Tag: 22932

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Blue Ridge Cohousing in Crozet

If you haven’t taken the time to learn about the Blue Ridge Cohousing neighborhood (now a bad link), listen to this interview on WVTF with some of the folks who will be living there. Interview here (yet another bad link). Or here, on a new test site I’m working on.

Cohousing combines private homes with the security and interconnection of an old-fashioned village. Benefits include:
• deeper connections with neighbors
• sustainable, environmentally friendly homes
• pedestrian-friendly pathways, and
• a healthy balance of social interaction and privacy.

You can learn more about cohousing at cohousing.org.

Update: WCAV has a story as well: this link disappeared somehow. Good lord.

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Greenhouse Coffee – A Place Where People Can Come and Be

"A place where people can come and be"

Coming soon –  Greenhouse Coffee. It’s just to the right of the BP/Dairy Queen.

They’re hiring now and planning to be open the third week of September.

I spoke with Camille Phillips several weeks ago and asked what her inspiration was. Her response was thrilling – she wanted the challenge, wanted to take the things the loves to do – coffee, baking, serving – and bring them all together. Camille was an Air Force nurse, then a nurse in Charlottesville and now the owner/proprietor of Crozet’s newest coffee shop/cafe.

Her passion is infectious.

A very interesting comment she made was that "as many people asked for wireless as those who asked for me to not have wireless." And she may be on to something. This could be a big shift in the away from the expected coffee shop atmosphere – and perhaps a return to the "traditional" coffee shop – where people come to engage and discuss rather than work on their laptops. If she does make this decision, I think she may be on to something.

From the Wall Street Journal:

But in New York, the trend is accelerating among independents. At Cocoa Bar locations in Brooklyn and on the Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a five-month-old rule forbids laptops after 8 on Friday and Saturday nights. At Espresso 77 in Jackson Heights, Queens, owners covered three of five electric outlets six months ago after its loosely enforced laptop-use restrictions failed to encourage turnover. At two of three Café Grumpy locations — one in Brooklyn and the other in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood — laptops are never welcome.

Laptop backlash poses particular difficulties for people without offices, says Leah Meyerhoff, 29, a film director and free-lancer. She long has used coffee shops to interview cast and crew and to work on pre-production. Now, she says, "it’s a constant search for places with the Internet where I can sit and focus without being frowned upon."

As much as I want to develop this into a full-fledged review/introduction to Greenhouse Coffee, I thought that sharing some of my notes would help to convey a good first impression of the space/idea/concept/plan:

What’s Greenhouse Coffee going to be?

– Coffee bar, lunch, cafe homebaked goods, desserts

– Fenced in play space for kids

– The feel of Cville Coffee (she worked at Cville Coffee part-time for a year)- separate spaces for kids and adults

– Picnic tables

– Outdoor section – parties, tents

– "Gardening is one of my passions"

– Natural meet with friends, kids,

– Welcome.

– Ecologically friendly, sociologically aware.

– Energy efficient – tried to save everything

As the other Crozet coffee shops are finding, the hours of operation are expected to be a bit fluid until traffic is assessed. When we spoke, Camille was leaning towards 6:15 am to 6pm.

I know this – I’ll be stopping by as I’m walking to and from Crozet Elementary this school year.

*Editor’s note: this story is much shorter than I intended it to be; I just don’t have the time to translate all my notes into the long story I meant to write.


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Fardowners is Now a PUB?!

I, for one, am exceedingly please to now have a pub in Crozet. I really liked the old Fardowners, but I’m certainly looking forward to trying out their pub fare and atmosphere.

Courtesy of Fardowners’ email newsletter:

"A Sneak Peek at the new Fardowners…

Read on for more on what the Pub at Fardowners is all about!

