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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 maps, current projects, and info about our annual 5K race, is available on our web site at CrozetTrailsCrew.orgAlso: Follow us on Facebook
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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”
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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.

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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”
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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.

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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.

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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.

pronunciation of Brad Rykal's name rendered as gibberish text
pronunciation of Brad Rykal's name rendered as it was sent originally
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A Thought on Crozet Park Plan

The following is a letter from a reader to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors regarding the plans for the expansion of Crozet Park. Published with permission; only edits I’ve made have been for links or formatting for readability.

PROJECT: SDP202300010 Claudius Crozet Park – Initial Site Plan
MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT: White Hall
TAX MAP/PARCEL(S): 056A2010007200; 056A20100072A0; 056A20400000A4
LOCATION: 1075 Claudius Crozet Park, Crozet, Virginia 22932
PROPOSAL: Request for approval of an initial site plan to construct a community center, with a fitness center, pool, and meeting space, along with additional parking spaces and pedestrian connections, on three parcels that total approximately 22.806 acres. No dwelling units proposed. In accordance with approved special use permit SP202000016.

Over many years, I have observed a pattern in Albemarle County of developers proposing features in new developments to appease the community in early drafts of their proposals when there is a lot of community attention, and then quietly removing them later.

That behavior seems to be involved in the proposed building expansion at Claudius Crozet Park. The SDP202300010 Claudius Crozet Park – Initial Site Plan appears to violate the terms of the SP202000016 Special Use Permit, and I would ask that you not permit the developer to eliminate the Playground / Tot Lot Area and that you deny approval of the SDP202300010 Claudius Crozet Park – Initial Site Plan (or any subsequent site plan for Crozet Park) unless the developer is required to build a Playground and Tot Lot for younger children as described below.

Continue reading “A Thought on Crozet Park Plan”
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CCAC – 8 March 2023 | WARS & County View — Plus CAC update

Never quite know what you’re going to learn in CCAC meetings. I’m looking forward to learning more about Albemarle County’s County View (lots of information there; I find it challenging to navigate) and the Western Albemarle Rescue Squad’s possible new location off of Crozet Avenue.edit: link to the Crozet Gazette story.

I know this the tweets of these meetings over the years have proven remarkably useful. This meeting’s hashtag will be #CCAC0323

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 (45 minutes)
    • Western Albemarle Rescue Squad, Kostas Alibertis
    • Navigating Albemarle County’s County View, Allison Wrabel, Community Connector
  6. Committee Business (10 minutes)

• Recognizing Departing CCAC Members

  1. Other Business
  2. Adjourn

Next Meeting: April 12, 2023

Crozet-Community-Advisory-Committee-Meeting-Draft-Minutes-from-February-8-2023Download
Crozet-CAC-Agenda-March-2023-2.22.2023Download
Continue reading “CCAC – 8 March 2023 | WARS & County View — Plus CAC update”
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Albemarle Budget, Comp Plan, 500 Units in Ivy? And DCI Meeting

Sugar hollow morning

Wednesday, 1 March will be an interesting Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meeting; the afternoon session starts at 6pm.

My quick thoughts:

  • How many of us will attend or email the Board about either of these?
  • Albemarle and Charlottesville need more housing; the Old Ivy Road location is a great location, particularly as it’s close enough to benefit those seeking to walk or ride bicycles places (in other words, not be forced to drive everywhere), and especially if they can somehow work to solve the infrastructure dilemma on Old Ivy Road/Old Garth (21 Curves), 250. Maybe … limit parking to further encourage people who live there to not use cars?
  • $551M budget; that’s a lot of money.

Attending these meetings is the best way to support or oppose something; those who show up have their voices heard. Commenting on Nextdoor, Twitter, FB, may serve the need to “feel” heard, but emailing or showing up to the Board are the absolute best ways to voice your opinion.

From Charlottesville Community Engagement

There are two public hearings in the evening session which begins at 6 p.m.

The first is on the $551.5 million budget proposed for Albemarle by County Executive Jeffrey Richardson. For those details, check out the most recent edition of the newsletter.

The second is for a rezoning for Old Ivy Residences. If the strategy with this timing is to find a way to get more people in to pay attention to the budget, it will likely pay off. Greystar Development is seeking a rezoning to allow up to 525 homes. For background, here are some recent stories:

The Planning Commission’s denial was in part because of a concern about whether sufficient transportation projects would be in place to address the development’s impacts on road congestion. At play is a condition from a rezoning in 1985. 

“The Commission recommended denial of the ZMA202100008 because it found that the Old Ivy Road traffic conditions, while different from 1985 when the Proffer in ZMA1985-21 was established, do not appear at a level of improvement to satisfy the condition precedent established by ZMA 1985-21 and address transportation concerns,” reads the staff report.

There is a new proffer associated with this rezoning that would commit an additional $500,000 in cash for a new receiving lane on the northbound on-ramp to the U.S. 250 bypass. 

The Albemarle County Comp plan …

… is still underway; how many of you have visited the AC44 site, filled out the surveys, or attended a pop-up? Albemarle staff are doing amazing attempting outreach.

Continue reading “Albemarle Budget, Comp Plan, 500 Units in Ivy? And DCI Meeting”