From a comment:
Two important public hearings for the proposed ReStore ‘N Station are coming up and it is critical that people attend these meetings if they are concerned about the size and character of a huge gas station/truck stop proposed for Route 250 West. If approved, this would be the second largest gas station in the County, serving both cars and semi trucks Interstate 64.
Please take some time out of your schedule to attend these meetings. It is crucial that the County know that citizens are paying attention to their decisions regarding this project. Here are two hearings where your attendance is needed to:
· Show your support for the adjoining neighborhood’s attempt to scale back the size and use of the project;
· Note your concern about a large project like this proposed to be built near three schools on Scenic Route 250.
1) Tuesday, June 1 at 2 p.m. for a Board of Zonings Appeals (BZA) Hearing and
2) Tuesday, June 8 at 6 p.m. for a Planning Commission Public Hearing
Don’t feel like you need to speak at these meetings, just showing up is important! this could be your neighborhood and you would certainly want other Albemarle County citizens to stand up for you. You also might have children going to one of the nearby three schools and are interested in showing support for scaling back the size of the project.
(from email by Mary Rice)
—
At the very least, couldn’t they come up with a better name than “Restore N Station”?
where are these hearings taking place?
thanks!
Peter Carey
Peter – both of these are in Lane Auditorium, at the Albemarle County Office building on McIntire Road in Charlottesville (Really the corner of McIntire and Preston).
This is considered to be the Brownsville/Yancey Mills area, not Crozet.
If the people who live in the area do not want this I hope it does not happen. Airplanes fly over schools. Schools are near heavily travelled
interstate highways. There is nothing wrong with having a large Truck
Stop/Vehicle refueling station within several hundred yards of a school.
Just think, people who live in the large tract housing developement that
sits close to three schools can have a place to buy gas and snacks at a place
that is similiar in scale to where they live.
There are already two gas stations within spitting distance of this proposed station. I don’t see the need for a third gas station there.
Tim,
Thanks!
Peter
One could argue that there is already plenty of tract housing, coffee shops,
etc, etc. This land is zone commercial, would provide 24 hour fuel services to a close by interstate highway and could increase competition
to the point of having reasonable fuel prices in this area of the county. It
would create some jobs as well…
Which meeting has a higher weight over the other? One is midday at 2:00, which unless you have a flexible/no job, makes it difficult to attend.
My 2cents…I have been impressed with downtown charlottesville planning in resisting having large (or chains) in the downtown mall. Only most recently have i seen some chain stores move in. Most of these stores typically take seed on the 29 corridor. I guess, i would hope that some similar planning would be applied to this comercial zone in crozet. I’m not against having small/mid size gas stations, light industry or retail stores move in, but i wouldn’t be up to a walmart or a mega gas station. I need to draw the line somewhere. Some jobs do take away other jobs.
Charlottesville Tomorrow will be attending and recording these hearings.
The proposed mega-station would certainly end up driving the two other smaller, established stations out of business, resulting in a net job loss. I fail to see the need for a 24 hour station when that is offered to travelers coming in either direction on 64 in Waynesboro and Charlottesville. Why create an exception for water usage when there is no net benefit to the community to do so? If someone proposes a business model that does not fit in to current planning and zoning requirements, there has to be some benefit to the common good in order to provide an exception. I fail to see why an exception should be made in this instance.
Jim et al.
Is there any email we can address concerns on this topic for those that can’t attend this midday meeting? Obviously attendance is best, but more attention couldn’t hurt the cause.
