Charlottesville announced on Monday the arrival of a new director of neighborhood development services. It’s a role that will be instrumental in implementing the city’s new zoning ordinance.
Kellie Brown joins City Hall after serving a similar role in Arlington County, where she was a section supervisor in comprehensive planning.
“Kellie has an in-depth understanding of modern zoning standards which is critical for the City of Charlottesville,” James Freas, the city’s deputy director of operations, said in a Monday statement announcing the news.
The Department of Neighborhood Development Services is tasked with city planning and zoning enforcement. Its work is especially relevant in light of a controversial ordinance the city enacted in February, which is intended to increase housing density by allowing more multifamily units to be built throughout the city.
The practice, known as upzoning, has been adopted by localities across the country in recent years seeking new ways to lower housing costs by boosting supply. One of those localities is Arlington, which passed an upzoning ordinance in March 2023.
Brown’s work in Arlington factored into Charlottesville’s hiring decision. The city’s Monday statement lists two of Brown’s “notable accomplishments,” including her work on a housing study that resulted in “new zoning regulations for expanded housing options in areas that previously permitted only single detached homes.”
A key way in which upzoning attempts to increase housing supply is by allowing multifamily units to be constructed in areas that had previously only permitted single-family units. It’s a feature that draws criticism from opponents who prefer neighborhoods remain primarily single-family.
Brown also co-authored a plan that, according to the city statement, transformed “a five-mile commercial corridor into a walkable, green neighborhood main street.”
“I’m really excited to support the exciting work that the City of Charlottesville is doing to implement its comprehensive plan and new zoning ordinance,” Brown is quoted in the statement. “My goal is to build on the community’s work over the last several years to chart a path for a sustainable and equitable future.”
Charlottesville’s upzoning ordinance has alarmed some in the city who fear the change is too much too soon, arguing it will increase gentrification, taxes and overload the city’s infrastructure. Part of Brown’s responsibility may be to soothe those concerns.
In a December story by Planning Magazine, Brown spoke about Arlington’s zoning ordinance and “the importance of community.”
“Change is hard, and people’s communities are very important to them,” Brown said at the time. “You have to be respectful of that, but also recognize there are important goals as planners we can work toward and changes we can communicate. We can show that the benefits are greater than the burden.”
Urban advocacy group Livable Cville was one of the loudest voices supporting the new zoning ordinance in Charlottesville, which had been in the works for seven years before City Council passed it in a unanimous vote last December. The group is encouraged by Brown’s hiring.
“We are excited about Kellie Brown taking the lead at NDS. She is well equipped to help implement the new zoning code and ensure Charlottesville meets its housing goals,” Livable Cville co-Chair Matthew Gillikin told The Daily Progress.
According to the city statement, Brown has more than 15 years of experience as a community planner and was responsible in Arlington for managing a team of planners “focused on long-range planning studies, small area plans, and zoning reform initiatives.”
Brown will take over for Freas, who had served in the role since September 2021. Freas was named the deputy city manager for operations in March.
“Under the new Director’s leadership, the department will seek to advance the Comprehensive Plan’s goals and policies in priority areas including equity, housing, natural resources, bike, pedestrian, and other mobility needs, historic and cultural resources, economic development, and parks and open spaces to name a few,” Freas told The Daily Progress in a statement. “The department is focused on applying the City’s newly adopted Comprehensive Plan and Development Code to coordinate public and private development and support quality of life in Charlottesville’s neighborhoods and communities.”
Her hiring is a key addition to City Hall, now under the direction of City Manager Sam Sanders, who has emphasized filling vacancies and retaining talent after years understaffed.
The city posted the job opening in March with a listed salary range between $130,000 and $174,720.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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