Dear Jim,

In case you missed the last newsletter, we were closed last week for some minor renovations and in order to prepare for our newest endeavor – "the Pub at Fardowners." We apologize for any inconvenience, and wholeheartedly invite you to join us as we reopen tomorrow (Monday, August 17th) to unveil our new look and new menu. For you, our valued guests, we’d like to offer the following insight into what’s in store for Fardowners…

The Food

We’ll have lots of appetizing munchies for starters – including but not limited to:
Spinach Dip in a locally made artisan bread bowl
Fresh Wings in Mild, BBQ, or Jerk sauce
Tachos (a wacky twist on the classic nachos!)
A variety of mini sliders with hormone-free beef from Gryffon Aerie Farm in White Hall

Our salads will still feature local greens and produce from Brightwood Farm in Madison

Lots of sandwich options for lunch or dinner
(all featuring local bread from Goodwin Creek in Afton)
A classic Philly with sirloin or chicken
Pulled Pork BBQ with house made coleslaw
Gryffon’s Aerie Sloppy Joe

Several entrees available anytime (we just couldn’t part with these!)
Our classic Grilled Meatloaf with Gryffon’s Aerie beef
Everyone’s favorite Stuffed Pork Chop
Twice-Baked Mac & Cheese

We’ll also continue to bring you delicious, seasonal, and always homemade desserts

Our tasty brunch menu will not be changing much (why mess with such a good thing, right?) and will still be served from 11 am – 3 pm. Difference is, we’ll stay open on Sunday nights now!

* Lots of the regular menu items will be available on our late-night menu as well, so congregate with us as we feature live local artists or come in to watch the big game on one of our new TVs! *

The Drinks

We’re definitely upping the ante in this department. As always, Happy Hour is 4-7 Monday-Friday. Sunday afternoons (from 4-9 pm) we’ll offer up local drafts for $2.50 a pint and $9 a pitcher.

All day until 9 pm we’ll feature deals on
Martini Mondays
Tequila Tuesdays
Wine Wednesdays

The Music

We’re starting off with a bang. Come out on Saturday August 29th to check out Max Collins and Ross van Brocklin of the Kings of Belmont playing an acoustic set, followed by Space Cadet 7. We’re so siked about these guys opening up our new music series that this show will be free! More details will follow, but mark your calendars now!

If jazz is more your style- Bobby Read will be taking time out from touring with Bruce Hornsby for a surprise show at Fardowners before hitting the road again! Join us for some of the area’s best jazz on Sunday August 30. $10 cover charge.

We’ll be featuring local talent more and more. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for news about upcoming events happening on weekends.
We hope you’re as excited as we are, and we can’t wait to see lots of familiar faces this week at Fardowners. Be the first to try our new menu and check out our new look!

Sincerely yours,
Mark Cosgrove
W.C. Winkler
& the rest of the staff at Fardowners Restaurant"

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An Animal Wellness Center on 240?

You may have seen Sign #36 on 240 between the Cemetery and Tabor …

This is what it’s for:

PROJECT: SP 2008-009 Animal Wellness Center PROPOSED: Veterinary Clinic for small animals ZONING CATEGORY/GENERAL USAGE: C-1 Commercial – retail sales and service uses; and residential use by special use permit (15 units/ acre) SECTION: 22.2.2(5) Veterinary office and hospital; 5.1.11 Commercial Kennel, Veterinary Service, Office Or Hospital, Animal Hospital, Animal Shelter COMPREHENSIVE PLAN LAND USE/DENSITY: Community of Crozet, CT5 Neighborhood Center in the Crozet Master Plan which allows for a mix of uses and residential types at net densities of up to 12 units per acre; up to 18 units per acre if in a mixed use setting and CT 1 Development Area Preserve. ENTRANCE CORRIDOR: Yes LOCATION: 1100 Crozet Avenue/Route 240, approx. 400 feet south of the intersection of Jarmans Gap Road and Crozet Avenue TAX MAP/PARCEL: 056A2-01-00-00700 MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT: White Hall

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Lots of Construction Equipment in the Meadows

Wondering what it is for …

The construction equipment is here:

Update 07 August 2009: Naturally, Charlottesville Tomorrow has the answers:

The County received $700,000 from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to support the creation of the Crozet Meadows Project. The project begins construction next week and will rehabilitate 28 existing homes to Energy Star standards and will build 38 new units for seniors.



