Planning commission recommends approval for CBI Forest School special-use permit; members cite road-safety concerns

The Albemarle County Planning Commission voted 3‑2 on May 13, 2025, to recommend approval of special‑use permit SP2024‑23 for Congregation Beth Israel’s CBI Forest School in Dudley, subject to staff‑recommended conditions. Commissioners who supported the recommendation cited the school’s educational and conservation commitments; those opposed said Dudley Mountain Road lacks safe, all‑day vehicle and emergency access.

Staff presented the application as a request to authorize a private forest‑school campus on a rural‑area parcel of approximately 156 acres off Dudley Mountain Road. Senior planner Sid Shuff told the commission the applicant proposes to limit development to a roughly 15‑acre disturbance area and that the remainder of the site was described in the materials as being placed in a conservation easement. “For this application … the applicant's proposing for a new private school with a maximum enrollment of 44 students,” Shuff said, and staff summarized the application’s buildings, phased construction and proposed operational hours.

Shuff told commissioners staff found two positive elements — limiting development to a small portion of the parcel and that outdoor environmental education aligns with the comprehensive plan — but recommended denial because of transportation and emergency‑access concerns. He cited Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) measurements showing a 2018 average daily traffic count of about 130 vehicles on Dudley Mountain Road and said the applicant’s Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) trip‑generation inputs estimate an additional 589 vehicle trips per day for the school, which would raise the road’s estimated daily volume to roughly 719 vehicles, exceeding VDOT thresholds used to determine pavement width and shoulder needs.

The applicant’s team and supporters emphasized conservation and childcare need. Jill Abby Clark, director of CBI Forest School, said the program began during the COVID pandemic and serves young children in an outdoor model, and that donors had offered a large tract of land. “We will protect over a 40 acres of…