CCAC Meeting – 10 May 2023

Morning in Crozet

Last month’s CCAC meeting was interesting. I’m curious how many people will attend this week’s meeting.

Water is a big topic, and one that will become of greater interest in the coming years.

#CCAC0523

via email, from Joe Fore, CCAC Chair:

The Crozet Community Advisory Committee will meet next Wednesday, May 10, at 7 pm in the large meeting room at the Crozet Library. (If you can arrive a few minutes early to help set up the room, it will help ensure that we can start promptly at 7.) I’ve attached the agenda and the April meeting minutes. 

Our main agenda item will be an update from the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority about their Crozet-area projects. I’ve asked them to share their meeting materials ahead of time, but they’re not quite ready. I’ll circulate those when I get them.

We’ll have time for some committee business. We’ll debrief the Oak Bluff community meeting and talk, more generally, about our procedures for holding future community meetings. We’ll also have time to discuss our summer meeting schedule and potential topics for those meetings. We will also circle back to an idea we discussed several months ago: tracking previously discussed development projects. I’ve attached a PDF version of a document we can use to divvy up and track those projects.

Lastly, we’ll be electing officers for the upcoming year. We have three positions available: Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary. Please let me know before Wednesday’s meeting if you’d be interested in taking on any of those roles–or if you have any other items you’d like to add to the agenda.

Attachments below


In a near-first, we have a copy of the presentation *before* the meeting.

Spring 2023 Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival

Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival Tent - from 2019

Yes, it’s a press release, and yes, the Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival is one of the best things about Crozet.

Also yes, yes you should walk or ride to the Festival rather than driving. 🙂

CROZET, VA Over 130 Artists and Exhibitors are coming to Crozet Park for the 43rd Annual Crozet Spring Arts and Crafts Festival! Recognized as one of the region’s leading fine arts and craft shows, the Crozet Arts & Craft Festival will be held rain or shine on Mother’s Day Weekend, Saturday and Sunday May 13 & 14, from 10 am to 5:30 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 5:00 pm on Sunday. The event is family and pet-friendly.

Top artists from across the country vied to be a part of this bi-annual event. From a large pool of creative candidates, a panel of talented and professional artist jurors chose the best in each arts category. Many new artists will join the seasoned and returning favorites of the past. This year’s exhibitors will bring to Crozet an array of stunning jewelry, trendsetting apparel and leather, magnificent artwork, photography and exceptionally crafted glass, ceramics, sculpture, and more. Festival guests will find something for almost every taste and pocketbook, ranging from affordable gift giving to heirloom investments.

The festival’s fine arts and crafts will be complemented by a variety of local musicians playing throughout the weekend:

Saturday May 13
10a-11a Vicky Lee
11:30a-12:30p Gina Sobel
1p – 3p Tara Mills
3:30p-5:30p Wicked Olde

Sunday May 14
10a-11a BRIMS
11:30a-12:15p Skyline Country Cloggers
12:30p-2:30p Koda & Maria from Chamomile & Whiskey
3p-5p The Judy Chops

An appetizing selection of Food Trucks will be complemented by local beers and wines. Spring specials this May include wine tasting from noon-2p on both Saturday and Sunday with Knight’s Gambit, Hazy Mountain Vineyard, and Grace Estate Winery. Other attractions include live artisan demos, family photography mini-sessions, and a make-your-own bouquet station. The children’s area includes beloved musical guests Kim and Jimbo Cary, Bounce Play n Create, The Bluebird Bookstop, art activities, and more!

The Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival takes place at Crozet Park. Located just off the Route 64 bypass, take exit #107 west of Charlottesville. Crozet Park is a beautiful, community-owned non-profit park and the beneficiary of the Art Festival. The event is rain for shine and tickets can be purchased online or at the gate.Children 12 and under are free and parking is free. Tickets are available here.

Detailed event information is available here.

Volunteer opportunities are available here.

Thinking about Places and Spaces

Eastern Connector & Basketball hoops - April 2023

“At any moment, about one out of every two Americans is experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. This includes introverts and extroverts, rich and poor, and younger and older Americans. Sometimes loneliness is set off by the loss of a loved one or a job, a move to a new city, or health or financial difficulties — or a once-in-a-century pandemic.

