Local residents, newly versed in the basics of master planning, sat down Wednesday night and sank their teeth into the possibilities of land use along the U.S. 29 growth corridor in Albemarle County….With 1,500 to 2,000 new residents moving into the county every year, the time to plan for growth is now, Board of Supervisors Chairman Dennis S. Rooker told the 100-or-so residents who came to the meeting at the Doubletree Hotel Charlottesville.”the time to plan is NOW???”… The time to plan was 20-25 years ago. Admit failure and move on.This is an aerial view of 29 North from 1984.

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From WCAV – Albemarle Development On The Rise”West of town is going to be a little more quaint although there will be development and there will be growth over here in the next ten to twenty years. However, you will not see the same kind of sprawl (as associated with the Route 29 corridor),” said Kauffmann.I am not sure how one person can make this dramatic of a statement – Old Trail is going to have at least 1500-2000 units and there is going to be much more around it. With the apparent lack of planning for more infrastructure to accommodate the planned growth, who knows what Crozet is going to look like over the next 10 to 15 years?

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RWSA has stated publicly several times that the South Fork will remain in use regardless of the outcome of dredging as a water supply option, and has publicly advocated a scientifically based study of the reservoir to determine the most cost-effective means or combination of methods to preserve and maintain its continued use.3) The article states that the Environmental Protection Agency requires that planners choose the “least environmentally damaging, most practicable” water supply option…. There is no requirement to choose the “most” practicable, only the least environmentally damaging of all alternatives that are considered practicable.4) The article states that a James River pipeline “would, after all, provide a virtually unlimited supply of water to areas whose development potential is currently limited by groundwater supplies.”… Further, in April 2005 it was reported to the RWSA board that an Environmental Management System (EMS) had been successfully established at the Moores Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility after two years of intense work with the Environmental Protection Agency, and that an EMS is also under development at the South Fork Rivanna Water Treatment Facility.6) The article states, “Ellis claimed to be speaking on behalf of the environmental regulators.”

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This might have gotten lost in the blog transfer last month -This “Best Place to Live” may increase its urban water supply NOT with mountain runoff from the Shenandoah National Park, not from the fields and forests of northwest Albemarle, not from stewardship of our watershed, but from the James River. Recently, the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority (RWSA) assured the County Board of Supervisors that while the James River was a “different quality” of water from our local sources, this could be taken care of–the RWSA might simply “need to add more chemicals–at times–to treat it.”Scottsville now has its own option.

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