Author: Jim Duncan

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Roundabout at WAHS and Old Trail?

Cars at Old Trail Drive

If you’re not reading the Charlottesville Community Engagement Week Ahead, you’re missing out. There’s a lot happening in Albemarle and Charlottesville that will affect our respective back yards.

At least read the weekly (shorter) summaries on Charlottesville Reddit.

The Albemarle Board of Supervisors will meet in person at Lane Auditorium for their first meeting of June. (agenda) (meeting info) …

* The first phase of Albemarle’s Comprehensive Plan review continues, and Supervisors will review the same material on the build-out analysis shown to the Planning Commission last week. Assuming that rezonings come in at the higher end of the densities designated in the Future Land Use Map, there’s enough land to support population growth. Supervisors may be the first to admit that those rezonings often don’t max out the land available. For instance, the Rio Point development could have had over 650 units but the project approved by Supervisors only came in at 328. This is a conversation to watch.

And then there’s transportation:

* Albemarle Supervisors will vote on the 12 Smart Scale applications to be submitted for areas in the county. The county itself is submitting four, including a potential roundabout at the intersection of Old Trail Drive and U.S. 250 West. The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and the Charlottesville Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization will submit the other eight. Those include a pair of projects on U.S. 250 in Pantops and the Rivanna River pedestrian bridge. Albemarle has had success with getting Smart Scale projects built whereas Charlottesville has languished.

* The TJPDC meets Thursday and will adopt a resolution to support a dozen projects that are being submitted on behalf of Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties. Several of them are indicators of areas preparing for more growth in the future.

From Albemarle’s site.

Good to see that they’re considering moving things other than cars.

  1. Old Trail Drive/US 250 West Intersection ImprovementsThis project would construct a roundabout at the Old Trail Drive/250 intersection with pedestrian accommodations, particularly for the pedestrian movement across 250.

A question to you

What matters to you in Crozet, and Albemarle County?

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Independence Day Celebration – 2 July 2022

One of the most fun days of the year in Crozet is upon us, and once again, they need some community help to help pull off what is always an enormously well attended event.

As always, if you can walk or ride a bike to the fireworks, everyone would be happier with less traffic.

From the Crozet Community Association site

(click here to read the whole thing!)

It all starts with the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department (CVFD) parade at 5:00 PM at Crozet Elementary School and goes down Crozet Avenue through downtown Crozet to Claudius Crozet Park.  The Parade Grand Marshal is TBA.  .

If you would like to be a part of the 2022 Crozet Firemen’s parade, please submit your entry to be in the parade  to ensure you are included in the lineup. Lineup will be based on a first come basis. Horses/livestock will be placed near or at the end of the parade. Lineup will begin at 4:00 P.M. at Crozet Elementary School and the parade ends at Claudius Crozet Park.

The celebration begins at Claudius Crozet Park after the parade.    Bring a lawn chair if you want to be comfortable as you listen to the local band, Jacabone.   Traditional American Fourth of July fare will be available, including hot dogs,  hamburgers, chicken, kettle korn, funnel cake, BBQ, and sno-cones, as well as vegetarian and vegan choices, tacos, and other favorites! Local beer and Bold Rock Cider will also be available for a separate cost.  Event culminates at 9:30 PM with a stupendous fireworks show. (We have it at 9:30 PM so it’s late enough to be dark, but not too late to for the youngsters to view the show.)

There are no pets allowed in the event

Designated smoking areas are provided and we ask that you only smoke in those areas.  If you live nearby Crozet Park, we encourage you to walk!

How much would you pay for such good times?  All that’s asked is a donation of $5 per person (and  children 9 years and under are free) as you enter the festivities (parking is free).  The non-profit civic groups in Crozet are the ones that benefit from any money raised above the cost of the event, so please be generous.  Most years, we’ve donated over $7,000 to CVFD, WARS, Crozet Park, and other civic groups.

Check out our Facebook page at: http://facebook.com/Crozet.Independence.Day.Celebration

…

The event is sponsored by the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department, Crozet Community Association, Claudius Crozet Park, Crozet Lions Club,  Life Journey Church, Crozet Board of Trade, and several other area churches, and citizen volunteers.

Making a Contribution

These events involve a lot of donated time from a lot of individuals, but they can’t happen without financial contributions, too. We want everyone to enjoy our small-town event, so we only ask for donations at the entrance – A donation of $5 per person (and  children 9 and under are free) as you enter the festivities (parking is free).   Of course, we appreciate all donations, but to boost our efforts to cover expenses, we have three leadership donor levels and we are hoping that you will show your support by becoming a lead patron this year.

