Mr. Harper, Mr. Powers, Mr. Dayley, and herself were part of the Virginia group of local government sustainability professionals, and they were learning together how to effectively advocate for policies that would benefit their jurisdiction. She said that the climate action plan included several key actions related to state and federal level advocacy, which they recognized would be a crucial component of their efforts to move forward. Luis Carrazana said that he would like to thank Ms. Irvine and Mr. Dayley for bringing this to the Commissions’ attention early on in the process. He said that they had mentioned earlier that they had not yet reached the design phase, so this was a great opportunity. He said that he appreciated that many of the questions being asked were similar to some he had, but Ms. Irvine had mentioned earlier that she had recently visited North Carolina. He said that he was wondering if there were any specific lessons or insights gained from that experience, particularly regarding how neighbors helped neighbors. Mr. Carrazana said that he was wondering if there were any particular observations or takeaways that they had been discussing with those colleagues. He said that he was sure that there were ongoing conversations about this topic. He said that although this was a recent experience, it was not entirely new, as they had relevant local experience in Nelson County, specifically Schuyler, with similar types of disasters. Mr. Carrazana said that he was simply wondering if there was a particular moment or realization that made them pause and consider whether they had adequately thought through this issue, or if something changed their perspective. He said that he was thinking about the recent experience with Helene and whether there had been any retrospective analysis. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 18 Ms. Irvine said that to clarify, she was in Minnesota with colleagues from North Carolina, but she was not in North Carolina herself. She said that it was all still very fresh, but what struck her was that they were cut off from the internet and communication systems, and they had to rely on the radio, which not everyone has, especially one that can be run without electricity. She said that this stuck with her as they engaged with the community about emergency preparedness. Ms. Irvine said that she did not think they could ignore the significant overlap with this concept. She said that their emergency preparedness colleagues had been a central part of this project, and as they communicated with the community through this lens, the importance of gathering lessons learned from communities that had been greatly impacted recently was essential. Ms. Irvine said that the difficulties they had in North Carolina had deeply resonated with her. She said that as someone from an engineering background, she was aware that redundancy was often considered inefficient. She said that however, redundancy was a vital concept when discussing resilience. She said that she was wondering how they could ensure that their systems, including communication systems, were redundant to prevent them from being left in the dark and unable to communicate effectively. Ms. Irvine said that she also been reminded of the value of building connections with their neighbors. She said that people had emphasized the need for community to come together during the hurricane. She said that as they could not plan for every eventuality, she believed that having strong systems and connections between individuals was key. She said that the experience of shock could be overwhelming, but it was the ability to come together with strength that truly mattered. Mr. Carrazana said that as he had mentioned before, this was a very fresh issue, and he expected more of these situations to arise. He said that he believed there were valuable lessons to be learned from this experience, and he thought they should draw from them. He said that he was not sure if they had fully learned from the Nelson, as they had been just discussing the issue of building in floodplains in their previous conversation. He said that this presented a unique chance for them to learn from the entire region and gain valuable insights. Mr. Missel said that that somewhat answered Mr. Clayborne’s question regarding the costs of doing nothing. Mr. Mitchell said that he was glad that they were moving forward with this. He said that Mr. Bivins and he had attempted to do this just before COVID-19, but it did not work out. He said that he was glad that they were doing it now and hopefully they could do it again. He said that he would like to explore a thought that may lead to a question. He said that what he had read and heard today emphasized the importance of excessive water and heat. Mr. Mitchell said that however, they did not often discuss the propensity of water on their grounds. He said that the Fairfax report acknowledged that not enough thought had been given to droughts on their part. He said that in their own reports, they had mentioned droughts three times. He said that the presentation also touched on the concern of droughts and wildfires. He said that he had recently been at the A school, discussing resilience with them, and one of the individuals had mentioned that 99% of home properties in Albemarle were at least at moderate risk for wildfires. Mr. Mitchell said that he wanted to ensure that they gave more thought to the propensity of water. He thought there may be value in collaborating with the Water and Sewer Authority to discuss ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 19 this. He said that they needed to understand their reservoir strategies and pipeline plans in the event of a regional drought. He said that if they did not want to make them a full partner, they should at least consider them a junior partner in their work, because it was essential that they document their reservoir strategies as they moved forward. Mr. Dayley said that Ms. Irvine had discussed their research on strategies from other localities and had highlighted locally relevant ones, comparing them to their own plans and cross- referencing them. He said that one strategy that stood out to him was the drought response plan from the Water and Sewer Authority. He said that upon reviewing their plan, he noticed that some of their strategies were written as procedures, outlining specific actions to take in response to certain scenarios. Mr. Dayley said that for example, if the water level reached a certain point, a specific action would be taken. He said that this was helpful for him to see, as it allowed him to think about what they already had in place that they could build upon and elevate. He said that however, such plans did not address the needs of rural areas with well water, which was another key hazard they were considering. Ms. Irvine said that RWSA was currently involved in a process at UVA, which they were also participating in. She said that they were maximizing the reservoir and implementing changes to the water system that would affect their entire community. She said that specifically, they were upgrading their raw water lines from 18-inch to 36-inch lines. She said that this change meant that the entire system would operate differently. She said that the goal of their work was to build a stronger water infrastructure for their community. Mr. Harper said that also of note was that the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority had recently hired their first ever sustainability coordinator. He said that they would be meeting with them next week, and this position would create a direct link to their sustainability programs. Mr. Bivins said that what they were discussing was the emergency response plan. He said that this was more than just water; it was the fire department, and it was also the unified ambulance service. He said that he was interested in understanding how these entities communicated with each other, not just with them, but also with themselves, so that they could effectively respond. He said that this was the term that they were suggesting they anticipate. Mr. Missel said that he would imagine that simplifying this into a checklist of essential components, such as power, water, sewer, and other necessary pieces, would be beneficial. He said that this would allow them to consider