Planning commission recommends approval of Brookhill rezoning to add 300 units; applicant to provide 20% of new units as affordable

The Albemarle County Planning Commission on July 8 recommended approval of a zoning map amendment that would increase Brookhill’s maximum residential capacity by 300 units, from 1,550 to 1,850, after a public hearing and applicant presentation.

Rebecca Ragsdale, planning manager, told commissioners the requested change is a focused amendment to the site’s neighborhood model development. “The change is limited primarily to a request to increase the maximum number of units within the development from 1,550 by 300 units to 1,850,” Ragsdale said in her staff presentation. She also said staff found the proposal to remain consistent with the Places29 master plan’s density and land-use recommendations and that agencies reviewing transportation impacts concluded the existing transportation proffers were adequate to cover trips from the additional units.

The applicant, Riverbend Development, presented materials showing the rezoning affects roughly a 27-acre portion of the 277-acre Brookhill project. Ashley Davies of Riverbend said the company has already constructed about one-third of the community and has provided “approximately $30,000,000 in in-kind and donations and transportation improvements to the county” including a 50-acre high-school site and a seven-acre elementary school site. Davies said Brookhill preserves more than 75 acres of open space and habitat and that the proposal would not change the approved nonresidential square-footage minimums or maximums.

On affordable housing, Davies said the applicant is increasing the commitment for the newly requested 300 units so that 20 percent of those new units—about 60 units—would be affordable. Ragsdale and several commissioners noted the proposal is only partially consistent with the county’s updated Housing Albemarle policy because prior proffers for the earlier rezoning remain in place and some affordability terms (for example, deeper AMI targets and specified affordability durations) are not being revised in full. Ragsdale said the staff report identified that partial consistency with the updated housing policy.

Transportation and timing drew questions. Commissioners asked whether the developer-owned projects that connect to Ashwood Boulevard would be coordinated; Davies said the Ashwood Boulevard connection is tied to the original Brookhill rezoning and was set to be complete by the 500th certificate of occupancy but that wetlands, VDOT approvals and county-owned land have added complexity and delayed the timing. She said the applicant is working with the county and VDOT to finalize alignment and minimize wetland impacts.

Public commenters included several Brookhill residents. Lindsey Hill, who said she rents in Brookhill, described sharp rent increases she had experienced and urged attention to affordability. “I was making under AMI at the time,” Hill said, then described a renewal that would have raised her rent from $1,500 to $2,100 for a one‑bedroom apartment before the property offered alternative lease terms.

Commissioners also pressed the applicant on site details: the status of an on‑site plantation house and family graveyard (Davies said a roughly 3.5‑acre parcel containing the house and graveyard was retained by the original property owners and is not under developer control), how the 300 units would be configured (Davies said much of the added capacity is planned above first‑floor commercial in the town center), and where additional parking would be provided (Davies said the future town‑center area will include about 1,100 parking spaces).

After deliberation, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of ZMA 202400008 Brookhill “for the reason stated in the staff report.” The commission’s roll call showed six votes in favor, none opposed. The commission’s recommendation will go to the Board of Supervisors for final action.

Why it matters: The amendment increases permitted housing capacity in a designated growth area and changes the mix of units the developer can build. The partial alignment with the county’s updated housing policy and the adjustment to transportation proffer timing were central issues during the hearing and will be part of the record when supervisors consider the rezoning.