Author: Jim Duncan

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CCAC Meeting – 8 July 2020 | Land Use, Bike/Ped

I’m going to try to live-tweet this one. #CCAC0720

How to participate

ONLINE:

Download Zoom. Use this link https://albemarle-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cYLjIIM0T32Aspkn7sQw3w
to register for the meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

BY PHONE/CALL-IN:

Use this link https://albemarle-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cYLjIIM0T32Aspkn7sQw3w to register for the meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Dial (301) 715-8592. Type in the Webinar ID and Password provided in your email.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Agenda, From the Crozet Community Association site

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No Crozet Fireworks? Ok, Fireworks all over Crozet

The Crozet Fireworks were canceled due to COVID-19, but that didn’t stop numerous neighborhood displays all over Crozet. The fireworks we saw right next to our neighborhood, the ones we saw in the near distance, and the ones mentioned on Twitter were impressive. Sitting outside in the street with my family watching fireworks was a nice gift.

Thanks to our neighbors who paid for, and put on the shows, and thanks for stopping at a reasonable hour!

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Crozet’s Derecho – 8 Years Ago

Crozet Fireworks were canceled. Trains were quiet. Power was out. Very few had generators, so Crozet was quiet.

The Derecho was 8 years ago. A storm came, ripped off shingles, knocked out power for a week, it was freaking hot, trees were down everywhere. Crozet Fire Department was distributing water. It was so hot.

The people at Mudhouse were manually grinding coffee, music was playing on a radio, and they were boiling water on their gas stove to make the community coffee.

Facebook was already awful, and Twitter was already better for rapid information dissemination.

A few photos I dug up from my old photos

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13 of 19 Special Exceptions Recommended for Yancey Lumber

Allison Wrabel at the Daily Progress has the story.

Read the whole thing, and subscribe to local news.

The Albemarle County Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended approval of a raft of requests to modify county regulations that would allow a Crozet lumber mill to expand its operations.

R.A. Yancey Lumber Co. requested multiple special exceptions from the county to avoid reduced setbacks, allow expanded hours of operation, raise their permitted sound levels and reduce vibration limits to make changes to its business operations. Residents of the area around the mill have opposed changes to the regulations, citing, among other things, noise levels from the 71-year-old mill.

Out of 19 special exceptions, the commission recommended 13 for approval.

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CCAC Meeting – 10 June 2020 – watch/participate online

From the County’s site:

Crozet Community Advisory Committee Wednesday, June 10, 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 (6); An Ordinance to Ensure the Continuity of Government During the Covid-19 Disaster.

This meeting will be streamed live at https://publicinput.com/Y4371. If you are unable to join on the web, you can join the call from your phone at 855-925-2801, code 9183.

We invite you to share your comments or questions through this web page or by telephone.

To participate online, enter your comment or question in the box located to the right of the live stream. To participate, login with your name and email address. We recommend that you RSVP/Register in advance so that you don’t have to login during the meeting.

If you are calling in, press *1 to listen to the meeting (your microphone will be muted). Press *3 to leave a voice message.

AGENDA
Crozet Master Plan Character Chapter Review & Work Session

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Crozet Trails Crew – June Work Days

via email, which I copy/pasted, so please forgive my blog’s poor formatting of their awesome email.

View this email in your browser
Getting Back to Work We’ve been depending on individual workers to keep the trails in shape since March, but we’re going to try to step up our game, and start scheduling some small work days. Needless to say, things won’t be like they were before, and we have developed these guidelines to help keep us all safe and healthy.
1. Work groups will be limited in size
All groups will be limited to 10 people or fewer, depending on the space we will be working in. When we go out to prune and trim a trail, we’re able to spread out, so as many as 10 people may be OK. If we are working in a smaller space, the numbers will be smaller.
2. Everyone must sign up in advance
This allows us to control the size of groups, and to follow up with you in case contact tracing is needed. I will link to Sign Up Genius pages for each work day. PLEASE: If you sign up and then have to cancel, remove your Sign Up so we have enough workers for every project!
3. Masks are required; work gloves are encouraged
We will need to wear masks when we are close together–I anticipate this will be when we gather to discuss the work to be done. Once we are spread out, and are not within a few feet of each other, masks can be removed. Please be aware of trail users, though, and make sure to step aside to allow space if people pass on the trail.
4. Tools will be cleaned with disinfectant wipes at the beginning and end of work, and when transferred between people. The Trails Crew doesn’t have an unlimited supply, so it would be great if you bring your own.
5. A hand washing station will be available with soap, water, and paper towels. If you can bring your own hand sanitizer, please do!
6. Social Distancing will be required.