  • For a gift of $500 or more, we will prominently display your company banner you provide at the entrance to the park during the event, identify your patron status in the Crozet Gazette and event handbill and provide you with ten passes to the celebration in the park.
  • For a gift of $250 to $499, you will receive acknowledgment in the Crozet Gazette and event handbill and four passes to the celebration in the park.
  • And, for a gift of $100 to $249 you will receive two passes to the celebration in the park, published thanks in the Crozet Gazette and the event handbill.

July 2nd  will be here before you know it.  Won’t you join us by contributing whatever you can afford?  If being a lead patron is too much this year, please send whatever you can afford.   Your contribution is tax-deductible charitable donation. Last year, thanks to generous donations, we donated over $7,000 to multiple local charities- including the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department, Western Albemarle Rescue Squad, Crozet Trails Crew, and Claudius Crozet Park.  Thank you!

Please make your donation by Monday, June 27 in order to be listed on the event  handbill. 

  1. You can mail a check payable to: Crozet Board of Trade and send it to: CBT, P.O. Box 261, Crozet, VA 22932.  Please put  “CIDC donation” on the memo line.
  2. You can contribute right now, online, by clicking on this link:  
  3. Please put “CIDC donation” in the Designation box.
  4. Thank you for your generous support!

It takes a village – won’t you help out on Saturday, July 3 for an hour?

We need your help for just an hour or two on Saturday, July 2.  Below is the website to sign-up to help with the Crozet Independence Day Celebration (CIDC)  Saturday, July 2, between 5PM to 10PM (or Sunday morning to pick up the park).  There are a variety of tasks and time slots. Most of the time slots are only an hour – so there’s lots of ways to help and still enjoy the event.

To volunteer for an hour, please click here.

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CCAC, Climate, and Infrastructure

Rough "sidewalk" on Hill top

CCAC meeting on 11 May 2022 was focused Albemarle County’s Climate Change initiative, and yielded an interesting discussion.

If you’re interested, I would encourage you to either read all of the tweets (click here, scroll to the bottom and make your way up), or watch the video of the meeting.

A few tweets from the meeting

Read more: CCAC, Climate, and Infrastructure
The “sidewalk” on Hill Top street. Tried walking my grandson in his stroller and it was impossible, so we walked in the road.

https://twitter.com/JimDuncan/status/1525494531399065600

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Maybe Progress on Barnes Lumber project?

via the excellent Charlottesville Community Engagement.

Albemarle Supervisors talk $2.5 million in funding for Crozet project, $4.4M in affordable housing projects 

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meets at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium but there is also a hybrid option. (agenda)

The first item deals with a key component for the future of Crozet. Albemarle County entered into a public-private partnership with an entity known as Crozet New Town Associates to inject new life into a plan to redevelop the former Barnes Lumber site. Part of the plan is to create a road network and public space on which to build new town space. The cost of doing so has increased and now $2.5 million more in public money is suggested.

“The proposed addendum enables the County to complete the road network, whereas the developer will provide additional contributions to include paying for water and sewer utility installation, building a public restroom in a development adjacent to the public plaza, providing seed money to fund an Executive Director for the Downtown Crozet Initiative (a community development organization supporting the project), donating Right of Way (land) in the amount of approximately $300,000, and covering expenses exceeding the new project budget,” reads the staff report. 

One million of the funding would come from the American Rescue Plan Act and $1.5 million would come from the county’s Economic Development Investment Pool.

As fun history, these are a few photos from June 2012 when the lumberyard was sold at auction.

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Three Notch’d Trail at the BoS

Three Notch'd Trail

This would be such a remarkable asset for Crozet, Charlottesville, the Climate, people’s health and well being, community, and the community.

Learn more about the Three Notch’d Trail idea.

From Sean Tubbs’ excellent Week Ahead.

The Albemarle Board of Supervisors will hold their first in-person meeting in nearly two years beginning at noon with a budget work session before their regular meeting. The meeting can be viewed by the public on the Board’s website. (agenda) (meeting info)

Regular business starts at 1 p.m. Two walkability proposals are on the agenda. First, Supervisors will be asked to grant final approval for a sidewalk on Commonwealth Drive and Dominion Drive in the Jack Jouett District. Albemarle is seeking revenue-sharing funds from the Virginia Department of Transportation. (staff report)

Next, the county is seeking a federal grant to plan for a trail between the Blue Ridge Tunnel to Crozet and then on to Charlottesville along the route of the Three Notch’d Trail. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act approved by the U.S. Congress last year set aside $1.5 billion under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant program. 

