Category: Politics

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Brad Rykal Challenging Ann Mallek for White Hall Supervisor

VPAP screenshot

It’s hard to argue with “build infrastructure” as a platform. Looking forward to the discussions leading up to the White Hall Board of Supervisors election on 7 November 2023.

Contested elections are good. So are ones focused on local matters rather than national.

As with most things, be sure to follow the money. (nothing yet to report, but VPAP is awesome)

via email.

CROZET, VA — Brad Rykal (pronounced: *edit: rye-kel)) announced today that he is running for Albemarle County’s Board of Supervisors representing the White Hall district, which includes the designated growth area of Crozet.

“I am excited to announce my candidacy as an Independent for White Hall Supervisor and am humbled by the opportunity to serve my local neighbors and larger community. We live in a very special place, and with your support, I will fight to keep it that way.”

Rykal is no stranger to leadership and public service. Born in a small town in northern Wisconsin, he enlisted in the Army after graduating college in 2005, and did two tours in Iraq with the 2nd Armored Division and later, in Afghanistan with the Special Forces. He went on to earn his MBA, and moved to Crozet to work at Rivanna Station, and later became the Chief Operating Officer of a private defense contracting company.

One of the campaign’s major initiatives will be to build out long overdue and necessary infrastructure. “We did our part”, he says, referring to the fact that White Hall’s population and tax revenues have grown dramatically in recent years. “Now it is time for the County to do theirs by making significant public investments in White Hall.”

Rykal is also motivated to preserve the area’s natural resources and rekindle the close-knit community feel for the generations to come as well as his own young family. Brad and his wife, Mallory DeCoster, are parents of two boys, Brett (age 14), and Bode (age 3). The couple is expecting their third in May.

“Too many White Hall residents tell me they don’t feel like their voice matters anymore. They fear that national party politics are overriding our local community issues.” Rykal said. “That’s why I’m running as an Independent candidate, to bring us back together with a focus on the issues that truly matter in our day-to day-lives.”

Rykal is beginning a “listening tour” to speak with individual residents about their concerns before hosting a formal campaign kickoff event later this Spring. Citizens are encouraged to sign up at his campaign website www.bradforsupervisor.com to learn more and get in touch.

*at least on my computer, the screenshot below showed with gibberish. Hopefully my edit makes sense.

pronunciation of Brad Rykal's name rendered as gibberish text
pronunciation of Brad Rykal's name rendered as it was sent originally
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Eastern Connector Coming Within Our Lifetimes?

Old Eastern Connector sign in Cory Farm

Note that the picture of the sign is old … but was in place long enough that the area code changed from 804 to 434. 🙂

*please read this whole thing, and then read the thing at the bottom.

Will the Eastern Connector come to fruition in our lifetimes?

Maybe.

The above is from the July 2022 Transportation Planning Report.

I asked Kevin McDermott, Planning Manager for Albemarle County if the Eastern Connector might have a realistic timeline. He answered:

We have a proposed timeline for construction of the Eastern Ave Southern Connector but, because we are still working to gather the full amount of funding the project is currently estimated at, that schedule could still fluctuate.

We have already completed design and engineering for the project to the 30% level. Between FY23 and FY27 the County has dedicated another $12M to this project through the CIP. The State has dedicated $8.1M in the years FY26 and FY27. That would set us up for construction in FY29. We are currently looking at ways to advance this by using the County CIP funds to continue to advance design and engineering so that we can move straight in to construction in FY26 when the State money becomes available. The issues we need to overcome are to get VDOT approval to continue moving the design forward despite no state money being available for 2 more years and to identify a way to address the gap in funding of about $3.5M from the current estimate of $24M and the $20.5M currently available.

Hope that provides the information you were looking for. Obviously the County really wants to do everything we can to move this project along quickly but unfortunately the timeline is dependent on a lot of factors outside of our control.

So the answer is – I think there may be a realistic timeline?

Someone who follows me on Twitter sent me these two things:

I found this link and it shows the current status of the Eastern Avenue extension in the Smart Portal. Looks like if approved and everything goes to plan (ha) construction would begin in 2027.

