Summertime, and the meetings are busy. This community seems to only take one week off each year from meetings, and this is not that week.
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.
Video: Documenting Fauquier’s Forgotten History
In 1860, free and enslaved African Americans made up half of Fauquier County’s entire population. After the Civil War, Black communities like Morgantown, two miles south of Marshall, that grew out of emancipation held powerful meaning as community centers where African Americans could freely worship, conduct commerce, obtain education and own land.
On the Ground Updates – June 2021
A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock.
Story Map Brings History to Light
In 1860, free and enslaved African Americans made up half of Fauquier County’s entire population. Black communities like Morgantown, two miles south of Marshall and where Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County President Karen Hughes White and Board Member Angela Davidson were raised, grew out of emancipation. They held powerful meaning as community centers where African Americans could freely do what they could not when they were enslaved: worship, conduct commerce, obtain education, own land.
Signs of a Scenic River
In western Albemarle County, the cold, pristine waters of the Moormans River spill over a towering Sugar Hollow Dam and wind eastward for 14.3 miles. Flowing gently at first through historic Sugar Hollow and White Hall, it gathers strength and speed from Doyles River, Wards Creek, and other streams before joining the Mechum River at Brinnington to form the Rivanna River. Eventually, the Moormans’ waters reach the James River and the Chesapeake Bay.
Week Ahead for June 14, 2021: Chipotle to replace College Inn on the Corner; Albemarle takes up affordable housing update
The third week of June looms, and it’s another week of decisions to be made in local and regional governments in and around Charlottesville. As the second half of the year approaches, the pandemic continues to recede even as community health officials continue to monitor new cases. A new sense of normality has taken hold, while community conversations about growth and its impacts are becoming more common.
Update on St. Louis / Aldie
On Wednesday, June 9, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors held two important public hearings. The first was to listen to residents’ thoughts about how the county should address the Middleburg Preserve development and planning and zoning issues in St. Louis. The second was to review multiple offers from prospective buyers of the county-owned Aldie Assemblage property, which consists of three distinct parcels. The board previously decided to abandon plans to build a fire station there in the face of overwhelming public opposition.
Week Ahead for June 7, 2021: Charlottesville PC to discuss homestay regulations; Albemarle to hold community meeting for solar panels at landfill
Two more weeks until the summer solstice, but there’s never really a slowdown in local and regional government in the Charlottesville area. There are 23 meetings listed in this week’s installment.
Cville Comp Plan; National Trails Day; Mobility Survey
As you may be aware, the city is in the midst of updating its comprehensive plan. This email will fill you in on where things stand and how to share your input by June 13. Next, I will share an important mobility survey for Charlottesville residents and finish with a few ways that everyone can celebrate National Trails Day (June 5).
Week Ahead for May 31, 2021: Albemarle PC to consider new hydroelectric generation on Hardware River; city tree panel to hear more on Ash crisis
A four-day work week for most begins Tuesday, a day after the observance of Memorial Day. But this is a fairly light week, which I think many of us welcome! This is a time of adjustment as COVID-19 restrictions are now lifted but things may not seem quite back to normal. But, what is normal, anyway?