Loudoun residents! Plans for a new countywide parks and trails system are underway, and the county needs your input. In early 2019, the Board of Supervisors directed the county’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space Board to develop an implementation plan for an expanded and interconnected system of parks and trails that tie into existing parks and trails throughout the county.
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.
Story Map Project: Fauquier’s Historic African American Communities
The interactive story map, visible at www.aahafauquier.org/storymap, includes a map of Fauquier County with points locating African American schools, churches and communities. Visitors can click on each point to see a photo and read a short description. A “read more” cue takes visitors to an interactive webpage with additional history and photographs.
Week Ahead for May 17, 2021: Greene Planning Commission to talk economic development
For many, virtual meetings have lowered the barrier to entry. if you’ve ever wanted to sample what local government is about, this is the time to do so. It remains to be seen how accessible meetings will be from people’s homes in the future. But, the laying of broadband across much of the area could mean that the discussions of local democracy might take place in different ways in our near future than they did in our pre-pandemic past.
Week Ahead for May 3, 2021: Another month, another mass of meetings
Another month begins with the finalization of the budget process in Albemarle and Nelson counties. Fluvanna will consider tax incentives for another affordable housing complex proposed by Pinnacle Construction. Albemarle’s design review board will take a look at the latest large development in Crozet. Louisa gets an update on the group studying the upper end of the county’s age demographics.
Virtual Event Recap: Cycling for Sustainable Cities
On May 7, 2021, researchers Ralph Buehler (top-right) and John Pucher (second from top-right) spoke about their new book, Cycling for Sustainable Cities (MIT Press), which describes ways to make city cycling safe, practical, and convenient for all ages and abilities. They talked about trends and policies, and shared examples from across America and around the world–with cases similar to our own communities. Watch the video here.
Weigh in on Route 15 South Design Alternatives
Loudouners! An online comment period is open now through Friday, May 21, 2021 for residents to weigh in on design alternatives for the Route 15 South corridor (e.g. roundabout vs. turn lane at various intersections or preferred locations for multi-modal trails). There was a virtual public meeting in April to review various options, and the presentations and materials from that meeting are all available for comment. This is a chance to share your support for maintaining the rural character of the road while improving the safety and operations of the corridor.
Week Ahead for May 10, 2021
Charlottesville’s Comprehensive Plan moves into a more public phase this week as a consultant hired by the city to oversee its update seeks input on the latest revisions. Even if you don’t live within city limits, the discussions will give insight into what sort of a consensus there may be about the kind of community that will be in place in the future.
Video: Meadows Farm Tree Planting
WATCH: PEC staff and volunteers planted 300 trees at Meadows Farm in Fauquier County on Earth Day!
Week Ahead for April 26, 2021: Natural burial grounds in Albemarle? PCRB to ask for enhanced police oversight in Charlottesville
With the exception of a couple of community meetings in Albemarle, land use does takes a back seat this week. The most important meeting is perhaps the long-awaited joint work session between the Charlottesville City Council and the Police Civilian Review Board. In all, this edition lists 20 meetings and provides links so you can learn more.
Video: Free Flow
A must-watch!! We’re so excited to bring you this video about our largest trout stream restoration project to date, on Bolton Branch in Rappahannock County on the border of Shenandoah National Park.