each component individually and respond to situations accordingly. He said that he had a couple of quick questions. Mr. Missel said that firstly, he would like to encourage them to think about measuring the success of their designs and decisions even before they finalized them. He said that sometimes, it was beneficial to have a clear understanding of what they could measure at the end, so thinking about this from a backwards approach may help with the designing and decision-making process. Ms. Missel said that secondly, he would like to discuss the funding aspect. He said that they had discussed incentives, which would likely be a topic of discussion soon. He said that however, it was essential to acknowledge that this work would require significant funding. He said that they had been exploring affordable housing options for years, and it had taken time to develop incentives for Housing Albemarle. He asked if part of this project included identifying funding ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 20 strategies. Ms. Irvine said that that was always a question when doing this type of work. She said that up to this point, they had been primarily focusing on the mitigation aspects. She said that as they moved deeper into the process, it became increasingly clear that they needed to consider how to utilize this project. She said that this was a unique opportunity for collaboration between two jurisdictions and their university, which spanned their jurisdictions. Ms. Irvine said that working together in this way was a novel approach, especially when it came to grant applications. She said that they had been thinking about how to leverage this partnership to access outside resources. She said that one area they had not explored was the cost of building resilience hubs in their community; they were not yet far enough down the road to determine that. Mr. Missel said that that was good to know. He said that whether it was City Council or the Board of Supervisors, having those conversations early to be interpreted in the context of the budget process was very important. Mr. Joy said that this also referred to Mr. Clayborne’s earlier question of the cost of doing nothing. He said that framing the whole thing in that context changed the mindset. He said that they should consider the added costs, instead of avoiding the actual cost element. Mr. Carrazana said that he wanted to discuss a point that Ms. Irvine had made regarding defining actionable steps. He said that to take actionable steps, they needed to identify specific actions that could be taken. He said that they must consider what enabled those actions, and funding was likely a crucial factor. He said that he was simply reiterating this point to emphasize the importance of thinking about how to facilitate action when considering the next steps. Ms. Monteith said that she would like to discuss what goes beyond traditional community engagement. She said that they were collaborating with subject matter experts in their community, which included staff from the City and County, as well as UVA. She said that these experts were providing valuable insights, and it was essential to consider their expertise when discussing the systems they managed. She said that she appreciated Mr. Bivins’ idea of engaging with schools, and she was thinking about how to implement this concept. She said that during her time at ZGF in Portland, the firm had a citywide program where professionals from various firms visited schools to educate children about architecture and urban planning. Ms. Monteith said that she thought they could create a similar program, making it engaging and interactive in a classroom environment, as she believed they could learn a great deal from young people. She said that reaching out to the Monacan Nation could be a fascinating and useful initiative, given their importance in their community. She said that when considering the five- minute walk circle and ten-minute walk circle, she was thinking about the communities they had already connected with and those they needed to expand their network to. She said that many of them had made excellent suggestions in this direction. Serena Gruia said that she had a meeting with the County schools tomorrow to discuss how to bring these types of workshops into the County schools. She said that she believed that they could use this model for the City schools as well. She said that these great suggestions were already being implemented. She said that in terms of community engagement, they were being very intentional about creating accessible tools that could be deployed across the region. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 21 Ms. Gruia said that they were using the cohort as a vetting option to work with them and implement true human-centered design, ensuring that they were not just creating solutions in their offices and then releasing them into the community. She said that instead, they were actively working with the community to think through how they shared information and what information they shared, so that people could come to the conversation as their best selves. Ms. Gruia said that these tools, designed specifically for the cohort's community, would be accessible to the chamber, classrooms, and the broader community, providing the best availability of information and design strategies that reflected the needs of the entire community. She said that at its core, this was what they were striving for: making sure that their efforts were accessible to elected officials and ultimately, the community. She said that she believed they were on the right track. She said that their intention was to empower the community to take action and feel vested in this work, and they were committed to bringing the necessary skills to make that happen. Mr. Dayley said that to frame what was next, they had distilled two potential strategies that combined elements of their research and goals. He said that they believed it was a golden opportunity to collaborate with both Planning Commissions, leveraging the expertise in the room, to seek their input and guidance on addressing challenges. He said that they aimed to shift the conversation and were asking for their questions, insights, and wisdom to help them navigate these issues. Mr. Dayley said that to facilitate this, he had selected a couple of strategies that affected both mitigation and adaptation/resilience, and he would like to share them with the Commissioners. He said that he would present the talking points, which explained why he chose these options, and ask for their help in problem-solving and providing insight on how to proceed with some of the more challenging aspects. He said that these strategies were in front of them, and he would display them on the board. He said that he would then engage in a discussion with them, going back and forth. Mr. Dayley of these strategies may seem familiar, as they had explored similar approaches in other documents. He said that however, due to its implications for climate resilience, he was giving it serious consideration in this context, focusing on protecting areas that provided ecosystem services and implementing management and ownership strategies such as conservation easements and private open spaces. He said that this was a distillation of strategies used by other localities in their resilience plans across the country. Mr. Dayley said that their goal was to frame the discussion and seek their input on the tension between development and conservation, a challenge that both Planning Commissions likely faced in their projects. He said that they were curious about how to develop a strategy that addressed the increasingly extreme weather events they were facing and reframe their approach to balance the tension between ecological health and the need for affordable housing and economic vitality. He said that this was a topic that was often discussed, and he would appreciate their help in thinking through this issue. He said that they wanted a strategy that was not just a well-intentioned idea, but one that was actionable and could be implemented effectively. Mr. Mitchell asked for an example of an ecosystem service. Mr. Dayley said that biodiversity was an example, as Mr. Murray had mentioned earlier. Mr. Murray said that Charlottesville was home to the Dogwood