Board approves controversial Woolen Mills fill permit after hours of public testimony

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted 4–2 to approve a special‑use permit that allows approximately 1.3 acres of fill in the Moores Creek floodplain to enable light‑industrial development on a 7‑acre parcel in the Woolen Mills area.

The board’s decision follows a months‑long review and a public hearing in which planning staff, county engineers and the applicant’s consultants presented technical studies saying the fill would not raise the base flood elevation and would not be placed in the regulatory floodway. During the hearing the applicant’s representative, planner Kelsey Schlein, said the proposal meets both FEMA’s conditional map revision requirements and Albemarle’s stricter local standards: “This application has been thoroughly reviewed and scrutinized by both local and federal officials and meets not only the FEMA standards but also the even higher standards that Albemarle County has in place,” Schlein said.

Opponents warned the board that filling any floodplain reduces long‑term flood storage and harms riparian habitat. Local resident Alana Horning urged the supervisors to deny the request and said the packet did not show commitments to local employment or community benefits: “Because the intended use of the buildings has not been defined or required, any claim of economic gain remains speculative,” Horning said during public comment. Other neighbors raised concerns about cumulative impacts, wildlife habitat and trucks moving fill through residential streets.

County staff recommended approval contingent on a package of mitigation and controls. Planning manager Rebecca Ragsdale told the board staff had confirmed the fill lies outside the regulatory floodway, had established limits of disturbance, and negotiated conditions that require the applicant to: - confine fill to the documented 1.3‑acre envelope and not exceed 1 foot above the base flood elevation; - limit the source of fill to on‑site or immediately adjacent parcels unless otherwise permitted; - submit and implement a detailed riparian mitigation and native‑planting plan developed with the county conservation planner; - provide twice the phosphorus‑load reduction the county normally requires (via on‑site treatment devices); and - complete a Phase I archaeological survey prior to any fill activity.

Engineers for the applicant explained the hydrologic modelling used FEMA’s effective model and additional sensitivity checks. County deputy engineer Tony Edwards said the site is a backwater area where flood peaks on the Rivanna River and Moores Creek reach an equilibrium; staff concluded the proposed fill would not cause a measurable rise in modeled flood elevations.

In debate, Supervisors split along differing policy priorities. Supervisor Mike Pruitt, who moved the motion to approve, said the project provided a constrained industrial infill opportunity consistent with the Broadway blueprint and emphasized the stricter local conditions: “We’re requiring additional stormwater treatment and enhanced riparian plantings that many other sites don’t have to provide,” he said. Supervisor Anne Malek and Supervisor Fred Missal voted against approval, citing precaution about cumulative loss of floodplain and neighborhood impacts. The final roll call was: Duncan—yes; Galloway—yes; Lipizzo Kirtley—aye; Malek—no; Missal—no; Pruitt—aye.

The board’s approval allows the applicant to pursue the remainder of the statutory and administrative steps, including final engineering, filing for the county’s floodplain permit application (and final FEMA map revision), and detailed plan review. Opponents said they will continue to press for protections and monitor implementation of the conditions.

The board’s action was the most contentious item on the agenda; the decision is expected to shape how future requests to alter floodplain storage get weighed against development priorities in Albemarle’s designated growth area.