ABSTRACT
For much of Albemarle County's existence it has been largely rural, dependent upon agriculture and the University of Virginia for its economic well-being. Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville are the economic heart of the region. They are surrounded by rural localities that generally lack the infrastructure necessary to sustain substantial economic growth. Planning policies and ordinances, especially the zoning ordinance, establish the envelope within which the private market operates. In Virginia, the General Assembly has authorized localities to control both the rate and amount of growth and the location of that growth. The county has adopted a "use value" assessment program for rural land which substantially reduces local real estate taxes on farmland and other rural land. Fair market value assessments on some Albemarle farmland are more than $5,000 per acre. A major goal of county planning policy is the protection of the public reservoir and its 200 square mile watershed.