[email protected] would not hurt. But, if you are going to go against somebody you should be willing to invest the time and effort. Look him in
the eye and tell him he is not wanted so he can possibly return the favor in the future. Using the same logic the Harris Teeter shopping center was not
needed. It is not in Crozet yet it draws jobs and business from Crozet. It uses more water and other resources and, who needs it anyway?? The real
choice is whether to urbanize or not. Not whats best for Realtors and
Developers. As far as the other stores in the area. Two of the stores have
changed hands in the last couple of years. The only long term person is Danny on the corner by the light. Which stores will survive? The only
certain thing in business is nothing is certain in business…
Edward – I beg to differ with you. Harris Teeter has certainly brought back people who used to regularly go to Waynesboro for their big grocery shopping and kept those dollars and tax revenues in Albemarle County. (Yes, I still go over the mountain for some things, but shopping here saves me gas and miles on my car.) I am not opposed to change in Crozet – I even think the Yancey proposal has merit. My point is that the applicant is asking for an exception to the water usage formula, and I don’t see the need to grant it. Scale back the plans so they meet regulations.
Edward – how do you define Crozet?
Yancey Mills isn’t Crozet, Harris Teeter isn’t Crozet … what is Crozet to you?
I know – HT is technically in “Charlottesville” by Zip Code, but so is the Highlands, and I consider both to be “Crozet”.
Nobody ever talks about the impact of a large service station for the passing traffic on I-64: the on-off ramps on the 250-I64 interchange, which is in its current form totally inadequate to handle the traffic that will be attracted from the interstate. I am aghast at the oblivious state of mind of everybody. The interchange will need a major upgrade and also traffic lights. Does the BOS realized this ever? Nobody seems to think further than a split second. And VDOT has no money as the fiscal policies here is to drain all government agencies from the needed revenues anyway- VDOT is already severely underfunded. So no upgrade will happen just like none of the country roads ever get upgraded when major tract house developments are built here. To respond to Edward Strauss: Harris Teeter clearly serves a purpose for the local community here, but a Restore N Station clearly does not as it is only catered to the thru-traffic on I-64, but will cause a heavy burden on the roads here with NO returns for the locals. There is a huge difference. And the extraction of the resources (ground water) needed to operate it will severely affect the local community in a negative way.
One of the things about this proposed 24 hour truck stop/fueling station that really worries me is the proximity to the schools. This station is designed to pull semi’s off of 64. It would be the second largest fueling station in the county, and the only one that would cater to trucks. It is well established that diesel particulates pose a serious health hazard, and it is also well known that children and the elderly are most susceptible. This station would be a stone’s throw from 3 schools, and close to 2 (soon to be 3) senior centers. Why would we want to introduce this to the school environment? There are also so many young, new drivers in that area. The thought of them navigating the increased traffic – semi trucks no less – just sounds like a recipe for disaster. Add to all of this the tragically devastating affect the station as currently proposed would have on Freetown. This is really just not the right location for an enterprise of this scale and nature.
Crozet exists between the state boundary signs. There is a reason that they
are put up. Route 250 is not Crozet. I remember when people thought that having an address of Duck, NC was cool so realtors tried to expand
the area to increase sales. About the fuel station, how many hundreds of thousands of trucks do you feel will use this facility on a daily basis? The
I64 interchange can easily handle whatever you think is coming. Saying
that this place will not serve the local community is a lie. If gas is cheaper
y”all will flock to it. The Super Test station has gas for $2.53 @ gallon in
Greenwood. Why is this?? But, lets not forget about the possible disaster
possibility to this. Hundreds of trucks could collide causing their fuel tanks to rupture sending thousands of gallons of fuel into the ground and
causing the schools to close and possibly be relocated. It is also almost
a straight path, with the exception of a curve from the interstate to the
proposed site. When we had industry in Crozet there was far more truck
traffic than we have now. Harris Teeter serves no more of a purpose to this community than a truck stop would. You either go there or you don’t.
Strange how these claims against this truck stop also apply to our real problem. Tract housing will cause a heavy burden on the roads here with NO returns for the locals. And, the extraction of the resources (ground water) needed to sustain it will severely impact the local community in a negative way. Hmm… Deny the truck stop, cap Old Trail at current level.
Apply same logic discussed here to do both. Priceless!!! This area may have a chance yet.
