Tag: Politics

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250 West Needs to be “Retrofitted”

Sunday’s Daily Progress editorial notes:

U.S. 250 in the Crozet growth area needs to be retrofitted to accommodate the kind of traffic generated there — including pedestrian traffic.

But the issue goes deeper than that — all the way to the growth pattern that created the problem in the first place.

Within two years, two pedestrians have died near the Blue Ridge Shopping Center, on one side of the highway, and Clover Lawn Village, on the other.

These developments — along with nearby subdivisions — were approved to locate along the highway, which made a certain sense at the time by allowing traffic to take advantage of existing infrastructure.

But the growth then altered the highway usage. Traffic increased — especially vehicular traffic, but also pedestrian — and U.S. 250 went from being a through highway to serving as a local road.
The two uses are profoundly incompatible.

It’s baffling that we’re (meaning: the County) seemingly surprised that approving growth without complementary infrastructure leads to disaster. If we plan to bring more people, common sense dictates that we have a plan for them to move about.

Points for teaching me the term “stroad” –

A STROAD is a street/road hybrid and, besides being a very dangerous environment (yes, it is ridiculously dangerous to mix high speed highway geometric design with pedestrians, bikers and turning traffic), they are enormously expensive to build and, ultimately, financially unproductive.A STROAD is a street/road hybrid and, besides being a very dangerous environment (yes, it is ridiculously dangerous to mix high speed highway geometric design with pedestrians, bikers and turning traffic), they are enormously expensive to build and, ultimately, financially unproductive.

Thanks to Robert for pointing me to this editorial.

Update – Some good comments at the RealCrozetVA Facebook page …

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Crozet Community Association Meeting Wrap up – 14 March

Huge thanks to Todd Edgerton for volunteering to guest post this.

Crozet Community Association (March 14th, 2013)

*of note, this is my first meeting for this organization and I’m very very glad to have this support network in our community, every community should be so lucky*

• I arrived during the presentation of the ACPD Corp. Jenkins, who was explaining the new hire process and that ACPD will be growing their number of sworn officers by six, over the next 2 yrs. He also fielded a few questions regarding the firing range options which the county is currently assessing. Most important to note is that an outdoor range is currently not being explored. He also explained some of the new ‘models’ of patrol that the county has moved to, which seems promising in returning to a local officer/s scenario. I see this as a major change in our police force and am excited for the change.

• Dave Brockman (recently brought on by the Jessup family, replacing the lead developer within Old Trail) presented a number of poster board renderings for Old Trail future development. Dave then explained his background as being from the ‘West’ and having been a landscape architect. He is trying to get up to speed with our lifestyles and mannerisms in the Commonwealth, and for only being here 9 months, I’m impressed with his efforts. Even though everyone wanted to ask him questions about the hotel, he explained that the owner of the Lodge was actually building the hotel independent of Old Trail, in a by-right development. David Hilliard would have helped answer many questions, had he been present, but was travelling on business tonight. Dave also explained the vision for the new Old Trail ‘parks’ nearest to the Brownsville School, as a start to connect all the green spaces within OT. He sees the green spaces as ideal for informal sports/play and that he would like to nurture a true downtown sense in the village area of OT, esp. with the addition of 3 new commercial buildings apart from the hotel. It’s also of note that he and his family live within Old Trail.

• It was made clear after many questions that Dave ought to realign his presentations to include Old Trail as part of the greater community, and not as an island apart from Crozet. Not really Old Trail vs. Crozet, but that we are all Crozet one-in-the-same. Many comments were directed to the vein of tourism that the hotel will market themselves to, primary the alcohol tours (wine/beer/etc.) There were questions related to the hotel, traffic patterns, and timing of commercial build out – which he tried to answer the best way, but without details he wasn’t able to provide much substance.

• Bill Schrader updated the group with details about the library building and the steps he is going through with regarding to funding and the recent grant that the library received. Most of the details are written about in the most recent Gazette. There was some discussion regarding the 1st floor space and what may best go in that place, unfortunately the library will have to have a tenant that will NOT be permanent, as that sq footage will ultimately be claimed by the library with future growth. He reminded us if we gave money in 2012, that this is a new year and to dig a little deeper for contributions THIS year

• Jessica Mauzy announced the next Trail work day and that it is a great opportunity for children to earn community service hours, and to really get to know the other community members. Ann MAllek recognized the group as being the model to which other trail groups within the Commonwealth should follow.

• The Western Albemarle Rescue squad, Crozet Volunteer Fire Department, and Crozet Library were presented with contributions raised at the Valentine’s Swing Dance, last month.

• Jim Crosby & Tom Loach presented their ideas about a Crozet Safety Corp proposal. The idea is that your best resource in an emergency may be your immediate neighbors. The ideas are very similar to neighborhood watch in other communities. Care about your neighbors and we can be much more self-reliant, and once this Corp is seen as a positive by ACPD, we have an opportunity to been a pilot/model for other neighborhoods within the county. Using the master plan as a guide, Crozet is slated to be denser than Charlottesville proper, with much less police presence.

