Author: Jim Duncan

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Crozet Park’s Massive Plans

Crozet Gazette have a great article on the Park’s plans. *

Crozet resident and park board member Drew Holzwarth unveiled big plans for Claudius Crozet Park at the August 21 Board of Supervisors meeting, launching a push for a major expansion to existing facilities in the park. “There is a critical need for additional indoor recreation space in the county, and this is an opportunity for us to build a truly transformative facility for county residents,” said Holzwarth.

The proposed expansion envisions a new 47,000-square-foot facility, to include a multi-purpose gym, fitness and wellness areas, an indoor track, a community room, a stay and play area and more. The Claudius Crozet Park (CCP) board hopes to fund the $6.5 million project via a public/private partnership with Albemarle County, in which the county would contribute $2.4 million over the next two years.

The CCP board’s plan would build an indoor recreation space with a footprint slightly larger than the Brooks YMCA in Charlottesville that will serve all ages.

From the Crozet Gazette

*speaking as a neighbor, I remember a time when developers would talk to neighbors. Disappointing.

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Downtown Crozet Redevelopment Moving Forward

Alison Wrabel (one of the only reasons I subscribe to the Daily Progress) writes: (read the whole thing)

The first phase of the redevelopment of the former Barnes Lumber site in Crozet was approved Wednesday.

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a rezoning of about 6.24 acres of the site from heavy industry and commercial to Downtown Crozet District to allow for mixed-use development.

Developer Frank Stoner, with Milestone Partners, did not have a formal presentation but thanked the board, county staff, the Crozet Community Advisory Committee and the Downtown Crozet Initiative for their input and work over the years.

“We’re in our fifth year of this project, and I can honestly tell you we wouldn’t be here today without all the people I just mentioned,” he said.

The redevelopment of the Barnes Lumber site has been included in the Crozet Master Plan. A proposal was submitted in 2010 but did not move forward. Crozet New Town Associates purchased the property from the bank and reactivated the rezoning application in 2014 for the whole property.

In 2017, the rezoning request was modified to focus on the first phase of the site — the 6.24-acre portion — including a proposed civic plaza.

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10th Annual Crozet Trails Crew 5K

Crozet Trails signage

via email

The 10th Annual Crozet Trails Crew (CTC) 5K Race and Kids Fun Run is open for registration.

It’s the race where everyone wins. Participants get to compete on one of prettiest greenways in Albemarle County, and CTC uses the registration fees and other donations to expand and promote Crozet’s trail network. Recent improvements include stabilizing soft spots with crushed stone, a new stairway to access the Creekside trail head, benches and a tunnel under the new Eastern Avenue extension.

When, Where and What Time


October 12th at Crozet Park.


The Kids Fun Run begins at 8:00 AM followed by the 5K race at 8:30 AM. At 9:30 AM we will award medals and hand out raffle prizes donated by big-hearted Crozet merchants. We would love to have you join us. It is $20 to register on-line and $25 in person.

Visit crozettrailscrew.org or RunSignUp for more details and to register.

The outdoors are at your doorstep – we hope to see you on October 12th. Thank you for contributing.

Terri Miyamoto, President

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Stream Quality In Crozet?

From a Nextdoor post by Thomas Adajian:

(posted with permission)

The VA Virginia Department of Environmental’s official rating of some of our local streams might be of interest to Crozet residents who hike the greenway (and those who don’t). Especially in the  light of accelerating development. 

Lickinghole Creek is on the DEQ “Impaired Waters List for 2018” list.  See link, p. 24.

Its official rating is  “impaired.”  It’s officially a “High” priority for a TMDL, although there is none currently.I believe it’s been on the list since 2010. (A TMDL establishes the maximum amount of a pollutant allowed in a waterbody and serves as the starting point or planning tool for restoring water quality.  See https://www.epa.gov/tmdl.

Lickinghole Creek’s official  DEQ categorization is Virginia Category 5A. That means  “a Water Quality Standard is not attained. The water is impaired or threatened for one or more designated uses by a pollutant(s) and requires a TMDL (303d list).”

 Mechums River, into which LIckinghole Creek feeds, has the same rating ( p. 24). It’s  been on the list since 2004.

Here’s the link.

A useful comment about anonymous reporting

https://portal.deq.virginia.gov/prep/Report/Create

Try link above for anonymous reporting, folks. You can even upload pictures. If the source of muddy “sludge” in our stream is a construction site, it’s a big problem. The sites are supposed to follow the state erosion and sediment guidelines and when done properly, sediment laden runoff should not flow off site. Please report these incidences- either the state or the County will come out to inspect and address the guilty party accordingly, having them install the proper controls to prevent harm to our streams.ThankReply

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CCAC Recap – August 2019 | Crozet Connect, Master Plan, Resolutions

Crozet Connect is a success so far, and it’s fantastic. Crozet Master Plan will be updated, and it’s a 15 month process.