They sent me this as well:

I also reached out to VDOT about the roundabout at 240/250 that was slated to go to bid this fall. Was told it’s been delayed.

“You are reading the website correctly, but the information isn’t up to date. The project is behind and I anticipate that it will be advertised next year. Thank you for reaching out to me and I apologize for not having the information updated.”

*the thing I want you to read.

We need journalists. Sean Tubbs at Charlottesville Community Engagement is doing a remarkable job, so is the Crozet Gazette. I wrote about them recently. I’m a Realtor at Nest. While I think I’m doing journalism when I write on RealCrozetVA, my profession is not journalism. We need people like Sean, the reporters at Crozet Gazette, and we’re really missing the amazing journalists at the Daily Progress.

While I do my damnedest to know about my community, and know more than my clients who are moving within or to the area, I/we need the people who do this – they tie the threads together to make the story, and they write and describe to both inform, and to hold others accountable.

Did you know the Daily Progress has only one reporter right now? Sean Tubbs at Charlottesville Community Engagement is providing extraordinary work for the community (please pay to subscribe; if you’re interested, I’ll gift you a subscription – ask me.)

Sean reminded us this week

There’s an entire newspaper devoted to Crozet, and the Crozet Gazette is the best source for information coming out of western Albemarle County. 

Without full-time journalists who know what they’re doing, like what they do, and stick around to build and share institutional knowledge – we all suffer.

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Three Notch’d Trail Planning Funding Approved!

Three Notchd Trail map

This is great news.

$2,007,045 for the Three Notched Trail Shared Use Path Plan in Albemarle County for the planning of a project that will develop a shared use path between the City of Charlottesville, the community of Crozet, and Western Albemarle and Nelson County.

(the following is from the beginning of the above-referenced release)

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $64,207,045 in federal funding for Virginia infrastructure projects courtesy of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law negotiated by Sen. Warner and supported by Sen. Kaine. The funding was awarded through the Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program that helps communities plan and carry out projects with local or regional impact.

“Virginia continues to benefit from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” the senators said. “We are thrilled to see this funding head to Virginia for improvements throughout the Commonwealth that will have a direct impact on Virginians’ daily lives.”

Getting people out of cars onto bikes and e-bikes withing safe, protected lanes from Afton and Crozet to Charlottesville. Sounds simple, reasonable, and a no-brainer.

Getting there will take a lot of work, and huge thanks and congratulations to everyone who lobbied to get this funding.

From the TNT site

The Three Notched Trail (TNT) is a proposed shared use path from the City of Charlottesville extending to Ivy, Crozet, and the Blue Ridge Tunnel in Afton.  Additionally, the trail will connect users to the University of Virginia, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive, and the Appalachian Trail.

A “shared use” path is typically a 10’ wide paved trail that is physically separated from the motor vehicle travel way and allows bi-directional pedestrian and bicycle traffic.  Once built, the TNT will provide local residents and visitors with car-free transportation and recreational opportunities.  

We see the Three Notched Trail being a part of a larger Mountains-to-Sea Trail, connecting the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay.  This continuous trail would make Virginia a trailblazer in outdoor recreation, tying together the Virginia Capital Trail with the proposed Birthplace of America Trail and Fall Line Trail. Imagine a continuous trail almost 200 miles long!

The cynical side of me is hopeful, but realistic. It took 10 years to get the sidewalks in front of Harris Teeter. Here’s hoping my great grand child will be able to get from here to there not in a car.

The sidewalks took only a decade to get done.

  1. Years.
Sidewalks Coming to 250 near Harris Teeter?
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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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Lots of Crozet Infrastructure Improvements to be Discussed on Wednesday, 7 July

Crozet Park before the fireworks fun

Reading Sean Tubbs’ “Week Ahead” email, which has become one of the very few must-reads for me every week, it looks like there are a lot of things on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors’ agenda this week.

There is so very much that affects Crozet. Please take a few minutes to read what’s coming up, and if you’re inclined, get involved, and if you’re super-inclined, I’d pay you to write a story about the meeting. Contact me.

