Albemarle Planning Commission recommends approval to fill 1.496 acres of floodplain at Willen Mills industrial site

The Albemarle County Planning Commission on April 22 recommended approval of SP 2024‑26, a special‑use permit request to fill 1.496 acres of the floodplain at the Willen Mills Light Industrial Park, contingent on conditions in the staff report and additional archaeological survey standards.

The recommendation, which passed on a 4–3 vote, follows a staff presentation from Rebecca Ragsdale, planning manager. Ragsdale said the 7.8‑acre parcel along Franklin Street and Moores Creek would retain roughly 5.58 acres as undeveloped floodplain while allowing a 1.496‑acre building pad in the floodplain fringe to be filled and engineered. "This particular site is located in what's referred to as the Willen Mills," Ragsdale said during the presentation.

The nut graf: The commission weighed technical findings from county engineering and the applicant's hydraulic modeling against community concerns about cumulative floodplain impacts, water quality and proximity to nearby residences. Commissioners who opposed the recommendation cited the county comprehensive plan designation for parks and green systems and environmental protection goals; supporters emphasized existing industrial zoning, engineering reviews, and potential economic benefits.

Staff and engineering review: County staff and engineers described the application as limited to the floodplain fringe, not the regulatory floodway. County engineer Frank Pohl said the area is a backwater from the Rivanna and that the hydraulic modeling submitted with the application shows no increase in the 100‑year base flood elevation if the fill remains in the floodway fringe. Deputy county engineer Tony Edwards said temporary material currently stored on the site was permitted for short‑term storage and would be moved whether or not the special‑use permit is approved.

Applicant's case and conditions: Tim Miller of Meridian Civil Survey, representing owner Chris Donaldson, said the project team obtained a FEMA conditional review (CLOMR) that shows no modeled increase if work stays in the fringe and that a formal Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) would follow after construction and fill. Miller clarified that the proposed retaining wall would be 9 feet tall with two additional feet of fill slope (11 feet of total fill in the highest section). The staff recommendation includes standard floodplain special‑use permit conditions, a required Phase I archaeological survey with standards for treatment if resources are found, limits tying future development to the area shown on the concept plan, and requirements to secure necessary FEMA approvals before map changes are recorded.

Public comment and neighborhood concerns: Neighbors across Franklin Street urged denial. Eli Connell, who said he lives at 720 Franklin Street, told the commission "Franklin Street has filled up several times" and warned of increasing storm intensity. Neighbor Jenny Michalski, of 718 Franklin Street, described ongoing construction impacts from adjacent development — truck traffic, noise and temporary crushed‑rock grinding — and questioned the value and maintainability of the sliver of land proposed for public dedication. Both speakers asked whether repeated small encroachments could cumulatively reduce the floodplain's function.

Commission deliberations and outcome: Commissioners debated technical findings, hydrologic function of floodplain areas, equity concerns given adjacent residential properties, and the county's comprehensive plan designation of the site as parks and green systems. Several commissioners noted the parcel's industrial zoning predates the comprehensive‑plan designation; others said the comprehensive plan's environmental guidance should prevail. The motion to recommend approval included staff's conditions as updated in the presentation; the roll call was: Mister Moore — Aye; Mister Bivens — Aye; Mister Murray — No; Mister Claiborne — No; Mister Missal — Aye; Mister Carrizzana — Aye; Miss Firehawk — No. The commission's vote was a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, not final county approval.

What happens next: If the Board of Supervisors concurs with the Planning Commission recommendation, the applicant must finalize site plan engineering, construct the fill and any retaining structures consistent with county standards, and complete the FEMA CLOMR/LOMR process to revise flood maps. Staff and commissioners indicated additional permitting steps remain (site plan, certified engineer's report for specific industrial uses, water‑quality approvals and potential state agency reviews) before any building could occur.

Ending: The commission's recommendation leaves the item headed to the Board of Supervisors for a final decision, and the applicants and county engineers indicated the project will next complete detailed engineering and FEMA mapping steps required by the conditions.