I saw a note on cvillenews that their site has been updated …… Make no mistake; this project is going to be massive.I will let my bolding speak in place of my sarcasm:No one has time these days to spend all day in the car, so why not park your car at our town center, then stroll along our Main Street. Meet friends, window shop and enjoy the atmosphere. Find clothing for that upcoming event and a special gift at one of our many boutique shops. Then, swing by and pick up fresh produce at our high-end market before heading home, and you haven’t had to navigate any traffic to get it all done!This is a good concept, and it should prove interesting to watch…. Source: VDOTNew Urbanism is all the rage. Bacon’s Rebellion had an interesting article a little while ago about this project.By traditional planning logic, the Albemarle Place project is in the worst possible location: The trips generated by thousands of additional residents and workers should turn U.S. 29 into a poster child for gridlock. But the Albemarle planners know what they’re doing.
Browsing Category Growth
Albemarle County BoS meeting … growth issues come to a head
If you are concerned, curious or just feel ignorant about where the Albemarle County growth process/issue, take 30 minutes to listen to this podcast provided by Charlottesville Tomorrow.”If this were my business I would really be worried about being able to continue in business if my suppliers and my end users were not at all happy with the product that we were creating and the process that we were going about doing it.” Ken Boyd”It’s broken” DorrierDennis Rooker defended the Neighborhood Model while affirming that he is “not against looking at it, but …”… His argument that “one or two people” and “six or seven vociferous” opponents doesn’t hold water.The County’s own survey shows that residents are becoming less satisfied with the growth plan. (I said this the other day, but think it needs repeating)The survey indicated continued support for the county’s major growth management policies, with approximately 70% of respondents favoring concentrating development in the urban areas to protect the rural areas, but that percentage showed a significant decline in support from the 2002 survey where almost 80% of respondents said they favored concentrated growth.The public is raising its voice of disapproval with the direction the BoS has been leading the growth process.”It’s not working.” Ken Boyd”It is a fundamental conflict…”The development process needs to be more efficient, more open and better managed…. The BoS needs to plan and implement their plans better…. Don’t plan to raise the population in Crozet to 12,000 people without at least starting road improvements or mass transit. It is irresponsible and an extraordinary disservice to our community and region.
Land use, APFs and the public good
There is a good discussion over at the Road to Ruin about this article in the DP that highlights the conflict, yet necessary relationship between private developers and the public good/public infrastructure.Note also Bacon’s Rebellion’s discussion about the recent forum held by the State’s new Economic Development Executive Director.I won’t step on their discussion. If you’re interested, check them out. The land use issue are ones that will continue to affect us as growth continues.
Rivanna Village public forum
From Jessica Kitchin’s story this morning in the DP:On Tuesday, the 88-acre development will be the focus of a town hall meeting in the designated-growth area that surrounds it.”The residents of the Village of Rivanna will have NO VOICE, NO VOTE on the Rivanna Village [zoning] and other development within the Village of Rivanna growth area unless we step up, speak up and act for ourselves,” an e-mail sent out by the Rivanna Citizens Committee states. “This meeting is our opportunity to weigh in. We have some options.”Rivanna Village is a mixed-use development in the planning stages that would be built off U.S. 250, east of Charlottesville. It is up for rezoning that would change it from rural area to neighborhood model, opening the door for KG Associates and Cox Associates to build up to 495 residential units and up to 240,000 square feet of commercial space…. The County has some credibility issues regarding rezoning of land. You can’t please everybody – that is an impossible task. At least the County will go through the motions of listening to the people. The County’s own survey shows that residents are becoming less satisfied with the growth plan.The survey indicated continued support for the county’s major growth management policies, with approximately 70% of respondents favoring concentrating development in the urban areas to protect the rural areas, but that percentage showed a significant decline in support from the 2002 survey where almost 80% of respondents said they favored concentrated growth. For more on the County’s growth plans, they have an excellent website.I think this meeting presents an excellent opportunity for a podcast.
December Forum Watch is out
The Free Enterprise Forum has published online its Forum Watch for December. This is an excellent resource for educating yourself about the goings-on in public policy, growth, etc in the region.
Where is Albemarle Growing?
From Brian Wheeler’s SchoolMatters: Where is Albemarle Growing?:I recently updated my analysis of the Albemarle County building reports from the past two years which document each quarter where new building permits are being issued in the County. These do not reflect newly approved developments (e.g. Old Trail Village), but rather homes in developments previously approved where a building permit has now been issued.The report includes all types of housing, but my analysis is limited to single family detached homes, as those are a leading indicator of future enrollment growth for Albemarle County Schools.Brian has done an excellent job and service by providing the actual data that should be used when considering redistricting in Albemarle County. Determining where the growth will be is a difficult task. From one of Brian’s previous posts: If you look at the list of proposed and current housing developments used by the Redistricting Committee and Dr. Castner in isolation, you can easily conclude about 50% of the development is coming up Route 29 North. However, this report does not include Old Trail Village or Wickham Pond (two developments in Crozet submitted after the committee started its work). It also does not include the proposed development at the Breeden Farm (south of I-64 near Mill Creek and 5th Street). The Breeden Farm alone could be larger than all of the growth projected for Crozet (i.e. there could be housing for more than 12,000 people, the number projected for Crozet)…. Maintaining relatively small class sizes and efficient feeder patterns should be priorities. Using accurate, up to date data should be too.
Another take on Growth in Central Virginia
Virginia Business Magazine has an excellent article this month focusing on the challenges (and successes) faced by the Central Virginia region. One thing is clear from the article – Charlottesville’s reach extends far beyond its limits. asdfThe area is adding jobs, unemployment is low, and the U.Va. is helping research-oriented entrepreneurs begin new businesses. New companies in the area find that, despite the low jobless rate and high cost of living, the pool of well-educated available workers is large. Many are “underemployed,†willing to take lower-paying jobs just so they can stay in the area.asdfEconomic and population growth has not been limited to Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The surrounding counties — Greene, Fluvanna, and Orange among them — are seeing spillover development as they keep up with 4 percent annual population growth in some areas. A large mixed-use retail complex, Hollymead Town Center, just went up north of Charlottesville near the Greene County line.