So as to not focus photos solely on the RealCrozetVA Instagram or Facebook pages …
A Few Crozet Photos from This Week
CCAC Meeting Recap August 2016
So much discussed at tonight’s Crozet Community Advisory Council meeting at Crozet Library.
- Police substation coming to Old Trail
- Crozet Gazette livestreamed, and it’s archived here!
- Big, long, discussion about Downtown Crozet redevelopment
- stoplights, plaza, road network, connections to Parkside Village, bike lanes, retail, rezoning.
- Dig into the tweets. Watch the video. Get informed and come to the next meeting.
- CCAC priorities & liaisons
- Downtown Crozet Initiative
- Bike shop on a short-term lease coming to the small building in the lumberyard. #CCAC0816 (he’s a member of the Crozet Cycling Club, too!)
- CCAC encouraged folks to come to the rezoning and support the redevelopment
- The photos I took tonight
Click through, scroll down, read *all* the tweets, and make your way back up.
6 Years to Get a Sidewalk in Crozet
But hey, at least we’re getting a sidewalk! Remember when the sidewalk grant was announced in 2010? And we talked about it in 2011?
Thanks, really, to those at the County and the community (and those who straddle both!) for continuing the push. Unfortunately, my kids are now well out of Crozet Elementary, but I look forward to seeing more kids riding bikes and walking to school!
And thanks to those at Crozet Elementary who continue to push and advocate for walking and biking to school!
Note: accompanying Facebook post.
CCAC Meeting 17 August 2016 | Police Substation, Downtown Crozet, CCAC Priorities
The CCAC matters, folks. Sacrifice time to attend, get informed, and be present — not just when something comes up that directly affects you or your neighborhood. *
CROZET COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CCAC) Meeting
Crozet Library, 2020 Library Avenue, Crozet
Wednesday, August 17, 2016 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Click here for PDF (printable) version of the agenda.
Agenda
1. Agenda Review. (David Stoner – CCAC chair)
Approval of Minutes (Draft minutes of July 20, 2016 meeting)
3. Update on possible police substation in Crozet (Capt. Greg Jenkins ACPD – 15min) — Some background on this at RealCrozetVA; short story: the County determined last year that it’s not even remotely a priority in the CIP)
4. Update Focus Areas and Committee Liaison Roles (All – 20 min) — see the end of this post for more information
5. Barnes Lumber & Downtown Crozet Initiative (DCI) Update (1 hour) — this should be interesting.
a. Barnes Rezoning Presentation (Frank Stoner, Milestone Partners)
b. DCI Update (Mary Beth Bowen and Dave Stoner, DCI)
6. Follow-up on CCAC Priorities and Master Plan Update Discussion (All-time permitting)
7. Items not listed on the agenda
8. Announcements
9. Future Agenda Items
The CCAC’s role and “charter” docs are found here: Continue reading “CCAC Meeting 17 August 2016 | Police Substation, Downtown Crozet, CCAC Priorities”
Emerson Commons – Crozet’s Cohousing Community
Remember the cohousing community that was coming to 240 in 2009?
Now it appears that site is called Emerson Commons, as reported by Tim Dodson with Charlottesville Tomorrow, and it’s going to be a reality.
A new cohousing community will be coming to Crozet by 2018.
Emerson Commons will be located on 6.1 acres along Parkview Drive off Route 240, near the Crozet Veterinary Care Center.
“For some people, this ‘cohousing’ term, they’ve never heard it before, this is the first in this region,” said Peter Lazar, who is developing the community. “Some of the core elements that you see in every cohousing neighborhood is that parking is on the periphery, so that’s a fundamental aspect of it to make it pedestrian-oriented, [and] the houses are clustered so that there’s more green space.”
The August 2016 Crozet Gazette is Here!
I love this time of the month – a new Crozet Gazette.
A few of my favorite stories (make sure to pick one up at a local store, and buy something while you’re there!) –
- Fourth of July Thank you
- “One of the wonderful privileges of living in Crozet is how freely and generously so many give of their time, talents, and resources to make this event a success.”
- Back to Fitness: Finding Time
- Gators Take Second at JSL Championship
- New Commercial Space Coming to Old Trail Village Center this Fall
- CCAC Backs Master Plan Update
- Related: CCAC meeting 20 July 2016
- My opinion: before the CCAC starts down the path of updating the Crozet Master Plan, it would be prudent to spend some time focusing on what jobs/businesses they would support/encourage coming to Crozet … and where said businesses might go.
- Also, this sums up my (and many) feelings about Crozet:
- Former CCAC chair Meg Holden responded to Stoner’s posing the question of how the CCAC should proceed by saying, “It’s a critical function. This is a unique community and I feel strongly this community should fight hard to be the place it wants to be. We don’t want it to be Rt. 29 North.”
- Western Albemarle Second Quarter Real Estate Report
Child Care after school in Crozet – an opportunity for someone
It seems that the after school programs at Crozet schools presents a significant challenge for a lot of parents … thus creating an opportunity for someone.
