ALBEMARLE — As the city continues to grow, Albemarle officials are moving forward with a series of development updates aimed at aligning future growth with the vision outlined in its comprehensive plan.
At the Albemarle City Council meeting on Monday night, council received an administrative report from Planning and Development Director Alysia Steadman, who presented a department update centered on ordinance changes and a broader regulatory overhaul.
“What we’re doing is really about aligning the community that we want to see with our toolbox, and how to implement the things that we want to see,” Steadman said. “Many of those things are outlined in our comprehensive plan, which you adopted in December. After extensive community engagement and internal work on that document, we now have a blueprint for how we want to grow and develop.”
Albemarle’s comprehensive land use plan, Envision Albemarle 2045, is designed to guide development, infrastructure and investment decisions over the next two decades.
Steadman said the city is now working to translate that vision into actionable policy.
“I don’t have to tell you all how quickly Albemarle is growing and changing,” she said. “We have a unique opportunity to shape the future of the community. We have voices at the table. People are interested in development and investing in the community.”
The effort will move forward in two phases.
The first focuses on addressing immediate needs through a resubmission of Text Amendment 24-03, which includes changes to lot shape consistency, buffer and yard requirements, street tree placement, sidewalks on both sides of residential streets and standards for improvements on paper streets.
Additional updates include establishing a development review schedule, requiring community meetings for rezonings and expanding the radius for public notifications. The proposed amendment also includes refinements to cluster development standards, an area that has drawn concerns about consistency and design quality.
City staff plans to bring the revised amendment back to council for potential adoption on April 20.
The second phase involves a broader regulatory assessment that could lead to the creation of a unified development ordinance (UDO), which would consolidate existing regulations into a single, modernized framework.
The initial assessment is expected to cost about $14,500, with a full UDO projected between $100,000 and $125,000, per Steadman.
Mayor Pro Tem Martha Sue Hall questioned how the additional work would build on the city’s recent investment in its comprehensive plan.
“We’ve spent a lot of time and a lot of money,” Hall said. “A study is a study, unless you use it to lead the way. I guess I need to hear if we’re talking about more money and more time, how is this going to work, hand in hand, or completely opposite about what we just spent all this other time and money?”
“Is it going to cost more money? Is it going to take more time? I’ll be honest, yes and yes,” Steadman answered. “However, we’re not starting from scratch. All that engagement and all the work that we did in a comprehensive plan is the foundation. It’s the blueprint.”
The assessment process, expected to begin in May and take two to four months, will include a site visit, technical review of existing ordinances and stakeholder interviews. Findings and recommendations will be presented to council and other local partners upon completion.
The Albemarle City Council will hold its next regular meeting on April 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers.