Year: 2013

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A Hotel is Coming to Crozet

I don’t know yet if it’ll be soon, but I’d bet Crozet’s hotel will open in the next 24 months.

The hotel will be in Old Trail, rather than in Downtown Crozet. (my opinion: After many conversations, I’m more convinced than ever that this is going to fill a real void in Crozet – the number of vineyards hosting events, weddings, etc. alone probably necessitates this)

I wrote a bit more on my real estate blog – but I’m hoping that the applicant will respond to my email today or tomorrow so I can give more and better Crozet-specific information. (Update: just talked to David; he has exciting plans that I think are going to be very good for Crozet. Either way, I expect we’ll be talking about and hearing about the changes coming to Crozet for the next several months.

If you’re interested, you’ll find a familiar name as the applicant on the County’s County View; just copy SDP2013-011 and paste it into the “application #” field.

Update: Looks like they’re aiming for an opening around January 2015 … right in time for the spring wedding season.

(If you want to receive updates to RealCrozetVA in your inbox, please subscribe)

PROJECT: SDP2013-011 Old Trail Village Block 2B â?? Major Site Plan Amendment
PROPOSED: Request for major site plan amendment approval for a four story, 43 room hotel with a 1,000 square foot restaurant and associated parking.
ZONING CATEGORY/GENERAL USAGE: Neighborhood Model District (NMD)- residential (3-34 units/acre) mixed with commercial, service, and industrial uses.
SECTION: Chapter 18 Section 32 of the Zoning Ordinance
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN LAND USE/DENSITY: Urban Density Residential- 6-12 units/acre; supporting uses such as religious institutions, schools, commercial, office and service uses in the Crozet Master Plan
ENTRANCE CORRIDOR: Yes
LOCATION: At the corner of the intersection of Golf Drive and Claremont Lane, near The Lodge at Old Trail.
TAX MAP/PARCEL: 055E0-01-00-000F1
MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT: White Hall

As usual, interesting comments on the RealCrozetVA Facebook page.

 

Crozet Hotel Site Plan
Hotel Site plan
Crozet Hotel Site Plan
Crozet Hotel Site Plan
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Update on Crozet Projects – Sidewalks, Library, Streetscape

Thanks to Charlottesville Tomorrow’s tweet for pointing out this staff report from Albemarle County: Quarterly Capital Projects Status Report (PDF). You can do what I did. Open the PDF and search for Crozet. 🙂

– Stormwater Project – Substantially complete September 2012 — Remainder of woody vegetation to be planted January 2013

– Crozet Library – Construction underway; approximately 40% complete as of December 2012 — Working to resolve fiber conflict with storm sewer — Substantial completion July 2013 — Occupancy August 2013

– Crozet Streetscape Phase II – Utility relocation complete – 1st Quarter 2013 — Streetscape –Bid/award 2nd Quarter, ~ 12-14 months construction — Library Ave accepted in State system

– Crozet North Sidewalk – Replacing or constructing approximately 1100 feet of sidewalk and drainage improvements along the west side of Crozet Avenue from Saint George Avenue to Crozet Elementary School. A Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Grant provides improved pedestrian crossing at the school and extends sidewalk to Ballard Drive —- Completing right-of-way & easement plats for 3 parcels (Crozet North); SRTS right-of-way and easement acquisition completed — Submit plans to VDOT for SRTS February 2013 and Crozet N Sidewalk April 2013 and request authorization to bid

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There’s a full description of all of the above projects in the above-linked PDF; if you’re interested in what’s happening in Crozet, it’s a good way to spend 15 minutes.

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Thinking about Crozet Schools

As is often the case, I started a conversation on the RealCrozetVA facebook page and the conversation turned out so well I thought I’d share it here. As always, a huge thanks to the commenters there.

Curious: what is WAHS doing to compete with the high-level academies at CHS, AHS & MHS?

Thoughts welcomed.

*I’m tagging this post as a “real estate” post as well as “schools” because (perceived at least) school quality matters with respect to property values.

And, click through to read about the Albemarle County Strategic Plan Review. Continue reading “Thinking about Crozet Schools”

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What do We Want Crozet to Be?

I posted the following thought on the RealCrozetVA facebook page and it generated quite a few thoughtful comments, but I much prefer to center the conversation here. That said, the comments added to my original thought by changing my premise from “what do we want Crozet to be” to first, let’s define the Crozet culture as it currently is and then define what we want Crozet to look like.

This is something that is been going through my head for the last 12 or 18 months: what is Crozet going to look like in 12 or 20 years? More importantly, what do we want it to look like in 12 or 20 years?

Our town is going to change. That is a known known. But what are the unknowns? Will we encourage the homogenization that is happening in Charlottesville? Will we be able to encourage adoption of the Crozet
culture to those who are new?

If we don’t plan (and act!) accordingly and wisely for the coming growth – the school traffic coming from Old Trail comes to mind as well as the traffic to and from all the schools in the mornings and afternoons, and presumably more when Re-Store ‘n Station opens, and from Westlake Hills – then Crozet won’t be as wonderful a place to live as it is now.

I love Crozet; we’ve been here for 11 years (I think) and I intend to be here for a long time. I make my living representing buyers and sellers moving to and from Crozet, so I have a different perspective than many, but my goal remains to work to do whatever I can to keep and make Crozet a special place to be.

I’m posting below the comments from the conversation … please, take some time to read them all (and thank you to everyone who has already commented). They’re thoughtful, insightful comments about what Crozet was, is and could be. I’ll call out this one as I think it well articulates what most may be thinking:

I think we have to combine and find the way to bring the new into the fold of the old unique Crozet so we can grow together.

* For the purposes of this conversation, “Crozet” means (very roughly) – from the railroad bridge at 240/250 intersection to Greenwood Gourmet just past 64 to about two miles past Crozet Elementary. Seriously. Getting into a discussion about “what are the boundaries of Crozet” won’t serve this discussion well … and may lead to moderation of comments.”

Continue reading “What do We Want Crozet to Be?”

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Plank Road Exchange Closing

From their Facebook page:

This past Friday January 11, 2013 we were informed by Norm Jenkins that the property is “under contract, there will be no place for us with the new owners, and that the transition will happen quickly”. Since we entered into this venture on a hand-shake and had no lease/contract, we have no choice but to vacate.

Read the whole thing. They did great stuff there and they’ll be missed.

See the comment below. Plank Road Exchange is back open.