This is good news; the more and better human connection between Community Advisory Committee and our government, the better.
Via email from Serena Gruia, Public Engagement Coordinator with Albemarle County
I am delighted to introduce our new Community Connectors, Khalilah Jones and Allison Wrabel. Starting in January, they will be staff liaisons for the Community Advisory Committees. Attached you will find “all about me” information sheets they prepared in advance of meeting you in person. The liaison for Crozet is Allison Wrabel. Allison and I will join your meeting in January.
Their role as staff liaison is a top priority. After receiving valuable input from CAC Chairs, planning staff, and the Board of Supervisors, we are charting a course to support your work and see it as a vital component of community engagement. We are looking forward to learning from you and collaborating with you in the spirit of continual improvement.
The rest of the Community Connectors’ work will involve building relationships and supporting an informed and engaged community. This will include meeting with local organizations, staffing special events, and developing & promoting materials to inform our community.
I sent this to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. Posting here because a) I think it’s a good idea (that’s why I sent it) and b) If I say it to the board, I will say it here.
I’m writing as a resident of Crozet, and of Parkside Village, in reference to the nearly-completed road and site work for the newest phase of Glenbrook at Foothills. My request/suggestion is simple: please do not open this road to vehicular traffic until the road through the forthcoming Barnes Lumberyard redevelopment is completed and open.
The road opening is inevitable; we knew about the road and growth when we moved in 18 years ago. “Don’t open the road” is not my position, even though Hill Top is not scaled for this volume of vehicular traffic, nor is the original section of Hill Top.
The timeline for the road through to Barnes is an unknown, and the pushing of dirt has been “next year” for many years. Open the road to bicycles and pedestrians, but not to automobiles and trucks:
Neither Hill Top nor Tabor are sufficient for increased vehicular traffic, and “old Hill Top” has embarrassingly deficient “sidewalks,” and Tabor has sidewalks on 1/3 of the road. Already, the morning and afternoon backups on Tabor/240 are extraordinary.
The Tabor/Park/Hill Top intersection already is unable to handle its traffic, and is in a persistent state of disrepair.
Most importantly, this is an opportunity to nudge people to alter their transportation patterns and expectations, and to encourage people to walk or ride a bike less than a mile to downtown Crozet.
I’d make the obvious arguments that fewer cars and more walking/riding is better for human health and the environment, but I know that you are aware of all of these. Happy to provide more photos or video for any who are interested.
Addition that wasn’t in my email: while it may be necessary for the road to be accessible for the fire department after 50 units are complete, I suggest bollards that are removable so that the fire department – and only the fire department – can have vehicular access.
Attachments:
Photo of current Hill Top Street adjacent to the new development
Video of same
Photo of “walking path” on Hill Top — impossible to navigate with a stroller or kids’ bicycle, so people walk in the road.
Note – I’ve added two additional pictures to this post that I didn’t send to the BoS – the pictures that have the equipment.
A few takeaways from the CCAC meeting on 9 November 2022.
Apologies for the list format; wanted to get this published as it’s fresh, and my brain works better in list format for digesting and conveying this sort of information.
Talk about the County having information libraries and dedicated places for sharing of information. (the County site is challenging at best to navigate; hopefully when the re-do it, they’ll keep the URLs that they’ve linked to over the years — link rot is damaging).
The Crozet Trails Crew, and Trails, are one of the best parts about Crozet, and they have done incredible work — pure volunteer work — to connect Crozet neighborhoods and people. The more work, help, and attention they get, the better.
I get these emails from Albemarle County, I guess because I’m now on the CCAC and I’m glad I do — better to know know what’s happening in our community. Not every announcement is a “big” one, and often it’s the aggregate of the small ones that matter.
Every week, I skim them for Crozet-focused things. Two of note in the past two weeks:
(I’ve re-ordered the snippets I copy/pasted below; both files are at the bottom of the post; I encourage people to click through and read/learn/digest for yourselves)
PROPOSAL: Special use permit for a manufactured home park.
PETITION: A request for a special use permit under Section 18-16.2.2 for a manufactured home park on a 14.94-acre parcel. The property is currently a non-conforming manufactured home park with 73 units. The proposal seeks to bring the property into conformance and to request an additional 14 units for a total of 87 units at a gross density of 5.82 dwelling units/acre. Associated with this request are several special exceptions to the manufactured home park special regulations outlined in Section 18-5.3.
CAC/County staffing and operations, Emily Kilroy and Serena Gruia
Crozet Trails Crew, Terri Miyamoto
via email from CCAC Chair Joe Fore
The Crozet Community Advisory Committee will meet this Wednesday, November 9, at 7 pm in the large meeting room at the Crozet Library. I have attached the agenda and the draft minutes from our last meeting. (If you can arrive a few minutes early to help set up the room, it will help ensure that we can start promptly at 7.)
We will have two scheduled presentations. First, in a fitting follow-up to last month’s discussion about our internal operations, we’ll discuss CAC operations and staffing with Emily Kilroy and Serena Gruia from the County. Second, we’ll hear from the Crozet Trails Crew about their recent and future projects.
We’ll also consider a resolution to let the committee meet virtually in a way that complies with state law. I’ll circulate a copy of that proposed resolution before the meeting.