• Independence Day celebration will be July 6th, with the 7th as a backup date. It will be held in the Park as it has in years past, including a parade. Time for other new business was limited as Dave’s presentation took longer than expected, but there are several vacancies in Albemarle Co Boards and Commissions please apply and represent Crozet! More on these vacancies on ‘Real Crozet’ blog.

• Charlottesville Tree Stewards are currently offering a $25 voucher towards the purchase of a tree, per family, as long as you following the guidelines. There are 5 nurseries within the county that will accept this voucher, and the funding is being provided by Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band, and an anonymous donor.

I’m going to add links later today ….

Update 18 March 2013:

1 – I’ve storified the meeting ; click through for the story.
2 – Trevor Henry’s slides showing an update on what’s happening in Downtown Crozet, including the ongoing utility relocation.
3 – Link for the Charlottesville Tree Stewards.
4 – Regarding the Crozet Safety Corp proposal – I would highly encourage folks to follow RealCrozetVA on Twitter and “like” RealCrozetVA on Facebook – they have proven to be invaluable (to me at least) when seeking information from neighbors and fellow Crozetians when we’ve had large power outages (derecho, anyone?), when we’ve been looking for road conditions after the snow, etc.*

*For those who know me or have read RealCrozetVA for years, you know that while this could be perceived as self-serving advice, I’m suggesting participating in these social networks for the good of the community.

– Continue reading “Crozet Community Association Meeting Wrap up – 14 March”

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March 14 Crozet Community Association Meeting

Lots of good stuff on the agenda … anyone interested in live-tweeting the meeting and I’ll storify it later?

Presentation: ?Old Trail development plans by Dave Brockman, Development Manager.

Old Business:
• Update on the Build Crozet Library fundraising (http://buildcrozetlibrary.org; Bill Schrader)
• Updates from the Crozet Park and the Crozet Trails Crew (CTC).
• Update on the Streetscape project (utility line re-location).
• Other items?

New Business:
• Crozet Safety Corp proposal. Jim Crosby and Tom Loach. A community safety and preparedness outreach independent of, but fostered by, the Albemarle County Police Department to increase our community’s safety, promote and encourage disaster preparedness, and help deter criminal activity
• Crozet 2013 Independence Day Celebration planning.
• Fund raising for the CCA? How to raise money to be able to support other causes in Crozet?
• There are vacancies on several Albemarle County Boards and Commissions, several of which are specifically for White Hall District residents. YOU are encouraged to apply.

• Other items? Comments and Questions? Announcements:

• Crozet Community Advisory Council (CCAC) meets next Thursday, March 21, at 7:00 PM at the Meadows Community Center (5735 Meadows Drive).
• Others?

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Crozet Community Advisory Council Meeting – 21 February 2013

From discussions about a community neighborhood watch to Jeff Werner from the Piedmont Environmental Council talking about preserving rural areas in the face of coming growth (did you know the mobile home park on 240 is apparently/may be trying to get shifted into the growth area?) to a discussion about the coming Crozet hotel (almost entirely positive sentiments) to the opening of the paths through the lumberyard to the fact that folks want sexual offender Dumler to stay on the board because he’s a vote in the controlled-growth camp ….

CCAC meeting - 21 Feb 2013
The fact is that local change happens not just in meetings like this but over the course of dozens of meetings like this.

Lots of stuff happens at these meetings. I’ve storified the meeting through tweets – click through this story to read the whole thing or read it on Storify.

@Storify is such a remarkable tool. I hope they never get sold or go away. Continue reading “Crozet Community Advisory Council Meeting – 21 February 2013”

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CCAC Meeting Tonight – 21 February 2013

Via email …

CROZET COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL
The Meadows, Crozet (5735 Meadows Dr.)
Thursday, February 21, 2013 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Tentative Agenda

1. Agenda Review. (Meg Holden – CCAC chair)

2. Approval of Minutes from October 18, 2012 meeting.

3. Public Comment.

4. Project Updates/Information:

• Community Safety with Officer Steve Watson
• Utilizing Development rights as they relate to easements with Jeff Werner of the Piedmont Environmental Council
• County Boundary changes – Ann Mallek
• Possible plans for Oakley property
• Discuss any information related to thoughts on the possible hotel (?)
• Re-cap of January all councils meeting
• Any news on development of Barnes Lumber Company property
• Update on Crozet Library fundraising (Bill Schrader)
• Developments at the I 64 Interchange
• Redistricting as it relates the master plan with Karen Rubenall
• Update on streetscape
• Others?

5. Old Business

6. Items not listed on the Agenda

7. Announcements.

8. Future Agenda Items.

• Meet with New Old Trail Management – who can make the contact?

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What do We Want Crozet to Be?

I posted the following thought on the RealCrozetVA facebook page and it generated quite a few thoughtful comments, but I much prefer to center the conversation here. That said, the comments added to my original thought by changing my premise from “what do we want Crozet to be” to first, let’s define the Crozet culture as it currently is and then define what we want Crozet to look like.

