Charlottesville City Council and Planning Commission
                                      Joint Work Session
                                      November 10, 2020


        Following a joint public hearing at the 6:00 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting, where
Vice Mayor Sena Magill called the Council of the City of Charlottesville to order, City Council
and the Planning Commission began a joint work session at 6:12 p.m. to hear a presentation on
the draft Charlottesville Affordable Housing Plan. All Councilors were present for the work
session: Mayor Nikuyah Walker, Vice Mayor Sena Magill, and Councilors Heather Hill, Michael
Payne and Lloyd Snook.
       This meeting was held electronically over the Zoom platform pursuant to Ordinance #O-
20-093 enacted on July 27, 2020, to ensure continuity of government and prevent the spread of
disease.
        The Charlottesville Affordable Housing Plan was developed over a period of eleven
months as part of the Cville Plans Together planning effort. Cville Plans Together is an
opportunity for the community to actively participate in updating the future vision for the city,
with a focus on equity and affordability. The planning process included:
       •   Review of past work to evaluate housing needs and key issues
       •   Engagement with the Cville Plans Together steering committee, City leadership, the
           Housing Advisory Committee, the Planning Commission and other stakeholder
           groups
       •   Public engagement through a survey and small group conversations
       •   Evaluation of feasibility and potential impacts of a range of affordable housing tools
The Cville Plans Together Consultant Team described the plan format and recommendations in
the following format:
1. General Update
       A. Overview of materials available for public review and input.
               Presenters advised that documentation could be found at
               CvillePlansTogether.com.
       B. Overview of public engagement activities for November.
2. Affordable Housing Plan Information Session and Discussion
       A. Overview of process to develop draft recommendations and high-level overview of the
       recommendations
              The recommendations of the affordable housing plan are informed by three
              guiding principles: racial equity, regional collaboration and a comprehensive
              approach.
              The affordable housing plan is organized around five sections that detail
              recommendations for funding, governance and affordable housing tools.
                  •    Funding: Make a strong and recurring financial commitment to address
                       housing needs in Charlottesville
                  •    Governance: Build governance structures that institutionalize an equitable
                       and efficient implementation of the affordable housing plan.
                  •    Land Use: Revise regulations and development approval processes to
                       increase the supply of housing and slow the increase in housing cost,
                       while protecting lower income and other marginalized communities.
                  •    Tenants’ Rights: Change local policy and advocate at the state level to
                       expand Charlottesville’s ability to support tenants’ rights.
                  •    Subsidy: Focus and align subsidy programs with community-defined
                       priorities and make changes to increase impacts.
       B. Discussion
3. Summary of Next Steps
       A. Community engagement.
              Consultants advised that public comment on the draft plan would be collected
              until December 2, 2020. They shared information about future webinars, virtual
              drop-in Office Hours, an online survey and a toll-free phone line.
       B. Schedule updates
       C. Checking in with Planning Commission and Council after November
4. Other Questions/Discussions about Cville Plans Together materials
              The presentation indicated that the full Draft Affordable Housing Plan could be
              downloaded at CvillePlansTogether.com/affordable-housing-station/.
Chair Hosea Mitchell opened the floor for public comment:
   •   Keisha Washington spoke about affordable home ownership.
   •   Emily Dreyfus spoke about the City’s tax relief and rent relief programs.
   •   Neil Williamson spoke about using empirical evidence to evaluate the program tools,
       particularly inclusionary zoning.
With no further comment, Chair Mitchell closed public comment.
At the request of the Planning Commission, Councilors listened to a rezoning proposal presented
by Commissioner Rory Stolzenberg regarding the parking structure proposed for 7th and Market
Streets, for which the request for proposal (RFP) would be issued in February 2021. Questions
arose about whether the designated space could be used for purposes in addition to parking in
this architecturally controlled design area.
Acting City Attorney Lisa Robertson shared further information about timelines, deadlines, and
the parameters for the RFP, which would be for design build and structure of the parking
structure. Councilors expressed interest in maximizing the use of the space.
The Planning Commission by motion requested that City Council explore an alternative zoning
designation to be applied to the property designated for a new parking structure to allow for more
flexibility in use.
The meeting adjourned at 8:54 p.m.


BY Order of City Council                                    BY Kyna Thomas, Clerk of Council