When people are socially disconnected, their risk of anxiety and depression increases. So does their risk of heart disease (29 percent), dementia (50 percent), and stroke (32 percent). The increased risk of premature death associated with social disconnection is comparable to smoking daily — and may be even greater than the risk associated with obesity.

Loneliness and isolation hurt whole communities. Social disconnection is associated with reduced productivity in the workplace, worse performance in school, and diminished civic engagement. When we are less invested in one another, we are more susceptible to polarization and less able to pull together to face the challenges that we cannot solve alone — from climate change and gun violence to economic inequality and future pandemics.

NYTimes, 4/30/2023


Basketball Courts

At last month’s CCAC meeting the residents of Westlake voiced their opposition to the proposed Oak Bluff development. I have no doubt that eventually, houses will be approved and built there. And with any luck, I will represent people buying or selling in there.

But, I’ve not been able to stop thinking about one of the comments about space where they gather, have food trucks, and play basketball.

… asking where will be basketball courts.

A: We will have programmed area, but I don’t know.

“We don’t know.”

Places and spaces where people can congregate – to nurture and become a community – are critical.

We – builders, developers, local government, people – spend a lot of time considering what type of houses will be built (and often falling victim to inertia, and building what has sold, rather than what would sell), and not enough time designing for the community. Not just the Oak Bluff and/or Westlake, and/or Westhall, but for the Crozet community.

Look, we all knew, or should have known, that the Eastern Connector was going to go there.

I also know that I don’t own the land, so my opinion is just that.

One of the comments during the meeting was that Westlake was to have had a pool and programmable space; there is none there now, and the residents have claimed the only space available — unfortunately, it’s not theirs to claim permanently.

As a community member, I feel for our neighbors in those communities. As a Realtor, I know that houses are products – products that are made better and more marketable by proximity to stuff, whether that stuff be shops, restaurants, parks, trails, or gathering places.

Park Road in 2011
Park Road in 2011

Read more: Thinking about Places and Spaces

I wrote in 2018

Garages and Neighborhood Activation

Houses in neighborhoods without garages have more neighbors that know, and spend time with, each other.  it’s an interesting theory, and one on which I’d love to see some data. Lacking the data, I’ll share three nuggets.

  1. Years ago, I was waiting for clients on the front porch of a house on a cul-de-sac; each house had a garage. It was around 6 o’clock, as people were coming home from work. I watched as people drove home, opened the garage, pulled inside, closed the garage, and turned off outside lights. Awful.
  2. A client recently shared that another client had mentioned how she’d lived in different parts of the same neighborhood. Of the three parts, the part with the most active neighbors in which she had lived was the one with no garages. Like it or not, people were forced out of their houses, whether only from the car to the front door, or car to mailbox to front door … they were put in a position to interact and engage with their neighbors.
  3. And … countering the above hypothesis, I can point out numerous streets with garages that are littered with children and adults.

Crozet Trails Meeting – 27 April 2023

Bench by water on Crozet Trails

The Crozet Trails remain one of the absolute best things in and about Crozet. And the people who build, maintain, plan the trails are amazing, too!


From the Crozet Trails Crew email

What’s In This Email

Trails Crew Monthly Meeting April 27
Can You Mow This Summer?
Picture from Guided Trail Walk to Lickinghole Basin
WAHS students’ painting project at pedestrian tunnel
We Have Bartenders!

Monthly Meeting Thursday, April 27

I promised to let you know whether we would meet at the brewery or at Crozet Park. I’m throwing my trust behind the weather app that tells me Thursday’s rain will hold off until later that night, so we’ll meet at Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Turnpike, Crozet, at 6:30. Come a little earlier if you want to order something to eat or drink while we meet.

We welcome anyone who is interested in getting involved, or just learning about, the work (and fun) of the Trails Crew! If you’re new to Crozet, and haven’t yet found the trails, here’s your chance to meet some great people. Our next meeting will be Thursday, April 27, 6:30-8:00 p.m. outdoorsat Pro Re Nata. I will do my best to find a table in easy view of the big parking lot, but if you are planning on coming and want my phone number in case you need to text, send an email to [email protected]

If you’re looking for an opportunity to get involved in Crozet, and want to do something that’s fun, rewarding, and sociable, our meeting is a great place.

