Crozet's community blog
But have they been heard?
Charlottesville Tomorrow has the podcast.
Members of the Crozet community appeared before the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to deliver a petition signed by 1,316 area residents asking the County to not let Crozet’s population exceed 12,000 people. In this podcast, Charlottesville Tomorrow presents the public comments delivered in this portion of the Board’s meeting. Seven of the six speakers focused their remarks on the Crozet Master Plan.
This type of community action is how I would like to see realcrozetva.com grow and be used. Attempting to notify Crozetians the day before any action is too late.
From the Crozet Community Association –
We urgently need a number of people who can come to the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting, 9 A.M., Wednesday morning, March 1, at the County Office Building, room 241, on McIntire Road downtown. You will not have to speak; just be there to stand up and make the presence of Crozet felt. This is a morning meeting, so many people will not be able to attend. If you are free, we hope you will come. Try to be there by 8:45.
Some of us will present the over 1100 signed petitions urging the BOS to respect the Master Plan and keep to the promised 12,000 buildout population. We have found using the County’s own figures that the current population including all the developments that have already been approved is over 11,000! They have been telling us that 12,000 was the twenty year build-out goal. We have never agreed to the twenty year date; the 12,000 figure was the total build-out figure continuously quoted to us during the Master Planning period. Never-the-less, we have already virtually reached the 12,000 build-out. The question for the BOS is what are they going to do once the 12,000 population is attained? Are they willing to stop all further development? Or are they going to ignore the 12,000 figure and continue to make Crozet a population land-fill? And where is our representative David Wyant in all this?
We need Crozet citizens and other concerned people to be there on Wednesday to support our contention that the BOS has to take control of the uncontrolled building taking place and STOP it now. Crozet as a community is being destroyed by developers and politicians who are totally ignoring the Master Plan that Crozet people wrote.
We believe we can make a difference if we continue to stand up to the Board and the Planning Commission. Thanks for helping at this crucial time.  Call your friends and come on out.Â
The most important question from the above (in my opinion) is “where is … David Wyant … “? At the most recent Crozet “Town Hall,” he made a few seemingly prepared remarks but did not take public questions. Does each BoS member owe his or her allegiance to the constituents in his district or to the County? At what point does he have to stand up for the residents?
By the way, Albemarle’s Calendar page is quite helpful. Shame it doesn’t have RSS capabilities.
From the News Leader –
According to Frank, there are 45,000 people in the Waynesboro market area, which does not include Staunton or the western part of Augusta County, but does include places such as Ivy and Crozet. To make his point, Frank said that even though the Ivy exit on Interstate 64 is only five exits from U.S. 29 in Charlottesville, a shopping mecca, it’s easier and quicker for motorists to travel the I-64 corridor because of traffic congestion in Charlottesville. Another reason for the rise of heavy hitters like Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Martin’s Food Market, Lowe’s and Home Depot is that since 2004 1,151 new single-family lots have been approved in Waynesboro, Frank said, along with 3,000 new lots in Crozet. He attributed the growth to retirees and spillover from Charlottesville.
One of the best things about Crozet is Waynesboro. Home Depot, Lowe’s, Super WalMart (as distasteful as that may be) … the people are more friendly and the stores less crowded. Hopefully Waynesboro will learn from Charlotteville’s mistakes.
From today’s DP article by David Hendrick –
Fabienne Swanson, manager of the nearby Fabulous Foods, also expressed guarded optimism about impending change.
“I do have to say I’m looking forward to growth and some of the changes,” Swanson said. “I really hope they think about the roads before they allow all the growth.”
If only they would listen to the people …
Albemarle County has updated their Crozet site. Check out the agenda for tomorrow, the infrastructure update and more. Based solely on the agenda, I think the County may be continuing the disconnect that currently exists. Is the planned population for Crozet 12,000 or 24,000? Without addressing this, I think that Crozetians are going to be less able/willing to move forward. Who wants to work with someone they don’t trust?
