Albemarle County planning commission reviews transportation chapter, staff proposes separate multimodal plan

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. — At a May 6 special work session, the Albemarle County Planning Commission reviewed the transportation chapter of the countycomprehensive plan update (AC44). Planning staff presented a chapter overview and community feedback, then commissioners debated priorities for the countydevelopment areas and the rural area, safety needs, and how to fund and implement projects.

Tanya Swartzendruber, planning manager in the countyCommunity Development Department, joined by Kevin McDermott, led the presentation. McDermott said staffrecommend returning with a detailed multimodal transportation plan separate from the comprehensive plan: "Our recommendation is to come back and work on that detail in a separate plan," he said, outlining elements such a plan would include: long-term prioritization, delineated modal-emphasis networks for transit, pedestrian and bicycle routes, typical roadway cross sections developed with VDOT, and a project prioritization system.

Why it matters: staff and commissioners repeatedly cited projected growth and limited roadway capacity as core reasons the county must prioritize. Commissioners noted the plan is intended to help the county accommodate projected population growth in activity centers and to guide where limited funds and county or developer resources should be spent.

What staff told commissioners - Development area: staff said the development-area goal is to increase "safe, comfortable and accessible multimodal options for all users," focusing investments where density will support walking, biking and transit use. Staff noted fragmented pedestrian and bicycle networks, high peak-hour traffic, rising project costs driven by right-of-way and utility relocations, and VDOT-owned roads that reduce flexibility. - Rural area: staff described narrow, winding roads with limited clear zones and higher rates of severe crashes. Priorities listed include safety improvements (widened shoulders and…