Albemarle County Board of Zoning Appeals elects new chair, re-adopts rules and approves 2026–27 meeting calendar

The Albemarle County Board of Zoning Appeals elected Mr. Birkhart as chair and re-adopted its rules and procedures without amendment at its annual organizational meeting on March 3, 2026.

Members approved a slate of officers — Mr. Birkhart for chair, Mr. Rosenberg for vice chair and Miss Joseph for secretary — by roll call after a nomination and second. The board then voted 5-0 to readopt the rules and procedures as presented.

The board also adopted a proposed meeting calendar that extends into 2027. After discussion about holiday conflicts and a possible appeal in April, the schedule was carried by a 5-0 roll-call vote. The newly adopted calendar leaves flexibility to hold the organizational meeting in January or February next year depending on the appeals workload.

In routine business the board approved minutes from its Dec. 2, 2025 meeting with a wording change to clarify that an attorney had referred to a letter rather than formally presenting it; the minutes were approved 4-0 with one abstention.

Staff gave an update on the office’s application process and front-office support. Zoning administrator Bart Fabotaa told the board that submissions are now fully electronic, with two lobby kiosks and staff available to help applicants set up accounts and upload required documents. "We do about 200 walk-ins a week. That's our average, 45,000 phone calls a year," Fabotaa said, describing the volume of public assistance and an internal QC process that flags missing or insufficient materials.

Several board members expressed concern that staff assistance could unintentionally influence an appellant’s written justification. One member suggested using a brief affidavit — modeled on practices used in election offices — to document when staff helped an applicant complete a filing; staff said they will monitor the process and consider improvements.

The board received notice that an appeal of an enforcement violation has been filed. Staff said the parties are working through ownership details and that the appellant has requested an April hearing; staff will determine whether the matter can be resolved before the April meeting or whether it will remain on that calendar.

The meeting concluded with a budget update: staff reported that the board’s request to increase its budget to $6,000 has been submitted and will be resolved through the county’s budget process around April 22–23. The meeting adjourned at approximately 2:38 p.m.

The BZA’s next steps are to monitor the pending appeal, track the county budget decision, and implement any process changes for assisted electronic submissions the staff recommends.