A year ago, it seemed impossible to believe that VDOT would put the brakes on the Western Bypass, or start moving forward with more effective, environmentally sound transportation solutions for Rt. 29.
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.
Rappahannock County Conservation Alliance Dissolves
Text from our Dec 2014 Member Newsletter:
The Rappahannock County Conservation Alliance (RCCA) is planning to finalize the process of dissolving itself as an organization and transfer its assets to the Piedmont Foundation this month. Those funds are designated for PEC’s Kresber Fund, which supports a variety of conservation efforts in Rappahannock County. A portion of the funds contributed by RCCA are prioritized for the Farmland Preservation Program.
Albemarle & Cville Update — Dec 2014
Text from our Dec 2014 Member Newsletter:
The light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter as VDOT continues to move forward with real solutions for Route 29 just north of Charlottesville. VDOT has received approval to release all of the property acquired to build the proposed Western Bypass, and they are taking steps to sell the land.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded PEC a $200,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund this past October. With this grant, PEC will collaborate with Loudoun County, the Town of Lovettsville, Loudoun County Master Gardeners and Loudoun homeowners associations to implement projects that involve planting native trees and shrubs, improving stormwater facilities and reducing polluted runoff in Loudoun County communities.
Down the River and Through the Woods
A partnership between PEC and The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia has created new opportunities for Orange County youth to experience the natural environment and history of the surrounding region.
Culpeper Update — Dec 2014
Text from our Dec 2014 Member Newsletter:
The Planning Commission may soon have a public hearing on the proposed changes to the Clevengers Village development, which was approved for the north end of the county in 2005. The new urbanist street layout, including pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure, would be removed from the plans.
Greene Update — Dec 2014
Text from our Dec 2014 Member Newsletter:
This past fall, Greene’s Planning Commission kicked off its five-year review of the Comprehensive Plan with a public hearing to allow people to offer suggestions. PEC shared its ideas, and we will follow the discussion over the next few months. We’ve identified multimodal transportation, growth area planning, farming, rural agritourist businesses, and wireless as areas where the Plan could use some tweaking.
Loudoun Update — Dec 2014
Text from our Dec 2014 Member Newsletter:
One of the least heralded assets underpinning Loudoun’s wonderful rural character are the County’s 300 miles of unpaved rustic roads and bridges— the most of any county in Virginia. Most of these old roads follow routes laid out almost two centuries ago. Lined with mature trees and stone walls, the roads are key parts of our Civil War battlefields and connect our historic villages.
Madison Update — Dec 2014
Text from our Dec 2014 Member Newsletter:
In partnership with local landowners and Trout Unlimited, PEC recently completed a survey of 124 road crossings along several high quality trout streams that flow out of Shenandoah National Park into the Piedmont region. Madison County waterways surveyed in the study were funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and include the Conway River, Rose River, Strothers Run, Garth Run, Kinsey Run, Robinson River and the Hughes River.
Orange Update — Dec 2014
Text from our Dec 2014 Member Newsletter:
Grymes School is partnering with Chesapeake Natural Heritage, Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and PEC to design and secure public and private funding for a native meadow planting, approximately 13 acres in size, located on the edge of the Town of Orange.