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An effort is being made to request the County to review its Master Plan for Crozet. You can sign the petition here.
The petition reads:
Citizens of Crozet diligently worked thousands of hours over two years with Albemarle CountY planners and and consultants to design a Master Plan that would create a Crozet of 12,000 residents. In good faith, Crozetians negotiated with Albemarle County leaders for a Master Plan in which the maximum population of Crozet was publicly and repeatedly projected at 12,000 total residents. This projection would quadruple the size of Crozet. Now the County says we have it wrong! The County says the plan calls for a population in the Crozet Growth Area as high as 24,000 residents! TheYwant Crozet to grow to half the size of the City of Charlottesville.
The County currently has a credibility problem. They certainly have some ‘splainin’ to do.
Note: Misspellings in public petitions -Â aargh!
Albemarle County’s website has an updated notification system for Crozet’s Master plan. Go here to sign up. One thing that irks me is that they require registrants to state whether they are residents of Albemarle. I would be interested to see an option for how many are natives of Albemarle. Their A-Mail is one of many efficient features of their extensive website.
I made my way to the new bar in Crozet this afternoon/evening to watch the Redskins’ run end. My conclusion: exactly what Crozet needs. Multiple televisions, five beers on tap – sadly, no Starr Hill beer, but they do have PBR – is that a good thing? This ought to be remedied asap. The wings were great. The service was … casual. Obviously they are still working their systems out, and the smoke was too much, but nonetheless, this is a great addition to Crozet. I’ll go back.
Better yet, the Hogwaller Ramblers were playing there this evening. Unfortunately I was unable to attend, but hopefully they will return. They’ve always been one of my favorite C’Ville area bands.
From the HooK:
Out in Crozet another changing of the guard has taken place. A smokehouse-style restaurant, bar, and weekend music joint called Uncle Charlie’s will be taking over the old Mountainview Grill/Kokopelli’s spot.
Owner Charlie Mayer, who has been a chef in Pennsylvania for over 20 years, plans to open for dinner Friday, January 13, with musical guests American Dumpster playing later that night. On Saturday, perennial favorites the Hogwaller Ramblers will take the stage. Covers for both shows are only $5 for two people.
Mayer specializes in what he calls “elegant smokehouse” cuisine, which feature tenderloins, fillets, crab cakes, and the must-have wings and ribs as well. Of course, soups and salads will be part of the mix. Mayer hopes Uncle Charlie’s will have a neighborhood bar atmosphere, a casual place where someone can come in and watch a football game, have a beer and some ribs, and stay around to catch a show.
Tonight at the Firehouse at 7:30. It should be interesting. Lots to discuss!
The county’s Comprehensive Plan designates Crozet for growth. The county’s Neighborhood Model illustrates what growth should look like. The Crozet Master Plan, painstakingly developed with residents’ involvement, describes how growth should occur specifically in and around Crozet. Individual rezonings and similar board decisions implement all those plans.
Residents believe the Master Plan should be the ultimate guide. But they are not sure the Board of Supervisors is following that vision.
Adding to the confusion is the difficulty of measuring growth. Master Plan figures predict a maximum population of about 12,000 in 20 years when the area is fully “built out.†Supervisors and county staff suggest a population of 24,000. And an analyst at the Piedmont Environmental Council says the number could go even higher – up to 33,000 people.
And Charlottesville Tomorrow is following the story. Here and here.
In the space where Kokopelli’s used to be is a new restaurant. I saw the big flat-screen TV driving by last night and then saw the small sign that said “Open, beer and wings.” (At least I think I saw beer), but couldn’t stop to watch the game because of the kids … this is a good thing. We had dinner at the new Three Notched Grill last week – it was quite good, but pricey. I hope this new place is a good, cheap place to pay $2.50 for a beer rather than $4 or $5. Crozet needs it. For the sake of reporting, I will make it a point to visit soon.
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