We Need a Person to Mow Near the Basin
The part of the trail from Western Ridge out to Lickinghole Basin is not accessible to the county’s big mowers, so the Trails Crew is responsible. We need a volunteer to mow that section regularly this growing season (now to October). We have positioned a mower in the area, so you don’t have to move it to the trail. We will pay for fuel. Basically it takes about an hour once or twice a month, at your convenience. Can you mow this year?

If you’re willing, or want more information, send an email to [email protected].Guided Trail Walk to Lickinghole BasinA dozen of us took a nice long walk out to the basin last week. Yes, we saw the eagle!

Are you interested in another guided trail walk? Send your ideas about where you want to explore our greenway.

Several people standing on a trail looking off towards the left. Some have binoculars
WAHS Day of Service to Benefit the Crozet Connector Trail
Big THANKS! to the Western Albemarle students and their teachers who came out to paint the pedestrian tunnel on the Crozet Connector Trail on April 17. 

7 students and 2 teachers standing in front of the newly painted entrance to the pedestrian tunnel
Thank You For Filling Up the Bartending Schedule
You did it! We have a full schedule for serving wine and beer at the Arts Festival at Crozet Park on Mother’s Day weekend. Thank you all for showing Crozet what we’re good at. 
If the weather is good, we could probably use an extra pair of hands or two in the busy afternoons, so feel free to stop by and offer to help.
 
More About the Crozet Trails CrewMore about Crozet Trails, such as mapscurrent projects, and info about our annual 5K race, is available on our web site at CrozetTrailsCrew.orgAlso: Follow us on Facebook

Oak Bluff at the CCAC – April 2023

One of the best things about the CCAC holding meetings at the Crozet Library is the hard stoppage time. It’s one of the worst things also when we have meeting for a big proposed development. More people attended this CCAC meeting at the Library than I recall ever having attended.

Would be great if all of the people who attended the meeting, and who read this post, or live in Crozet, gave a few dollars to the Crozet Fireworks fund.

Read the Tweets here.

I’m sure the Crozet Gazette will have a story next month, but for now …

Watch the meeting.

Takeaways:

Timeline for Oak Bluff

    • Community meeting: 12 April 2023
    • Staff Review Comments: Due to the Applicant April 24, 2023
    • Applicant can proceed to Planning Commission or request deferral to work on revisions
    • Planning Commission Public Hearing: To be scheduled
    • Board of Supervisors Public Hearing: To be scheduled


Everyone should watch Tim Tolson’s background and history of the Crozet Community Association; they have done remarkable work for our community

Continue reading “Oak Bluff at the CCAC – April 2023”

White Hall School Board Race – Joann McDermid

Birds, sunrise over mountains in Crozet

Hawes Spencer at the Daily Progress has a great story this morning about the newest School Board Candidate, Joann McDermid. Make sure to read the whole thing.

There’s a new Albemarle County School Board candidate pushing for academic achievement. Joann McDermid burst onto the scene Wednesday morning with complaints about student performance in her White Hall District.

“I feel a real sense of urgency about this situation,” she said to the crowd of eight gathered at her campaign launch on the steps of the Albemarle County Office Building. “The objective data underscores widespread problems.”

McDermid announced that she would convene a pair of casual community meetings over complimentary coffee next Wednesday. One is slated for 10 a.m. at Piedmont Store in White Hall, and the other is set for 1 p.m. at Grit Coffee on Old Trail Drive in Crozet.


See who’s donating what and to whom at VPAP. Keep in mind that there are two candidates for the at-large school board seat as well. Good story from the Crozet Gazette on candidate Meg Bryce.

Local elections matter more than ever.

Keeping White Hall Supervisor Donations Local

Beaver Creek Reservoir in the morning during crew practice

I’ll post any press release from any candidate for the White Hall Supervisors race.

One of the best tools available for getting insight into local races – School Board, Board of Supervisors, and more, is The Virginia Public Access Project.

