ARB recommends changes to Rye Road wholesale‑plumbing storage plan; asks for revised SUP concept showing limits on tall storage

The Albemarle County Architectural Review Board on Jan. 21 reviewed a conceptual plan for a wholesale plumbing distributor proposing outdoor storage, display and sales at 400 Rye Road West and recommended changes to the concept and draft conditions before Planning Commission review.

Staff described the site as containing a brick‑faced building at the front and a large metal shed in the rear. The entrance‑corridor guidelines call for storage areas to be sited or screened to minimize visibility; staff noted the existing layout gives unobstructed views of stored items, and recommended a plan or diagram showing where outdoor display and storage would be located and suggested design conditions, including a 45‑foot setback from the fence (approximately 100 feet from the entrance corridor) in one draft condition. The staff report also observed that a solid screen fence of the length proposed would itself have…