“There has long been local and regional interest in the development of a shared use path along the historic Three Notched Road,” reads the staff report. “A shared use path along Three Notched Road is highlighted in the Albemarle County Comprehensive Plan, the Crozet Master Plan, the Jefferson Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, and the most recent Virginia Outdoors Plan. Segments of the shared use path were prioritized in the 2019 update of the Albemarle County Transportation Priorities list.”

Albemarle will seek up to $1 million to pay for a feasibility study, conduct public outreach on an alignment, and to bring the design to a certain level of engineering. 

Add protected bike lanes and e-bikes, and we’d have something super-awesome and functional.

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Albemarle Budget Town Hall 28 March 2022

Sugar Hollow

From the Daily Progress:

According to county officials, the following meetings are scheduled:

Monday, March 28 at 7 p.m.. Hosted by Supervisor Ann Mallek, White Hall District and held at Brownsville Elementary School Cafeteria.

Thursday, March 31 at 7 p.m.. Hosted by Supervisor Ann Mallek, White Hall District and held at Broadus Wood Elementary School Cafeteria.

Wednesday, April 13 at 7 p.m.. Hosted by Supervisor Donna Price, Scottsville District, it will be held at location yet to be announced.

Saturday, April 16 at 10 a.m.. Hosted by Supervisor Ann Mallek, White Hall District, and held at the White Hall Community Building.

Meeting information is here.

And I just got this email — the () indicate where I removed personal/HOA information

We will be asking for the BOS to vote NO to new re-zoning requests in Crozet that threaten the environment, covering up important streams, overcrowd our small roads, and adversely impact our community.

WE NEED (NUMBERS) at the meeting TONIGHT!!!!

_____

Hello Neighbors!

I am sending the following notice on behalf of (), the president of our () Homeowners Association. She is urging all to attend a Town Hall meeting THIS EVENING at Brownsville Elementary School. Here’s what she says:

“We received a letter yesterday from Ann Mallek, our representative on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, inviting our neighbors to attend Mallek’s Town Hall meeting tonight in the Cafeteria at Brownsville Elementary School, beginning at 7:00pm.

It is absolutely critical that we show up, in person, to ask the Board of Supervisors to VOTE “NO” for the rezoning of the GREEN SPACE around Crozet.  The proposed high-density Montclair development will adversely impact the Western Ridge neighborhood and surrounding communities. Please see details below.

I am asking our neighbors to meet at 6:30pm tonight at the (), where we can answer your questions about the Montclair neighborhood proposed ()We will go from there to Brownsville to attend the TOWN HALL meeting.

Related reading …

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Misty Mountain Seeking to Expand

From Sean Tubbs’ excellent Charlottesville Community Engagement

Misty Mountain Resort seeking permission for expansion 

A community meeting will be held at 5 p.m. for a special use permit for the expansion of the Misty Mountain Camp Resort on U.S. 250 west of Crozet. The camp currently has 16 cabins and 104 camp sites and is allowed to hold an annual music festival. (meeting info)

“Outdoor recreation is now more important than ever, and therefore it is the intent of this special use permit to expand the capacities of the Misty Mountain Camp Report,” reads the narrative for the request to formally allow the 16 cabins and to allow 68 more campsites. The current special use permit only allows ten cabins. 

Interesting comment from the accompanying Charlottesville Reddit post:

I think this was discovered by a relatively new owner. The original permit was from 1994 or so. This property last sold in April 2021 for $4.5 million and I suspect the new owner realized they needed to become compliant. There are a total of four special use permits on the property, two of which relate to a music festival that’s allowed once a year.

For those who aren’t aware, Misty Mountain Camp Resort is a bit west of the 64 interchange just off of 250.

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Crozet Stuff This Week – 14 March 2022

Searching Sean Tubbs’ “Week Ahead” Charlottesville Community Engagement for “Crozet” …

And a reminder to subscribe to Sean’s work; I do. I’m happy to gift a subscription to someone if you’re interested; just ask me.

The Albemarle County Economic Development Authority meets virtually at 4 p.m. for a wide-ranging meeting. (meeting material)

…

Then there will be a closed session at which the EDA will discuss “possible litigation” against the Center, as well as potential investment in Downtown Crozet. 

Glenbrook developer seeks to change housing type proffer

There’s only one item on the agenda for the Albemarle County Planning Commission’s virtual meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. (meeting info)

The developer of the previously approved Glenbrook neighborhood in Crozet wants more flexibility in a 1.89 acre section of the development. When the rezoning was granted in 2016, there was a proffered condition that a minimum of 50 percent of the units would be single family housing. 

Since then, a new Crozet Master Plan has been adopted that designates the land as being for Middle Density Residential which allows for between six and 12 units per acre. 

“Instead of a minimum of 50 percent single family detached dwellings in the overall Glenbrook development, the applicant proposes a minimum of 40 percent single family detached dwelling units,” reads the applicant’s narrative.” This change will allow for the construction of affordable dwelling units in the final phase of the project. 