Looking forward to the VPAP Campaign Finance update.*

An interesting press release from Brad Rykal, candidate for White Hall Board of Supervisors:

CROZET, VA — Brad Rykal, a Crozet resident and independent candidate for White Hall Supervisor, has declared he will not accept campaign donations from developers or other special interest groups.

“A lot of money came in from developers and special interest groups in the last election. Let’s face it, politicians who accept money from outside interests often end up doing their bidding rather than representing the people who elected them,” Rykal said. “I’m not going to be anyone’s pawn. I’m here to serve White Hall, not the highest bidder.”

Rykal believes that special interests have an outsized influence on local politics, often deploying lobbyists and other covert influence tactics to steer policies in their favor. “I encourage public-private partnerships in local government, but we need to be mindful of whose interests we’re serving,” he said.

To increase transparency in local government, Rykal is calling on all candidates for local office to refuse donations from special interest groups. “Let’s put the ‘public’ back in ‘public service’,” he quipped.

Rykal also hopes that by refusing to accept special interest money, he can help amplify the voices of White Hall residents. “We’ve all had enough of the same old song and dance,” he said. “Let’s turn up the volume on what really matters: good governance and putting people first.”

Since announcing his candidacy, Rykal has been connecting with White Hall residents and small business owners. He’s been on a “listening tour” to understand their needs and find ways to improve County services. The campaign is now organizing casual front yard gatherings for small groups of neighbors to informally meet and chat. If you’re interested in hosting a gathering for your community, contact the campaign through their website at www.bradforsupervisor.com or call 1-866-BRAD4WH. Let’s work together to build a better White Hall!


Many years ago, I was the Chair of the local Realtors’ Realtor Political Action Committee (RPAC). (I have long since stopped participating and donating to them).

I was young and naive, and I questioned why we were giving money to both sides of a race. The answer from an older, wisened person was simple, “If they do, we have to.”

I hate that part of politics, and it’s refreshing to see this attempt at transparency and forgoing of money in politics.

Did you know that in 2023 donors in Albemarle County have given nearly $4 million political candidates? And donors in Charlottesville have given nearly $500K? Always interesting.

Continue reading “Keeping White Hall Supervisor Donations Local”

Oak Bluff at the CCAC – 12 April 2023

This image of morning light against the mountains has nothing to do with this post; I just like the picture.

This should be fun, and likely the first CCAC meeting for many of the people who will attend.

For background on Oak Bluff, start here. Rather than reiterate my personal thoughts about the development, please read that post. At last month’s CCAC, several residents of Westlake came to speak against new homes. Read the tweets here. Like this one, or this one.

via email:

From Joe Fore, CCAC chair, to the CCAC

The Crozet Community Advisory Committee will meet next Wednesday, April 12, at 7 pm in the large meeting room at the Crozet Library. (If you can arrive a few minutes early to help set up the room, it will help ensure that we can start promptly at 7.) I’ve attached the agenda.

Our main agenda item will be a community meeting for the proposed Oak Bluff development. You can find all of the materials relating to the project here, but I’ve attached some of the most pertinent ones. Please review them before Wednesday’s meeting, if possible, so we can have a thorough discussion with the applicant.

We’ll also hear a short presentation from the Crozet Community Association about their group and about the plans for the Independence Day Celebration.

Lastly, we’ll be electing officers for the upcoming year. We have three positions available: Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary. Please let me know before Wednesday’s meeting if you’d be interested in taking on any of those roles.


AGENDA

  1. Call to Order, Agenda Review, Introductions (5 minutes)
  2. Approve Meeting Minutes (2 minutes)
  3. Announcements and Updates (5 minutes)
  4. Community Concerns (10 minutes)
  5. Scheduled Presentations (60 minutes)
    • Crozet Community Association, Tim Tolson
    • Community Meeting: ZMA202300002 Oak Bluff Development Zoning Map Amendment
  6. Committee Business (10 minutes)

• Officer Elections

  1. Other Business
  2. Adjourn

Docs


Subscribe to RealCrozetVA here.

