Planning commission backs Northpointe rezoning amendment that adds housing, trims commercial and proffers school site and transit work

The Albemarle County Planning Commission on March 10 recommended approval of a major amendment to the Northpointe rezoning that would shift a large portion of the previously approved commercial area to residential development, add approximately 707 new residential units within the rezoned portion and reduce the proffered commercial square footage to about 250,000.

Staff planner Rebecca Ragsdale summarized the application submitted in 2023: it covers roughly 152 acres of the original Northpointe rezoning and proposes an updated application plan and proffers, relocation of the previously planned elementary school pad to a slightly larger, more usable site (about 13.5 acres) with a proffered dedication window tied to county request (270 days), updated affordable‑housing proffers, and proffered transportation commitments including a transit proffer and phased off‑site improvements linked to trip‑generation thresholds.

David Mitchell, representing master developer Great Eastern Management, said market and regulatory changes since the 2006 approval — notably changes in DEQ/core/permitting rules for streams and modern market…