This would not apply to the remaining 36 acres that are not subject to this rezoning request. Staff recommends approval. 

The application plan for the new Glenbrook rezoning. Click to see a more detailed version.

Beaver Creek Dam Improvements

The referenced 230 page ACSA doc is not searchable, sadly (thanks for the nudge about Sean’s note).

Riding my bicycle yesterday, I noticed a working barge(?) and silt fencing along part of the Beaver Creek Reservoir perimeter. A bit of searching this morning, and I was reminded by the Crozet Gazette of the timing , and a bit more at Rivanna’s site.

https://www.rivanna.org/rwsa-projects-map/beaver-creek-improvements/
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March 2022 Transportation CCAC Meeting Roundup

That was an interesting meeting, and like most such meetings, one that people will look back on in three years and say, “I remember that’s when learned about X.”

X could be that they don’t seem to have the rights of way for the Eastern Avenue extension to 250, or that they still don’t have plans for sidewalks on Tabor and High, but are underway on the sidewalks from Cory Farm to Harris Teeter on 250, or that Oak Street from the Square is going to be completely revamped.

A few highlights that I’m pulling from the google doc at the bottom

  • Joe Fore (CCAC) asks about the Rt 240 (Three Notch’) Shared-use Path – Park Ridge Dr to Music Today; that was broken into 2 segments
  • “Much smaller” pot of funding is federal, not state, for “transportation alternatives” – under $1M, requires 20% local match. You know, walking and riding bikes. 
  • Project updates – skip to the bottom to read the discussion and questions about these
    • Eastern Ave South Extension – project was submitted last year; we find out in April if the state will fund it. ~$25M to do it (wonder what it would have been 15 – 20 years ago)
    • 240/250 Roundabout – going to advertise this year, construction to begin by the end of 2022
    • Old Trail/WAHS/250 Roundabout – worst performing intersection in Crozet – will be submitted as a Smart Scale project in this round. My thought: if they aren’t planning to put bikes and pedestrians first, they’re wrong.
    • US 250 Sidewalks
  • Crozet Connect update
  • Pandemic caused ridership to slump

Last night’s CCAC meeting represented two firsts for me: One – this was my first meeting as a CCAC member rather than observer, and two – the first that I’ve tried taking live notes in a google doc instead of live-tweeting. I’m inclined to go back to tweeting as the google doc does not perform as well as Twitter for inserting screenshots of slide decks (would be super-helpful if we’d get the slide decks before the meeting)

Part of the slide decks

Continue reading “March 2022 Transportation CCAC Meeting Roundup”
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CCAC – 9 March 2022 – Transportation!

Browns Gap Turnpike

Via Charlottesville Community Engagement:

The Crozet Community Advisory Committee meets virtually at 7 p.m. The focus for this meeting will transportation with an update on projects in Crozet, as well as a update and discussion of the Crozet CONNECT service operated by Jaunt. (meeting info)

As I’ve said for years … these meetings may seem boring and disconnected, but the information is critical to how we live in Crozet. See a few of my transportation-thoughts at the bottom after the agenda.

Crozet Community Advisory Committee Wednesday, March 9, 2022 7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M. Virtual Meeting

This meeting is being held pursuant to and in compliance with Ordinance No. 20-A (16); An Ordinance to Ensure the Continuity of Government During the Covid-19 Disaster.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS MEETING ONLINE:

Download Zoom. Use this link https://albemarle-org.zoom.us/j/94571782297 to join the webinar.

BY PHONE/CALL-IN:

Dial (301) 715-8592. Type in the Webinar ID 945 7178 2297 followed by the pound (#) sign. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

AGENDA

  1. Call to Order & Agenda Review (3 minutes)Allie Pesch, CCAC Chair
  2. Approve Meeting Minutes (2 minutes)Allie Pesch, CCAC Chair
  1. (15 minutes)
  2. Upcoming CAC topics (5 minutes)Rachel Falkenstein, Planning Manager, Long-Range Planning

Transportation Planning Overview & Crozet Project Updates (60 minutes)

Kevin McDermot, Planning Manager, Transportation

Crozet CONNECT update & discussion

Jodie Saunders, JAUNT

6. Committee Business (10 minutes)

Allie Pesch, CCAC Chair

Next Meeting: April 13, 2022

Transportation thoughts, for those who don’t follow me on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JimDuncan/status/1499824095206195203
https://twitter.com/JimDuncan/status/1498459458665598978
https://twitter.com/JimDuncan/status/1499826278941212679
https://twitter.com/whiteryanc/status/1499529237518110723