The question facing Loudoun today is this: How much are we willing to increase development in the environmentally sensitive Transition Area? Particularly when we know the result would be a long-term reduction in water quality and increased cost to taxpayers…
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.
Cypherways Uses Hip-Hop to Generate Ideas and Enthusiasm for Greenways
The Piedmont Environmental Council and the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation’s Imagination Foundation teamed up with Cyphertank on November 17 to follow-up a successful kickoff event with an evening of facilitated discussion about trails and greenways — with a beat.
Packed Room for Greenways Project Kickoff Event
The Charlottesville / Albemarle Greenways Project kicked off with a packed event at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center on the evening of Wednesday, November 8, 2017. Approximately 175 people, including many who have been working on this issue for a long time, shared an evening of fellowship and inspiration.
True North Data – Wrong Direction for Loudoun
True North Data is being proposed on an environmentally sensitive site in Loudoun’s Transition Policy Area. At the same time, the Board of Supervisors is asking citizens what they would like for that area’s future as part of a Comprehensive Plan review…. Read more in this email alert from PEC field representative Gem Bingol.
Free Flow
PEC has taken on the work of restoring local rivers by removing culverts and low-water crossings that can be roadblocks to stream health. By replacing these barriers on roads and driveways with fish- friendly designs, we are improving habitat and water quality.
Many aquatic species, including Virginia’s state fish, the Eastern brook trout, benefit from these restoration projects. Ideally, we hope these projects will influence government agencies to incorporate fish-friendly designs as they update roads and stream crossings.
Making the Connection
Bike and pedestrian connectivity is a great way to enhance quality of life and create healthy, thriving urban communities. This is why PEC is teaming up with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission to build support for a comprehensive greenway system in the Charlottesville and Albemarle urban area.
“These locations have an opportunity to create a world-class bike and pedestrian system that connects neighborhoods, retail areas and places of work with iconic resources such as Monticello, the Downtown Mall, UVA Grounds, the Rivanna River and Biscuit Run State Park,” says Rex Linville, our Albemarle County field representative.
Email Alert: Weigh in on Marshall Car Dealership
From streetscape improvements and new businesses in downtown, to residential developments, there’s been a lot happening in Marshall recently. I wanted to inform you of a chance to weigh in on another proposal that would impact the town’s future…. Read more in this email alert from PEC field representative Julie Bolthouse.
‘Hedgerow’ Property Prompts Important Discussion About Albemarle’s Park Priorities
We believe it is time for Albemarle County to increase investment towards greenways, open space, and trails within its Growth Area.
The County Comprehensive Plan has long held that public infrastructure spending shall be directed toward Ablemarle’s designated Development Areas. It also calls for a Development Area where people can “live, work, and play” with “parks and trails [that] provide respite and recreation.”
However, despite that laudable goal, only two of the county’s thirteen parks are located within the Development Area. Further distancing itself from its goal, the county has retained a consultant to develop a plan for yet another Rural Area park, located on the the 340 acre “Hedgerow” property on Route 29, south of I-64. Preliminary estimates would require an investment in excess of $2-million and approximately $82,000 annually for maintenance and operation.
Charlottesville’s Strategic Investment Area (SIA)
The City of Charlottesville in the process of creating a plan to redevelop an approximately 330 acre area south and east of the downtown mall, called the Strategic Investment Area (SIA). This target area was identified by the City as a potential “growth” area due to its currently low density of development, vacant parcels, and location as a gateway to downtown, including pedestrian connections to the Downtown Mall area.
Potomac Bridge Crossing Maps
During the summer of 2017, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors directed county staff to study and recommend potential Potomac bridge crossing sites between Goose Creek and the Fairfax County line. The new bridge has long been a dream of area real-estate interests, but has been rejected by residents and planners throughout the years, due to numerous flaws (see our 8 Reasons blog post for more detail).