Charlottesville’s Board of Architectural Review (BAR) is responsible for reviewing applications for certificates of appropriateness in the City’s architectural design control districts. The BAR addresses both preservation and design issues (exterior renovations, additions, new construction and demolitions). The BAR also acts in an advisory role to City Council, and city departments, boards and commissions. They recommend new historic surveys and districts, and are responsible for updating the preservation plan and design guidelines.
The Board of Zoning Appeals is a quasi-judicial board who are sworn in by the Circuit Court to serve a five year term. The function of the BZA is to hear and decide appeals from any decision or determination made by and zoning administrator and to authorize variances from the laws set forth in the Zoning Ordinance.
To advocate for historic preservation; to promote an appreciation of local historic resources, both tangible and intangible; and to encourage and coordinate, with appropriate municipal agencies, civic organizations, institutions and individual scholars, the documentation and interpretation of local history.
The purpose of the Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) shall be: to advise the City Council as to affordable housing needs that are not being served within the City of Charlottesville; recommend ways to encourage the for-profit housing sector to provide a variety of affordable housing opportunities; advise City Council as to the need to improve or delete existing programs, support, or assistance; and, advise City Council on the potential for regional, interjurisdictional cooperation in affordable housing programs.
The Planning Commission is a citizen advisory board authorized by the Virginia State Code. It promotes the orderly development of the City of Charlottesville by advising the City Council on the development and use of land, facilities, and zoning.