The Albemarle County Architectural Review Board approved a certificate of appropriateness for ARB2025-00031, a proposed light-industrial/flex-office development visible from the Airport Road entrance corridor, with required revisions to materials and landscaping.

Margaret (planning staff) told the panel the development would be visible from the entrance corridor and that staff recommended an earth-tone stain rather than the proposed Sherwin Williams 'Sky High' tone. Staff also requested entrance-frontage landscaping be provided in the first phase to help integrate utilitarian buildings into the corridor and recommended alternate treatments for stucco panels and long elevations.

Chuck Rapp and the applicant team described measures to preserve existing trees, plant additional street trees where possible, and keep flexibility for future tenants by using knockout panels that can later be adapted. Hunter Wood (developer, United Land Corporation) noted the front outparcel will screen Building 1 once developed and warned that light-industrial rents limit how elaborate initial facades can be.

Board members raised concerns about the blankness of some facades and suggested additional landscape screening as a possible alternative to more prescriptive frontage requirements. One motion approved the certificate with revisions: strike items 1, 2, 6 and 15 from the staff list; add language to item 3 to consider additional landscape screening as an alternative; and revise item 4 to provide typical treatments for knockout panels to streamline future building permits. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

The board directed the applicant to provide the revised drawings reflecting the agreed changes for staff review.

The action resolves ARB review for the final site plan, subject to the agreed design and landscaping clarifications.