Voice your opinion now rather than gripe about things in five years. See the agenda and supporting docs at Albemarle’s site.

c. CPA200900002 Crozet Master Plan 5 Year Update Amend the Land Use Plan section of the Albemarle County Comprehensive Plan by replacing the existing profile for the Community of Crozet and the Crozet Master Plan with a revised Crozet Master Plan, which establishes new land use policies, guidelines, recommendations, goals and strategies for future development within the master plan area, which may include or exclude lands beyond those described in the existing neighborhood and community profile and the removal of an approximately 29-acre portion of TMP 56-66 (NE of Firehouse Lane) from the Community of Crozet boundaries.

The master plan would establish the following for the master plan area: a vision for the area and guiding principles; land use designations and centers, mixed use areas, employment areas, residential areas, preservation areas; a plan for the transportation network, and its integration with the land uses; a plan for providing and supporting community facilities and services; a plan for parks and green systems; and a plan for implementing the master plan. In conjunction with the Crozet Master Plan, the following will also be considered:

(1) CPA 2006-02, to remove the proposed road shown in the Crozet Master Plan across TMP 56- 14D; (2) CPA 2007-002, US Route 250/Crozet Avenue (NW Corner)-Ploumis property (TMP 56-16), a proposal to amend the Crozet Master Plan from Development Area Preserve and Development Area Reserve (CT 1& CT2) to Urban Center/Mixed use (CT5); and (3) CPA 2008-002, Yancey Mills Business Park, located near 6317 Rockfish Gap Tpke and I-64, to amend the Land Use Plan from Rural Areas to Industrial Service, a proposal not within the Crozet Master Plan boundaries but considered with the Crozet Master Plan studyprocess. Copies of the full text of the Crozet Master Plan and related maps are on file in the office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors and in the Department of Community Development, County Office Building, 401 McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia

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PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING ON THE DRAFT CROZET MASTER PLAN REVISION

The public is invited to provide comments regarding proposed revisions to the Crozet Master Plan at a Planning Commission Public Hearing on Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. in the Lane Auditorium at the County Office Building on McIntire Road.

On July 6, materials related to the Master Plan revision process will be available online at www.albemarle.org/crozet, at the Community Development lobby and at the Crozet Library.

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“We shouldn’t have to justify our right to clean water and air.”

Great work by the Crozet Gazette.

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From a comment:

Two important public hearings for the proposed ReStore ‘N Station are coming up and it is critical that people attend these meetings if they are concerned about the size and character of a huge gas station/truck stop proposed for Route 250 West. If approved, this would be the second largest gas station in the County, serving both cars and semi trucks Interstate 64.

Please take some time out of your schedule to attend these meetings. It is crucial that the County know that citizens are paying attention to their decisions regarding this project. Here are two hearings where your attendance is needed to:

·        Show your support for the adjoining neighborhood’s attempt to scale back the size and use of the project;

·        Note your concern about a large project like this proposed to be built near three schools on Scenic Route 250.

1) Tuesday, June 1 at 2 p.m. for a Board of Zonings Appeals (BZA) Hearing and

2) Tuesday, June 8 at 6 p.m. for a Planning Commission Public Hearing

Don’t feel like you need to speak at these meetings, just showing up is important! this could be your neighborhood and you would certainly want other Albemarle County citizens to stand up for you. You also might have children going to one of the nearby three schools and are interested in showing support for scaling back the size of the project.

(from email by Mary Rice)

—

At the very least, couldn’t they come up with a better name than “Restore N Station”?

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If anyone wants to write a story for RealCrozetVA about this meeting, please do so. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee at the Crozet coffee shop of your choice.

Via email:

This Thursday, May 13, at 7:30 PM is our semi-monthly Crozet Community Association Meeting at the Field School auditorium (across from Crozet Elementary).

This meeting will be a joint meeting with Albemarle County Community Development, Crozet Community Advisory Council and us (CCA) to review draft revisions to the Crozet Master Plan and to hear a safety update from the County Police Department. With the recent burglaries in Crozet and summer approaching we thought it important to hear from the police about ways we can protect our neighborhoods.

These two brief presentations will be followed by an open house where you can ask questions and provide feedback on the draft revisions.

Our proposed meeting agenda is attached as well as I have enclosed the email about the Crozet Entrance sign designs we asked David & Meg to gather.

