The Albemarle County Architectural Review Board approved a certificate of appropriateness on Nov. 24 for ARB-2025-27, a major amendment application by Ferguson Enterprise for the property identified in the application as 400 Ryo Road West. The vote followed a staff presentation, an applicant presentation and brief board discussion; Mister Vanderwerff, Frank Stoner and Mister Hancock voted to approve the motion.

County staff member Chris summarized the proposal as "a major amendment by Ferguson Enterprise," explaining the site contains two structures and that the project would continue to use the existing office building while establishing outdoor storage and sales of plumbing equipment. Staff recommended approval "with a few minor revisions to the site plan, which we believe can be reviewed at staff level," including adding label details for refuse and service areas.

Meghan Adosta of Williams Mullen, representing Ferguson, described design details and said the team intended to match the appearance approved during the special use permit stage. "I'll keep my presentation very brief because Chris did a great job," Adosta said, and presented plans showing a 3-foot landscape berm, planting plans and an 8-foot black aluminum picket fence with a matching gate. She said the proposed landscaping is expected to "adequately screen" loading, refuse and service areas, and that the team would update plans to show those locations.

Board members voiced support for the plan's layered screening approach. Frank Stoner said the proposal was a "massive improvement" over existing conditions and that the refuse areas appeared sufficiently screened. Another member noted a denser fence could provide greater visual screening but deferred to colleagues on whether to add that as a formal condition. The board's motion, moved by Frank Stoner and seconded by a fellow member, approved the application "with the conditions listed in the staff report" and required that refuse and service-area locations be identified on the plans.

In other business, the board adopted the November minutes by roll-call vote and discussed December meeting dates, with the next meeting scheduled for Dec. 1, 2025. The meeting was adjourned at 01:15.

Calls for public comment produced no speakers during the meeting.

Next steps: the approved certificate takes effect according to standard county procedures; staff will make minor plan revisions at the staff level and the applicant will update the site plan to identify refuse and service locations as requested.