Festival, which was well-known, ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 22 but what was lesser known is that they were the southernmost occurrence of a rare dogwood species, Cornus canadensis. He said that this plant is extremely rare and only lives for about a year, typically found in boreal forests in Canada. He said that a small pocket of it had survived since the last ice age, over 10,000 years ago, in Albemarle County. Mr. Murray said that despite its unique history, this plant would not thrive in their local climate, particularly at their altitude, and would likely die quickly due to heat. He said that this could be seen as one of the first casualties of climate change. He said that Interestingly, despite its sensitivity to climate, Cornus canadensis is also a fire-dependent species. He said that currently, it was being outcompeted in the Shenandoah National Forest due to the inability to conduct controlled burns. Mr. Murray said that this situation raises concerns, as houses are spreading up the hill into the Shenandoah, increasing the risk of fires, while also making it difficult to conduct controlled burns. He said that this example highlights the importance of preserving ecosystem services and biodiversity. He said that he believed Cornus canadensis could be a powerful symbol for climate change in Charlottesville, rather than Cornus florida, as it represents the potential loss of ecosystem services. Mr. Dayley said that another one that came to mind for him was the importance of incorporating pollinator-friendly plants, pollinator species, and their impact on their agricultural systems. He said that this was a crucial contribution. He said that he would like to present both of these points for discussion, as they may intersect. He said that their second point was to explore strategies such as compact development, walkability, and accessibility, as well as increasing transportation options during climate hazards, decreasing transportation costs, and supporting public health through active transportation. Mr. Dayley said that their sense was that pursuing this strategy may seem deceptively simple, yet it played a significant role in both their localities' comprehensive plans, including the City's zoning update and the County's zoning modernization process. He said that this priority was reflected in many of these plans. He said that it was also a widely accepted idea, with many people agreeing that it was a good approach. Mr. Dayley said that however, on the ground, they often faced challenges, such as mixed reactions to similar strategies, where people may enthusiastically support the idea in theory but oppose it when it was implemented in reality. He said that they would like to discuss how to overcome these challenges and ensure that the benefits of this strategy were realized. Mr. Mitchell said that he understood how this could work in many areas in the County, such as Crozet and Scottsville. He asked how this would work in Esmont. Mr. Bivins said that this was an interesting point to consider. He said that in a previous discussion about community hubs, he wanted to explore the concept of community hubs. He said that in some of the communities, there was significant pushback against this type of development, particularly in the surrounding areas. He said that he was trying to figure out how they would address the issue of emergency situations, where people who could not stay in place would need to be safely relocated. Mr. Bivins said that for example, when people suggested using Yancey School as a temporary solution, it became clear that simply getting to the school was not a viable option. He said that he ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 23 recalled the recent derecho that affected their area, which highlighted the challenges of navigating the roads outside of their system. He said that it was a chaotic and frightening experience. He said that in the planning conversations, it seemed like a community center would inevitably lead to other amenities, creating a snowball effect of development in that area. Mr. Bivins said that this raised the question of how to balance the need for community hubs with the concerns of local residents. He said that he thought it may be helpful to acknowledge that the fear of change can be a significant barrier to progress. He said that however, it was essential to consider the long-term consequences of inaction. Mr. Bivins said that for instance, the recent snowstorm that crippled their area, with 22 inches of snow on the ground, highlighted the limitations of their infrastructure. He said that as a county with 460,000 acres, they were heavily reliant on VDOT's limited resources. He said that he was not trying to be alarmist, but he did think it was wise to focus on building resilience in areas that were already well-connected, and then work towards developing infrastructure that could support their growing population. Mr. d’Oronzio said that he did not like scaring people either, but he thought it was essential to acknowledge that change can be scary. He said that in 2022 and 2023, they experienced an alarming number of instances that highlighted the need for change. He said that it was true that change can be scary, and he believed that for this initiative to succeed, they needed a significant portion of the community to be enthusiastically on board. He said that the community at large needed to have a clear understanding that this was an important endeavor, and that change was necessary. Mr. d’Oronzio said that it would also come with a cost and be challenging to implement. He said that he thought it was crucial to frame the potential consequences in a way that resonated with people, particularly those who may be concerned about the impact of their decisions 20 years from now if they did nothing. He said that they struggled to effectively communicate the importance of their actions, and it was often easier to rally opposition to a specific project, such as a 10-story building. He said that however, they needed to address the more insidious concerns that could undermine their efforts, such as misinformation and skepticism. Mr. d’Oronzio said that it was essential to develop effective communication strategies to counter these misinformed concerns and to clearly articulate the benefits of their actions. He said that perhaps they could emphasize the progress they had made in the past 20 years and the changes that could be seen, highlighting the importance of their efforts to shape the future. He said that however, he believed that an implementation was unlikely to succeed if they did not make it clear that this was a serious and costly endeavor, one that would actually change people's lives on a larger scale than just having a recycling bin. He said that they needed to convey that this was a significant undertaking, not just a minor upgrade. Mr. Missel said that in a sense, education could be a way to answer the fears about change. He said that by highlighting the benefits of open space, stormwater management, walkability, and other aspects, they could instill a value in residents that made them more receptive to change. He said that once they saw the benefits, it could be less intimidating. He said that he also wanted to note that the two strategies they had been discussing, particularly in the context of AC44, were well-chosen. He said that one focused on open space, while the other addressed density. He said that their development area had collectively been decided on to not expand, so they were looking at ways to create density within the existing development areas. He said that he wanted to bring ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 24 this to their attention as an observation. Mr. Murray said that he wanted to think through the challenges of incorporating green space in their growth areas. He said that in urban contexts, they had had conversations about the difficulties of obtaining green space, as it often required developing part of it to proffer it back as a green space. He said that he thought the public's mistrust of density-related conversations was partly due to the misconception that it would result in all concrete, housing, and a loss of green space. Mr. Murray said that he believed the infrastructure piece was crucial, but he also thought the footprint