Please come and bring a friend and/or a neighbor or two to bolster our group and encourage involvement in your home town. As you can see from the agenda, we have several very important items of lasting impact on Crozet to consider.

Agenda

Welcome
Agenda Review
Approval of last meeting’s Minutes
Treasurer’s Report (Emery Taylor)
Election of President
Nominee: Tim Tolson and nominations from the floor

A Moment in Crozet History (Phil James)

Old Business:
- Review of Crozet Entrance Sign Designs (Meg West and David Wayland)
- Other items?

New Business:
- “The Square” parking lot closing (Ann Mallek)

Safety update – County Police Department

Overview of Master Plan Draft (Rebecca Ragsdale)
Introduction by Mike Marshall

Comments and Questions

Announcements
- May 20 7:00 PM CCAC meeting at The Meadows
- Others?

Open House

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From the press release:

Pedestrian safety near Crozet Elementary School will get a major boost thanks to a state grant award that will be announced on Wednesday, May 12, at 1:00 pm at Crozet Elementary School by Board of Supervisors Chairman Ann Mallek, School Board member Barbara Massie Mouly, and Crozet school officials and parents. Details of the grant and the specific improvements it will fund will be outlined at the press conference.

I’m looking forward to seeing how “near” is defined. And “major.”

Either way, walking to Crozet Elementary is a good thing. As is “walkability” for home prices.

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The Newsplex is reporting:

Plans for a proposed gas station in Crozet remain on hold until June after a group of residents file an appeal. No decisions were made on whether plans for the RestoreNStation would move forward during the Albemarle County Planning Commission meeting Tuesday night.
“Under state law, when you appeal it stops any other process that might further a determination,” says Chief of Zoning Ron Higgins.

View Crozet, Virginia, USA in a larger map

Background reading:

- Public Hearing on 20 April
- Gas Station coming to 250 in Crozet
- Close-Knit Free Town is Feeling Squeezed

Learn more at the County of Albemarle’s site:

PROJECT: SP200900034 RE-STORE’N STATION PROPOSED: Use of more than 400 gallons of groundwater per site-acre per day for convenience store. ZONING CATEGORY/GENERAL USAGE: HC, Highway Commercial – retail sales and service uses; and residential use by special use permit (15 units/ acre); EC Entrance Corridor – Overlay to protect properties of historic, architectural or cultural significance from visual impacts of development along routes of tourist access SECTION: 24.2.2.13, Uses permitted by right, not served by public water, involving water consumption exceeding four hundred (400) gallons per site acre per day. Uses permitted by right, not served by public sewer, involving anticipated discharge of sewage other than domestic wastes. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN LAND USE/DENSITY: Rural Areas – preserve and protect agricultural, forestal, open space, and natural, historic and scenic resources/ density ( .5 unit/ acre in development lots) ENTRANCE CORRIDOR: Yes LOCATION: US 250 (Rockfish Gap Turnpike) approximately 1,600 feet (0.3 miles) west of Western Albemarle High School TAX MAP/PARCEL: Tax Map 55B Parcel 1 MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT: Whitehall  

By the way, I am marketing a great house on Free Town Lane.

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Start by looking at the PDF showing what they’re planning to do, read about how much (more) they are delayed, and know that “VDOT is 99% complete with obtaining the right-of-way”.

I’m still working on gathering more information … suffice it to say if you live on Jarman’s Gap Road (or are considering buying a house fronting on Jarman’s Gap) changes will be happening. Someday.

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If you live in Crozet, you really should consider attending some of the CCAC’s meetings … it’s where you can learn and give input about Crozet’s growth and development.

A reminder that the Crozet Community Advisory Council’s (CCAC) monthly meeting is this Thursday, April 15, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Meadows (off Route 240, south of town).

Everyone is encourage to attend.

The Council’s meeting agenda, minutes, membership, etc. are all posted on the Albemarle County web site at: http://www.albemarle.org/ccac/

The tentative agenda for this Thursday’s meeting is as follows:

• Agenda Review (Mike Marshall – CCAC Chair)
• Approval of Minutes (CCAC)
• CCAC New Members (LEE)

• Master Plan 2009 Update Process (REBECCA/ELAINE)
• Discussion regarding recommended revisions for area north of Downtown to Wayland Drive, including property owner input
• Next steps in master plan process

• Project Updates
• Re-store’n Station Review Status (April 20 Planning Commission public hearing on special use permit)
• Other announcements
• Adjourn

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Nor should we. But we can and should manage how we grow.

