Adelaide Neighborhood Public Meeting

Adelaide Development Neighbor Notification

I had intended to post this letter a couple weeks ago from the proposed Adelaide developer.  Since then, the Cory Farm HOA have gotten together and written a letter outlining some of their concerns. Both are below.

So as to not bury the lede, the CCAC meeting where this development will be discussed is Wednesday, 16 December at the Crozet Library.

Letter from Kyle Redinger,  “a developer who grew up in Albemarle County, attended Western Albemarle High School and have been an entrepreneur in the community for over a decade. I have lived in our community for over 30 years. ” (PDF).

Letter from the HOA to the CCAC of the adjacent neighborhood, Cory Farm.

Crozet is going to grow, folks. We are a growth area. How we grow is, in part, up to us. In part.

Transportation from Crozet to Charlottesville – sans your own car

image1In February we had  a good conversation about buses from Crozet to Charlottesville.

Brandon Black from Lenoir Limousine has asked me to ask you –

“Looking to get some input on what people think about a bus service from Crozet to Charlottesville.

• Would you ride it?
• What times should it depart in mornings and evenings?
• How much would you pay per week?
• What areas in Charlottesville would you want to go?

Just throwing around ideas want to hear community input.”

Rumble-Stripping 240 Near Highlands

This used to be a narrow shoulder. Then they paved it and made it a wider shoulder, which served as a wonderful bike lane.

Then they rumble-stripped it.   As someone who rides a bicycle and drives there frequently, I hate this new “feature.”

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Rumble-strip near Highlands

-PAXP-deijE

I posted the question on Facebook;  the consensus is that the rumble-stripped the road because people driving cars keep running off the road.

Alison’s response wins, and I encourage folks to act as they see fit: (bolding mine)

The driver who ended up in our yard actually passed two breathalyzers. She was sober, there was no bad weather, it was light out, nothing in the road. We assume she was looking at her phone as it was in her hand when my husband got to her car seconds after she crashed. She had two fence posts go through her windshield on either side of her head. She was lucky to have nothing more than a couple gashes. She went through two back fences, took out several mature trees, missed our kids play structure by literally inches, and broke through our side fence, stopping feet from our neighbor who was unloading groceries in her driveway. That same neighbor had a car go through their yard a few months earlier.


So we and several others on our street have been begging VDOT for a guardrail since this happened and they have repeatedly shot it down as too dangerous for the drivers. We also asked them to lower the speed limit to match the section of 240 near Western Ridge and they refused to do that as well. What they did do is pave the shoulder (because the drop off was soft and didn’t allow drivers the opportunity to self-correct) and put in the rumble strips. We told them it was not enough but after 11 months of asking that was what we were given. Anne Mallek even spoke up for us and they didn’t budge.
That being said, I would urge anyone who is unhappy with this situation to call VDOT and tell them! There are houses on our street where the drop off from 240 is very steep and any car going off the road would be in their living room in seconds. People regularly drive too fast and we have spent many nights watching them swerve in and out of the lane lines for no apparent reason. So we are not giving up.

If you’re willing to help, you can reach our Charlottesville Residency Administrator at VDOT at 434-422-9373. Express your safety concerns/unhappiness with not having a bike lane/frustration with wasteful spending… If enough people speak up maybe they will reconsider. We won’t get what we don’t ask for. Thanks!

Two of my thoughts:
1 – Focusing on building roads solely for cars is profoundly short-sighted and irresponsible, especially for a community seeking to encourage people to ride bicycles and to walk places.
2 – Maybe not building neighborhoods so close to a busy and getting-busier road?

