Author: Jim Duncan

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Crozet Should Become a Town

Posing the title as a statement as a starting point for a debate.

It’s 2021, and we’re talking about whether Crozet should be a town. Read the whole thing at the Daily Progress (and subscribe, too!)

Now, some are calling for a moratorium on any density increases in the area until infrastructure needs catch up with the pace of development, while others are suggesting Crozet become an officially incorporated town to help achieve the community’s desire to protect older homes and complete road projects.

“I haven’t really jumped on board the, ‘OK, let’s incorporate,’ just because I feel like it creates some redundancies and additional tax burdens,” said Pesch. “If we can work together with county staff and the Planning Commission and the [Board of Supervisors] to all be happy and share our resources and share the burden of growing pains, then why should we become a town, at least at this point?”

Pesch said the master plan revision process has sparked more talk about Crozet potentially becoming a town — “way more frequently than I have ever heard it before” — though no formal effort has begun to her knowledge. The idea was broached at a Planning Commission meeting last week by Commissioner Rick Randolph.

For background*

2007 – Should Crozet become a town? (thanks, Cvillenews)

There are a couple of reasons that Crozet doesn’t incorporate, and three of those are that 

1) We’d have to pay separate taxes to the town
2) We’d have to hire our own police force with said taxes
3) Everybody wants everything but doesn’t want to pay for it.

2016 – If Crozet Became a Town – What Might its Budget Look Like?

EASY QUESTIONS ABOUT “IF CROZET BECAME A TOWN”?
  • Would you be willing to pay more in taxes to have more control over the future of Crozet?
  • Would yet another layer of bureaucracy be a good thing?
  • How is being a town working out for Scottsville?
A BIG QUESTION

@realcrozetva what additional services would you want for your town taxes?

A Budget from a friend

Here is a link to what a Crozet budget would look like if incorporated from a very well run Town that is comparable in community feel and size.

And 2016 discussion about Service Districts

Service Tax Districts in Albemarle County?

And Back to 2021

Big discussion at Nextdoor, which is a private group with conversations that would best be held in public.

*This is why blogs matter – context, historical links, archiving information and discussions in an open format – all of these matter.

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COVID-19 Vaccine Update

A reader asked me earlier today to provide an update on COVID-19 vaccines in Crozet; coincidentally and conveniently, this was sitting in my inbox, and I’m publishing with Dr. McLaughlin’s permission. I have also found the Charlottesville Community Engagement daily newsletter and podcast informative about the pandemic (and many other things).

From Blue Ridge Family practice:

Blue Ridge Family Practice January 2021

In this issue:
-COVID-19 vaccine
-Clinic COVID-19 protocols
-Flu vaccine
-A Pandemic of Kindness

Light at the end of the (Crozet) tunnel
Continue reading “COVID-19 Vaccine Update”
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Checking in on Albemarle’s Stream Health

via email, from Tom Adajian

The county has a Stream Health Initiative. Phase II, which focuses on issues and strategies for improving stream health in the rural areas, is starting. (Phase 1, which is still ongoing, has focused on development-related issues and strategies for improving stream health in the county. Various proposals were developed, some of which have been implemented; work on others is ongoing.)

Given that, according to the DEQ, 56% of county streams studied are impaired, and given the correlation between stream impairment and development, this should be a vital concern to western Albemarle and Crozet citizens. (Note that the ‘streams’ include Mechums River, Lickinghole Creek, the Rivanna…..)

There’s a questionnaire here. Citizens should take it.

There are numerous ways that citizens can be involved in this process.

The county’s official blurb

The first stage of Phase II is Jan-March 2021. It is focused on building a shared understanding of the current condition of our waters and identifying challenges related to improving stream health in the Rural Areas. We will provide you with opportunities to share your expertise, knowledge, and experience. Input provided will be used to guide the focus of discussions and design recommendations for subsequent stages of the project.

The general website is here.

To subscribe to the Albemarle County News newsletter, the source of this info, go here.