The Master Plan is under review …

As Albemarle County looks for ways to increase its industrial land, some Crozet residents are concerned their community has paid a high price for development in the past several years.

…

“When we asked the community about the update and what the focus areas should be, the guiding principle [was] that Crozet should remain Crozet,” said County Planner Rebecca Ragsdale during a work session held Tuesday by the Albemarle County Planning Commission. 

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Here’s your chance to put your money/time/effort where your mouth is -

Crozet Community Advisory Committee:  Five vacancies.  Do you want to get involved in your community? Are you interested in working on issues that impact the future of Crozet? Consider applying for a position on the Crozet Community Advisory Council. Albemarle County has several openings on the Crozet Community Advisory Council (CCAC), a 15-member volunteer advisory committee appointed by the Board of Supervisors that provides assistance to County staff and the Board on civic and community issues related to implementation of the Crozet Master Plan. The CCAC contributes to public understanding of and support for Master Plan implementation through enhanced communication and collaboration among all Crozet community stakeholders, and seeks to identify, communicate and collaborate with unrepresented stakeholder groups.   CCAC membership is broad-based to incorporate a variety of perspectives and ideas and to provide citizens, businesspersons and representatives of active community groups a chance to be engaged and heard in a constructive and meaningful way. The CCAC meets on the third Thursday of each month from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at The Meadows Community Center in Crozet.  Application deadline is Wednesday, March 24, 2010.

Application forms and information may be obtained from the Clerk’s Office, Board of County Supervisors, Fourth Floor, County Office Building, 401 McIntire Road, Charlottesville, VA, between 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M., Monday – Friday. Applications are also available on-line. Telephone:   (434) 296-5843 (434) 296-5843 .

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The fact is most everybody is worth a lot less today than two years ago and the loss is not imaginary or inconsequential, regardless of whether government tells you that four percent is an accurate adjustment to your balance sheet facts. The government needs to tighten up, too, and to be realistic, probably more than it is willing to think about without even more citizen pressure.  

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We need to read the budget and make suggestions. (although it would be easier if we had the option to download the entire budget in one document, thus making searching easier)

County Executive Bob Tucker:

“It is important for me to state very clearly that while the library is recommended for a reduction in this budget the County has not proposed and indeed would not support the closure of any branches, including those in Scottsville or Crozet. It is not our desire to recommend reductions to any of our valuable community agencies, but we do so out of necessity only after we have very aggressively reduced our own department expenditures to the point where core services must now be preserved. It is important to note that reductions to community agencies were avoided for the first two years of the recession as local government operations and staffing have absorbed significant decreases. In fact, in FY08/09 when the County was experiencing declines in revenues related to the economic downturn and responded by freezing/ eliminating county staff positions and reducing operating budgets, community agencies received an average increase of 4% in funding. In FY09/10 while local government expanded its frozen/eliminated/offset positions to 55 and reduced non-personnel expenditures significantly, agencies maintained at least level funding while several again saw slight increases. “

The first budget public hearing will be held Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm at Lane Auditorium in the County Office Building on McIntire Road.

What cuts can you find? Dolores found $75,000 in the Libraries’ budget (pdf).

Hmmm …. I think a good business opportunity would be for some enterprising (team of) individual(s) to offer babysitting services in a central location (Cville Coffee? ) so that parents can attend the public hearing. Just a thought.
Update 1 March 2010: The Jefferson Madison Library Board of Trustees has voted to close the Scottsville Library.

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A reminder that the last Crozet Master Plan Revision Forum is Thursday, February 18, at 7:00 PM in the Field School (Old Crozet Elementary)

The format will be the same as for the other forums. The County staff will provide information on

1. what the land use changes reflect for population,
2. any changes to the use at the northwest corner of Route 250 and Crozet Avenue (Ploumis property),
(Ms. Ploumis made a formal Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) request, so it must be brought before the public formally at a meeting with time to allow her the opportunity to speak, as was done for Will Yancey and his CPA request last month.)
3. and potential industrial designations for the properties discussed at the last meeting.

You can email your comments directly to the county planner for the Crozet area, Ms. Rebecca Ragsdale.

The CCAC would appreciate you send us a copy as well, so we understand and are aware of our neighbors viewpoints so we can more accurately represent them. So I respectfully request if you send comments to Ms. Ragsdale, to copy me on the submission.