Crozet Trails Crew Annual 5K – 10 October 2015

On Saturday, October 10, The Crozet Trails Crew will hold their annual 5K Trail Race.  Come and join the fun: run, jog, walk, or cheer on the participants
Starting and finishing at the soccer field at Claudius Crozet Park, the course winds 3.1 miles through the trails east of the park. The course is relatively flat, but all trail.  Registration is $20 on-line (check out the crozettrailscrew.org website for the RaceIT link) or $25 in person on Friday, Oct. 9, 6-8 pm at Crozet Running or Saturday at the park 7-8 am.
All runners receive a race T-shirt as well as entrance into The Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival which is held right after the race.  There will be great prizes for overall (first place male and female get a bridge named in their honor!) and age-group winners.  There is also a random drawing of some great prizes donated by local businesses following the race and all participants who are present will be eligible.
New this year – Kids Race!  (for kids up to 7 years old)  The kids race will take place on the soccer field at 8:00am.  There is no registration fee, but please indicate on your registration form if your child plans to run.  The course is one lap around the soccer field, approximately 400 meters.  All finishers get a prize.

This is the major fundraiser for the Crozet Trails Crew, a grassroots community organization whose mission is to connect Crozet and Western Albemarle with trails and greenways.

A Well-Used Jarmans Gap

walkers and riders on Jarmans Gap in Crozet

It may be hard to see, but I took this picture when riding my bicycle back from showing a house.

It is truly awesome to see Jarmans Gap being used by so many-

– kids on bicycles.

-Parents pushing kids.

-Joggers.

– People walking back from the Crozet farmers market.

Sidewalks and bike lanes are cool.

As a reminder, this is Jarmans Gap on 13 June 2011.
Jarmans Gap 13 June 2011
Jarmans Gap 13 June 2011

Buses From Crozet to Charlottesville?

Just an idea …

Did you know that:

Based on a great conversation I had yesterday at the Mudhouse, I started this conversation on the RealCrozetVA Facebook page and got some great comments.

What could be done to get great bus service to/from Crozet/Charlottesville? Cool buses. With lots of light & wifi. 5x in the morning & 5x at afternoon/evening for starters.

With bike racks on buses. Park and rides in the church lots … Just kicking around some ideas. (Not my ideas necessarily … Just ideas)

Could it happen?

Some back of the napkin numbers – correct me please, because I’m sort of making these numbers up.

What do you think? Could it happen? Who could/would do it? Could/would it be profitable?

Most importantly – for those of you who have “real” jobs as I call them (I’m a Realtor; my days are necessarily geographically scattered) – would you use a bus?

 

Continue reading “Buses From Crozet to Charlottesville?”

Crozet Elementary Safe Routes to School starting soon!

via email:

CROZET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO BALLARD DRIVE

The purpose of this project is to provide safe pedestrian access along Crozet Avenue from the Crozet Elementary School to Ballard Drive. Drainage improvements, a sidewalk and a curb-and-gutter will be constructed along the west side including a pedestrian crossing at the school entrance. Plecker Construction Company has been awarded the construction contract and plans to start on March 2, 2015, weather permitting. AMT will assist the County with onsite inspection services and F&R Inc. will perform materials testing on the project. Funding for this project is primarily through a grant from VDOT.

The schedule of the project is as follows (weather permitting):
  • 03/02/15 – Start of Construction
  • 06/30/15 – Substantial Completion
  • 07/30/15 – Final Completion

If you would like more information regarding this project, please contact Frank Pohl, Senior Project Manager, by phone (434)-872-4501 x 7914 or by email [email protected].

 

CCAC Meeting 21 January 2015 – Foothills Rezoning and More

A large crowd showed up, including Charlottesville Tomorrow and NBC 29 to hear and learn about the proposed Foothill Crossing rezoning.

A great discussion was held, mainly with community members expressing the need and desire for infrastructure in Crozet as the developer described how the rezoning will route traffic through Westhall, Foothills, Westlake Hills, and Parkside Village.

What followed was a  pretty good discussion about economic growth & development in Crozet, the future of downtown Crozet, what Crozetians want,  what the community can and will support and more.

I’ll update this when Charlottesville Tomorrow,NBC 29, and Crozet Gazette  post their stories.

If you want to learn and exert your opinion/influence, come to these meetings. Again. And again. And again.

Storify story recapping all of the tweets after the break. Please, please read them all and get involved.


  Continue reading “CCAC Meeting 21 January 2015 – Foothills Rezoning and More”