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Beaver Creek Improvements Meeting on 10 December

via email:

A virtual meeting is being conducted on December 10, 2020 at 6:00 PM EST to discuss the Beaver Creek Watershed Structure No. 1 Planning Study. The subject project is located in Albemarle County approximately one-half mile north-northwest of the intersection of Browns Gap Turnpike/VA-680 and Three Notched Road/VA-240. The project involves the rehabilitation of the subject dam to meet State and Federal requirements for high- hazard dams. The multi-purpose Beaver Creek Reservoir No. 1, operated by the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority (RWSA), serves as the sole municipal water supply for the Crozet Area in Albemarle County.

This meeting will be held virtually using the Zoom platform. A link to the meeting location will be posted to RWSA’s website at https://www. rivanna.org/rwsa-projects-map/beaver-creek- improvements/. The project team will present the overall concept of the project, after which residents and interested parties will have the opportunity to ask questions and express any concerns about the project to the team. Following the meeting, the presentation will be posted to RWSA’s website for anyone who is unable to attend live. Questions and comments will be received until December 18, 2020. Additional details for accessing the recorded meeting and submitting feedback will be provided during the live presentation and posted to RWSA’s website.

Continue reading “Beaver Creek Improvements Meeting on 10 December”
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Events on Plank Road at Wavertree Hill Farm?

From Sean Tubbs’ Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter

(you can subscribe to Sean’s work here, and I highly recommend doing so)

The owners of a historic property on Plank Road near Batesville are seeking a special use permit to hold events, but under a different section of the zoning code than the one for wineries, cideries and breweries. 

“The Special Events ordinance was developed expressly for hosting events at historic properties for the public to share the enjoyment of the County’ s historic resources and rural viewsheds,” reads the narrative of the application from Hilmasco Operations, LLC. 

This requires a community meeting which will be held at 5:30 p.m. Several neighbors have already expressed opposition to the project, citing noise and traffic concerns. (meeting info)

The property was originally listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 as Wavertree Hill Farm, but has since been renamed to Bellevue. Under the proposal, weddings and other activities would take place in an existing indoor riding ring which will be remodeled.

“This structure is not a contributing historic structure, was built in the 1970′ s, and is visually inconsistent with the other structures on the Property,” reads the narrative. “Though the Applicant would prefer to raze this structure and to construct a more attractive building in the same location, Section 5. 1. 43( d)( 1) requires each structure used for a special event to have been in existence on the date of the adoption of the section.”

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation holds a conservation easement on the property which will not allow new commercial buildings to be constructed. Under the proposal, outdoor amplified music would end at ten p.m. and all events would be over by midnight. The applicant has requested a special exception that four events be allowed to have up to 350 guests. The others would be restricted to 150 or fewer. 

Source: Albemarle County

(Jim’s note: there was a discussion somewhere on Nextdoor about this, with people riled up in opposition, but I cannot find it anywhere)

*

The Crozet Community Advisory Committee meets at 7 p.m. for another meeting on the revision of the master plan. They will have a discussion of proposed changes to date, and then a discussion of possible resolutions the CAC may make. (meeting info) 

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CCAC Meeting 30 November – Trying to Stop Growth?

via email:

I’m attaching the agenda for our special meeting Monday, November 30, at 7 p.m., when we will review the summary of changes that staff has proposed for the Crozet Master Plan and consider a few resolutions that committee members have proposed to send forward to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. 


Please join us! https://albemarle-org.zoom.us/j/98824274913

A short read on this (my opinion) is that infrastructure has not kept up with growth, CCAC want to slow growth until the infrastructure catches up, and they are looking to advocate for lower density (read: more expensive) housing in lieu of higher density. Why not just seek to stop all growth now that we are all here? (sarcasm intended)

CCAC Meeting Documents

Please read these.

There is even a petition

Nextdoor has been a hotbed of anti-growth commentary of late.

All this talk about wanting to shut things down and have some sort of autonomy from Albemarle County makes me think Crozet should discuss becoming a town.

Also, you know what makes housing more affordable? More houses. Supply & Demand matters.

I just put up a facebook (I hate facebook) post, in part:

I’m curious – we’re going to grow. What housing would people support?

From ProPublica’s Separated by Design: How Some of America’s Richest Towns Fight Affordable Housing

Many zoning boards rely on their finely tuned regulations to keep housing segregation firmly in place. They point to frail public infrastructure, clogged streets, a lack of sidewalks and concerns of overcrowding that would damage what’s often referred to as “neighborhood character.”