Tut tut Edward, You are good at twisting the arguments. But we are not fools. Anyway, Old Trail is on county water pipes, not wells. But the mega gas station in the proposal is supposed to rely on well water, ergo the water table under ground that all locals around depend on. Again, the gas stop for I64 trucking is NOT of any benefit for Crozet or the area along 250 (NOT-Crozet according to you so why bother supporting their worries….?). If you see possible lower gas prices as a positive, well, don’t count on it, as interstate gas outlets are always (considerably) more expensive than the small stations such as SuperTest. They can easily charge more as I64 traffic en route does not know where the cheaper gas stations are and they have no incentive to look for them.
Edward,
Perhaps I wasn’t clear, but the kind of disaster I envision is not so dramatic as what you have suggested, but rather more like the accident that took the life of Sydney Aichs, the Albemarle High School student who was killed when the car she was driving was struck by a truck running a red light. I just cannot see how sleepy truckers and young drivers are a good combination. And there are very real health concerns associated with exposure to the particulates in diesel exhaust – inhalation exposure to diesel exhaust causes both acute and chronic health effects. These particulates are known to exacerbate respiratory conditions such as asthma, and many of the components of diesel exhaust have been shown to be carcinogenic.
I do agree with you on something. I agree that there has been way too much tract housing approved for Crozet and it has been built out way too fast. I remember sitting in a meeting back in 2001 in which Gaylon Beights invited the adjoining property owners to tell us of his plans for his development. He told us he would build ~700 units spread out over 20 years and we’d barely notice it, less than 50 units would be built each year. Still, we were shocked by that. You might recall when Old Trail came up for rezoning, and 2,275 units were requested, approx. double what was proposed in the Master Plan and triple what the neighbors were originally told by Beights. I spoke up at the Board of Supervisors meeting, opposing the rezoning, as did several other people. And a number of people worked very hard on a petition drive that secured over 1300 signatures, forcing the issue with the Board of Supervisors regarding the 12000 vs 24000 build-out population for Crozet. It was too late for Old Trail – that rezoning had already been granted – but I believe that the petition and the very hard and persistent work of a number of people is what led the County to reconsider and revise the build-out population numbers as part of the Crozet Master Plan revision. Is it perfect? Not by a long shot. It’s not even done yet. BUT, to set the record straight, there are alot of people who worked at least as hard on the population issue as they have been working on the truck stop/fueling station issues. I know it may sound trite, but two wrongs really don’t make a right.
I worry more about the the traffic that typically would stay on the 64, but now may stop for fuel/rest area. We have seen recently more rest areas close off the interstate so where do you think people will pull off to take a break? Typically, i wouldn’t sweat a large gas station being built, but traffic and school don’t mix well. Sure bridges, overpass walkways could be built, but they probably won’t (unless something bad happens).
I really don’t think a super-duper-pooper truck stop doesn’t create much jobs. How many people does it take to run an “advanced 7 elevin outfit”? Come on… sure it will employee some manager and with high school kids, but i don’t’ think this truck stop will actually employee many crozet residents (whatever ‘crozet’ boundaries are defined). I feel there are less benefits and more negatives for this truck stop. However, Ed is right, i could drive to it at 3:00AM and pick up a big-gulp or some twinkies. Cheaper gas…I don’t care about that, as you could beat that subject to death if it really would happen. Net result, I would rather pay more, for the truck stop not to be nearby schools.
I think Ron_Crozet comment that this station caters to the thru-traffic on I-64 describes is exactly correct.
Several commenters have made excellent points. As the parent of a newly minted high school driver, I agree on the safety issue regarding young drivers in that area. It is scary enough getting in and out of Brownsville Market right now.
Edward’s view seems to be that this area has already is ruined due to tract housing, so let’s throw in the towel and welcome all comers. Time and time again when something like this proposed mega station is built, it sets a precedent for similar structures in the immediate area catering to those drawn to the first business. I could almost guarantee you a McDonalds would be next and would use the argument that the truck stop was already there.