—-

AGENDA FEBRUARY 18, 2010

FINAL FORUM: LAND USE WRAP-UP

1. Welcome & Introduction (Mike Marshall, Chairman of the Crozet Community Advisory Council)

2. County Staff Presentation –

a) Community Forums Recap & Summary of recommended improvements to the master plan
10/09-Residential Density
11/09-Downtown
12/09-Transportation, Parks/Greenways, Community Facilities/Services
1/10-Local Business & Economic Development (Light Industrial & Yancey Mills)

b) Land Use Map Changes
# Review updated land use colors and changes to land use map, including industrial categories
# Consideration of CPA 07-02 Ploumis for small scale commercial (ex. Garden center)
at northwest corner of Route 250/240 Intersection
# Population Issues

3. Upcoming Activities: CCAC Meeting on March 18, 2010; Planning Commission meeting in April

4. Closing and next steps: May 2010 Community Meeting to review draft updated master plan

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Crozet has traditionally been regarded as having high-quality public schools; as such we benefit from the market created by our schools.

Do better schools increase house prices? From my perspective as a Realtor in the Crozet area, the answer is yes. I have never had buyers tell me that they wanted to live in a bad school district; but virtually every single one – whether they have kids or not – wants to be in a good school district. Frankly, I don’t need metrics or analysis or data to support my conclusion; I know that people buying homes in Charlottesville and Albemarle want good schools.

All the data in the world isn’t going to change my opinion, either as a Realtor or as a parent, that good, quality schools matter – to our kids and to our housing values.

From The Impact of School Characteristics on House Prices: Chicago 1987-1991

For many people, an important consideration when buying a house is the quality of the local public schools. There is a general perception that, all else equal, houses in better school districts will cost more.
…

Our results indicate that individuals pay attention to both per-pupil expenditures and test scores when deciding where to locate. However, when purchasing a home, individuals do appear to consider the current test performance of students in the local school rather than the extent to which a community’s schools contribute to a cohort’s test performance.

So what? What happens to Albemarle County home values if:

1 – Albemarle County schools cannot trim the fat sufficiently and
2 – They have to make so many dramatic cuts?

This is an email sent by the Albemarle County Parents’ Council with five attachments that will help you get acclimated … before the public hearing tonight at 6:30.

Brian Wheeler has presented a post with hard numbers – numbers that put into context what an increase in property taxes would mean for you – something that has been mostly lacking from most discussions I have read.

The Albemarle County Public Schools budget is now facing catastrophic cuts if we do not find new sources of revenue. This is the result of the national economy, declining sales taxes, declining property values, a proposal to lower taxes collected in Albemarle, and significant state funding cuts for education.

… In an effort to get my head around the numbers, I have prepared the attached spreadsheet which evaluates (to the best of my ability with the data available), the impact of the different budget scenarios and what different property tax rate increases necessary to close the funding gap.

• http://www.wheeleronboard.com/docs/20100214-analysis-wheeler.pdf (Acrobat PDF); or

• http://www.wheeleronboard.com/docs/20100214-analysis-wheeler.xls (Excel spreadsheet)

If you download the Excel spreadsheet, you can even plug in your own home assessments from 2009 and 2010 to measure the personal impact of adjusting the tax rate. At this point in the process, I don’t like trying to address a budget challenge by manipulating the tax rate, but I think the public deserves some factual information about the different scenarios and how that might impact their personal pocketbooks. At this point, the burden has been put on local government and it has few revenue tools at its disposal. We all need to understand the cost-benefit of the status quo, the current tax rate, which in reality is a tax reduction.

…

In the analysis I have provided, here is the bottom line for the median household (2009 sales price) in Albemarle.

• With the worst case state funding scenario (new reductions of $9 million), a property tax rate of 86.5 cents would fund Dr. Moran’s budget with only Tier 1 cuts implemented. That rate would increase ANNUAL tax payments by $272.08 for the median priced home when compared to 2009.

• In the best case state funding scenario, a property tax rate of 81.9 cents would balance the budget and increase ANNUAL tax payments by $146.19 for the median priced home when compared to 2009.

This discussion at the Daily Progress was pretty informative.

* Thank you to Deedstreet for pointing me to the below-referenced study.