Lastly, I wanted to pass along an update regarding the White Gate Farm/Montclair stream, shared by Eric Schmitz (who joined us for our September meeting). The environmental consultants hired by the County have confirmed that there is, indeed, an “intermittent” stream, which is entitled to protection under County ordinances. Frank Pohl, the County Engineer, issued the attached letter, agreeing with that determination and noting that the stream and the corresponding stream buffers will be added back to the County’s maps.
Attachments
Update: here’s the draft language for the virtual meeting proposal (tl;dr – only three meetings a year are allowed)
I received the following via email (the bolding is mine)
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has prepared a Draft Supplemental Watershed Plan-Environmental Document (Draft Plan-EA) for the Rehabilitation of Multiple-Purpose Structure No. 1 of the Beaver Creek watershed (Beaver Creek Dam) located in Albemarle County, Virginia. NRCS and the Project Sponsors invite you to review the Draft Plan-EA and provide your comments, questions and/or feedback regarding this supplemental watershed plan.
The formal comment review period will conclude on December 19, 2022. Please direct all questions and comments to J.R. Collins of Schnabel Engineering, LLC by e-mail at [email protected], or hard copies to:
Schnabel Engineering, LLC 12301 Research Blvd, Building 4, Suite 150 Austin, TX 78759 Attn: J.R. Collins
For more information, please visit www.rivanna.org. We look forward to receiving your feedback.
“And then there’s Election Day, with the Congressional races the major item on the ballot in Virginia. No matter how that race turns out, many people may begin to think about running for office themselves. In a year from now, three seats on the Charlottesville City Council will be up for election, as will the Rivanna, Scottsville, and White Hall seats in Albemarle County. The world always turns, and so does local government. “
…
In the second request Albemarle Supervisors will review today, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville is seeking $80,000 as a local match through the Affordable Housing and Special Needs Program of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
“This funding would support the construction of four homes purchased by the families at or below 60 percent of the area median income,” reads the October 12, 2022 request letter.
These homes would be at either the Lochlyn Hill subdivision on the city border or at Old Trail in Crozet.
There’s a lot more here; our community’s education is important. (bolding below is mine)
22-476 – Board-to-Board (October 2022)
In another key academic category, 64% of all ACPS graduates received an Advanced Studies Diploma, which is earned each year by graduates who take the most rigorous academic courses. The statewide rate was 53%.
School division graduates in individual student demographic groups also did well in comparison to their peers across Virginia. Among Hispanic students, students with disabilities, students from economically disadvantaged homes, and English Learners, on-time graduation rates in the division were higher in each group than the average rates across Virginia. Among Black students, the division’s on-time graduation rate matched the statewide average of 90.3%.
Individual school highlights include Monticello High School’s 93.3% on-time graduation rate for Black students; Western Albemarle’s rate of 92.9% for Hispanic students; and the 95.1% on-time graduation rate for students with disabilities at Albemarle High School.
The division also had a lower dropout rate than Virginia’s average for all school divisions. Led by a rate of less than one percent at Western Albemarle, the overall dropout rate for the division was 3.9%, compared to the statewide rate of 5.2%.
ACPS also released the college readiness scores for its graduates who took SAT tests earlier this year. Research shows that students who meet or exceed this College Board benchmark have a strong likelihood for success in credit-bearing college work. Better than eight out of 10 seniors (85%) in the school division met the College Board benchmark, compared to 83% of seniors in Virginia and 68% of seniors across the country.
Next year, the school division will be expanding its career readiness program offerings to all students in grades 10-12. The division is providing open admission to any sophomore, junior or senior in career learning communities. Each career learning community represents professional areas with the highest potential for high-quality job opportunities, both locally and nationally. They are based upon state research and division surveys of middle school students over the past four years.
Albemarle panel to review Misty Mountain camp expansion
The Albemarle Agricultural and Forestal District Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. in Room 246 in the County Office Building at 401 McIntire Road. They will consider an addition to the Hatton AFD, review the Blue Run District, and get briefings on two special use permits near AFD’s. (meeting info)
The first special use permit is for Misty Mountain Camp Resort to expand by 53 campsites to a total of 158, permit 19 cabins, and to be able to rent out cabins year-round with a 30-day occupancy limit. The Board of Supervisors will make the final decision by the AFD is being asked to weigh in on whether the expansion would be contrary to the purpose of the districts. (staff report)
In the second, Pippin Hill seeks a special use permit to expand a historic structure called Crossroads Tavern at the intersection of U.S. 29 and Plank Road. (staff report)
Location map for Misty Mountain Camp Resort (Credit: Albemarle County) ((Jim – And Sean Tubbs))
I think it would be useful to search Albemarle County agendas and meeting minutes for matters that affect Crozet. Weekly. Anyone interested in helping me do this? Please contact me.
Example: I heard that the Greenwood cell phone tower was approved, but I haven’t made time to seek out those meeting minutes, and with limited local journalists, I think we the community need to take on some of this research.
Crozet Trails, Bluegrass, Diapers, 5K … all to support one of the best things in Crozet that benefits us all – the Crozet Trails, and the Crozet Trails Crew!
All-New Fun This Year!
Later start time: 10 a.m. Sleep in and relax before you come
Family Fun Run and Diaper Derby: Fun for the whole family
Bluegrass Music: Stick around for the music and fun after the race
Starr Hill Brewery: Try an autumn flavor from our neighborhood brewery
Help support our work providing trails for Crozet!