Sydney Aichs was killed when a vehicle ran a red light, striking her vehicle. Whether it was a truck , car, or whatever does it really matter
which one? Failure to obey a traffic signal was the problem not the vehicle type. This is a very good point for building the 29 bypass to get trucks
through the Charlottesville area seperate from local traffic.
Once Crozet is built out you will have a Mcdonalds. The population could
then support it. Opposing a truck stop simply because you can makes no
sense to me. The area used to support far more truck traffic than it does now. What are the traffic projections for the truck stop? These roads
were built when there was industry and several trucking companies in Crozet. The trucks passed by the schools every day. If the possible side effects of diesel fuel bother you, you need to tell the County to stop buying diesel school buses. You also need to inform congress as well since
the sale of diesel fueled vehicles increases every year in the U.S. And to the genius behind the keyboard, where do you think that County water comes from? They buy it from God? The reason we have a water shortage problem now is not because of business. It is the classic infrastructure problem this County has. You allow tract housing to be built before anything is in place then encourage the people to whine about it. And, before dismissing the fact that quite a few people will drive a little to save 22 cents or more on a gallon of gas go there and see how many people do this. I do not think that anyone gives any thought that you are helping to create an area that is unrealistic in the long term. How can your children grow up in this area, find a job, buy a house, raise a family, without leaving and doing it somewhere else? A place where people have to depend on external income is a sorry place. You can ignore all you want, call it whatever you want but, the truck stop is not the problem…
I think this country would greatly benefit by supporting and encouraging rail traffic. The I-81 cooridor is a fine example of tractor trailer impact. My sister lives in CarlislePa. which has become a tractor trailer hub and the demise of that small community. Let’s support sensible devrlopment for the future and our children. Let’s get behind light rail.passenger rail, and rail freight. Crozet has too much going on already and the infrastructure needs work.
So far the only argument I see in these comments FOR the gas station is the possibility of cheaper gas.
On the downside of this proposed station….let’s also not forget to throw in the light pollution that will occur. Have you ever seen a mega gas station next to a highway that doesn’t sport a huge, brightly lit sign advertising its location? Not to mention the over-lit pump area. And what of the wash-off from giant pad of concrete that serves as a foundation to all of this?
The proposed location is just wrong.
Don’t give in. Keep fighting.
The question before the BOS is water usage variance for this mega-station. There isn’t enough water to support the station, therefore the proposal needs to be DENIED.
Cheaper fuel, jobs, the opportunity for a landowner to develop his property, taxpaying business that will contribute to the community,
etc, etc. The same that was said to bring in tract housing. Sign Pollution?
Light Pollution? What is worse? One brightly lit sign or a slew of smaller ones everywhere? The applicant has a plan, not just comments on water
usage and how it will work. There is enough water to support this project
so I feel that it should be APPROVED. Oh, does anyone really know the
definition of mega-station? This thing just appears to be growing in size
as time goes by. Will it even be 1% the size of Old Trail???
A garden center, a bank, Bodo’s Bagels, a day care center, a small office building/business incubator or something like Charlottesville’s OpenSpace, a law firm, an orthodontist, Sylvan Tutoring center… I would be happy to see a business catering to local residents in that location. A service station is fine, but not one whose business plan is based on pulling people off the interstate and that is open 24 hours. Not many folks out in Crozet after 9:00 pm to warrant being open 24/7.
I understand that you want what you want. Have you seen the business plan that is based on pulling people off of the interstate? You can not survive in business without some local support. All the tract housing that was built here was not presold. It was built with the hope of drawing people in. We have two banks and a credit union, multiple coffee shops,
and eating places. How many would survive just on local trade? More and
more Western Albemarle is becoming a place where people have to learn to live with what they do not like… I have to.