The quality of local public schools is widely believed to be a key determinant of housing prices.1 However, the strength of the consensus is puzzling, given the formidable empirical challenges facing any homeowner or empirical researcher seeking to answer the question carefully.2 First, good schools usually come bundled with other neighborhood qualities– such as proximity to employment, shopping and recreational conveniences and neighborhood peers. Because the homebuyers who enjoy (and can afford) such amenities tend to congregate together, it is difficult to isolate the effect of schools from the effect of these other traits that accompany good schools. Second, it is difficult to disentangle the valuation of the schools themselves (school facilities, curriculum, teachers and principals) from the valuation of the quality of peers available at the school. Common measures of school quality (such as test scores) typically reflect both the quality of the education being offered and the characteristics of the incoming students.3 It is unclear whether homebuyers are paying for quality schools or quality classmates
for their children.

Google Rocks.

Personally, I’d feel a lot better about all of this if I trusted the government. (I’m surprised you made it to the bottom of the post)

Originally posted at the Charlottesville real estate blog, RealCentralVA.

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Editor’s Note: Leslie Burns was kind enough to answer my call for someone to write about last week’s Crozet Community Association meeting.

A handful of Crozet Citizens showed up last Thursday to hear what is happening in our town at the Crozet Community Association gathering. Who are these folks? Why, they are your neighbors… hoping to pull together and grow community involvement. You might not have heard about the meeting or paid much attention to the small signs announcing it that were posted around the main intersection of town. But maybe it is time to start showing up at these association meetings…they only meet five times a year. It is not a huge commitment to make. That was one of the issues that came up at the meeting- how to reach out and connect the many neighborhoods and people living out there that have the health of our town in mind.

Here’s the dilemma. No tax revenues = no new funds to support the type of cultural and much needed improvements (think Library, road improvements, sidewalks, etc.) that are at the very heart of the Master Plan of Crozet. So where do the revenue hungry turn when it is time to welcome developers of light industrial business parks? The easiest places to access are usually given the green light for development first and we have a light that we should examine closely before we let it change on us. Some of the locations recently designated by our leaders for ideal growth are a few major intersections of highways with Rte 64.

It was announced tonight at the Crozet Community Association meeting that there is going to be a Master Plan review and meeting on Thursday, January 21st whose purpose (for one) will bring to light an idea that at least one person in our community claims will supply the revenue generating light industrial growth that Crozet (by way of our growth-area designation in the county) is destined to support. Where is this development to occur? The proposed development of land equal to the size of two Fashion Square Malls, sits quietly by the intersection of 250 and 64 at that sleepy little intersection that is the gateway to our homes and schools right now. Imagine a Waynesboro type intersection right next to our lovely pastoral village. Is this what you moved to Crozet to get close to?

If “Intersectionville” is the very name of the town you want to live in you may well get it, unless you show up to exhibit your commitment to an alternative way of life. The vision of retaining the downtown area and building it up to support sustainable and healthy growth alongside the tracks and within walking distance of community services already in place, will become nothing but a memory if the car and semi-truck driven sprawl is allowed to go in where it is proposed.

If you have an opinion to voice please show up on Thursday night on the 21st at the Field School auditorium (Old Crozet School on Crozet Ave.) at 7:00 PM. Meet some new neighbors and bring some neighbors that you already know. Meet some of the planning department representatives that have been actively involved in our master plan-consistently showing up to hear what YOU have to say. Listen to what is proposed to develop around us and become an active part of the small town that you moved here to enjoy. If you let others make your decisions for you- you are going to have to live in a world that someone else created for you and your children. Government is here as a tool of the people. If we do not interact, speak-up and have a hand in the sustainable design of our town here- it will not be a tool in our hands- but in the hands of those that would profit from business-as-usual sprawl. If the vision for Yancy Mills Industrial park and surrounding areas is not of a sprawling build out- let that be shown clearly to us.

Here’s the challenge… People that live in Crozet can affect how and where that revenue-creating light industrial growth is to occur by becoming the community that we claim we came here to be part of.

You want that small town feel? Now is your time to shine on Thursday- January 21st.

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Editor’s note: this email was sent out by Tim Tolson in Crozet:

Also, I want to alert you to a VERY IMPORTANT CROZET AREA MEETING next Thursday, January 21st at 7:00 PM at The Field School. This meeting is about the huge proposed industrial park at the Intersection of Route 250 and I-64, slated to be at least TWICE the size of Fashion Square Mall.