Transportation and the Albemarle Board meeting – 5 April 2023

pedestrian walk sign knocked down by truck

Thanks to Charlottesville Community Engagement for reminding me about this week’s Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meeting.

I haven’t done a deep dive into the agenda, which you can find here, but have gone through and pulled out relevant-to-Crozet items.

pedestrian walk sign being repaired
pedestrian walk sign being repaired

From the 5 April agenda

  • Looks like they are intending to pave some gravel roads.
  • From the April Transportation Planning Quarterly Report
    • #82 I-64/Exit 107 Crozet Park and Ride Lot: This project will construct a park and ride lot at the corner of Patterson Mill Lane and US 250 just south of the I-64 interchange. This lot could potentially be served by both the Crozet Connect and the proposed Afton Express transit lines.
    • VDOT will post a willingness to do a public hearing in Summer 2023, and construction is expected in summer 2025. (Smart)
    • In Design
      • N/A. Library Avenue Extension/Crozet Square/Barnes Lumber Redevelopment – These projects are expected to be complete in summer 2024. Facilities Planning & Construction will provide further updates in their April 2023 quarterly report. (RS)
    • In Construction
      • N/A. US 250 West Pedestrian Improvements: This project will construct segments of sidewalk along US 250 West in Crozet from Cory Farms Drive to Clover Lawn Lane and include a new pedestrian crosswalk and pedestrian crossing beacon near Clover Lawn Lane. This project was substantially complete as of late 2022. This project is being administered by Facilities Planning & Construction; please see their April 2023 quarterly report for project updates. (RS)
    • Reported Transportation Issues
      • Requests for crosswalks: Intersection of Old Trail and Bishop Gate, …
      • Speeding concerns: Park Road …
      • Safety concerns: Southern Parkway, intersection of 250/240/680, Monacan Trail
      • Updates to parking signage requested: … , Grayrock Orchard

A few more updates


The Tweet is here.

Brad Rykal Challenging Ann Mallek for White Hall Supervisor

VPAP screenshot

It’s hard to argue with “build infrastructure” as a platform. Looking forward to the discussions leading up to the White Hall Board of Supervisors election on 7 November 2023.

Contested elections are good. So are ones focused on local matters rather than national.

As with most things, be sure to follow the money. (nothing yet to report, but VPAP is awesome)

via email.

CROZET, VA — Brad Rykal (pronounced: *edit: rye-kel)) announced today that he is running for Albemarle County’s Board of Supervisors representing the White Hall district, which includes the designated growth area of Crozet.

“I am excited to announce my candidacy as an Independent for White Hall Supervisor and am humbled by the opportunity to serve my local neighbors and larger community. We live in a very special place, and with your support, I will fight to keep it that way.”

Rykal is no stranger to leadership and public service. Born in a small town in northern Wisconsin, he enlisted in the Army after graduating college in 2005, and did two tours in Iraq with the 2nd Armored Division and later, in Afghanistan with the Special Forces. He went on to earn his MBA, and moved to Crozet to work at Rivanna Station, and later became the Chief Operating Officer of a private defense contracting company.

One of the campaign’s major initiatives will be to build out long overdue and necessary infrastructure. “We did our part”, he says, referring to the fact that White Hall’s population and tax revenues have grown dramatically in recent years. “Now it is time for the County to do theirs by making significant public investments in White Hall.”

Rykal is also motivated to preserve the area’s natural resources and rekindle the close-knit community feel for the generations to come as well as his own young family. Brad and his wife, Mallory DeCoster, are parents of two boys, Brett (age 14), and Bode (age 3). The couple is expecting their third in May.

“Too many White Hall residents tell me they don’t feel like their voice matters anymore. They fear that national party politics are overriding our local community issues.” Rykal said. “That’s why I’m running as an Independent candidate, to bring us back together with a focus on the issues that truly matter in our day-to day-lives.”

Rykal is beginning a “listening tour” to speak with individual residents about their concerns before hosting a formal campaign kickoff event later this Spring. Citizens are encouraged to sign up at his campaign website www.bradforsupervisor.com to learn more and get in touch.


*at least on my computer, the screenshot below showed with gibberish. Hopefully my edit makes sense.