was important in a very narrow sense. He said that he was surprised that they had not thoroughly examined particularly sensitive areas, such as riparian zones. He said that instead of focusing solely on the number of units in these areas, he thought they should consider limiting the footprint to a specific square footage. Mr. Murray said that this approach would significantly alter the conversation surrounding these issues. He said that they also had the authority to require Low-Impact Development (LID) in these areas. He said that he was surprised they were not utilizing this approach. He said that in these areas, which were often used for pedestrian infrastructure, they could incorporate walking and cycling paths, and even running trails. Mr. Murray said that conservation easements did not have to be limited to rural areas; they could explore their use in these the development areas. He said that the Stormwater Conservation District already had many riparian easements, so this could be another strategy to consider in protecting these areas in the long term. Mr. Missel said that as an example, during the rezoning process for North Fork, they successfully proffered 200 acres of open space. He said that although it was located in a development area, it features 3.7 million square feet of entitled development, and 200 acres out of 565 were carved out as permanent open space. He said that it should be noted that it was mostly floodplain and critical slopes. He said that this presented an opportunity for developers to consider the long-term implications of their plans. He said that by including this in the conversation, they could ensure that open space was programmed and preserved. Mr. Murray said that this might require revisiting existing plans and exploring alternative solutions. He said that ultimately, he believed that preserving green space was essential, and they should be willing to consider taller buildings if it meant achieving this goal. He said that however, it was often misinterpreted as a one-size-fits-all approach, resulting in taller buildings everywhere, rather than a thoughtful and nuanced approach that balanced development with preservation. Mr. Stolzenberg said that he would like to discuss strategy two. He said that it was easy to overlook the middle part of this approach, but he thought it was crucial. He said that one aspect that was often overlooked was that new greenfield developments had been relatively dense and well-connected, with good walkability within the development. He said that however, these developments were typically located in the second ring of suburbs, around those developed 40 years ago, they lacked walkability to the urban center. Mr. Stolzenberg said that as a result, they had density without accessibility, which was not necessarily as bad as sprawl, but it was not as effective as density with accessibility. He said that he believed that remaking connections between these older suburbs and the urban core, as well ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 25 as other activity centers, required more thought and consideration. Mr. Moore said that he reviewed the two potential strategies outlined in the packet and guiding principles to provide a broader perspective. He said that while he found the long-term goals to be commendable, he was disappointed to see that the proposed strategies did not effectively address these goals. He said that the proposed strategies represented a status quo approach, which he believed was insufficient to achieve true resilience. Mr. Moore said that one strategy focused on preserving private land in rural areas, while the other involved building denser units in growth areas. He said that however, these land use approaches did not address the fundamental needs that would be required in the face of climate crises and other challenges. He said that people would need access to food, water, electricity, safe and quality homes, and reliable communication systems. Mr. Moore said that these needs were not adequately addressed by the proposed strategies. He said that if they focused on conservation easements and private open spaces, they could explore alternative models for agriculture and rural development, such as profit-sharing and co-op models, to ensure a reliable food supply. He said that in urban and development areas, they should prioritize building denser housing, including social housing and other models, to provide affordable options for residents. Mr. Moore said that they also needed to explicitly invest in robust electric and water backup systems, reliable communication systems, and third places to foster social networks. He said that these were essential components of building a resilient community. He said that they must get to know their neighbors and people down the street. He said that he encouraged them to be bolder in their strategies, rather than just making minor adjustments to their current status quo. Mr. d’Oronzio said that Charlottesville had one of the densest zoning ordinances it possibly could have. He said that they had spent the last couple of years trying to implement more density, but they had faced pushback from some community members for the same reasons they had mentioned earlier, looking at the long-term picture. He said that strategy number two was not viable for the City of Charlottesville, as they had already done it and it would not be revisited for years to try to make it denser. Mr. d’Oronzio said that strategy two was straightforward: they had done what they could, now they needed to think about how to support that density in a smart way and utilize it effectively, which tied back to Mr. Bivins’ comment about involving the private sector. He said that this involved a conversation with developers about what gets built. Mr. Bivins said that they often discussed density, but they lacked a public transportation network. He said that he did not believe they would ever have a comprehensive public transportation network. He said that one reason for this was the way their two communities were laid out. He said that he was unsure how to effectively move public transit across these communities in a way that made the financials work. Mr. Bivins said that if they were to consider a corridor, such as the one in Brookfield, coming up John Warner Parkway, up 29, to Berkmar Extended, and then back to Rio Road, he would need a reliable way to transport people, especially with the new housing and families moving into the area. He said that unfortunately, he currently lacked options for those traveling from North Fork and North Point, except for microCAT services, which may not be sufficient because it still relied ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 26 on cars. He said that they needed to collaborate to find a viable solution. Ms. Roettger said that given that the Commissions both shared a common goal and had already agreed on the importance of collaboration, she would like to focus on the larger strategies being developed by both the City and the County. She said that as they were both present in this room, she thought it was essential to connect these efforts and create a cohesive plan. Ms. Roettger said that perhaps the key lay in determining how the County could establish a fund to support this initiative, and how the City could do the same. She said that instead of simply listing the pros and cons of each entity, she thought it was crucial to consider how these two strategies could support each other. She said that by understanding who was taking the lead and what their goals were, they could work towards creating a unified approach that built upon each other's strengths. Mr. d’Oronzio said that as a very pragmatic approach, there was a reasonable argument that Charlottesville could waive critical slopes and instead focus on increasing density, with the goal of achieving more people living in the area and more green space outside of the dense area. He said that this idea was not inherently good or bad, but rather a potential strategy. He said that to make it work, they would need to coordinate policy and rulemaking to ensure they complemented each other, so that if they implemented this approach, there would be other complementary initiatives happening in the County as well. Mr. Bivins said that before they reached the County level, they decided