This is something that is been going through my head for the last 12 or 18 months: what is Crozet going to look like in 12 or 20 years? More importantly, what do we want it to look like in 12 or 20 years?

Our town is going to change. That is a known known. But what are the unknowns? Will we encourage the homogenization that is happening in Charlottesville? Will we be able to encourage adoption of the Crozet
culture to those who are new?

If we don’t plan (and act!) accordingly and wisely for the coming growth – the school traffic coming from Old Trail comes to mind as well as the traffic to and from all the schools in the mornings and afternoons, and presumably more when Re-Store ‘n Station opens, and from Westlake Hills – then Crozet won’t be as wonderful a place to live as it is now.

I love Crozet; we’ve been here for 11 years (I think) and I intend to be here for a long time. I make my living representing buyers and sellers moving to and from Crozet, so I have a different perspective than many, but my goal remains to work to do whatever I can to keep and make Crozet a special place to be.

I’m posting below the comments from the conversation … please, take some time to read them all (and thank you to everyone who has already commented). They’re thoughtful, insightful comments about what Crozet was, is and could be. I’ll call out this one as I think it well articulates what most may be thinking:

I think we have to combine and find the way to bring the new into the fold of the old unique Crozet so we can grow together.

* For the purposes of this conversation, “Crozet” means (very roughly) – from the railroad bridge at 240/250 intersection to Greenwood Gourmet just past 64 to about two miles past Crozet Elementary. Seriously. Getting into a discussion about “what are the boundaries of Crozet” won’t serve this discussion well … and may lead to moderation of comments.”

Continue reading “What do We Want Crozet to Be?”

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Steve Landes Town Hall – 5 January 2013

Be there. Or be less informed and connected.

Town Hall Meeting with Delegate Landes

January 5, 2013, 1:00 p.m.

The Lodge at Old Trail (in the main dining room)

330 Claremont Lane, Crozet, VA 22

Keep up to date with what Del. Landes is doing in the upcoming General Assembly at Richmond Sunlight. Find out who is giving him money at the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).
VPAP | Committees | Landes for Delegate - Steven | Money In | Donors by Locality.jpg

(click through to see the interactive map)

Update 5 January 2013: Only 12 people showed up.

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Tweeting the Western Albemarle Redistricting Meeting – 12-11-12

Click through to read the @Storify I just put together curating a lot of the tweets from last night’s meeting.

Once again, Kelly has provided an excellent summary from her side of the table –

Quick recap of last night’s public comment session as seen from “behind the table”. Overall, it was great to see such a huge turnout, not just from the MLS community but from all areas of the western feeder pattern. Most of the comments were thoughtful, well-informed, and led to a consistent narrative: growth in the far western part of the County must be addressed through comprehensive long-term planning and investment in education facilities, rather than continued reliance on redistricting measures.

??A couple of key phrases that stuck with me were “Look Again” (thanks, BES!), “No Compelling Reason”, and “Community Schools Should Grow With the Communities They’re In”. These comments really encapsulate how it seems most folks feel about the leadership (or lack thereof) from the BOS regarding school funding. ?
?
It was beyond clear that small, piecemeal redistricting measures (and, in fact, the idea of using redistricting as a first solution in general), is not seen as an effective long-term solution. ?

?The issue of a cost-benefit analysis was alluded to multiple times, and it’s clear that western feeder pattern families take exception to the any notion that redistricting (often called a “shell game”) and its associated costs (in terms of community/excessive transition for kids/transportation issues/potential loss of staffing resources at the school level) are so high as to overshadow any perceived (and likely, short-term) benefit. It was also mentioned that a move of children out of MLS to Murray or Crozet would effectively eliminate additional seats that may be needed in future years to deal with growth at Brownsville. ?

?Investment doesn’t necessarily mean taxes should be raised, however. There were many mentions of the CIP, and how this guiding document should be reanalyzed, and perhaps, reprioritized to deal with emerging needs in the west. There were multiple calls for funding for expansions at Crozet Elementary, WAHS, and Henley Middle School. I hope this is simply a starting point for getting many more of us informed and opinionated about the CIP priority. The time is now to continue to have your voice heard.?

?We also heard several folks touch on the need to address the modernization project at Red Hill Elementary as a matter of fundamental fairness. I think it goes without saying that this project should be completed without regard to other growth area issues, as it speaks directly to the overall ACPS goal of providing a “world class education” to all students. ?

?And finally, a bit of editorializing: The many kind remarks to the volunteer members of the committee were also noted, and appreciated. On behalf of the committee, I’d like to thank the many interested parents who’ve jumped in to this discussion, gotten themselves informed and involved, especially at a busy holiday time of year. I’d also like to reiterate my appreciation for the responsive, professional manner in which all of the local school Principals, Josh Davis, Matt Haas, and the entire ACPS staff have led this process. Our leadership core–of both staff and parent volunteers–is strong and I feel more confident than ever that this process is just the start of a new era of school planning and focus in western Albemarle. Please, please, stay involved–This is a long-term discussion that will take all of us! Continue reading “Tweeting the Western Albemarle Redistricting Meeting – 12-11-12”