Please attend this meeting, YOUR input on this proposed project, that would expand the Crozet Growth Area, is essential.

The Yancey family has submitted a Comprehensive Plan amendment to rezone 84 acres on the southeast corner of the Interstate 64/Route 250 intersection to ‘light industrial’ for the construction of an industrial park that would contain from 1.1 million to 1.8 million square feet of buildings.

On January 21 at 7 p.m. at the Field School (the Old Crozet Elementary School across from the current Crozet Elementary School), the public will have a chance to react to a county study on light industrial land in the County, and give county staff you input regarding the study, which will include a section that addresses this proposed rezoning. This study will first be presented to the Planning Commission two days prior, on January 19.

As Mike Marshall, editor of the Crozet Gazette said in this month’s issue: “… [the] adoption of the Yancey proposal would likely shift the economic center of Crozet to Rt. 250 and result in a commercial highway build-up at the Interstate similar to what we see happening in Waynesboro, and many other Virginia towns that have sadly lost their traditional walkable downtowns to sprawl. Avoiding those mistakes was the whole point of planning in the first place. Crozet has plenty of light industrial space yet and a capacity for more. But the outcome of this question is fraught with politics and money. Crozet is at, as Churchhill would say, a hinge of fate.”

Pro or con, we need your voice on this matter. The Board of Supervisors last week adopted an “action plan” that included the following item regarding the Yancey property – “Yancey Mills and 250 East Corridor from 1-64 to Shadwell Store – The report on available light industrial zoning should be expedited and a report on the possibility of expansion of this type of zoning in these areas should be brought back to the board in the first quarter of the year for discussion and possible action.”

Full report available on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s News Center under the title: “Supervisors adopt pro-business “action plan””

Please attend this meeting if you can! We are counting on the people of Crozet and friends in other parts of the to give county staff and supervisors their feedback about rezonings on Route 250.

Please feel free to call or email me (contact info listed below) if you have questions or need directions to the Field School.

Thanks and I hope to see you on January 21 at 7 p.m. at the Field School in Crozet!

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Everyone welcome Ann Mallek, our representative on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, to the world of blogging!

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The next meeting of the Crozet Community Association will be at 7:30 on Thursday, January 14 at 7:30 in The Field School.

If anyone wants to write a story for RealCrozetVA about this meeting, please feel free to do so. As thanks, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, tea or water.

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Get informed, and get involved and don’t be left in the dark. Spend some time at Richmond Sunlight. Lobbyists and special interest groups are paying attention. Shouldn’t you be?

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Read the whole thing at the Crozet Gazette.

The decision of the departing Kaine administration to bailout the investors in Biscuit Run, the largest subdivision ever approved in Albemarle County, and turn it into a state park will add to growth pressure in Crozet once the housing market begins to revive, which, we nonetheless hope, comes soon.

The addition of Biscuit Run’s 3,100 houses to the Albemarle market with better proximity to Charlottesville meant homebuyers had an attractive alternative at a time when county policies were aiming growth on Crozet and claiming that it could handle a population of 24,000. In those days Biscuit Run promised to vent some of the steam away from western Albemarle.

It’s hard to imagine that if the Commonwealth actually thought it needed a state park in Albemarle that it would have hankered for the 1,200 acres Biscuit Run sits on.

My favorite part?

And about that $9.8 million: hasn’t Crozet been told for the last 12 years that there is no VDOT money to pay for Jarmans Gap Road improvements, and more recently that there is no funding possible for Crozet library ($6.3 million), the number one priority library on the state library’s list of construction projects?

Thus the poor Virginia tax payer now has to pay to master plan and then operate in perpetuity a state park he had no idea he wanted, in a place he probably would not have picked, and to make up millions in tax revenue that was forfeited in the form of credits.

Well Said.

Update 8 January 2010 – Quite a bit of news coverage today centered on Biscuit Run’s dedication as a state park.

Biscuit Run State Park Opponent Says Deal Unfair to Albemarle County Residents – WCAV

Crozet Refocuses After Biscuit Run – NBC29

Biscuit Run Protected as Parkland – NBC29

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Thanks to Channel 29: (bolding mine)

A new Albemarle County Board of Supervisor’s resolution calls for a nearly one-mile stretch of Old Trail Drive in Crozet to be accepted into the state road system. Part of it was accepted into the system 2009, so this will complete the process.