to revisit what had been discussed earlier. He said that the steep slopes were created to provide some protection for the environment. He said that if they removed them and allowed people to build on them, they would need to integrate the stormwater management system, which meant they would also need to figure out what happened next. He said that it was not that all developers were inherently good or well-intentioned, but sometimes buildings could cause issues. He said that he believed that they were moving towards a gross density model, which implied that developers would be expected to figure out how to incorporate these types of setbacks into their designs. Mr. Stolzenberg said that Mr. d’Oronzio was trying to get at the idea that, aside from the critical slopes issue, they should focus on building as much as possible near employment centers like UVA and downtown. He said that this included building a lot more in the city, which he believed they had made a good first step towards. He said that however, there was likely more work to be done, and it would take a couple of years. He said that currently, the County was working on their comprehensive plan, and he thought their method of land use planning, which involved individual small area plans, may lead to a loss of coherence. Mr. Stolzenberg said that for example, the pending growth in Hollymead was largely due to the Places 29 Small Area Plan, which had designated growth in those large green fields. He said that they ended up with developments like North Point and Brookhill, which were densely developed internally but lacked connectivity to the surrounding areas. He said that it was challenging to make connections between these properties and retrofit them, which was a significant issue. He said that, the properties such as the Wetzel and Granger properties, which were already adjacent to each other, would have been more suitable for the type of intense growth. He said that however, those properties were part of different master plans with distinct objectives. Mr. Bivins said that they had a well-planned approach for the Wetzel project; however, the neighbors across the street essentially stormed the meeting and verbally assaulted the ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 27 Commissioners at the time. Mr. Stolzenberg said that that was even after the developer had already pushed down the density. Mr. Bivins said that he believed the conversation revolved around how to have community conversations with people, acknowledging that they all came from somewhere else, unless they had a piece of land that had been there since the 1700s. He said that many people did not have that connection. He said that he knew it was a challenge. Mr. Bivins said that he lived in a place where the census had changed from old Albemarle to new Albemarle, and residents were resistant to acknowledging their new neighbors. He said that they did not care about their neighbors or their history, but they expected the same level of service as they had in Connecticut. Mr. Bivins said that it was unrealistic to expect that to continue. He said that a significant change was happening in their community. Instead of becoming more community-focused, he sensed a pulling apart. He said that he was struggling to find a way to address this, ensuring that they could remain a safe, resilient, and forward-thinking community that could adapt to the challenges ahead. Mr. Missel said that he wished to mention two key areas to consider as they thought about their community's goals. He said that they needed to think about how their community could overcome the challenges associated with achieving these aims in practice, so that they could realize the beneficial outcomes. Mr. Missel said that they had not discussed infrastructure enough, particularly in relation to density. He said that they had mentioned it, but they needed to consider how they would handle increased density in a thoughtful and forward-thinking way, ensuring resilience. He said that they needed to measure their current infrastructure's stability, determine where they wanted it to be, and implement a plan as part of their development process to increase density. Ms. Firehock said that as someone who had been on both the County Planning Commission and the City Planning Commission, she had a unique perspective on the issue. She said that she wanted to highlight that their County Commission consistently discussed the need for increased density. She said that they also acknowledged that the County had not been supportive of expanding the growth area, as they believed it may lead to unintended consequences. She said that in fact, they had been vocal about the importance of pushing density into existing development areas, but as Mr. Bivins mentioned, this almost always resulted in people expressing their outrage at public meetings. Ms. Firehock said that when she lived in Belmont and the Belmont Lofts went in, they had successfully demonstrated the benefits of increased density through well-designed development. She said that by showcasing the positive impact of denser development, they could change public perception. She said that their Commission had been advocating for taller buildings, such as going two stories higher, and had even expressed concerns about the limitations of traditional construction methods. Ms. Firehock said that she believed they were on the same side of the issue. She said that regarding the issue of resiliency, one of the key points they had discussed in their last Planning Commission meeting was the need to address the disparity between their comprehensive plan and the actual density being implemented in their area. She said that some of the complaints they ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 28 had heard was that the process was overly complicated and time-consuming, and it cost too much money, which could be discouraging, so developers wanted to develop properties by right. Ms. Firehock said that they were discussing ways to incentivize developers to follow the process. She said that looking through the lens of resiliency, she wondered if there were green initiatives that, if implemented, could automatically qualify a project for a bonus. She said that for example, if they successfully incentivized affordable housing by offering incentives for green features such as rooftop gardens, advanced stormwater treatment, and trail connections, these types of automated incentives could streamline the development process. She said that currently, they lacked such specific incentives, which could be a barrier for developers. She said that if she were a developer, she wondered why she would go the extra mile to incorporate green features. Mr. d’Oronzio said that Ms. Firehock’s comments related back to their discussion of infrastructure and the need to encourage higher-density development in the areas they had designated. He said that Charlottesville had a slightly easier time with this due to its compact size, with only 10 square miles available. He said that they must make it worth it to build things closer in the growth areas and make it clear what the benefits would be. Ms. Firehock said that it would require investment. She said that they did not have the financial resources as Planning Commissions. Mr. Bivins said that they were not the legislature. Ms. Firehock said that the key point was that, as a County and City, they would need to invest more money in this endeavor. She said that they could not simply expect others to provide the necessary infrastructure without contributing themselves. She said that they would have to build, and that required actual financial investment. She said that they could not just request amenities like sidewalks and tracks without being willing to pay for them. Ms. Firehock said that to create a green community that could withstand extreme weather, be drought-tolerant, and conserve water, they would need to pay for these initiatives. She said that this would come at a cost. She said that she was willing to contribute to this effort, but not everyone was willing to invest in these initiatives. Mr. Bivins said that everyone should be aware that their center of business was not located where it appeared to be. He said that it was actually situated near the research park. He said that there were more job opportunities