Meet our At-Large School Board Member – 16 September 2013

This is great. Just received via email. If you’re a parent (or just interested Crozetian) this is a great opportunity.

Good evening, I’m Ned Gallaway, your county-wide representative on the Albemarle County School Board.

I would like to invite you to join me for coffee on Monday evening, Sept. 16, anytime between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Mudhouse in Crozet.

With me will be Adam Mulcahy, the director of our new Environmental Studies Academy at Western Albemarle High School.

There is no formal agenda for our conversation and no need for you to stay for the entire hour. Although we will spend a few minutes talking about the new academy, I welcome your thoughts or questions on any subject regarding education or on any of our schools, programs or policies.

The most important responsibility I have is to ably represent you on the school board. In doing this, it is extraordinarily helpful for me to hear from you. I hope you will be able set aside a few minutes on the 16th to join Adam and me and a few of your neighbors. No need to RSVP.

145 More Homes Coming Behind Western Ridge and Westhall?

Propoosed new neighborhood - Westlake Hills

Update: The Newsplex did a nice story on proposed new development One clarification: the new development could help or hurt the Crozet community. My greatest personal concern is that the new development seems to have its sole access via Park Road. Go to the end of this post for an excerpt from a relevant discussion in 2006.

The question is … will the Eastern Avenue be part of this process? (I think it should be)

145 more homes could be coming to the area between Western Ridge and Foxchase and Westhall. This sort of development has wide-ranging ramifications and potential impacts:

– school populations and balancing
– loss of natural landscape (which all new neighborhoods tend to do)
– infrastructure – will there be any improvements? i.e. – roads, bicycle paths, connectivity?
– more housing inventory which could be a good thing, depending on what houses will be built (remember, I’m a Realtor)
– more traffic on 240

See the location of the proposed Westlake neighborhood on Bing.

Update: Laurie Shannon has an excellent comment on RealCrozetVA’s Facebook page: (bolding mine)

Seems a bit of a squeeze. I cannot imagine that many more houses coming out through existing neighborhoods would be a good, safe, or appealing reality. If the entire landmass that is Crozet becomes residential homes then the things that attract people to Crozet – keeping land/home prices so stable – will be gone and people will no longer desire – and pay – to live here. The view of the mountains, the expanses of open land – already depleted – and the country – not full on suburb – are very fragile and once gone cannot be brought back.

If you’re interested, go to Albemarle’s GIS site and search for these Parcel IDs – 05600-00-00-095A0 and 05600-00-00-095A0 and 05600-00-00-095a0


View Larger Map

Westlake Hills Subdivision in Crozet – Plat Continue reading “145 More Homes Coming Behind Western Ridge and Westhall?”

Crozet Real Estate Market Update – 1 September 2011

I was all set to throw several charts up after the fold, but when I started checking the data in our new beta software, it wasn’t right. Darn it.

So … the Crozet real estate market right now boils down to this:

– New construction in Crozet is doing quite well.

– Existing homes are competing with new construction, buyers can be, and are being choosy and are often choosing new construction.

– If you’re looking to sell our home in Crozet: Price.It. Well. My advice since 2008 remains true:

– Advice for buyers – do your due diligence, be patient, save your money in the meantime.?

– For Sellers – as I said last year – do not attempt to chase the market down. Beat it down. (ask me for advice)

Briefly:

– Homes under contract are about the same as last year at this time.

– New listings coming on the market are down markedly; this is very good – the fewer homes on the market, the better chance for existing inventory to be sold.

– Sold homes are up slightly.

Download reports:

Crozet Real Estate Market Insight (pdf)

Crozet real estate market detailed report (pdf)


Continue reading “Crozet Real Estate Market Update – 1 September 2011”

Friday Chart – Number of Real Estate Transactions in Crozet

Over at my real estate blog, I run a series of “Friday Charts” – graphically looking at the real estate market. I thought it might be interesting to look at the number of real estate transactions in Crozet over the past 10 years. “Crozet” defined by homes in the Brownsville and Crozet Elementary School districts.

Continue reading “Friday Chart – Number of Real Estate Transactions in Crozet”

One Day I’ll Get a Better Camera Phone

In the meantime here are three recent photos in Crozet …

Goodwin Creek bakery wants to be your friend. (great bread, purchased at Great Valu)

Goodwin Creek wants to be your friend

We’ve had some great sunsets in Crozet recently.