…

“Old Trail Drive, in its entire length from Jarmans Gap Road to the other connection point at Route 250, has always been intended to be a pretty major traffic thoroughfare in Crozet,” she said. “The Crozet master plan presents it that way.”

There have been discussions over the years on RealCrozetVA about the accessibility of Old Trail Drive, and now it’s officially a public road. Great.

Related reading:

VDOT helps builders and citizens adjust to new secondary street standards

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Steve Landes is our Delegate, so I figured you might be interested in his “Legislative Newsletter.”

While you’re looking, take a look at where his money comes from (courtesy of VPAP) and what bills he’s sponsoring and how he votes.

INTRODUCTION

Happy New Year! Out with the old and in with the new. My legislative aide, Judy Wyatt, and I are looking forward to the 2010 Virginia General Assembly Session which begins January 13th in Richmond. The budget will be the hottest topic but we are hoping that under the leadership of Governor-elect Bob McDonnell that Virginia will fare better than most states across the nation.

TOWN HALL MEETINGS

In preparation for the upcoming 2010 Virginia General Assembly Session, I have scheduled three town hall meetings this week. The first town meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, from 6:30 -8:00 p.m. at the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room at the Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, in Verona.

The second town meeting will be on Saturday, January 9, 2010, from 9:00 -10:30 a.m. at the Elkton Area Community Center, 20593 Blue & Gold Drive, in Elkton.

The third and last town meeting will be January 9, 2010, from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Crozet Public Library, 5791 Three Notched Road, in Crozet.

Please attend one of these meetings to express your opinions and give your suggestions to me as I prepare to represent you in Richmond during the 2010 session. I appreciate knowing what my constituents feel important as I prepare to vote on your behalf on issues of importance to all of us.

2010 LEGISLATIVE SURVEY

As has been my custom, once again I have devised a legislative survey to poll the constituents of the 25th House District on their opinions. This year you may take the survey online at my website www.stevelandes.com . If you do not have access to a computer, please call my District Office this week and we will mail you a copy of the survey. We may be reached at 540-245-5540.

It is most important that the survey be completed and returned by January 15th. That allows time to tally the results so I may have them in a timely manner before voting on issues as they come before me during session.

PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE BUDGET

As mentioned earlier, the budget will be the most important issue discussed this session. As required by the Code of Virginia, the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees will conduct public hearings on Governor Kaine’s proposed budget.

The closest hearing to the 25th House District will be this Thursday, January 7th, at 12:00 noon in Harrisonburg in Grafton-Stovall Theater at James Madison University. The purpose of the hearing is to receive comments on the Governor’s proposed 2010-12 State Budget. Those persons wishing to speak may register at the hearing site no earlier than one hour prior to the start of the hearing. Speakers will be taken in the order of registration. Each person may register only one speaker at a time. Speakers are asked to limit their comments to three minutes or less. Public comment will begin at 12:00 noon.

There will also be a public hearing in Richmond on Monday, January 11, 2010, beginning at 12:00 noon. It will be held in the General Assembly Building in House Room D. Sign up for public comment begins at 8:00 a.m. at this location only.

ANOTHER HOUSE PAGE FROM THE VALLEY

It is a pleasure to announce that Rachel Mason, of Grottoes, Virginia, has been appointed a Page for the 2010 Virginia General Assembly Session. Miss Mason is 13 years old and a seventh grade student at Stewart Middle School in Augusta County, where she maintains an excellent academic standing. She is the daughter of Craig and Melanie Brimhall. Since becoming a delegate, I have had the honor of recommending six selected page appointments from the 25th House District.

CONTACT INFORMATION DURING SESSION

Our District Office will be closed at the end of this week and you may find us during session in Richmond, Virginia. If you are in the area during January 13th-March 13th (the dates of session), please feel free to stop by our offices at Room 515 in the General Assembly Building.

If you want to let us know where you stand on an issue, you can contact us while we are in Richmond by sending an e-mail to steve@stevelandes.com .Our phone number is 804-698-1025 and our fax number is 804-698-6725. You may also contact me by sending a letter to PO Box 406, Richmond, Virginia 23218.

Don’t forget to answer the legislative survey! As always, thanks for sharing your views.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

The Crozet Library has been delayed. Again.

This comment on cvillenews last week spurred me to ask a question about the Crozet Library’s traffic and circulation numbers. I remembered some data about circulation being high in Crozet, but could not remember (nor find) the exact numbers … I have bolded what I was looking for … John Halliday was kind enough to respond in detail.