And from gzeromedia’s Urbanization Around the World

Over the past seven decades, dozens of countries have experienced rapid urbanization as people flock from rural areas to cities in search of more diverse economic opportunities. During that time, the global urban population has increased six-fold.

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Lickinghole Creek and Mechums are Impaired

I’m hoping this is the first of at least a two part series.

tl;dr: our waterways are damaged. If you can spare some time, you could serve on the committee to help fix them.

What follows are a few emails I’ve received from a reader

A link to a recording of the webinar on the DEQ  South Fork Rivanna River Study — presentation slides and recording — is below. 


Of particular interest to Crozet people:  Lickinghole Creek is one of the officially impaired creeks. Parts of the Mechums are too. And parts of the Rivanna.

There’s also a link to the first Technical Advisory Committee Meeting. Citizens can serve on this body.

In the light of all the construction (including the recent snafu with the violation of the stream protection guidelines in the county’s latest (?) cock-up, the development (near Crozet Park), vigilance regarding our streams is vital. 

From VA DEQ Valley Regional Office

I would like to thank you all for your interest in the South Fork Rivanna River Stream Health Study.  We had great attendance and participation at our kick off meeting on Wednesday evening, and I hope that we continue to have this level of engagement going forward.  As a reminder, our first Technical Advisory Committee Meeting will be held on December 9th at 2:00 p.m.  Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend.


Registration Link https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2154435171464681487

For those of you who were unable to attend the meeting on Wednesday night, I have provided a link to a recording of the webinar below.  This recording includes the presentation and the question and answer session that followed.  Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, and please do pass along any formal written comments during the 30-day public comment period currently underway.


Webinar Recording https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/1274834665452620040

Very best, Nesha
Nesha McRae | TMDL Coordinator VA DEQ Valley Regional Office |

“A pdf document is attached that includes a series of tables, each providing a slightly different data summary for the watershed. The attachment includes information on the portion of waterways assessed in the watershed, in addition to those that are not.”Download
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Ann Mallek Town Hall – November 19 2020

via email

White Hall District Virtual Town Hall 

Supervisor Ann Mallek of the White Hall District is hosting a virtual town hall on Thursday, November 19, beginning at 7pm. Supervisor Mallek will listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and share information about what’s going on in Albemarle County. Questions may be submitted in advance by email ([email protected]) or be asked during the live session, through Zoom or by phone.


The virtual town hall may be accessed in the following ways:

Online: https://albemarle-org.zoom.us/j/91673601839

By Phone: 301-715-8592 or toll-free 888-788-0099 The Webinar ID is 916 7360 1839

If you can, email Ann your questions in advance.

Also, as described in Sean Tubbs’ Charlottesville Community Engagement Weekly Newsletter

Thursday, November 19

A return to town halls

A staple of representative government in Albemarle County is the town hall. Albemarle has six supervisors, each of whom represent a different magisterial district. That is different from Charlottesville, which elects five people at-large. But because of COVID, Albemarle’s in-person town halls have not been possible this year. 

The virtual town hall for the White Hall District being put on by Supervisor Ann Mallek beginning at 7 p.m. is the first of this era. You can ask questions in advance by sending an email to [email protected] or asking in the session. (meeting info)

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CCAC Land Use Meeting – 12 November 2020

Via email:

Crozet Community Advisory Committee Thursday, November 12, 2020 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 (14); 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]

  1. Call to Order & Agenda Review (3 minutes)Allie Pesch, CCAC Chair
  2. Approve Meeting Minutes (2 minutes)Allie Pesch, CCAC Chair

AGENDA

3. Discussion: Crozet Master Plan Land Use (75 minutes)

Staff: Rachel Falkenstein, Michaela Accardi, Tori Kanellopoulos

Topics:

  1. Downtown Neighborhoods Overlay
  2. Middle Density Residential
  3. Land Use in Old Trail Village
  4. Draft Land Use Recommendations

Discussion Questions:

  1. Has staff accurately summarized the community and CCAC feedback to date?
  2. Do you have any additional comments or questions on these topics?

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4. Other Business (10 minutes)

Allie Pesch, CCAC Chair

Next Meeting:
Special Meeting (Monday, November 30, 7:00 PM)

Supporting documents

– Crozet Future Land Use Plan Community Engagement Summary (hint: the County have done a lot to engage the community.

