The draft NVTA TransAction Plan is a wish list of over 350 projects being considered for funding.
Though we strongly oppose the new Potomac River Bridge project (24) and the Bi-County Parkway (226), there are many good projects on the list that deserve consideration and support. Not surprisingly, these are the kinds of projects that the public has demonstrated support for through the Envision Loudoun process. I’ve listed out some of these projects in the tables below.
Our Region
PEC focuses on nine counties and one city in the northern Piedmont of Virginia: Albemarle, Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock.
We also team with local organizations to promote thriving communities and healthy natural resources in a much larger region, including the Shenandoah Valley, the central Piedmont, and the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Corridor. In addition, we are proud to serve as fiscal sponsor of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, an organization that focuses on land use and policy in the greater Washington D.C. area.
Charlottesville Area Community Foundation Invests in Regional Bike and Pedestrian Trail System
The Charlottesville Area Community Foundation is pleased to announce the recipient of its third round of Strengthening Systems grants. Piedmont Environmental Council and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission received a two-year grant of $179,804 to complete plans and generate active community support for a regional bike and pedestrian trail network and begin implementation.
Two Paths for Loudoun. Weigh In!
Dear Supporter,
Loudoun County is continuing the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan, which guides all future growth and development in the County.
After sitting through the Envision Loudoun public workshops and participating in the Comprehensive Plan Stakeholder Committee, I see two possible paths taking shape.
Our Thoughts on the Walker Drive Proposal
The nebulous Walker Drive development at the gateway to downtown Warrenton will be voted on by the Town Council on Tuesday, June 11th, at 7 p.m.
Despite its lack of detail (which resulted in the Planning Commission recommending denial back in February), it looks to be marching towards approval by the Warrenton Town Council. In fact, several Council members telegraphed their ‘yes’ votes in a FauquierNow article earlier this spring.
Remington Walks
Walkable locales with recreation options are, simply put, nicer places to live and visit, and they increase quality of life. That is why we have partnered with the Town of Remington and various community groups to develop a plan for future walking routes, trails, sidewalks, parks and bikeways in Remington.
Choices facing Loudoun
Remember taking civics or government in high school? Sometimes, it may feel fairly irrelevant to your day to day life… But then you think about traffic, taxes, school boundary changes, parks and recreation, social services, where you work or shop, the water you drink or the natural resources you care about. All of these are heavily impacted by decisions made by local government.
City of Charlottesville — 2018 Comprehensive Plan Update Kickoff
Over the next year Charlottesville will be undertaking an update to the City’s Comprehensive Plan. This Plan is the City’s vision as a community that guides decision making processes for such matters as Land Use (development and growth), Housing (affordability and access) and Transportation (all modes of transit and parking).
Expansion at Blackthorne Inn Site: Excessive in Scale
Blackthorne Inn is located in agricultural zoning along Rt 50 between Upperville and Paris. Until it was closed last year, Blackthorne operated as a restaurant and resort with a few small events. Since then, Easton Porter Group, LLC acquired the 50.66 acre property with the desire to renew and expand the restaurant, resort, and Class C event special exceptions. The proposal includes a new 19,000 sq ft event building, a 30% increase to the current restaurant, 20 new cabins for a total of 38 private units, 3 new support structures (3,000 sq ft), and a new spa with gym. The old event building, which was added to the restaurant without a permit, would be removed.
A lot to report on! (re: the Loudoun Comp Plan update)
The Comprehensive Plan Stakeholder Committee has been on a semi-monthly schedule of meetings since March, in an effort to be prepared for the next round of Envision Loudoun workshops for resident input scheduled for the first half of June.
Greene’s Mountain Heritage: An Open House at Cecil Mission
On April 22, 2017, the Piedmont Environmental Council hosted our sixth annual mountain heritage celebration at the Cecil Mission Chapel near Stanardsville. At least 100 people attended throughout the day – visitors learned about the rich culture and traditions of the families that once called these mountains home and some even walked the trails through Shenandoah National Park to see some of these former home sites in person.