That’s all we need is a new library in crozet. Can you imagine what a new library will do to the population of crozet. Lets move to crozet, they just got a new library. Population explosion in crozet all over again. BOS are finally getting it right, at least on this one.

I suspect no one has or will move to Crozet because of the library, but having a good library, as we do now, is a component of a community with a high quality of life. One that values knowledge, literature, community and the sharing of all three. Having a new, more adequately-sized library is a promise that the County of Albemarle made to its citizens and is a promise that they should keep.

Tim Tolson asked me to respond to your questions about the need for additional space at Crozet Library. Here (below) is some information you may find helpful. If you need any more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The current Crozet Library is 1,728 square feet. That is smaller than most private homes in Albemarle County. For many years the minimum square footage standard for public libraries, set by the State Library Board of Virginia, has been 4,500 square feet. Last January, the State Library Board adopted a new standard of “.6 SF with .8 desired” for public libraries serving populations up to 25,000. Many years ago, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, through the CIP process, adopted .7 SF as Albemarle’s goal. Based on those standards, if Crozet’s service area population (that is, the population within 6 miles of the library) reaches 25,000, the public library should be in the square foot range of 15,000 SF – 20,000 SF.

A rule of thumb in public library development is that when a building’s circulation of library materials (checkouts) reaches 25 per square foot per year, the library should plan for expansion. Here’s how JMRL’s annual circulation per square footage compared as of July 2009: Central Library, 11; Gordon Avenue Library, 25; Scottsville Library, 17; Greene County Library, 13; Louisa County Library 7; Nelson County Library, 17. The two Albemarle libraries that have been discussed for possible expansion are as follows: Northside Library (Albemarle Square), 34; Crozet Library, 76.

Crozet Library makes very efficient use of its limited space, but it is clearly overcrowded compared to other JMRL libraries and it is, in fact, substandard based on Virginia’s state standards. By the way, the SF standard in many other states is 1.0 SF per capita. So, Virginia’s standards are modest.

Crozet Library is the 4th most heavily used library in JMRL’s 8-library system. It is less than half the size of our 8th busiest branch. To give you an idea of how busy the library is, in the past year an average of over 5,500 residents visited the library each month. About 500 people each month visit Crozet Library to use its Internet computers. During a typical summer month over 1,000 children attend library programs.

Hopefully, that gives you a snapshot of Crozet Library’s current situation. Again, please let me know if you need more information.

John Halliday, Library Director
Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
201 East Market Street, Charlottesville Virginia 22902

Mike Marshall at the Crozet Gazette noted last month:

County leaders have notified the Crozet Library Steering Committee that they will recommend to supervisors that the project be pushed back yet again (it was originally slated to open in 2011) and not be considered for funding before 2015. This is ridiculous. Anyone who has been into Crozet Library, especially for one of their popular events, knows the old depot building cannot serve western Albemarle’s burgeoning population for another five or more years. The County should take advantage of currently depressed construction costs by either borrowing money, getting a slice of the $787 billion the federals are looking to spend on “shovel ready” projects, or by suspending the County’s annual tribute payment to Charlottesville—the so-called “revenue sharing agreement” in which only the County does the sharing—a sum which next year will run about $18 million. The library’s architects say that if the project is put out to bid by the end of this year it will cost about $6.37 million. If it goes to bid in the spring of 2010 they predict the cost will be at least $7.19 million. If it goes to bid in 2015, who can imagine. It will never be cheaper than now.

Cross-posted at RealCentralVA.

Read about the Crozet Library’s Future and Vision.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

From part four of Charlottesville Tomorrow’s excellent series on traffic -

Scenic 250 formed as a grassroots organization in 1997 to protect the rural character of the highway. According to steering committee member Scott Peyton, it was a coincidence that the Virginia Department of Transportation launched a pivotal study of 250 that same year.

“It was a watershed moment,” Peyton said. “We had been previously unaware of VDOT’s plans to widen the road.”

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.

Since 2001, the traffic on 250 west has increased on all the sections measured annually by VDOT. Near Yancey Mills and Old Trail, traffic is up by 28 percent as of 2008. However, the section from Miller School Road to the Mechums River is up 48 percent over the same period, and from there to Ivy it has increased 41 percent.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCrozetVA.comwhere this was originally posted.