Sean serves this up, and then I started digging

Next, there will be an update on transportation projects from Albemarle’s transportation planning manager as well as the administrator of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Charlottesville residency. (Albemarle report) (VDOT report)

The evening session begins at 6 p.m. and there are three public hearings. In one, $32.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act assistance is to be appropriated to county government ($21.24 million) and county public schools ($11.475 million). Read the details in the staff report. 

In the second public hearing, there is a proposal to designate Route 240 and Route 810 as Virginia Byways. 

“A Virginia Byway designation recognizes a road having relatively high aesthetic or cultural value, and leading to or within areas of historical, natural, or recreational significance,” reads the staff report. “This designation may promote local tourism by providing an awareness of local significance and aesthetic opportunities regionally.”

From the above-linked Albemarle County report

Just searching for “Crozet;” if these interest you, please click through to the report and see the context for each or all of these.

ZMA202000005 Old Dominion Village – Review of the proposal and transportation aspects/impacts of this Neighborhood Model rezoning in Crozet.

SP202000016 Claudius Crozet Park – Staff is reviewing the proposed redevelopment of the Crozet Park Recreational facilities to add an expanded exercise facility and improved pool and associated resources.

21. Crozet Ave/US 250 West Intersection Improvements – This intersection was identified in the Crozet Area Transportation Study and ongoing Master Plan update as currently experiencing failing movements and significant failure in the future. However, it should be noted that this priority ranking was set prior to that Study which showed that the more serious issue in this segment of 250 is the Old Trail/WAHS/US 250 intersection. It is staff’s recommendation that it would be more effective to address that intersection prior to the Crozet Ave intersection. A two-lane roundabout at both the WAHS/Old Trail/250 intersection and the Brownsville-Henley entrance are recommended to address the issues in this segment.

82. I-64/Exit 107 Crozet Park and Ride Lot: This project will construct a park and ride lot at the corner of Patterson Mill Lane and US 250 just south of the I-64 interchange. This lot could potentially be served by both the Crozet Connect and the proposed Afton Express transit lines.

-Crozet Square – This project will reconstruct Crozet Square and Oak St to improve traffic flow and parking. Engineering and design phase are underway, and construction is planned to begin late-2021.

– Library Avenue Extension – Staff has been working closely with the private developer designing this project and VDOT through the engineering and design phase. This has involved numerous public and project team meetings to determine design requirements that meet VDOT standards. The 60% design was submitted to VDOT for review last quarter and the team is working to address some of the issues that VDOT has identified. Construction is expected to begin late-2021.

US 250 West Pedestrian Improvements – This project will construct segments of sidewalk along US 250 West in Crozet from Cory Farms Drive to Clover Lawn Lane and include a new pedestrian crosswalk and pedestrian crossing beacon near Clover Lawn Lane. Construction is expected to begin Summer/Fall 2021.

From the Above-Linked VDOT Report

Route 240/250 Roundabout 

Total estimated cost: $3.5 million
Estimated ad date: Fall 2021
Estimated completion date: Late 2022

Route 240 Bridge Rehabilitation over Lickinghole Creek Project Details

Total estimated cost: $2,210,000
Estimated ad date: June 8, 2021
Est. construction start date: Spring 2

Rte.151/250 Roundabout

Anticipated Construction Start – Summer 2021

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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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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?

page1image2120464336page1image2120464624

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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Vote Early In-Person Starting this Friday, September 18 (2020)

via Albemarle County’s email

(if you’re curious, you can learn more background about voting in Albemarle by reading the CCAC recap)

Vote Early In-Person Starting this Friday, September 18

Beginning this Friday, September 18th through Saturday, October 31st, registered voters can vote early in-person in Conference Room A at the 5th Street County Office Building on 1600 5th Street.

Voting early in-person is a nearly identical experience to voting at your polling place on Election Day – you’re just opting to cast your vote early!
Dates and times for early in-person voting are as follows: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 am to 5 pm Tuesdays from 7 am to 5 pm Thursdays from 8:30 am to 7 pm Saturday, October 24 from 9 am to 5 pm Saturday, October 31 from 9 am to 5 pm

Think ahead and #makeaplan to vote in the upcoming 2020 November General Election.
Register to Vote Check your voter registration or register to vote at vote.elections.virginia.gov.

