Albemarle ARB asks Fast Smart owner to return for work session after brick‑painting proposal draws concern

The Albemarle County Architecture Review Board on Oct. 6 recommended that the owner of the Fast Smart convenience store in Crozet return for a work session after staff and board members objected to a proposal to paint the building’s red brick a dark color and to install Nichiha panels.

County staff presented the application for the property at 1248 Crozet Avenue in the Crozet National Register Historic District and recommended approval only after removing the paint proposal and the Nichiha panels. Staff said the paint and panels would be inconsistent with the entrance‑corridor design guidelines and would diminish the building’s brick detailing. “The primary change proposed to the exterior of the building is the painting of the brick walls. The proposal is to paint the red brick black,” staff member Margaret said during the presentation.

The applicant, Eric Warner of GPM Investments, told the board the company is committing about $1,100,000 to renovate the store interior and exterior and wants an exterior change so customers will notice the interior improvements. Warner said the firm removed the Nichiha panels from most of the plans and eliminated proposed LED canopy lighting after discussions with staff.

Board members agreed with staff that solid black paint would be inappropriate for the building’s traditional detailing and the entrance corridor context. Several members suggested alternatives such as a limewash or a through‑colored gray brick, restoring white trim, enhanced cleaning and repair, or a separate monument sign to signal a branding change without obscuring historic brick texture. "I don't think painting the brick black is really in accordance with the rest of the entrance corridor," board member Tara said.

Staff outlined specific recommendations: remove the paint proposal from the submittal; remove or greatly limit Nichiha panels and require any new panels be addressed as part of a separate sign application; confirm that mechanical equipment will not be visible from the entrance corridor and add the standard mechanical‑equipment note to the plans; and remove references to replacement canopy lighting from the current plans because canopy lighting work will require a site plan amendment and a full lighting plan.

After discussion and review of the applicant’s example images, the board voted to recommend the applicant return for a work session to explore design options consistent with the entrance corridor guidelines. The motion carried on a voice vote with board members present recorded as voting in the affirmative.

The applicant said he will work with staff on revised materials and color options and expects to resubmit. Staff and the applicant also discussed the possibility of a faster work‑session format to allow iterative design feedback prior to a full resubmittal.