– Agenda

Some Recent Background

The September Crozet Land Use meeting, held during the day, was full of good information and discussion.

My Quick thoughts from that meeting

  • We need creative density, commensurate with infrastructure improvements
  • There are a lot of people who say they want affordable housing, but want it somewhere else
  • Seems like a lot of Crozetians don’t like the current growth patterns, and want to shut down development. At least the ones speaking out. 
  • Some of the stuff that is being built around Crozet is certainly contributing to the changes in Crozet
  • We need affordable housing here. Not “over there.”
  • I agree with the commenters that this feels somewhat rushed, but we still need to do something soon
  • We need a developer to come and propose/put up something like thisthat is functional and creative.
  • Ceasing development is not a good or viable solution (I’m working on a follow up post on this, and would welcome citations in favor or against this argument)
  • Zoom meetings are fantastic in that they open the meetings in a way that make them much easier to access, jump in and out, and learn. 
    • No driving or parking
    • Meetings are recorded and put on YouTube
    • Transcripts of the meetings! 
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More Questions on Crozet Park’s Plans

Current secondary entrance to Crozet Park

Questions are good.

Background on Crozet Park’s big plans.

My offer stands to Crozetians: want to research and write about developments affecting you, your neighborhood, Crozet? Let me know.

New letter from one of Crozet Park’s neighbors to Albemarle County staff.

After the Crozet Park Special Use Permit zooming meeting on the 14th  I’ve taken some time to digest my impressions and wanted to share my thoughts about the process and the content. 

First,  I think it is a good thing to solicit neighborhood input although attending the meeting via zoom rather than in person was a bit confining.  I am not clear on  the Virtual Meeting  process for responding to public questions or comments submitted prior to the Meeting.      I do not know how others felt but it was odd to submit questions/comments prior to the meeting that may or may not be addressed by the people actually active in the Video/Zoom meeting. 

Second, I had a chance to look at the additional Crozet Park Expansion project information that was attached to the previous Meeting Minutes which included staff and agency comments from the Applicant’s August Submittal. I see that some of the questions raised in my previous letter were also commented by staff and other agencies, however,  I did not see where the impact of construction on the adjacent neighborhoods is addressed in the attachments to the previous meeting minutes.   

Based on comments at the meeting it was clear to me the Applicant has no intention of  disturbing its own Park operations during construction nor did they seem concerned about how  construction work will impact adjacent neighborhoods. Incorporating neighborhood concerns should be equally aggressive and intentional. This is a serious issue for those of us experiencing the Foothill construction operation. 

From my own observations, and mentioned by a resident at the meeting, based on the progress of the Foothill Crossing construction project next door to Crozet Park, it seems that it is considered acceptable by County Staff, the Applicant and its Designer to stage dump trucks and turn them around on neighborhood roads.   It appears it is also acceptable to put  Porto-johns in front of neighbor homes and Site Debris Management areas close to neighboring homes.   The Foothill Crossing construction project plans include no requirement to stage construction vehicles within the Construction Site verses outside of the Construction site which makes the work more disruptive than it should be and is, frankly, inconsiderate.   

Staff and agency comments did not address this at all – maybe it is beyond their purviews. The construction impact of these Projects/Developments can be mitigated,  but planning for it has be intentional and should be seriously considered during early reviews. The manner in which the current Foothills Crossing construction work has been handled did not consider how it is disturbing  neighbors  in Parkside Village and along Hilltop Road. Construction impacts for this Project can be mitigated very cost effectively but they have to be planned just as intentionally as the applicant has –  and some agency has to advocate for that. 

Lastly, it was unclear at the community meeting what information Staff reviewed relative to the use of the Emergency Access Road entrance to Hilltop Road in the future. The Designer said it would only be used for large events while the Applicant indicated they would not accept any limitations on how they might use it.   The VDOT Comments are also unclear on whether they reviewed the improvements as an Emergency Access road or a two way Entrance to the Park.    This is a very serious issue for a lot of reasons – the Hilltop Road entrance sight distances, bus stops, traffic build up, sequence with the development of neighborhood infrastructure (future roads)  to Downtown Crozet – and how all of this impacts the adjacent neighborhoods. I am looking forward to additional project information and a chance to review the Applicants response and comments.