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.
It’s back to another full week, but Charlottesville City Council’s summer break sets the tone for a relatively quiet five days.
Do you know of anything happening Thursday or Friday? How are you faring in these early days of middler summer? Drop me a line and let me know what you think the community should know.
Thank you to those of you who were able to join us for The Piedmont Environmental Council’s Zoom meeting, A Local Update for PEC Supporters in Charlottesville & Albemarle County on Tuesday, June 23, 2020! While we certainly miss seeing folks face-to-face, we hope you enjoyed the online presentation and learned a little bit more about the things keeping us busy these days.
We’ve reached the midpoint of a tumultuous year. There is a brief pulse of activity this week before the 4th of July holiday begins. As we mark the 244th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this is a good time to reflect on where we want to go into the future.
The world may not be back to normal, but the future is what we create through a series of decisions. This week does not feature as many government meetings, but there will be some key conversations on our water supply, Greene County’s desire to attract new business, and the future of our transit system.
Updates from around the PEC region, organized by county. Albemarle: Comprehensive Plan Updates. Clarke: StoryMap & Upcoming Webinars. Culpeper: Land Use Update, Brandy Station and Cedar Mountain State Park Study. Fauquier: Fauquier Farm & Land Conservation, Tree Giveaway, Rezonings and Plan Amendments. Greene: Growth & Development, Stormwater Runoff Assistance. Loudoun: Community Farm Update, Zoning Updates, Project Threatens Historic St. Louis. Madison: Potential Communications Tower, Conservation & Stewardship, Potential Rural Resort. Orange: Land Use Update, Green Streets. Rappahannock: Clean Water, More Trees.
The proposal to design and build a shared-use path along Route 20 from Charlottesville to the newly reopened Saunders Monticello Trail faces a crucial test at the Wednesday, June 17, Albemarle Board of Supervisors meeting.
Albemarle County took a significant step forward last week. On Tuesday, June 30, Brian Roy’s team at Woolen Mills lowered into place a new pedestrian bridge spanning Moore’s Creek, closing a critical gap in the Rivanna Trail. It brings what had been a little-used trail section back into service, providing everyday access to nature for nearby residents and opening the door to several enticing additional connections, including a pedestrian crossing of the Rivanna River, which is currently being studied.
Protests continue across the United States of America against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. These extended to Charlottesville, where peaceful protesters marched through downtown on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon, Albemarle High School Black Student Union hosted their own event outside the Albemarle County Office Building.
A short week, but sometimes these are deceptively busy. This is one of those weeks. As we approach the summer, there will be no slowdown in government activity, particularly as we carve out a new normality as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Charlottesville joins Albemarle this week in holding virtual meetings. There are also meetings of regional bodies that in many ways are more accessible than before. This week there are no major land use decisions in our area.
As the pandemic enters its third month, many institutions of local government have managed to get public meetings going again. It is crucial for the public to have access to information to what is happening and to have context by which our decisions are made. The goal of this newsletter continues to help you know what is happening and to let you know how you can get involved.