RealCrozetVA

And most of the activity is happening in Crozet.

Crozet resident Marcia McGee has been running a coffee cart in the clubhouse of the Old Trail golf course since August. McGeeâ€™s company, Trailside Coffee, will open up a coffee shop in the Old Trail village center, most likely in June.

â€œLiving in Crozet, I definitely realized that there was a need for a coffee shop,â€ McGee said. â€œAfter months and months of complaining that we didnâ€™t have a coffee shop in Crozet, my friends told me that if I thought it was such a great idea that I should do it. So I did.â€

McGee envisions her shop as a â€œcomfortable, nonjudgmental placeâ€ where the emphasis will be on the coffee. â€œIt will all be individually brewed, fresh-ground coffee,â€ she said. McGeeâ€™s shop, she said, also will host coffee cupping events.

In nearby downtown Crozet, meanwhile, two other coffee shops are in the works.

Mudhouse, which has operated its Downtown Mall coffee shop since 1995, is busy converting the former Uncle Charlieâ€™s restaurant in Crozet into its second true coffee shop. The company also has espresso bars in several Charlottesville-area Tiger Fuel stores.

Hmmm … they didn’t mention the Starbucks that’s coming to the Harris Teeter in Crozet ….

Second, Discovering Urbanism looks at Parking from Space:

Pictured above is the downtown of Crozet, Virginia with all off-street parking and other non-public vehicle access areas depicted in red (the area within the blue line is industrial). To me, this is a striking image. I’m using Crozet as an example because it’s small enough to draw easily, and the 2004 Crozet Master Plan specifically calls for the downtown to function as a compact urban hub. I don’t mean to suggest that Crozet, in particular, is “overparked.” At least according to the standard measuring rod planners use, Crozet is probably right on target. I just wonder who is measuring the measuring rod according to a wider standard of common sense and wise use of limited resources.

April 12, 2009

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-04-12

Another beautiful day in Crozet. #
Rail in Crozet – good/bad/indifferent? If we don’t start thinking about infrastructure now, when will we? #
I got rid of the Intense Debate plugin on RealCrozetVA. I really missed the “recent comments” widget #
The Crozet Harris Teeter is going to have everything – Starbucks (sadly), cigars, sushi, wine, http://twurl.nl/g2j53q #
@Mudhouse_Crozet Hey there. Thanks for following and for keeping us updated on your progress! in reply to Mudhouse_Crozet #
Lots of trains running through Crozet tonight. #

April 5, 2009

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-04-05

Crozet Mudhouse is really coming along – drove by after 8 tonight and they were in there working. #
Last day of school in Albemarle will be 5 June. #
Wish the Harris Teeter media folks would respond to my requests for information. Guess RealCrozetVA doesn’t have @CrozetGazette’s pull. 🙂 #
Pick up the new Crozet Gazette! Lots of good stuff. #
Service at Otto’s in Crozet was sloooowwwww tonight. #
A remarkably beautiful day in Crozet. #
Wondering where Harris Teeter’s “Open 24 Hours” sign went … #
Really need to get a Twitter client for my blackberry that allows for multiple accounts. I neglect Realcrozet b/c of this limitation #

April 2, 2009October 21, 2021

A Crozet Commuter Train?

From Charlottesville Tomorrow (read the whole thing) :

Encouraged by the reality of daily passenger service from Lynchburg to Washington, D.C., Albemarle County Supervisor Ann Mallek (White Hall) sought the full Board’s support for a feasibility study for daily commuter service from Crozet to Charlottesville. The Board agreed on April 1, 2009 to send a letter to Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) officially seeking grant opportunities to study the idea further.

The service is proposed to be run on rails operated by the Buckingham Branch Rail Road (BBRR) , according to Mallek. She has met with Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris to discuss the idea with the railroad company’s officials. Buckingham Branch operates a railroad line that runs nearly 200 miles from Clifton Forge to Richmond on its Piedmont Branch.

The idea sprung up from a conversation between City resident John Pfaltz and Gale Wilson, the General Manager of the BBRR’s Richmond-Alleghany Division. Wilson identified three challenges, according to Pfaltz:

* Amtrak would need to sponsor the project and CSX, which owns the rail line, would need to approve the service

* CSX trains and Amtrak’s Cardinal service would take priority on the line

* Fencing would be required to keep pedestrians off of the track through Charlottesville

Pfaltz said the second item could be overcome by extending a “passing track” that currently exists in Ivy. This extra track would allow either the CSX train or the commuter train to park while the other train passes by. He estimates the start-up costs would be around $5 million.

(Hat Tip: C-Ville)

In a poll on RealCrozetVA last year, nearly 90% of respondents said that they would be willing to use rail service from Crozet to Charlottesville. About 60% of respondents said that they would be willing to pay less that five dollars each way –

The real challenge may lie in the answer to this question – what do you do when you get to Charlottesville? One idea is to have one of the rail cars be a bike car – then use bicycles to get around town.

Some studies have shown that properties close to transit are worth more …

April 2, 2009

Crozet Family Trying to Come Home

NBC29 Reports:

Gerard and Pauline Brikkenaar Van Dijk and their three children had to leave the United States because their visas ran out. Now, red tape and a clerical error are keeping them from returning to Crozet.

The family has been in the Dutch Antilles since October and hoped to return to Crozet, Virginia this week but don’t have the papers to get into the United States.

In a fax to Congressman Tom Perriello’s Charlottesville office, Mr. Brikkenaar Van Diik explains his family’s return was denied by the State Department in March because of a clerical error on the application.

March 30, 2009April 2, 2009

Western Albemarle High School Welcomes New Principal

From the Henley Matters newsgroup:

Mr. David Francis was appointed principal of Western Albemarle High School. Mr. Francis currently serves as interim principal at Western Albemarle, and was a part-time assistant principal at the school since 2004. His administrative experience includes seven years as principal of Nelson County High, four years as principal of Mecklenburg County High, seven years as principal of Goochland County High, and one year as principal of Madison County High School. He also has seven years of classroom teaching experience. Mr. Francis holds a bachelorâ€™s degree in history from West Virginia University, a Masters of Education in secondary education from Madison College and an Education Specialist degree in administration and supervision from the University of Virginia. Mr. Francis was selected from a pool of 30 internal and external candidates.

March 30, 2009April 2, 2009

Waylands Grant Market Update

For those of you not aware, I recently joined Nest Realty. One of our core principles is that we intend to analyze – and write about – the Crozet and Charlottesville real estate markets more intensively than has previously been seen. For example:

However, 2009 may be a different story. With the town home and attached home market in Crozet slowing significantly, Waylands Grant hasnâ€™t been immune to the slowdown. In fact, since January of 2008, there have been 10 different attached homes in the neighborhood that have been listed and either were withdrawn or expired. In that same time, only 2 have sold (one of which was a foreclosure) and 1 is currently under contract.

Until the market stabilizes and the amenities promised in Crozet (like the Crozet Library, the Downtown Crozet Streetscape Project, and the Jarmans Gap Road Expansion) actually start to get closer to coming to fruition, I expect that the attached home and town home market in Crozet will continue to suffer.