Read all the tweets if you’re interested (and you should be; this stuff affects all of us).

A few highlights

Downloads

CCAC_MeetingSlides_20190814Download
Albemarle-Long-Range-Plan-8.4.2019Download
Crozet-Elementary-Resolution-Draft-8.9.2019Download
Continue reading “CCAC Recap – August 2019 | Crozet Connect, Master Plan, Resolutions”
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CCAC Meeting – 14 August 2019

via email:

CROZET COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE 
Crozet Library, 2020 Library Ave, Crozet, VA 22932 
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. 

Agenda 

1.    Introductions and Agenda Review (Allie Pesch, CCAC chair) 
2.    Approval of Minutes 
3.    Crozet Connect Bus Update (25 minutes – Stephen Johnson, Planning Manager, JAUNT) 
4.    Crozet Master Plan Revision Process Overview (Andrew Knuppel and Staff – 60 minutes) 
5.    Barnes Lumber Rezoning Resolution (10 minutes – All) 
6.    Items Not Listed on the Agenda 
7.    Announcements 

Crozet Master Plan Process Update DRAFTDownload

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Downtown Crozet Redevelopment Gets Planning Commission Approval

Finally, Downtown Crozet is closer to being redeveloped! After 50+ community meetings, and remarkable persistence by the developer, things seem to be moving forward. A hotel in downtown Crozet is much-needed.

First

Read Allison Wrabel’s story in the Daily Progress, not just the snippets I’ve pulled. (bolding mine)

The Albemarle County Planning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval of a rezoning of about 6.24 acres of the site from heavy industry and commercial to Downtown Crozet District to allow for mixed use development.

…

The current proposed project would include commercial and retail space, a hotel and approximately 52 residential units in its first phase.

…

Possible issues staff cited were increased traffic and increased demand for parking. A potential impact on schools, particularly Crozet Elementary, also was a concern, but that was not as high of a concern yet, as only about six elementary school students are anticipated to live in the residential part of the project.

Remember how some people thought that Old Trail was going to be a retirement community? Me too. 🙂

Second

Note that the County have been “discussing parking” in Downtown Crozet forever. (bolding mine)

In addition to action on the Old Trail rezoning, The Planning Commission specifically requested that the Board address the following issues related to Crozet as a whole:

–          The parking restrictions in the existing downtown Crozet area should be reviewed and potentially studied for revision to allow the Crozet area to better support its businesses that exist and could come.

–          Put all of the County resources possible towards getting Jarman’s Gap Road higher on the VDOT list of priorities. 

–          Have staff work with the schools and applicant to talk about interconnectivity on the trails and traffic.

–          The Board should direct staff to work at making sure the downtown Crozet improvements are actually done.  

From the 2005 Summary of the Old Trail rezoning
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Crozet Park Aquatics and Fitness Center?

Interesting things are found in Albemarle County agendas if you read and dig into them. I’m glad people like Joe Fore do so, and let people know.

From the Albemarle County School Board agenda for 8 August 2019 at 6:30pm (bolding mine)

Claudius Crozet Park is a 22 acre community non-profit recreational facility open to all. It is managed by Claudius Crozet Park, Inc., a non-profit organization managed by volunteers. Currently, the Park’s Board is in the planning phases of an expanded and updated facility to meet the needs of the growing community. The park is soliciting private donations but they will also be requesting partial funding from the Board of Supervisors later this month.

The new Crozet Park Aquatics and Fitness Center will feature a gymnasium, indoor walking track, fitness areas and community rooms. A key component of the facility is space for after-school and summer programming. Currently, the YMCA leases the existing building and offers programming to only 27 students as it is limited by available space. The new facility will offer space for a program that could serve as many as 300 students.

Affordable, quality after-school care is in great demand throughout the county including the Western Feeder Pattern. There are currently 123 students on the wait lists for the Extended Day Enrichment Program (EDEP) at the four western feeder pattern elementary schools. That figure does not include families who do not apply because they cannot afford the program. As documented in the 2017 program evaluation of EDEP and subsequent Board conversations since, increased access to after-school care opportunities is needed.

The Park Board is seeking a letter of support demonstrating the need for increased after school opportunities before it goes before the Board of Supervisors on August 21st.

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In Need of Affordable Housing

Sent via email:

Affordable housing in the form of apartments has not come to Crozet as we were told would happen. Instead the Vue apts. have 1200$ 1 bdrm. units billed as “luxury”… This is not affordable.

A lot of us homeowners pay less in mortgage. Rent at 900$ a month takes 35% of low income people’s’salary. Crozets master plan by the county has displaced the low income person. It’s a travesty that our County has turned its back on the middle class & especially,  people’s families who built our Crozet .

The 200 units will add so much traffic to Jarmans Gap ..with only a stop sign at Crozet Ave.


Both issues affect everyone in Crozet. Maybe our Anne Mallek could chime in…

We need affordable housing.