Amazing sky tonight in Crozet

Harris Teeter has more local foods … “Six or fewer hours from the farm to your Harris Teeter”

"Local" Food at the Crozet Harris Teeter

Fardowner’s new patio:

Fardowner's patio

Cocina del Sol is ugly. I hope the gray is a primer.

Cocina del Sol is gray. Ugly gray

Update: It’s not permanent. Thanks to @brmtcrozet

@crozette @realcrozetva It’s not permanent, they could only paint what was under roof because of the rain! Not to worry!!Mon Jul 12 14:28:58 via web

Update #2 – Aargh. It’s going to stay ugly.

False alarm @realcrozetva @crozette @rprav8r, I hate to tell you but that is the final color of La Cocina! Sorry for getting your hopes up:(Mon Jul 12 22:33:28 via web

News From Henley Middle School – 15 December 2009

You might not have kids in schools, but Crozet schools affect all of us.

From the Henley Matters newsletter:

EARLY DISMISSAL – WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

For the past three years, high schools in Albemarle County have held first semester exams prior to Winter Break on a modified half-day schedule which included two exams per day. Last year, the program was expanded to middle schools. Many middle school students take high school level classes, and all students begin taking semester exams in their eighth grade year, so the change will align these students with their high school counterparts.

Having both middle and high school students follow the same schedule will save about $10,000 in operational efficiency for the county. The regular middle and high school bus routes will run at 1:00 p.m., and drivers will then return for elementary school routes at 2:20 p.m. Since most middle and high school students ride the same buses, not combining their schedules would have required a third bus run each day to bring middle school students home at 4:00 p.m.

BUDGET SYNOPSIS UPDATE FROM PARENTS COUNCIL

This will likely be the most challenging budget cycle experienced by Albemarle County Schools in its history. State revenues may decline by as much as 15% for 2010-11 due to changes in Albemarle County’s composite index and overall state budget reductions. We will have a better idea how much when the Governor presents his budget on 12/18. Local revenues continue to slide as housing values slump and sales tax revenue falls. The projected revenue shortfall for the 2010-11 school year is between $8 and $11 million, depending on the tax rate agreed to by the newly elected Board of Supervisors.

Even an equalized tax rate of 77.2 cents will not eliminate the need for major reductions. The anticipated revenue shortfall with the higher rate is $8 million, due to declining state and local revenues. It is not possible to make reductions of this magnitude (4-5 times as many as were made this current fiscal year) in department or operational budgets/staffing. All positions and programs will be affected.

The board is pursuing a budget amendment at the state level to recalculate the county’s ability to pay for education based on the actual revenues on hand after the $18 million in revenue sharing is given to the city of Charlottesville. The current ratio overstates the county’s ability to pay and understates the city’s ability to pay. There is no guarantee that this budget amendment will pass in the General Assembly; in fact, it will face stiff opposition. The change would result in approximately $2 to $2.5 million in additional state funding to Albemarle County. Dr. Moran will present her funding request to the School Board on Wednesday, January 20.

Daily Progress: link to December 11th article on the School Board vote, Albemarle wants funds from city for schools:

Governor Kaine’s budget is expected to be released this Friday, December 18th. “Thanks to a slumping economy, Kaine has to find $3.5 billion in cuts in the state budget. He is scheduled to propose his fiscal plan next Friday at a joint meeting of the legislature’s money committees. Kaine has said that in balancing the budget, “everything’s on the table.””

Finally, the updated budget calendar for Albemarle County Public Schools is (after the jump); the date of the School Board public hearing has been changed to Tuesday, February 2nd.

The ACPS School Board has revised its budget development calendar. The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors public hearing dates have not changed.

Please mark these dates on your calendar and plan to attend and speak in support of our schools.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 6:30 pm, Location TBD
ACPS School Board Public Hearing: Proposed budget, FY 2010/11

Wednesday, March 3, 2010, time TBA, Lane Auditorium, ACOB
Board of Supervisors Public Hearing: The County Executive’s recommended budget, Fiscal Year 2010/11

Wednesday, March 31, 2010, time TBA, Lane Auditorium, ACOB
Board of Supervisors Public Hearing: The BOS’s proposed budget, FY 2010/11 2010 calendar year tax rate

Wednesday, April 7, 2010, time TBA, Lane Auditorium, ACOB
Board of Supervisors Public Hearing: The BOS sets the 2010 calendar year tax rate. The BOS adopts its FY 2010/2011budget (during ACPS Spring Break)

Continue reading “News From Henley Middle School – 15 December 2009”