Big new project, comp plan changes put the spotlight on development
Housing and development were in the spotlight in 2020 as the pandemic boosted demand for country real estate and sparked debate about whether more must be done to ensure there are affordable places to live in Rappahannock.
In addition, the Board of Supervisors signed off on updates to the comprehensive plan for the first time since 2004. The amended plan includes updated maps of the county’s impaired streams and scenic rivers; revised descriptions of current subdivision and zoning ordinances; a wireless broadband communications plan; a section on renewable energy; and expands upon the need for affordable housing, particularly for seniors and the disabled.
The board set aside the proposed boundary maps delineating each of the county’s five villages, approving the plan without them. Though the maps were suggested to protect Rappahannock from unwelcome sprawl, village residents expressed concern that they might instead encourage growth. Though some county officials said that without the maps the plan may be insufficiently prescriptive, there was nevertheless general agreement that the adoption of the 2020 plan was a remarkable achievement.
THE LATEST
The big news on housing came near the end of the year with the announcement of Black Kettle Commons, a proposed mixed-use development that skirts the Town of Washington and could include affordable housing units, a community center, a new site for the Food Pantry and office spaces.
During an informational session at December’s Washington Town Hall meeting, Betsy Dietel, who helped found the nonprofit Rappahannock Communities, said they are discussing between 10 and 20 rental housing units for elderly residents and young families.
To proceed, the project will need approval for an adjustment of the boundary line between Rappahannock County and the Town of Washington that would bring the site completely into the town. The adjustment would allow Black Kettle Commons to connect to the town’s sewer and water facility and comply with its planned use development zoning. Fund manager and investor Charles T. “Chuck” Akre, who owns the property and lives at Mount Prospect in Washington, says this would provide more flexibility in how they design and use the land.
The project team – which includes a civil engineer, landscape architect and land use lawyer – is clear that if they’re able to move forward, nothing aside from the agreement to house the Food Pantry is concrete. They’re calling for input from the community as they develop the various components and have launched a website where people can submit comments or questions.
“We want to do nothing on this project except that which the community would both enjoy and need,” said Akre, who is prepared to make a substantial investment in the site’s development.
“This is our gift to Rappahannock County and the Town of Washington,” he added.
Assistance to cover basic housing costs has been among the needs of those in the county hit financially by the pandemic.
Berni Olson, community coordinator at the Benevolent Fund, which provides emergency financial aid to Rappahannock families, said her organization disbursed $10,000 more than it did in 2019 to help cover rent and mortgage payments and $17,000 more than the previous year for electricity bills.
People Inc. of Virginia said that between July and December it provided nearly $36,000 in assistance to the 13 Rappahannock County residents who qualified for its rent and mortgage relief program.
During a housing webinar in early November co-hosted by the Rappahannock News and Foothills Forum, Olson offered
some possible solutions to a ordability challenges, such as shared or co-living arrangements, and a shi away from a not-in-my-backyard attitude to a ordable housing.
Hampton district supervisor Keir Whitson also jumped into the housing discussion in 2020 with a few policy suggestions that could increase the number of a ordable options, such as a review of the family subdivision ordinance and incentives to large landowners for xing up and renting small auxiliary units on their properties.
“I want to nd something that we can actually do, that’s on a scale that we can actually manage,” Whitson said. The supervisor has plans to start a discussion with colleagues on the county board in 2021.
One thing that may inform those talks is a regional housing study by the Rappahannock Rapidan Regional Commission (RRRC) which could be nalized in February.
The study (a working dra of which is available online), includes a zoning ordinance review and strategies each locality can consider to meet its housing needs, as well as a housing demand analysis which found that of the ve counties RRRC serves, Rappahannock has the lowest rate of owner-occupied housing (55.5%) and the highest rate of seasonally vacant housing (14.5%), meaning less opportunity for year-round home ownership and rentals.
The study indicates that there is a need for additional and more diverse housing in the region, RRRC’s Executive Director Patrick Mauney said, though he cautioned against applying a precise number to that nding.
“That’s where it really comes down to each locality – in this case counties and towns – looking at what makes sense from their own existing infrastructure availability as well as the context and what might t,” Mauney said.
Virginia state code does require a ordable housing to be included in each county’s comprehensive plan.
And while Rappahannock’s newly adopted plan recognizes the need for a ordable housing for county residents — especially for the elderly and disabled — the plan does not de ne the word “a ordable.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Christine Smith, chair of the Board of Supervisors, said that she and her colleagues will likely revisit the subject when the RRRC releases its housing study, something the county’s Planning Commission may consider, too.
“The primary goal, now that the comprehensive plan was updated, should be a comprehensive review and update of the zoning and subdivision ordinances,” said County Administrator Garrey Curry.
He also noted that village area maps that consider and identify development issues and goals for village areas “could lead to a partial future land use map.”
In the coming months, RRRC will begin compiling a list of groups working on housing repairs. The group is also considering creating a database of housing developments and units that could meet the needs identi ed in its demand analysis.
For Rappahannock some of those options may be just across the border, with Clevenger’s Village development in north Culpeper County still moving forward.
Current project developer Saadeh Financial LLC said it has contracted with Lennar Corporation as the main builder and Richmond American Homes and has been going through the county and state approval process since submitting plans last February for the rst portion of the commercial village center, which will include 115 residential lots and is expected to have a pharmacy, bank, grocery store and other retail.