Albemarle zoning official named to Charlottesville planning commission

An Albemarle County code enforcement officer has been named as the newest member of the Charlottesville Planning Commission.  Lisa D. Green is a Belmont resident and one of six people interviewed by City Council to replace Bill Emory on the Commission.

“I believe I have a civic duty as a home owner and a resident of Charlottesville to have a vested interest in growth and development of my community,” Green wrote in her application to serve on the commission.

Green, a Tennessee native, moved to Charlottesville from Alexandria in June of 2001. She currently works for Albemarle County’s Department of Community Development .

Green said she was attracted to Charlottesville because it has the amenities of a big city but also a slower pace of life. She bought her house in Belmont shortly before the restaurant Mas opened up on Hinton Avenue. In April 2009, Green urged the planning commission to deny expansion of the neighborhood commercial corridor zoning district to allow a property owner to open another restaurant on the street.

“[Belmont] has definitely become more of a focal point of the city,” Green said. “It’s nice to be able to live and walk and be able to grab coffee or have dinner. But as with anyth0069ng, too much of anything is sometimes not the best for you.”

Green’s appointment comes at time when some in the community are questioning whether the strategy of growing more densely is wise. She said she is aware of the tension.

“The challenge we have is to maintain our rich history and also change with the times and keep up with new technology and the new way of planning so that we can maintain that world class city status because that’s what we all strive for,” Green said “What people love about Charlottesville is that it is small.”

In 1992, Green graduated from Muscle Shoals Community College in northern Alabama with an associate’s degree in drafting and design technology. She has been a member of the Virginia Association of Zoning Officials, the Virginia Citizens Planning Association, the Virginia Board of Zoning Appeals, and the Virginia Zoning Officials Education Committee.

Closer to home, Green has served on the Belmont Neighborhood Association and has been a member of the Charlottesville Trail Running Club, the Charlottesville Bike Club, and the Albemarle County Wellness Committee.

“Lisa impressed us with her breadth of experience with planning and zoning issues, her commitment to community engagement, her neighborhood advocacy work, and her understanding and appreciation for Charlottesville’s diversity of populations and needs,” said Mayor Dave Norris in an e-mail to Charlottesville Tomorrow.

Green calls herself an outdoors person, and said transportation issues are important to determining Charlottesville’s future character.

“The time has changed now where the focus is not necessarily on cars, but how our environment is changing,” she said.

Green’s first meeting will be a work session next Tuesday that begins at 5:00 in the Neighborhood Development Services’ conference room in City Hall.