Albemarle authority delays decision on shared driveway over conservation easement, requests detailed engineering and county approvals

At a recent meeting, the Albemarle County Conservation Easement Authority reviewed a request to establish a shared access driveway from Taylor Gap Road that would cross an existing conservation easement and provide access to two preservation tracts (including parcels referenced as B 20 and A 19). Authority members deferred action and asked the applicant to return with a revised draft access easement and an exhibit showing exactly where the route would be located, the proposed width and surfacing of the shared portion, and which steep sections would require impervious paving.

The item before the authority compared two approaches: the “by‑right” accesses shown on the subdivision plat, which would lead from internal subdivision cul‑de‑sacs and switchback up steep slopes and through stream buffers, and an alternative shared routing from Taylor Gap Road that largely follows ridge‑top logging roads and would avoid stream buffers. County staff and the applicant’s engineer presented a comparison showing the shared route would reduce disturbance to critical slopes by approximately 25 percent versus the most recently modeled by‑right accesses; an earlier, less complete analysis had shown a larger benefit. County engineering staff told the authority they had reviewed the additional information and concurred with the general finding that the alternative routing has fewer impacts.

Authority members and staff stressed that a new…