WINA reportsThe follow is a letter of invitation from David Wyant that is in the mail to all Crozet residents regarding the February 9 meeting at Western Albemarle High School…. The February 9 meeting is intended to have staff members who are working directly on major infrastructure projects such as those mentioned in the letter talk directly to Crozet residents about the status and future steps of those projects…. While staff who will be in the room on February 9 to talk about the respective infrastructure projects are not the decision makers on population projections, they do have some important infrastructure information to share and we are hoping the meeting will be a venue where that kind of information can be exchanged and discussed…. Dear Crozet Residents, You are cordially invited to attend a town meeting to update residents on the status of implementation for the Crozet Master Plan to be held on Thursday evening, February 9, from 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm at the Western Albemarle High School Cafeteria…. While the Master Plan and its population projections have been the topic of much discussion recently in other venues, the purpose of the meeting on February 9th is to focus on infrastructure development in Crozet over the next 20 years of the plan. We feel that Crozet residents need and deserve the opportunity to hear directly from county staff and officials about the status of implementation and the efforts that are going on to support the goals of the plan…. We will also discuss the formation of the Crozet Community Advisory Committee to be appointed by the Board of Supervisors and outline other ways for you to stay engaged in the process of master plan implementation…. You may also sign up for the County’s Amail enews service on the website so that you will receive regular bulletins, meeting notices, etc. We appreciate your interest and hope that you will attend the meeting and/or stay informed about the progress of the Master Plan through one of the methods we have mentioned.
Browsing Category Growth
Population increases (shocking!)
The Weldon Cooper Center has released a study showing population increases throughout the Commonwealth. The Thomas Jefferson Planning District (our region) has seen a fairly significant increase in its population – 7.5%.Albemarle has seen a provisional change of 7.4%.Charlottesville – .5%Greene – 11.2%Fluvanna – 24.4%Louisa – 12.1%Nelson – 4.2%The above numbers are the total percentages, combining the natural increases and the change due to migration.
PEC and Homebuilders together?
If only for a one-off.The Piedmont Environmental Council and the Homebuilders of Virginia, teaming up. Thanks to the Richmond Report for the heads-up.Balance between the two sides may be possible after all!
Albemarle BoS reviewing development process
CvilleTomorow has an excellent post on the Albemarle BoS’ review of the Development process. New Supervisor David Slutzky seems to deliver the kind of thoughtful, articulate analysis he showed in the campaign. I will listen to the podcast tomorrow. I’ve said it before; CvilleTomorrow is providing an excellent service to the community. Their information sharing is outstanding.
Kaine to tackle growth
In his first policy address to the General Assembly, the new governor will urge passage of a law that gives local governments the right to halt housing construction if roads are not adequate. Kaine also will acknowledge the need for more money to build wider highways, buy more buses and trains and erect bridges. But he will not suggest an increase in gas or sales taxes or offer specific legislation that details how he thinks the state should raise the new funds …”I am proposing initiatives that better link land use and transportation decisions so that uncoordinated development doesn’t overwhelm our roads and infrastructure,” Kaine says …One would require developers to submit a standardized traffic impact statement whenever they request a rezoning. That would give the Virginia Department of Transportation and localities the ability to monitor the cumulative impact of development across the state.A second proposal would strengthen the state’s office of intermodalism, which is responsible for ensuring that people and goods can make connections between ports, airports, roads and rail lines. The office would get more resources and more accountability, the adviser said.Kaine also will promise to convene a bipartisan commission to set measurable goals for spending on transportation “so that we invest in the most critical projects first, ensure that the traveling public gets the most for their money, and holds elected leadership — you and I — accountable for the performance of our transportation network.”More bureaucracy, more hoops and no clear roadmap (pun intended) of how to pay for these goals. The ends may be worthy and commendable, but the methods do not seem to promote efficiency and efficacy. It will be interesting to see how these initiatives impact our region. The full article is here as well.
Crozet’s Growth
The DP has a nice summary this morning of last night’s Crozet Community Association meeting.It was an interesting meeting, attended by approximately 300 people, most of whom may fit directly into the”How many people want Crozet to be half the population of Charlottesville?”The County has created this Master Plan, in essence asking for the public’s trust. This is a different situation – it is imperative to coordinate infrastructure and growth. The argument against building the infrastructure – roads/schools/etc. seems to hold less weight and value when the County is currently planning for that growth. The growth is not unexpected; it is in fact targeted for the Crozet area. Why Dennis Rooker played the role of politician extremely well. It is no surprise that he was re-elected last year.
Small builders in a large-scale bureaucracy
Wyant said proffers from Wickham Pond could go toward infrastructure, such as the proposed eastern connector, and Supervisor Sally H. Thomas said such a development could limit growth in the rural areas.Excellent point, and one on which I have been masticating for some time. NYTimes:In recent years, the difficulty of getting things built has made business harder for small, local builders and easier for big companies, with their greater resources, to gain control of the housing market. “The large builders have taken the position: we’re just going to fight,” Chris Mayer, a housing economist at Columbia University’s business school, says. ” ‘We have lawyers, we have experts, we have money, we’re going to buy these tracts of land and fight it out’ ” – that, according to Mayer, is their position…. But the local builder who used to have the benefit of knowing the local people – that has become far less important than the ability of the big builders to fight the current regulatory environment.” As Mayer points out, virtually every state in the country now has policies to restrain developers. No matter the region, he says, the small developer is at a tremendous disadvantage.Ryan Homes are already here.