in that area, and it was slated for growth. He said that he had mentioned that the research park and the jobs it offered were not connected to the Hollymead Center. Mr. Missel said that there were around nine tenths of a mile that was scheduled to be completed in 2027. Mr. Stolzenberg said that returning to the discussion about conservation easements and open spaces, Mr. Murray had made a compelling point earlier that, while they received proffered open spaces in developments, they often proved to be the ideal locations for connectivity, but it was infeasible because these open spaces were typically private properties. Mr. Stolzenberg said that the current situation with the Biscuit Run connector greenway was a prime example, as these were private HOA easements that had not provided the connectivity ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 29 aspect of the proffer. He said that what really concerned him about this strategy was that, even when conservation easements and open spaces were in place, they may not necessarily provide the ecosystem services they were seeking. He said that in fact, many conservation easements were likely to be on properties that were actually hindering ecosystem services. Mr. Murray said that he thought that was an excellent point. He said that many localities required that when green space was dedicated, a minimum easement was granted to the locality. He said that he would like to see them move in that direction. He said that he believed this also provided security for many people, as it ensured that the area would remain green and not be converted into development. He said that when a developer came back years later and claimed they wanted to build on the land, it was essential to have a clear understanding of what was promised. He said that having that sense of security was crucial. Mr. Murray said that it was also worth noting that not all easements were created equal. He said that open space easements, which his colleague had mentioned, differed from conservation easements. He said that also there were various models of easements. He said that large landowners with significant financial resources often donated easements to secure tax breaks, while smaller landowners relied on different types of easements. Mr. Murray said that Albemarle County had had a program called ACE, but it was eliminated. He said that their current easement program unfortunately benefited only the wealthy, not smaller landowners or those with limited financial resources. He said that when evaluating easements, they should consider whether they were getting the maximum value for their money. He said that they had, in his opinion, failed to do so in the past, often simply choosing open, hay-filled land without any real benefit. Mr. Bivins said that those decisions were not the purview of this group. Mr. Murray said that they could still make recommendations for those decisions. Mr. d’Oronzio said that it was clear that it would not help with climate resiliency. Mr. Dayley said that Ms. Firehock had drawn attention to several items that Ms. Gruia had listed on the whiteboard as potential follow-up questions. He said that they had already begun to address some of these points, breaking them down into more specific and strategic pathways. He said that Ms. Gruia could elaborate on what would be helpful in terms of facilitating contributions from the participants as the discussion continued. Ms. Gruia said that in the design phase, they would present some of the great strategies that had been considered by other localities, similar to the two that were currently being evaluated. She said that during their conversation, she had been capturing the questions that had been asked about the effectiveness of these strategies. Ms. Gruia said that when they started considering the design, she believed it was essential to think not only about the possible ideas, but also how they would work in practice. She said that they needed to consider the enabling authority, funding possibilities, how to measure their success, and the benefits they would bring. She said that these were all design considerations, and they should also think about how to communicate the strategies effectively. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 30 Ms. Gruia said that as they outlined the strategies, she would like to ensure that they considered these factors so that everyone involved, including the community, could think critically about them. She said that this would help them develop a comprehensive framework for each strategy, making it easier to evaluate and implement them in the future. She said that they should consider what additional considerations they should include in their discussion, such as in a worksheet or during workshops with staff, the community, and the evaluator, to further inform their decision-making process. Ms. Monteith said that if it was not clear, the distinction between strategy one and two lay in the fact that the solutions for the County and the City would be different. She said that therefore, they needed to find a way to make these solutions harmonious as well. She said that however, it was not as if there would be one plan that could apply to the vastly different conditions in the City and the County, and solve all the issues. She said that instead, the County and City would need to work together to find solutions that were tailored to their unique circumstances. Mr. Joy said that as they transitioned to the design phase, he thought it was essential to consider the challenges and friction that arose from change and differing personal understandings. He said that this could be an obstacle as they moved forward. He said that he wondered if there was a process for starting from a clean slate, rather than simply working through existing friction points. He said that ideally, they would identify a series of lenses that defined what a resilient community looked like, including urban, suburban, rural, and natural environments. Mr. Joy said that each lens would highlight distinct variations and ideal outcomes. He said that by presenting these lenses, they could help people become literate about resilience in different contexts. He said that for example, they could show this to schoolchildren as they were leaving, explaining what it meant to be resilient in a suburban environment. He said that this approach avoided making people feel bad about their current living conditions and how they were contributing to the problem. Ms. Monteith said that as they reviewed the reference materials and considered the various community models, she believed they were moving in that direction. She said that it was worth noting that UVA was predominantly County, comprising two-thirds of the land area, with the remaining one-third being City. Mr. Joy said that he believed that an institutional lens or a corporate campus lens could serve as guiding principles for their assessments. He said that with these frameworks in mind, people could then evaluate areas such as the Charlottesville complex, identifying where improvements were needed, or when considering new developments. Mr. Bivins said that it should be noted that some areas of Charlottesville looked more rural than certain parts of Albemarle County, so the boundaries were not always distinct. Mr. Carrazana said that he believed engaging the development community was also a crucial aspect of this process. He said that as they had heard, they did receive feedback from the community every time they were planning to build something. He said that however, he did not think that was the primary limiting factor in the County. He said that in many of the developments that had come forward, they had seen that the actual issue lay in the development industry. He said that the question was how they could enable higher density, adaptive reuse, and infill projects. