Supervisors receive economic updates
By Heather Michon
Correspondent
The new food and beverage tax, which went into effect on Aug. 1, has collected nearly $100,000 in revenue for Fluvanna County in the first two months.
Driven in part by food-heavy summer events like the county fair, the county collected $49,131 in August and $45,032 in September. October figures will be available in late November.
Supervisors approved the four percent tax in March.
The rollout of the new tax has been somewhat rocky, with some local restaurateurs and winery owners complaining that the county has not been clear on the process. County officials told the supervisors that they had put together a one-page quick guide for restaurants to clarify the procedures.
One point of confusion was how the tax was to be applied if a customer only bought a beverage, but no food.
County Attorney Dan Whitten initially believed that the ordinance’s wording meant the tax applied only if the customer bought food with the beverage, but a glass of wine or soda alone was not subject to the tax.
However, after reading other counties’ ordinances, he believed it was both legal and easier to apply the tax “even when just a glass of wine or a glass of beer was purchased, and some restaurants had already been doing that.”
Economic Development Update
Economic Development Director Jennifer Schmack updated supervisors on almost a dozen new small-business projects that have started or are scheduled to begin in 2025.
These include:
Johnston Project: Office and self-storage behind Food Lion (Rt. 53).
Artful Lodger: Adaptive reuse of the old Costner building for retail/warehouse.
Independence Industrial Park: Flex warehouse space (3–39K sq. ft.).
S.B. Cox Materials Recovery Facility at the former Amber Hill site.
Charlottesville Glass: New light manufacturing in Zion Station.
Wawa: Right-of-way and infrastructure work scheduled to start by mid-November
Fluvanna Health Clinic: moving into the former Truist Bank building in Fork Union
Project Hoops: Amazon is building a small operations facility and will “share relevant updates” as the project progresses.
Fork Union Drive-In: Rebuilding underway, reopening planned Spring 2026.
Tenaska
Supervisors voted to give the Planning Commission more time to decide whether Tenaska’s proposed Expedition Generating Station fits the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
Under state law, the commission normally has 60 days to make a “substantial accord” finding, but the extension allows members to continue reviewing data and public input before determining whether the project aligns with Fluvanna’s long-term land use goals.
Other Matters
VACO resolution: The Board approved adding a resolution from Supervisor Mozell Booker for submission to the Virginia Association of Counties for its annual policy review. A public memorial for the late Fork Union supervisor will be held on Sunday, November 16 at 3 pm in the Fluvanna County High School auditorium.
TJPDC legislative program: Supervisors signed off on the 2026 Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission legislative program, reaffirming priorities on school funding, local revenue authority, and growth management.