Originally uploaded by jimduncancville


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Brew Ridge Trail Festival

The inaugural Brew Ridge Trail Music Festival will feature great live music and beers from "Brew Ridge Trail" members Starr Hill, Devils Backbone, Blue Mountain, South Street and Albemarle Cider Works.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22nd
ON THE GROUNDS OUTSIDE OF
DEVILS BACKBONE BREWING COMPANY – NELSON COUNTY, VA

NOON-8PM
ALL AGES WELCOME!
$15 IN ADVANCE/$20 DAY OF SHOW
BUY TICKETS AT THE ADVANCE PRICE – GET FREE MUSIC FROM THE PERFORMERS AND A CHANCE TO WIN THE BRTMF GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE (see details below)

Performing live on the NTELOS WIRELESS Stage:
Sons of Bill
The Infamous Stringdusters
Jesse Harper (of Old School Freight Train)
William Walter & Tucker Rogers
Robbing Mary
Earl Knox

BUY TICKETS AT THE ADVANCE PRICE – GET FREE STUFF!

Get free songs from each of the bands performing when you purchase your tickets through Musictoday! Songs include a live track from Sons of Bills legendary Paramount Theatre show in June as well as live tracks from The Infamous Stringdusters performing at DelFest and in Chicago at The Morse Theatre. CHECK YOUR MUSICTODAY EMAIL CONFIRMATION FOR THE LINK TO THE FREE TUNES!

BREW RIDGE TRAIL GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE GIVEAWAY

Every order purchased in advance will also be automatically entered into our grand prize package giveaway. The winner will be announced before Sons of Bill takes the stage and here are some of the great prizes we’ll be giving away that day!

  1. An opportunity to watch Sons of Bill’s set backstage with 1 guest
  2. Meet and Greet with Sons of Bill after their performance
  3. Signed commemorative festival poster by Sons of Bill and The Infamous Stringdusters
  4. Free merchandise from all the bands
  5. Free merchandise from Starr Hill, Devils Backbone and South Street
  6. Gift Certificates to Beer Run, Zocalo, Devils Backbone and South Street
  7. Free merchandise from Nelson County

VISIT THE BREW RIDGE TRAIL WEBSITE

For more information on the music festival. You can also find out more info on the Stampede on Horseshoe Mountain, a mountain bike race that will take place from 9-11AM. The race finishes at the main entrance of the festival grounds.

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Stolen Car in Crozet

After the recent break-ins in Crozet, one would think that the criminals would move on … lamentably, my neighbor’s car was stolen last night/early this morning.

If anyone sees a blue Honda Civic, license plate JSY-1778,

 please call Albemarle County Police – 434-296-5807 or Crimestoppers – 434-977-4000 – or 911 if you see the car around town..

Update 02 August 2009: The car is back in the owners’ possession, “with everything in it and not a scratch on it.” Hoorary!

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Fireworks Canceled in Crozet

Huge thanks to WCAV for this story:

Lake Monticello and Crozet canceled their fireworks shows this year simply because they cannot afford to put them on. Crozet officials say last year the fireworks for the show cost them $6,000. And this year, their supplier said the price went up to $10,000. Officials say the price jump proved to be too much for local businesses who donate the money for the fireworks.

Personally, I am sad.

It’s a shame there was no public outreach this year for the fireworks. I have some ideas but cannot pull it off on my own … if anyone is interested in fundraising or helping in any way, please let me know.

Crozet – I’ll bet we can raise the $10k by March of 2010 … what say you?

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Crozet Mudhouse in C-Ville Weekly

C-Ville profiles the forthcoming Crozet Mudhouse.

When this vintage building on the intersection of Three-Notch’d Road and Crozet Avenue whose storied history includes, among other things, being a railroad hotel and the town grocery with a real soda fountain, opened up they knew they’d found the right location for their longtime interest in expanding to Crozet and making a coffeehouse/community meeting space for “fluid social interaction,” says Lawrence.

Related post – Crozet Mudhouse Coming Soon

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MS 150 Riding Through Crozet This Weekend

From a reader:

This Saturday and Sunday (13 & 14) morning 600 to 700 bicyclist will be riding through Crozet to raise funds for the MS Society. On Saturday, they will be heading toward Whitehall and on Sunday, they will be heading toward Greenwood. All rides start at Miller School. The rides are 25, 50, and 75 miles each day.

Expect some delays but remember that these cyclist are raising money for the MS victims in our area.

Better yet, come out and join us in this wonderful effort.