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Council reviews two‑year plan for environmental regulations, seeks direction on floodplain, stormwater, trees and EV charging
Summary
City staff presented a two‑year project to review environmental regulations covering stormwater, floodplain management, tree canopy and energy efficiency; councilors asked about FEMA map updates, Moores Creek modeling, grant funding and tree-preservation incentives.
City planning staff presented a work session on updating Charlottesville’s environmental regulations and related policies, asking council for direction on the proposed phasing of six study topics and for feedback on additional subjects to include.
Tori Penelopoulos of Neighborhood Development Services said the project aims to balance housing choice and density with protection of the natural and built environment, increase community resilience, align regulations across topics, and use an equitable prioritization framework. Staff identified stormwater management, floodplain management, tree canopy and preservation, stream buffers, critical slopes and energy-efficiency/EV charging policy as the primary areas for review.
On floodplain mapping and modeling, Jason Macque (deputy director, Utilities) said consultants have developed hydrologic models for Moores Creek, Meadow Creek and Ravenna River watersheds and that staff can run the Moores Creek model to evaluate whether redrawn floodplain lines reflect observed flooding. Dan O’Connell (NDS planner / acting floodplain manager) told council that FEMA is finalizing updated flood maps (the current maps date to 2006) and that the city expects to receive them this year for review and adoption; he noted the city may adopt higher local standards but that not adopting FEMA maps could adversely affect participation in the National Flood Insurance Program.
Councilors asked how staff will prioritize risks and data gaps. Penelopoulos and staff said available data sources—urban-forest inventories, nuisance‑flooding complaint records and stormwater infrastructure data—will feed a priority-setting process and that additional studies (some funded by grants) will inform final recommendations. Crystal Riddervold (Office of Sustainability) described a Community Flood Preparedness Fund grant and related resilience work; staff told council the grant project is funded in part by state revenues tied to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and that the city previously appropriated $360,000 toward flood‑program work.
On tree preservation, urban forester Steve Gaines said preservation is more successful when trees are identified early in the site planning process and urged development of clearer preservation guidance and a preservation packet for developers to reduce loss of mature canopy.
Staff said the overall effort will span roughly two years with multiple deliverables, and that more detailed topic‑specific workplans and public engagement opportunities will follow.
What’s next: Staff will return with refined phasing, technical findings from modeling and recommended code or policy changes; community engagement will be coordinated through the city’s Connect Charlottesville platform.
