Category: Crozet

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More Funding for Libraries

Yeah, it’s a political post of sorts, but yeah, I love our libraries, and libraries are one of the best things in Charlottesville.

If you have two minutes, how about sending an email to our delegate, Steve Landes? (click here to send an email)

Dear Delegate Landes,
Please support the Virginia Library Association’s budget amendment, Item 238 #1h (Delegate Rush), Item 238 #2h (Delegate Sickles), to increase State Aid for Public Libraries by $2.5 million dollars. Local libraries play an indispensable daily role in Virginia’s educational system and State Aid to Public Libraries is essential to meeting those needs. This increase would be used by libraries to support summer reading materials and programs or library materials that target STEAM instruction.
This additional funding will provide an additional $100,248 in state aid to the Jefferson Madison Regional Library and would allow JMRL to improve collections, programming, etc. in support of education here in our community.
Thank you for your support and help with this matter.
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White Ribbon Wednesday

via Nextdoor, by way of Twitter –

“”I wanted to pass along there are a few neighborhoods spreading the word to place white ribbons on the trash can handles this week (Wednesday), to show support for the victims of the train crash. People will also be placing ribbons on their trees if they desire. This is a voluntary act of kindness, and I wanted to spread the word, so please pass this idea along to friends who may not read Nextdoor. Thank you.””

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GoFundMe Pages for Man Killed & Man Injured in Train Crash

GoFundMe now live.

On January 31st 2018, Christopher Foley was one of the victims in the Amtrak and garbage truck collision. Unfortunately Chris lost his life. We here at the company lost a friend and a brother, his one year old son and mother of his child lost a father. We have set up this page to help Mr. Foley’s family, theres no amount of money that can replace a human life. Anything that you are able to donate helps the family financially through this horrific time. We are trying to raise enough for the family to cover funeral cost and help with some living costs. All the money will go directly to Mr. Foley’s family.

And this one

On January 31st 2018, Dennis Eddy was one of the victims in the Amtrak and garbage truck collision. Fortunately, Dennis is still with us, however he remains in recovery at the hospital. We have set up this page to help Mr. Eddy, to help with hospital expenses as he recovers. Anything that you are able to donate helps him financially through this horrific time. All the money will go directly to Mr. Eddy.

 

I understand there will be GoFundMe for the two other victims, who were in the ICU last I heard.

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Amtrak Train Hits Trash Truck in Crozet

Last update, but perhaps most important one

 

I’ll update this as the day goes on.

Best news will be found on my Charlottesville media twitter list.

 

Amtrak train carrying GOP politicians to the Greenbrier hit a trash truck at the Lanetown intersection … think – Railroad Avenue towards Mint Springs, but bear left to go behind Orchard Acres, cutting over to Jarmans Gap.

From Reddit.

From NBC29

Emergency crews are on the scene in Crozet where an Amtrak train struck a garbage truck.

A nurse on the scene tells NBC29 that there is one fatality and at least one person is in critical condition.

Continue reading “Amtrak Train Hits Trash Truck in Crozet”

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Road Closure on 240

via the Daily Progress

Postponed by last week’s snow, repair crews are planning to take to Crozet’s streets Wednesday and Thursday to work on water supply lines.

Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority and Faulconer Construction crews will work on the line on Route 240 near Park Ridge Drive, officials said.

The work will require flaggers at the site to help direct traffic around the crews, and traffic will be shifted into the painted median to help minimize delays.

Construction is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. each day.

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Results of the Crozet Survey in 2017

via Crozet Gazette

If there’s one broad, irrefutable conclusion to draw from the 2017 Crozet Community Survey it’s that the people who live in the Crozet area really, really like living here. They treasure the history of the area and are complimentary of many different facets of present-day life in Crozet. Yet the survey also reveals that local residents recognize, quite clearly, that the area is rapidly growing, and with that come both opportunities and challenges.

Read the results. They’re interesting.

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Notes From a Crozet Coffee Conversation

Ongoing series continues. A few notes I took that are relevant to Crozet, but don’t necessarily have a topic other than “relevant to Crozet.”

In the context of, ” why can’t Albemarle County control growth”?