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 31 Mr. Carrazana said that he thought the City had had more success with this approach, but the County had not. He said that they were not building to the same density as the City, due to various factors such as building materials, fire codes, and the need for elevators, which boiled down to increased costs. He said that having a conversation with the development industry members to understand what it would take to increase density was essential. Ms. Gruia said that the generative nature of what it took to create a resilient community encouraged developers to contribute to the vision of resilience. She said that in addition to density, there were likely many other approaches that could be leveraged to foster creativity and collaboration among the development community and other stakeholders in their area. Mr. Joy said that when conducting community workshops, a similar framework could be used to identify what resilience looked like for different constituent groups. He said that this approach would allow for the recognition that resilience may manifest in distinct, yet not mutually exclusive, ways for each group. Mr. Missel said that he thought the point was well-taken, and a visual example would be incredibly helpful. He said that on the other hand, he wondered if there were developers who might be interested in partnering on a pilot project, perhaps residential developers who could bring a unique perspective to the table. He said that it seemed likely that they would be more inclined to collaborate. Mr. Missel said that he thought there may be a market incentive for them to participate, such as the opportunity to market their homes as part of a pilot project. He said that they were concerned about resilience, and he believed that by working together, they could create a case study that showcased their approach. He said that this would also allow developers to think creatively and find ways to make things happen more efficiently. Mr. Missel said that when it came to the development community, he thought it was easy to get caught up in the idea that incentives were always about finding money. He said that however, he believed that in many cases, it was about finding the right time. He said that they should ask the development community what would make things more feasible for them in terms of achieving their resilient goals and objectives. He said that they should ask what would make it easier for them to bring density and achieve their objectives. He asked how they could get there without simply paying them. Danny Yoder said that Mr. Stolzenberg had touched on connectivity, and it was clear that their County and City were being developed in ways that made driving cars a necessity. He said that one aspect that had not been discussed yet was VDOT's role in regional transportation planning and implementation. He said that essentially, this process was a well-oiled machine, where the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) coordinated projects among jurisdictions, federal funding was secured, and these projects were eventually built. Mr. Yoder said that it was a system, at least. He said that the scale of what VDOT was undertaking in the region far surpassed anything the City and County were accomplishing. He said that he was reviewing the city's last capital improvement budget, which allocated $27 million over five years for all transportation investments. He said that of those, approximately $16 million could be attributed to projects benefiting walking and cycling in the City. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 32 Mr. Yoder said that in contrast, VDOT spent $14 million on a single intersection that provided no pedestrian benefits whatsoever. He said that VDOT was investing over $100 million in projects that did not contribute to creating a more walkable, bikeable community. He said that given this disparity, he would like to ask: how do they plan to effectively engage with VDOT, an agency that invested significant funds yet appeared disinterested in fostering dense, walkable communities? Mr. Stolzenberg said that VDOT was implementing projects that had been proposed by the County and the MPO. He said that although the City did not implement its own projects, it had cancelled several, worth $35 million. He said that in contrast, the County set its own transportation priorities, which guided VDOT's decisions, including those related to Smart Scale. Mr. Stolzenberg said that he believed they had the right people in the room, with the exception that, in his opinion, the Planning Commissions did not hold significant influence. He said that it was the Board and Council that truly mattered, but he did not think the Planning Commissions played a significant role in that decision-making process. Mr. Yoder said that many of these projects were funded by Smart Scale, which involved a formula that was often influenced by politics. He said that he believed the real issue was that the formula did not prioritize the region's resilience or the ability to live in more sustainable ways. He said that state-level agencies were involved, but he thought the key challenge lay in the regional transportation project implementation process. He said that he hoped they could find a way to redirect this process towards creating a more resilient region, where they could live in more sustainable and environmentally conscious ways. Mr. Murray said that part of the issue was that VDOT relied on data, and every time this project was proposed, people were saying the traffic count was this, but they were only referring to the number of cars. He said that as a result, they had traffic counts for pedestrians, cyclists, runners, and other users, but they were not using them. He said that he believed they needed to start incorporating these counts into their decision-making process and ensuring that when projects came before them, they considered whether pedestrians were using the area. Mr. Stolzenberg said that when discussing project origination, he thought it should receive a lot more focus, particularly in terms of incorporating resiliency and a climate lens. He said that it was crucial to consider a broader perspective, not just identifying areas with V-trans needs, but also examining the region-wide connectivity and potential for pedestrian infrastructure. He said that as Mr. Barnes would likely emphasize, they should be looking at the bigger picture, creating regional connections that allowed people to move safely and efficiently, rather than simply addressing isolated needs. Mr. Clayborne said that for strategy one, the first thing that came to mind was how they could reconcile climate resilience, larger-scale renewable energy, and the inherent tension between land use needs that must be reconciled. He said that he believed that was a crucial aspect to achieving their goals, so they would need to address this. Mr. Clayborne said that regarding compact development, as they had these conversations, they must incentivize resiliency, sustainability, and carbon reduction for existing buildings. He said that although their discussions had focused on greenfield development, it was essential to acknowledge that nearly half of architecture firms building in the U.S. were in existing buildings. He said that as they developed their strategies, they would need to contend with these constraints that came with these existing buildings. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 33 Mr. Clayborne said that he had identified four key areas: preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery in the face of natural disasters, hazards, and risk. He said that this would have significant implications for infrastructure, site design, and environmental constraints. He said that he wanted to ensure they did not overlook this aspect as they progressed. He said that he had noted the importance of business continuity for both public and private sectors. He said that the recent rain from Hurricane Helene had caused school closures for three days, which could be crippling for families. Mr. Clayborne said that in terms of business continuity, he would ask how they could maintain operations as they considered site design, building design, planning, zoning, and the broader implications of their strategies. He said that for instance, would they be able to walk to work when compact development became a reality? Mr. Missel asked if everyone could summarize their three main items as they related to this conversation. He said that for him, those would be cross-jurisdictional infrastructure considerations, education pilot projects and case studies, and metrics were key. Mr. Bivins said that his three items were unified transportation, a narrative that focused on the possibility of