The deadline to register to vote/update your voter registration information is Tuesday, October 13, 2020.

To register online, you must: Have a valid Virginia DMV driver’s license or state ID card Be a citizen of the United States Be a resident of Virginia Be 18 years old on or before the next general election (if you are 17, you can still register and vote in elections if you will be 18 on or before the next general election) Not be convicted of a felony or judged mentally incapacitated, unless right to vote has been restored
Ways to Vote There are three options to cast your vote in the upcoming November 2020 General Election.

By Mail Any registered voter can apply to vote by mail for the upcoming election, no excuse necessary.

Applications must be submitted by October 23, 2020. Mail-in ballots must be mailed in to the Voter Registration Office or personally delivered to the Voter Registration Office by November 3. However, we recommend sending them in as soon as possible.

Early In-Person Starting Friday, September 18 through Saturday, October 31, registered voters can vote early in-person in Conference Room A at the 5th Street County Office Building at 1600 5th St. Voters will present acceptable ID, get checked in on the electronic pollbooks, be handed a ballot, and directed to a ballot marking booth; the voter will mark the ballot, and then insert it into a DS200 ballot scanning machine. Curbside voting will also be available. Hours for early in-person voting are: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 am to 5 pm Tuesdays from 7 am to 5 pm Thursdays from 8:30 am to 7 pm Saturday, October 24 from 9 am to 5 pm Saturday, October 31 from 9 am to 5 pm

At your Polling Place on Election Day All 30 Albemarle County voting precinct polling places will be open on election day, November 3, 2020, from 6 am to 7 pm. Enhanced cleaning and distancing protocols will be in effect to keep voters safe. To find your polling place, visit https://www.elections.virginia.gov/citizen-portal/
Important Deadlines Register to Vote: Tuesday, October 13, 2020 Request Mail-In Ballot: Tuesday, October 23, 2020 Return Mail-In Ballot: Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 7 pm
Voter Registration Office Information
Early In-Person Voting Conference Room A County Office Building at 1600 5th Street Charlottesville, VA 22902 (1/2 mile south of I-64 on 5th Street Extended)
Dates and Times: September 18 – October 31 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 am to 5 pm Tuesdays from 7 am to 5 pm Thursdays from 8:30 am to 7 pm Saturday, October 24 from 9 am to 5 pm Saturday, October 31 from 9 am to 5 pm

Send Ballot by Mail Use pre-addressed envelope sent with your mail-in ballot -OR- Elections 435 Merchant Walk Square, Suite 300 PMB 160 Charlottesville, VA 22902

Mail Ballot Drop-Off Drop Box at the parking circle of the 5th Street County Office Building, 1600 5th St., Charlottesville, VA 2290
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Crozet Land Use and the Planning Commission – 1 September

This stuff matters, folks. And the voices that speak up are the ones that are heard, and the ones that write the policies we live with.

6pm on 1 September. See here how to attend.

NB: the County Calendar is useful.

via email

The Board of Supervisors directed staff to begin work on the Crozet Master Plan update on September 4, 2019. The purpose of this work session is to provide the Planning Commission with an update about public feedback related to land use and to receive the Commission’s guidance on revised land use categories.(Andrew Knuppel)

And from the PDF

Discussion/Recommendation: Staff recommends that the Commission review the attached background information,feedback summaries,and draft land use information and provide direction to staff on the questions below.

Q1 Do you agree with staff’s recommendation to create a Middle Density Residential land use category to support the stated goals within Crozet?

Q2 Do you see applicability for this category in similar contexts in other areas of the County (to be considered with future Master Plan updates)?

Q3 Do you have any feedback on the recommended density, housing types, or form guidance within the land use table?

Q4 Do you agree with staff’s recommendation to create a Downtown Neighborhoods Overlay to support the stated goals within this area of Crozet?

Q5 Do you have any feedback on the recommended criteria for increased density, housing types, or form guidance within the land use table?

I’ve put the PDF here, so that it will be here the next time Albemarle changes their website and urls.

2020 Crozet Master Plan Update Future Land Use update for 1 SeptemberDownload