  • A few things came up in conversation 
  • Dillon Rule
    • “… Dillon’s rule limits the powers granted to local governments to those expressly granted by the state, implied by the state, or essential to a locality. More importantly, Justice Dillon ruled that if there is any reasonable doubt whether the state has granted a power to a locality, then it has not been granted. Simply put, towns and cities derive their authority from the state. “
    • Albemarle County’s Land Use Law Handbook – a fantastic resource.
    • Adequate Public Facilities legislation
      • A sample, failed bill from 2008.
        • Adequate public facilities. Allows any locality to adopt provisions in its subdivision ordinance for deferring the approval of subdivision plats or site plans when it determines that existing schools, roads, public safety, sewer or water facilities are inadequate to support the proposed development. Such deferrals cannot extend beyond 12 years. A locality may also consider the adequacy of public facilities in the preparation of its zoning ordinance. Amends § 15.2-2242, § 15.2-2280, of the Code of Virginia. Read the Bill »
    • Impact Fees
      • A bill in the 2018 General Assembly
        • Impact fees for residential development. Repeals provisions that limit existing impact fee authority to (i) localities that have established an urban transportation service district and (ii) areas outside of such service districts that are zoned for agricultural use and that are being subdivided for by-right residential development. The effect of the repeal will be to make the existing impact fee provisions available for use by any locality that includes within its comprehensive plan a calculation of the capital costs of public facilities necessary to serve residential uses.
      • Proffers
        • These used to be something somewhat useful to extract some costs to allocate towards paying for growth. Proffers ceased in 2016.
        • If interested, read some of the proffers news at Charlottesville Tomorrow.
        • Read this whole thing from 2016.
          • A new law recently enacted by the Virginia General Assembly, which goes into effect July 1, 2016, will dramatically change the way cities and counties address re-zonings for residential projects.The law, known as Senate Bill 549, was signed by Governor McAuliffe in March.  It restricts both the subject matter and manner in which localities may accept proffers in residential zoning actions.  The new law is causing local governing bodies, such as the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to revamp their policies on proffers – policies that had become fairly objective, even lending some predictability for investors and developers in recent years.
          • What are proffers? Proffers are essentially conditions that apply in a rezoning that are intended to mitigate a new project’s impacts to public infrastructure or facilities. For example, if a new development were projected to increase traffic at a particular intersection, a new traffic signal or lane widening could typically be expected from the developer of that project. Other frequent examples include improvements to schools and fire stations.  Under current law, proffers have been used to help improve local transit, even to promote affordable housing. Proffers can be in the form of direct cash contributions, or physical improvements installed by the developer itself.
        • My opinion:  in many ways, Albemarle County makes the development process onerous, expensive, and way too time consuming for the rezoning/former proffer process. In doing so, many developers go the path of least resistance – by-right – and often, that end result is not what is best for Albemarle.
        • Related story: County development areas attracting growth, but homebuilders see room for more
        • And this: New proffer era has begun for Virginia localities
    • Richmond Sunlight
    • VPAP
      • See who’s giving our elected representatives money, and a whole lot more information.

The Series

  1. The Beginning – A Conversation with a friend over coffee
  2. Prologue – Support local journalists & journalism
  3. How Much Money for Infrastructure Has Crozet Gotten?
  4. Crozet Population Numbers Keep Growing
  5. Crozet Acronyms – What do They Mean?
  6. Crozet Water Supply
  7. Notes from a Crozet Coffee Conversation
  8. Ongoing Crozet Projects of Note
  9. Getting Involved in Crozet – Where to Start?
  10. … I don’t yet know …
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Fire Behind Westlake & Western Ridge Last Week

via email (my apologies for taking so long to post)

by Spencer Elliott

I was returning home at around 10:30/10:45 and noticed a glow in he woods between two houses, which I thought peculiar. It looked like a fire, but at first I was in disbelief. It took only a moment more for me to realize it was in fact a fire. I immediately rushed into my house to tell my parents, and we then called 9-1-1 to alert them. Giving them directions was difficult because the fire came from the clearing behind western ridge, which is undeveloped land.
Here are a few pictures, not that they’re amazing quality, but its what we were able to capture.
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Water Line Work Being Done 16 Jan in front of Western Ridge

via email:

Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, along with Faulconer Construction, will be performing water line repair work on Tuesday January 16, 2018. The repair will take place on Route 240 near Park Ridge Drive in Crozet, VA and is scheduled to begin at 8:00 am. Traffic control will be present and will consist of a lane shift into the painted median, to minimize the impact on through traffic, however speeds may be reduced in the work area. Work is scheduled to end at 4:30pm and the normal traffic pattern will be restored.

Continue reading “Water Line Work Being Done 16 Jan in front of Western Ridge”