I’m going to update this later today, but wanted to publish a draft for those interested in last night’s conversation. It was, in my opinion, a great conversation and dialogue. Great input from the public and the CCAC. There was a lot of information covered last night – from possible timelines, challenges with developing such a large parcel in such a relatively small town, possible businesses that could go in, probable residential components, zoning … a lot. Much of that was captured by @Tim_Dodson and @CvilleKim (and @RealCrozetVA) on Twitter and quite a few not at the meeting few engaged on Twitter as well. Grab a cup of coffee and digest the tweets – and then … ask questions.
Frank Stoner with opening remarks – "we don't intend this to be a presentation as much as a dialogue" pic.twitter.com/E5uAPYydlN
— realcrozetva (@realcrozetva) December 20, 2013
Update: Charlottesville Tomorrow has a great story about last night’s meeting.
– For those curious, the hashtag #CCAC1213 was used to track the conversation on Twitter.
A few of the best questions/topics that were addressed and I’ll address in the update, but ultimately, this was a conversation about the former Barnes property and the future of Crozet:
– (Frank) Stoner: what’s the unique value proposition to bring people downtown? #CCAC1213
– What are some towns that are what you’d like Crozet to be? #CCAC1213
– #CCAC1213 today the challenge for developers is that the infrastructure requirements take up so much of the costs
– Stoner: challenge of replicating old town feel is the execution #CCAC1213
One reason I mentioned smaller, denser housing is twofold; if singles or couples who like apartment living as opposed to detached houses, their only choice is Cville. Singles who can live independently here will begin to make the town their own, and stay if they begin families. As it is, how many WAHS graduates live and work here after graduation? How many move away to begin careers and only move back after the y can afford to? I understand the appeal of the quick payoff that comes from the sale of several 300K plus single family houses, but in the end you’re only aging out the local population?
Also, apartment dwellers are more likely to use the “town square” as their living room, so to speak, after hours, with others, that’s what gives vibrancy to a town center. Look how many folks hang out a Fardowners from 5-PM until closing. there is a demand for a little more to do after hours here, it can be met incrementally.
Last, if it wasn’t apparent enough, the preference of quick sale residential development is that it fluctuates with the market, have we forgotten the hits to taxes the county took with the downturn in housing? Crozet and Albemarle need to actively recruit small non-retail businesses into the area for both long term long employment and to diversify the revenue gained from a (perceived) near solely property tax based stream.
Who in Crozet is actually worried about competing with Old Trail? I would
wager that the average person does not care. The small town feel does
not come from heavy equipment building something. Until Crozet incorporates and becomes a town it is not competing with anybody nor
should it have the urban trappings of a town. Low income, affordable
housing should be required long before any apartment blocks are allowed
to be built. Non retail jobs will not arrive until the BOS starts taking an
active interest in the area and stops the unelected from pushing industry
away. And, quite a few WAHS graduates still live here with their parents
due to lack of decent paying jobs. What I have read described here is not
Crozet or anything close to it. It is an effort to create something that existed for them somewhere else. That is all they know and are lost without it. And please, “Town Center”, where?