State code shortens plan‑review windows; Albemarle planning staff asks ARB to reserve Mondays

Albemarle County planning staff told the Architecture Review Board on July 7 that recent state code changes effective July 1 have shortened certain review windows, reducing the review period for some plans from 60 to 40 days. Staff said this will shorten the time available to complete internal reviews and prepare items for ARB consideration, especially for initial site‑plan reviews.

To preserve review capacity, staff asked whether the board would be willing to reserve Monday afternoons as potential meeting dates that could be used as needed and canceled when not required. "The easiest thing would be to have a potential ARB meeting on any Monday afternoon and just cancel when we don't need them," a staff member said, explaining that establishing standing meeting slots would give staff more flexibility to meet shortened statutory deadlines.

Board members generally signaled willingness to reserve Mondays, while raising logistical concerns about quorum and in‑person attendance requirements. Members noted Virginia state code and county rules require an in‑person quorum for meetings with virtual attendance and that each board member may use virtual attendance only a limited number of times per year. One member said having standing Monday slots on calendars would be manageable so long as staff provide timely notice when a meeting is canceled.

Staff said they will follow up with ARB leadership and confirm whether the board will adopt standing Monday availability; no formal vote was taken. The board's next scheduled meeting was confirmed for Monday, July 21, 2025.