October 12, 2026
Trying something new. Please let me know if you find it interesting or useful, or not at all. There’s always a lot happening in Crozet; I’m writing these as much for you as for me — my clients expect me to know my market, and this is part of my ongoing research. *
*Framework and sourcing provided by Claude; edited and vetted by me.
Top line: The county will show its proposed route for the Three Notched Trail through Crozet on Monday, Oct. 26 at Henley. It’s the first time a single route will be public, and owners along it are already being contacted.
1. CCAC Meeting – 14 October at 7pm at Crozet Library
Agenda (PDF) is here. Highlights:
Update on Three Notched Trail Master Planning Project (35 minutes)
Kevin McDermott, Deputy Planning Director
Board of Supervisors/Planning Commission Liaison Updates (15 minutes) – this is time
reserved for liaisons to share community announcements and project/policy updates
Supervisor Ann Mallek and Planning Commissioner Lonnie Murray
2. Three Notched Trail: proposed route to be shown Oct. 26
On Oct. 9 the county announced an open house on Monday, Oct. 26, 6:30–8:30 pm, with a presentation at 6:45. It’s at Henley Middle School (5880 Rockfish Gap Turnpike). Staff will present one proposed route and ask which sections should be designed first. Materials go online Oct. 27. The county says the 24-mile trail won’t be built as one project, the exact location may not be fixed for several years, and it is not asking landowners for property commitments now. The Oct. 7 quarterly report to the supervisors says outreach to potentially affected landowners is underway and a 30% plan and cost estimate for parts of the trail is planned for this winter.
Sources: county project page; Oct. 2026 Transportation Planning Quarterly Report; CCE, Oct. 9 (PDF)
3. Update: Eastern Avenue South (Lickinghole Creek connector) timeline
The Oct. 7 quarterly report says the design-build RFP will be advertised this month (October 2026). Final design would start in early 2027, construction in late 2028, and completion in early 2030. The county’s project page shows a design-build award around March 2027, completion in September 2030, and a cost of $27.3 million, mostly from VDOT Revenue Sharing. The two county documents disagree on the finish date (early 2030 vs. September 2030). I could not confirm the RFP has actually been posted yet because the county procurement page would not load.
Sources: quarterly report (PDF): Eastern Avenue Extension page
4. Library Avenue extension / Barnes Lumber road: bids came in high (older, newly found)
The same report says the Library Avenue Extended project was advertised and bid, but the bids came in higher than expected. Staff are “considering alternatives and revising the schedule,” and the earlier target of starting construction by spring 2026 has slipped. A bid-tracking site lists a Jan. 22, 2026 bid date and no award as of Feb. 17, so this may not be new to you. The report gives no new start date. Right-of-way acquisition is still underway.
Source: quarterly report
I asked Albemarle County about a timeline for this project and Abbey Stumpf responded:
This is a public-private partnership. The Albemarle County Facilities & Environmental Services Department (FES) completed design and bid the project earlier this year. However, bids came in over budget. In response, County staff is coordinating with the developer partner and the design team to evaluate potential value engineering options and other project options and working towards a revised timeline.
Also in the report: the Park Ridge Drive traffic-calming study (Hill Top St. to Lake Tree Ln.) found April speeds slightly below VDOT’s eligibility threshold, and staff are checking concepts with VDOT. Smart Scale Round 7 scores, including the US 250/Old Trail Drive application, go to the CTB in January 2027, with final decisions in June 2027.
Why this stuff matters for Crozet buyers/sellers/neighbors
- Three Notched Trail: Oct. 26 is when owners west and east of town will see whether a trail is drawn near their land. Expect questions from sellers about that. The press will likely call it “the route,” but it’s a proposal with no funding to build it and no property taken. Construction is years away and will happen in pieces.
- Eastern Avenue: Even on the county’s own schedule, the connector doesn’t open until 2030. Anyone counting on it to ease Route 240/Crozet Avenue traffic soon is early by about four years.
- Library Avenue/Barnes: High bids mean the road that unlocks the downtown Barnes Lumber redevelopment has no firm start date. Treat any near-term downtown construction timelines with skepticism until the county announces a contract award. I’m convinced that the Barnes Lumber Project is Crozet’s version of Charlottesville’s Landmark Hotel.
- Old Trail Drive/250: Nothing is decided until June 2027, and Albemarle has already applied for this project before.