Interesting comments and discussion about the logistics and communication regarding after school in Crozet, in response to the question, “Curious: is not having after school care an issue?”
More on Old Trail Village’s New Commercial Phase
Big news last week when Old Trail Village released the plans for their next commercial phase.
Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Tim Dodson reports more today:
Brockman said there will likely be three to five retail tenants, depending on how the ground floor space is divided up.
“We’ve had our ear to the ground for a while, listening to the existing merchants that are in Old Trail and in Crozet and speaking with residents, so we hope to bring at least one more restaurant to this facility,” Wilson said.
Wilson said some other retail ideas include an outdoors shop, a bike store and a small grocery with a deli.
Brockman suggested a boutique could be another possible type of tenant, in addition to potential service-oriented tenants.
“We’re hoping to be very inclusive in our search, and we certainly appreciate and welcome feedback from area residents,” Wilson said. “We want to be good neighbors and we want to help provide a new service that people will use.”
See more at the Old Trail Village Center site.
Continue reading “More on Old Trail Village’s New Commercial Phase”
If Crozet Became a Town – What Might its Budget Look Like?
I’m advocating nothing here, other than for discussion and conversation.
Easy questions about “if Crozet became a town”?
- Would you be willing to pay more in taxes to have more control over the future of Crozet?
- Would yet another layer of bureaucracy be a good thing?
- How is being a town working out for Scottsville?
A big question
@realcrozetva what additional services would you want for your town taxes?
A Budget from a friend
Here is a link to what a Crozet budget would look like if incorporated from a very well run Town that is comparable in community feel and size.
ACSA would provide the water and sewer, so the budget would be around $5mm per year, and provide police services in the Town. Of that, 40% is streets, much of which is funded via VDOT cost sharing.
Police is $850K annually, parks and rec around $600K. They have really nice baseball/softball facilities and parks. On par with what Crozet would provide.
The pie chart on the last page is instructive.
Added tax rate is 9 cents per hundred on Real Estate in the Town.
…
Town status could be a Pandora’s box for either side of the argument, depending upon who would be elected, but I do think Crozet would benefit from Town status and to be able to more closely control and direct its own policies, decisions and land use outcomes.
In response to my inquiry as to if he knew any other localities that successfully sought and achieved town status – (bolding mine)
There was a movement at Massanutten to seek Town status, but that was an anti-growth movement and there is no “town” there apart from the Resort who is opposed.
I think it would be relatively easy to define the Town boundary – just take the existing Comp Plan boundaries and survey it. The actual steps to seek Town status at the General Assembly do not appear daunting, but that excludes the County/State politics discussion.
Bridgewater is a great example to use as it is in a similar place as the premier bedroom community to a major public university town. Full of parks and town pride and a perfect family community, but really lacking the ability to attract new major employers despite the quality of life.
“Really lacking the ability to attract new employers” … or in Crozet’s/Albemarle’s case, the desire/will to do so.
What if … they widened 250?
Might be more than a “what if” and more “when they” …
From Charlottesville Tomorrow:
In other news, the Federal Highway Administration has awarded a $100,000 grant to the MPO to study I-64 from exit 87 in Staunton to exit 124 at Pantops. The organization will work with its equivalents in Staunton and Waynesboro, as well as VDOT.
The goal is to find ways to improve traffic, relieve congestion and prevent crashes in a 40-mile stretch that crosses the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“This project will be a two-fold mission,” said Chip Boyles, executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. “The biggest mission is to develop and promote a planning tool that FHWA uses and they’re trying to get MPOs to use to coordinate planning between multiple jurisdictions.”
Boyles said the second mission is to come up with high-level concepts of what can be built to help address the issues.
“It’s not just looking at I-64 but maybe looking at transit opportunities and possible changes to 250 so that it can handle a larger capacity when people have to detour onto it,” he said.
The Charlottesville MPO will hold a joint meeting with the Staunton-Waynesboro MPO in the fall to discuss the issue further.
Update, sent in from an offline commenter
Also from Charlottesville Tomorrow, this time in 2009: (bolding mine, and you should read the whole story)
VDOT’s final report in January 2000 recommended the widening of 250 west to four lanes between the US 29/250 Bypass near the Bellair neighborhood all the way to the railroad trestle crossing the Mechums River.
Scenic 250 vigorously opposed the road’s widening, a recommendation that VDOT made over the objections of the citizen committee participating in the study. The public argued that it made no sense to widen 250 when it ran parallel to the existing I-64.
With the strong support of Supervisor Sally H. Thomas , the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in May 2000 that committed the county to protecting the road as a two-lane scenic corridor all the way west to the county line. VDOT conceded that 250 was used largely for local traffic, and if residents wanted to deal with the congestion, that could be a local choice.
And for kicks and giggles and a bit further thought:
Portland’s drop in car use frees up $138 million in our local economy every year