This week: Data center regulation subject of Albemarle community meeting
Albemarle County & the City of Charlottesville
The staff in PEC's Charlottesville office works with citizens to solve the many land use and conservation challenges facing the Charlottesville and Albemarle area.
Take Action: Make Free Bridge Lane Permanently Car-free

Late last year, Albemarle County closed Free Bridge Lane to automobile traffic, creating a safe, riverside space for walking, running, and biking. At its August 6 meeting, the Board of Supervisors will get a report and begin discussing making the arrangement permanent.
Free Bridge Lane meets a critical need in our community: it is ideal for novices and people with mobility challenges and it is walking distance from multiple neighborhoods in both the City and the County. It provides the kind of everyday access to nature that we talk about all the time.
Please sign PEC’s petition requesting the following: 1) finalize the road closure, 2) fund and build a first wave of safety, access and environmental improvements, and 3) budget in coming years to construct the proposed promenade. We will forward the petition to County leaders when the time comes.
You can share your ideas for improvements, projects, activities, or events for Free Bridge Lane or contact the Board of Supervisors directly to thank them for the trial and urge them to expand it.

Albemarle’s Growth Management Policy at Inflection Point
Expanding the Development Areas now is not only unnecessary, but would compromise the county’s climate and resiliency goals.
Cville Area Land Use: Week Ahead for June 23, 2025
This week: Greene Supervisors to see reduced scope for water supply plan implementation

A Conversation on Trails and Connectivity
While conserving the verdant landscapes of Virginia’s Piedmont is foundational to The Piedmont Environmental Council’s mission, making the outdoors accessible to everyone has become an equally vital goal. Over the past few years, we have deliberately integrated trail development into our broader conservation mission, protecting strategic properties that can serve as trail corridors or public access points to create lasting places and ways for people to experience the Piedmont’s natural beauty firsthand.

On the Ground Updates – June 2025
A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock.
Cville Area Land Use: Week Ahead for June 16, 2025
This week: Student housing building planned in Fifeville; Albemarle and Charlottesville to consider permanent financing for renovations at regional jail
Cville Area Land Use: Week Ahead for June 9, 2025
Albemarle PC to get update on county’s affordable housing efforts; Charlottesville PC to consider special exceptions for 24-unit apartment complex on Barracks Road
Cville Area Land Use: Week Ahead for June 2, 2025
Charlottesville City Council to hold public hearing on utility rate increases, $12M in spending from CIP contingency fund
Cville Area Land Use: Week Ahead for May 26, 2025
This week: Charlottesville PC to review proposed amendments to new zoning code; Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority to hold public hearing on $550 million capital program