Crozet's community blog
Lots of stuff on the Crozet Calendar, and lots of stuff recommended on the Facebook page this weekend.
A picture is worth 1,000 words …
Answering the question, “what’s going in next to PRN?” New office space for Froehling & Robertson.
The necessary next question is… What’s going to happen to their old building?
The September Crozet Gazette is here, and as usual, it’s chock full of good information.
Yes, traffic sucks sometimes (school time, anyone?), and it’s going to get worse. What if … we grew Crozet, locally and more sustainably?
We’re definitely going to get more houses … houses that don’t pay for themselves, or the infrastructure (schools, roads, etc) that we use.
Think about this story in the context of the possible redevelopment of downtown Crozet.
“They’ll see they’re working against the tide very soon when millennials eventually head to the suburbs,” he says. “We see a lot of what we call ‘millennials in mourning.’ They’re married with their first child, and the last place they think about is the urban environment. A lot of people are soon going to be at the point where finding a good place for their kid to go to school is going to be a lot more important than the coolest restaurant to hang out. Unfortunately for some companies, they may be moving into the cities just before the tide goes the other way.”
Sadly, we are in an environment that is remarkably conducive to walking or riding bikes to school, but 1.5 -2 miles is apparently an unconquerable distance for many.
What if … we had jobs to walk or ride to as well?
If we figure that the average driver in the US does 20,000 miles a year, I’m going to use about 400 gallons of gas. A car getting 20 mpg is going to use closer to a thousand gallons. Figure that there are about 100 million actively driven cars in the US, which means that the net difference if “everybody did it” has the potential to save 60 billion gallons (600 times 100 million) of gas. A year. (* Jim’s note – this is from 2007)
We have an opportunity as a community to encourage great businesses and jobs to locate here; The more we can grow our local, read: Crozet, economy, the better for all.
Interesting corresponding facebook conversation as well.
My brief opinion: Wishing that Crozet would stay small is not realistic, and continuing to grow as primarily a bedroom community for Charlottesville is not sustainable.
As a result, average city home values doubled between 2000 and 2010 to $321,000. And Albemarle homes—which are in the growth area and spread across the large lots countywide—have median prices of $309,000. Those aren’t New York or San Francisco figures, but they are well above the state and national medians, and show what happens when a city and county conspire to cordon off most of its land.
What happens for those who want to live here, but can’t meet this financial barrier? Many of them move further out, said Ridge Schuyler, who runs a self-sufficiency program for low-income people at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Schuyler said his program generally has two types of people: the first are extremely low-wage workers who qualify for Charlottesville’s public housing. The second are slightly higher-paid service workers who don’t qualify for public housing, yet can’t take that next step of competing for Charlottesville’s market-rate units. They’re the ones settling for outlying counties.
“If you try to move up the income ladder,” Schuyler said of this second group, “once you get into that first rung job of making $28,000 to $32,000, you are almost forced to move away.”
This explains why neighboring counties like Fluvanna, Louisa, Orange and Greene have roughly doubled their populations since 1990. Charlottesville-area workers who live out in them must also foot the higher transportation costs of driving 30-plus miles twice daily.
Wyant’s Store is Closing.
From the comments (which contradicts what I was told when I called the store):
Wyants store is not closing. LArry and John wyant will no longer be running the business. The store was left to my oldest brother David wyant who will be running it until he finds a suitable tenant. If it closes that will only be for a short time till it can be stocked.
Sent in by Janie Perrone, the folks at the store say they are closing tonight, and gas is $1.99/gallon as they try to empty the tank.
I called the store and confirmed that they are closing, no later than Thursday.
Acme letter; read the whole thing.
They are going to continue soil remediation at Acme. There will be heavy equipment, noise, long work hours, and maybe some steam.
Cool video about Western Albemarle High School, celebrating its 40th year!
Our opening school video. "We are Western, We are Family". Many thanks to senior Ryan Beard for putting together. https://t.co/OunjgM2s4w
— Darah Bonham (@darahbonham) August 23, 2017
Yet another example of why the Crozet Library is tremendous … so many events!
I suspect there will be more events added as the year progresses, but the fine folks at Crozet Library have just published on the Crozet Calendar a slew of cool events.
Check out the full list here. And download/print the Crozet Library Calendar for September 2017 .
We need your ideas! The Crozet Library Teen Advisory Board helps the library plan and lead teen programs, displays, and activities. Members enjoy snacks and receive volunteer hours. It’s your library—make a difference! Grades 6-12. First time visitors always welcome; TAB application required thereafter.
Join the Crozet Library for a night at the movies with theater-style popcorn and drinks. Refer to ratings for age restrictions. September 18: Salam Neighbor (2016) & Discussion October 30: Passengers (2016) November 27: Wonder Woman (2017) December 18: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) & Cookie Exchange* (starts at 6pm)
The Crozet Library leads a diverse range of book clubs for teens. Snacks are served at each meeting. Free copy of the book included on a first come, first served basis. Please check each listing for age requirements. Registration required September 26: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. An epistolary sci-fi thriller. Grades 6-12. Required registration begins September 1. November 28: My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. A historical comedy. Grades 6-12. Required registration…
Devote the month of November to working on that novel you’ve always wanted to write. Tackle the full NaNoWriMo 50,000-word goal or set your own. Experienced writers will be on hand at all events to answer questions. No writing experience necessary. For more information, visit bit.ly/jmrlwriting. Head to the Crozet Library for helpful techniques, motivation, and resources to get your writing challenge off to a great start. Find a corner and hunker down to focus, or challenge others to writing…
Improve your reading skills and make a new friend by reading aloud to Lucy, a therapy dog. Lucy is a registered therapy animal with The Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Along with owner/handler Ellen, the team volunteers as part of the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA therapy dog program. Sign up for a 15-minute appointment and bring a favorite book to read. For any young reader. Registration is required. Contact the Crozet Library for more details.
Captivate your little scientist with open-ended, child-led play which engages the senses. The children will explore bins containing a variety of sensory materials. Things will get messy, so dress appropriately. Ages 6-35 months.
Registration is requested and begins September 22 and November 24 respectively. Drop-ins are always welcome.
Sent to me by a fellow Crozetian:
What: Face Terror Together: A website is being created by a Charlottesville native to give people around the world a unique tool to respond to terrorism. This website let you take your picture and match your face with a stranger on the other side of the world in the face of terror. This will be a simple message to show that terrorism will no longer divide us
This is the current landing page for people to sign up for the launch: http://faceterrortogether.com/
Why Important: In lights of recent events, people around the world are looking for ways to help. With only a few clicks of a button, Face Terror Together will allow anyone in the world to make a statement. There will also be a list of charities fighting terrorism on the website that people can donate to.
Why will your audience find exciting: Two reasons why important:
(1) Charlottesville has become ground zero for the national and global discussion of hate crimes and terrorism. Launching this effort from Charlottesville will help show this city’s response.
(2) Gives residents an easy but important way to contribute and start a global movement.
Background: Jake Van Yahres is visual artist from Charlottesville and his grandfather was former mayor Mitch Van Yahres. His design agency, JVY Creations, has been actively working with many local businesses. Recently his Cville Love Shirts were distributed at Fridays after Five and due to popular demand now available through online stores.
Thank you
Jake Van Yahres
434-284-3466
Only a couple days left to take the Crozet Community Survey. Link to the survey can be found here.
After a delay in the mailing of a survey to gauge the Crozet community’s thoughts on growth and development, both the public and a scientific sample of households are being invited to submit their responses by Aug. 20.
Tolson said he hopes the Crozet survey results can be used to frame town hall meetings in the fall.
The 39-question survey covers a range of topics, from development near the U.S. 250-Interstate 64 interchange at exit 107 to whether the boundaries of the Crozet growth area should be expanded.
Tolson said two important areas covered in the survey are growth along the U.S. 250 corridor and in the downtown area of Crozet.
Density along U.S. 250 previously has proven to be a contentious issue. Earlier this year, the Board of Supervisors denied a proposed rezoning near the Cory Farm neighborhood that would have allowed for a new development with 80 residential units. Some community members opposed the development, known as Adelaide, on the grounds that density should be limited on 250. A 35-unit development known as Sparrow Hill is now being planned for the property by-right.
As for the survey, Tolson said, “We’ve had a really good response so far. We’ve had about 780 [responses] … on the scientific sample, and about 500 or so on the public sample.”
They were aiming to get at least 600 responses for the scientific sample. Tolson said they want to collect more responses to lower the margin of error of the results.
Some background on previous master plan surveys. And a letter from a reader in March regarding wariness about the Crozet Master Plan.