tomorrow, and the acknowledgement that despite the County having five development districts, they were not unified and would not be in the future. Mr. Moore said that he was thinking about what would happen when they got 15 inches of rain within two days. He said that they should consider where people would get food and water, electricity, and communications and connections to do that. He said that if they build that now, it will be better for everyone all the time, in addition to emergency events. Ms. Firehock said that her items of importance included regional pathways and greenways for connectivity, aiming to reconnect the various disconnected areas they have. She said that this is achievable, as evidenced by their success with the Rivanna Trail. She said that incentivizing green development was another item she wanted to prioritize. She said that she would like to build upon the idea that Mr. Joy mentioned, which is that they should consider different strategies for suburban, urban, and rural areas. She said that varying approaches for each situation was more than acceptable. Mr. Murray said that they already had a flood hazard overlay, and he believed that they should also consider implementing a fire hazard overlay. He said that he thought they needed to offer significant incentives for structured parking. He said that he believed they needed to increase funding between the City and County for technical assistance, so that they could maximize the benefits of grant funding, such as programs like the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP), and avoid leaving money on the table. Mr. Clayborne said that his three items were the cost of doing nothing, the articulation of goals internally and externally as this collaborative work continued, and the role of buildings in the solution. Mr. Carrazana said that his single item of importance was neighborhoods and how they make them more resilient by creating community and connection within them so they can support one another. He said that Mr. Bivins had mentioned his observation that there was a decline in neighborly interactions, so they must find how to better encourage those strong personal ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 34 connections to create resilience. Carl Schwarz said that there had been some discussion about how these strategies only slightly overlapped, but in his opinion, both strategies were the same. He said that he did not see the difference between the two. Mr. Yoder said that his three items were to direct the real transportation dollars towards multi- modal regional connectivity, to focus development where hazard risk is lowest, and to provide people with access to rural green space. Mr. Solla-Yates said that He said that he had a number of ideas to share. He said that he proposed a land value tax, or "sprawl tax," a concept that had been used in Virginia for centuries. He said that this approach made leapfrog development financially unfeasible by making it difficult to connect unbanked spaces. He said that although it was not currently legal, it was included in the current recommendations to Charlottesville's legislative packet and could be legalized in their region. Mr. Solla-Yates said that this would solve their transportation problems. He said that to address the issue of missing small-scale development, they often discussed in the context of the "missing middle,” and he would like to draw their attention to a graphic by architect Alfred Twu that illustrated the “missing small” concept beautifully. He said that it would be very appropriate for rural uses and would be relatively easy to legalize. Mr. Solla-Yates said that they must identify what would be positive development for rural areas rather than only what was negative, and then permit those identified, resiliency-aligned uses by- right. He said that neighborhood commercial development, which was one area where their comprehensive plan and rezoning diverged. Mr. Solla-Yates said that in the City, they had looked for places that were historically allowed uses, and legalized commercial in those places as a way of preservation. He said that planning land use based on current and future infrastructure was something Charlottesville did in their comprehensive plan. He said that they should consider where the infrastructure already existed and where it should be developed. He said that additionally, he recommended revising the limiting dwelling unit per acre measure, which had previously been used to kill many great projects. He said that eliminating vehicular parking mandates and implementing bicycle parking requirements was relatively easy and healthy thing for them to do. Mr. Solla-Yates said that putting the comprehensive plan into the capital improvement plan had been successful in Charlottesville because the public funding was allocated to public benefit projects rather than being dispersed randomly, so the plan gained real-world momentum and effectiveness. He said that making a hierarchy of flood resilience and infrastructure was also important. He said that they should document what was at risk and what the potential effects would be, then plan to make it better. He said that Copenhagen had done this and served as a great example. Mr. d’Oronzio said that he agreed with Mr. Joy’s basic premise of starting from a clean slate. He said that he also endorsed Mr. Clayborne’s idea of looking ahead and considering the potential consequences of their inaction. He said that in 20 years, they would need to be prepared for what would happen if they did not take proactive steps. He said that as they moved forward with building this plan, they must ensure that they had a clear implementation strategy in place, one that they ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DRAFT MINUTES - October 29, 2024 35 would take the time to carefully consider and plan. Mr. Stolzenberg said that he believed that resilience hubs required microgrids, mass phone charging infrastructure, and satellite internet. He said that he hoped that they would take the time to speak with individuals in Asheville when they were less busy. Ms. Roettger said that she agreed they should not focus on shaming people, because people mostly understood the current issues they were facing. She said that they should ask people about the positive aspects of how they live now, and they could create a partnership where everyone contributed their unique perspective, rather than relying solely on the City or County to do everything. She said that each person had their own strategy, and by combining those, they could create a more comprehensive solution. She said that additionally, they should use some of the most vulnerable members of their community as a gauge for what they needed. She said that for example, they could use the immediate problems faced by someone who was homeless, such as lack of air conditioning, as a starting point to address the most immediate issues in specific situations. She said that by doing so, they could identify what was necessary to protect all their citizens and ensure their well-being. Mr. Joy said that he wanted to remind everyone to maintain clarity, simplicity, and positivity in this process. He said that he believed all comments were specific and valuable, but sometimes they may lose sight of the bigger picture. He said that this was a challenging and existential issue for everyone involved. He said that he thought focusing on incremental, achievable steps could be more effective than trying to tackle everything at once. He said that for instance, getting 80% of their region to adopt 10% of the proposed changes would be more successful than trying to get 10% of the region to do 80% of the actions. Mr. Missel said that he hoped everyone would continue to think about how the Planning Commissions could be helpful. He said that if there were other strategies they wanted to discuss, he hoped they would. He said that he hoped the Commissions could have another joint meeting soon. Adjournment At 8:30 p.m., the Commission adjourned to Tuesday, October 30, 2024, Albemarle County Planning Commission special meeting, 6:00 p.m. Michael Barnes, Director of Planning (Recorded by Carolyn S. Shaffer, Clerk to Planning Commission & Planning Boards; transcribed by Golden Transcription Services) Approved by Planning Commission Date: Initials: