Mostly from the press release …
Opening in Spring 2009, ACAC will occupy approximately 8500 square feet of the new commercial center.
ACAC is a regional owner and operator of fitness and wellness centers, with facilities in Richmond, Charlottesville, and West Chester, PA. The new Old Trail ACAC will be its sixth location. At the new Crozet facility, ACAC will offer many of its popular services to members in Old Trail Village and the surrounding area. The new location will feature cardiovascular and strength equipment, group exercise, and child care. (ed note: bolding mine)
Old Trail Village Center, a mixed-use development at the heart Old Trail Village will feature a wide variety of businesses that improve the vitality of Old Trail and the surrounding Crozet community. The tenant mix will include eateries, medical service providers, insurance and mortgage brokerages, a Segway outlet, and the new ACAC fitness and wellness facility. Apartments varying in style from loft to townhome designs are also available in the Village Center, providing modern convenience at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The unique combination of retail, office space, and apartments creates a close-knit, friendly community in the heart of Old Trail Village.
Justin Beights, Vice President of Beights Development Corporation, said of the ACAC lease-signing, “I am excited about this partnership with ACAC as both a developer, a resident of Old Trail Village, and as a current member of ACAC. Now my family and I will have a high quality wellness center only steps from our front door.†With the addition of the large community pool currently under construction, Old Trail Village will soon feature the most complete package of neighborhood amenities in the region.
Is Crozet big enough for two gyms? We have 24-Hour Fitness in the Clover Lawn Shops and now ACAC. Don’t say we’re not an active community!
*Sorry for the delay in posting this … with respect to my sources, I have to abide by their wishes. Also, this rumor has been circulating for months, if not years and I didn’t want to jump the gun only to have the rumor prove to be just that.
Do you consider ACAC a commercial property anchor (an anchor “store”) for Old Trail, or an anchor for Crozet as a whole? In other words, is ACAC big enough that if its built, will other commerical properties more likely come to Crozet?
I’m guessing that since Old Trail doesn’t want anyone seeing their fireworks, they won’t want anyone using THEIR community pool or THEIR ACAC facility.
This will be nice for all of Crozet.
Crozet Citizen –
Personally, I consider them to be an anchor store that will draw others.
John – sarcasm noted and appreciated 🙂
John, you’re right about the pool. Despite their website still claiming that “As part of our commitment to accessibility, the [fitness and swimming] center will be available on a membership or per-use basis for residents and neighbors alike,” (http://www.oldtrailliving.com/Fitness.html) Old Trail decided earlier this year NOT to allow non-residents to join their pool, unless they are golf club members. As a “neighbor” within walking distance, I find this really disappointing. The news was not exactly made public – it was a footnote in the April 8, 2008 “Old Trail Update” e-newsletter I received from Jonathan Kauffmann. At least they haven’t put gates up yet at Jarman’s Gap Road and 250 to keep out the teeming masses.
While I understand the residents’ concern about letting just anybody waltz into their pool and destroy their sense of peace and privacy, I think it’s really disappointing for the developers to have promised and advertised this and then to quietly renege on that promise. It’s not as if us “neighbors” want free access to raise a ruckus and litter, it would just be nice to have a membership to a pool that is walking distance from where I live. Heck, I live closer to the pool than some Old Trail residents do! Slap some exorbitant price on the membership to keep out the riff raff if you want, but don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep.
I hope that ACAC has enough sense to take money from people who want to give it to them.
CrozetMama – that is a troubling comment and speaks contrary to the spirit of what Old Trail was supposed to be. I’m curious what the Old Trail folks would say about that.
That is a real shame that speaks ill of their desire to integrate into the community.
Jim – I’ll be happy to forward you a copy of the e-newsletter where the news was quietly broken, if you’ll tell me where to send it. I had heard of it through the grapevine a couple of months before, but was hoping it was just a bad rumor.
CrozetMama – [email protected].
I clearly remember it being sold to the community as being “open to the public” but the *)@#$* Daily Progress’ online archives are gone.
Dear John, CrozetMama, Jim, et al,
I am writing as a spokesperson for and as a resident of Old Trail Village. First of all, thank you for your involvement and commentary! I appreciate your comments AND criticisms on this blog, and I welcome your comments directed to Old Trail Village, privately, as well. You may email me at [email protected].
Regarding the change of status of the pool – well, you are absolutely correct: we did change our intention. While we had been planning to offer pool membership to anyone, our real estate team convinced us that the amenity would attract home buyers and, MOST importantly, improve property values for our homeowners. Although some people plan to stay in Old Trail Village for a lifetime, resale potential is an important factor when considering a home purchase and a community pool is important to many people. That the pool is of value is reflected in your comments.
It is unfortunate that another, private website has incorrect and conflicting information about Old Trail Village. The official website is http://www.OldTrailVillage.com. Our site is in the process of being over-hauled and updated, so I beg your patience while we create a more accessible, user-friendly website.
ACAC Fitness and Wellness Center offers membership to ALL people – regardless of resident location.
To clarify, pool membership will be offered to: homeowners in Old Trail Village, Apartment Renters in the Village Center, and members of Old Trail Golf Club – a public golf course where all players are welcome.
Old Trail Village is not an exclusive community; I myself live here in a rented townhome, and anyone may soon begin renting apartments in the Village Center at prices comparable or less than those found in the City of Charlottesville. We are also building affordable apartments and single-family homes that meet the County’s “affordability” guidelines. Other area residents come and enjoy the trails and peaceful streets of Old Trail Village without having to live here; I welcome all of you to come and do the same.
Again, thanks, and please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns about Old Trail Village.
Sincerely,
Andrea Sarate
[email protected]
My advice to OldTrail is to put up gates now to stop the unwanted traffic. You can have your shopping center, pool and golf course.
Seperating yourself from the rest of Crozet is what you want, then stay out of the East side.
It would be nice for Crozet Pool to not allow anyone who lives in OldTrail to swim in their pool.
OldTrail can do like Crozet Pool and put an outrageous price to enter the pool and you’ll keep out the riff raff.
I have been reading through many of the comments on this board and it seems that residents of old trail need to be reminded that their neighborhood is founded on the principles of the congress of new urbanism. The community while rural in nature given its location still has the fundamental new urbanist blood coursing through its roads and pedestrian paths. ACAC I am sure hopes to attract people from Old Trail to their gym as well as from the surrounding communities. They are really the only 5 star gym in the area. They are not really comparable to golds or 24 hour fitness from a quality stand point. The mere fact that they want to come to Old Trail is testament to the success of the Old Trail project. The idea of charging for a community pool that is not part of a ACAC is questionable when it comes to the principles of new urbanism.
Does anyone know if ACAC will have an indoor pool?
NEW CHINESE RESTAURANT IS NOW OPEN ON THE SQUARE.
Why is there such animosity regarding use of the Old Trail neighborhood pool? Most neighborhood pools are available only to residents of the development. Foxchase has their own pool which I expect is limited to residents. This is not abnormal, and I do not think that people paying to live in to Old Trail expect an open community pool in their back yard. I live within walking distance of the pool but do not live in Old Trail, but I understand the need to limit it’s use. Just because the road is open to through traffic does not open up Old Trail as a public facility.
Chris –
The animosity stems from the fact that Old Trail told the community when they were selling themselves for approval that the pool would specifically be open to the Crozet community.
Bluntly, they lied.
The road is not “open to through traffic” – it’s a public road.
Chris –
Also, (and don’t misread me, I don’t share the animosity) a lot of Crozetians didn’t want Old Trail in the first place. That they’re here and are poised to reshape Crozet as it was known strikes at the hearts of a lot of longtime residents. On the other side, a lot of long-time folks want Crozet to change. There is no right answer, unfortunately. And OT’s not going anywhere either.
Is ACAC still planning to build in Old Trail? The sign saying that it was coming is gone.
Dear Ashley,
Thanks for noticing our signage! ACAC is not building a facility in Old Trail Village – they are locating IN the Old Trail Village Center, in the space below the clock tower. We had their banner on those posts temporarily while the railings were being painted. It’ll be up on their space in the next day or so.
You may view their information at the ACAC website, here:
http://cville.acac.com/crozet.html
If the Crozet ACAC will not have an indoor pool, it would be awfully nice if the OT pool was available for ACAC members and guests to use, much like how the OT golf memebers can use the pool.
I saw the new sign.
I just drove though Old Trail today and saw the wonderful pool that is not open to my family. I have lived in Crozet all of my life and thought how nice it was going to be to have Old Trail Village open to us. I am very sad to know that was just a lie. Just gate the place off and apply for your own zip code!
Have you seen the size of the OT pool ? It’s SMALL for the OT community.
Just like Crozet Park’s pool… piss poor design and no one thinking about the future and building for the future growth.
While it is too bad that the pool is not open to the community, I am actually more annoyed at the way Old Trail now refers to itself as “Old Trail, Virginia”… they might actually not be so far away from that zip code application! Couldn’t we all just be “Crozet”???
I am pleased to announce that, this year, the Old Trail Swim Club is extending memberships to the general public through the Golf Plus! program.
Golf Plus! memberships include unlimited swimming, 5 guest passes, and and an 8-pack of greens fees for Old Trail Golf. There are three membership levels available through this option: Family, 2-person, and 1-person memberships.
The Old Trail Swim Club Pool opens Monday morning to members. Learn more about the swim club, and how to join, on our website:
http://www.OldTrailVillage.com/pool.htm.
Andrea, just how much is the membership fee difference between a resident of OT and an “unwashed heathen” of Crozet?
I really had no intentions of swimming at OT…ever. That pool is tiny and out of my way. However, I’m interested in joining ACAC and am curious about the new coffee shop, but if OT is going to shun it’s neighbors at the pool, why should I spend any of my money at any of the other OT establishments. I was proud to tell people I was from Crozet because of the country hospitality you usually see. Not anymore. OT belongs in california.
Andrea Sarate = Damage Controller.