 
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Crozet Elementary’s Addition – Coming Soon

Thanks to Katherine Knott at the Daily Progress; make sure you click through to read the whole thing.

Crozet Elementary addition and renovations

Although construction funding is not certain for a long-awaited expansion of Crozet Elementary, the school division is moving forward on designing the $20.4 million project.

Ken Thacker, with VMDO Architects, walked the Albemarle County School Board through preliminary schematic designs Thursday during the board’s monthly work session. The plans include a three-story addition, new bus loop, improved play areas and an expanded gym and cafeteria.

The 28,000-square-foot Crozet expansion was identified as the division’s top capacity-related construction project by an advisory committee last year in order to ease overcrowding in the western feeder pattern. Nearby Brownsville Elementary has nearly 900 students while the building’s capacity is 764. At Crozet, enrollment is up to 360 students, 30 more than the building’s capacity.

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Voice your Opinion on Bicycle & Pedestrian Connectivity

Take a few minutes and voice your opinion on bicycle and pedestrian connectivity in Crozet here.

“Crozetians have told us about the importance of connecting Crozet’s different neighborhoods and centers with safe routes for pedestrians and cyclists.

We invite you to discuss potential projects and recommendations that can address the community’s goals regarding bicycle and pedestrian connectivity.

Your participation will be used to draft recommendations in the Connectivity Chapter of the Crozet Master Plan. “

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May 2020 CCAC Meeting – It’s Online

The CCAC meeting will be online.

7pm. Wednesday 13 May

This will be interesting. I’ve seen it written all over the web that the pandemic is rapidly accelerating changes; the move to streaming meetings is a good one. I watched part of a recent BoS meeting, and this format was quite good.

from CCA’s site:

This meeting will be streamed live at https://publicinput.com/B4573
If you are unable to join on the Internet (web), you can join the call from your phone at 855-925-2801, code 8755.

CCAC-May-2020-Agenda-PacketDownload
CCAC Presentation Download

Agenda

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Downtown Crozet Market Study on BoS Agenda – 6 May 2020

The 6 May 2020 Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meeting has a bit about Downtown Crozet’s redevelopment on the agenda. The meeting starts at 2pm; the Crozet part starts at 4pm.

And the accompanying FB post, with a great comment:

It is encouraging to see that the consultant has incorporated COVID-19 materials in this study. The county cannot ignore the potential that the virus will literally change everything about this community (see layoffs/furloughs at UVa, dramatic declines in budgeted revenues impacting schools, services and infrastructure for the foreseeable future, etc.) I also think the focus on walkability is key given the lack of sidewalks or shoulders on several important roads leading into downtown.

Link.

Referenced PDFs are here.

Market Studies from Retail Strategies and Downtown Strategies SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Presentation of the County-wide Retail Market Study and the Downtown Crozet Market Study ITEM TYPE: Regular Information Item STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Walker, Johnson, Schmack PRESENTER (S): Beth Miller, Jennifer Gregory LEGAL REVIEW: Not Required REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson BACKGROUND: On June 19, 2019, the Board authorized the County to enter into a Public-Private Partnership with Crozet New Town Associates, LLC to redevelop the Barnes Lumber site in Downtown Crozet. As part of the agreement, the County agreed to complete a market study, as provided in the 2010 Crozet Master Plan Implementation Plan. In October 2019, the Economic Development Office contracted with consultants from Retail Strategies to conduct two specialized studies; one study focused on the retail sector within the Development Areas and the other study provided a capacity analysis and development rec…