Stretching 15 miles from the village of Aldie in Loudoun County south to New Baltimore in Fauquier County, the Bull Run Mountains have stories to tell. The mountain range is home to 10 unique plant, forest and woodland ecosystems supporting uncommon and threatened plant and animal species. Its hills were the scene of the Battle at Thoroughfare Gap during the Civil War. The rocky ridges and quartzite cliffs on its western side, along with the shadow of its eastern toe and its hollows, are said to have once guided slaves fleeing bondage via the Underground Railroad.
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.
2021 General Assembly Update
The last six months has been a whirlwind of legislative action. The 2020 special session extended into mid-October, creating a mad scramble at its conclusion to prepare for the 2021 regular session. PEC was busy drafting bills and budget amendments, finding sponsors and having the conversations necessary to set up our initiatives for success before the new session began on January 13. The 2021 regular session was eventually extended into a special session that concluded on March 1.
Catoctin Creek Conservation Fund
The Piedmont Environmental Council’s Catoctin Creek Conservation Fund assists with the costs of conservation easements and land purchase transactions to protect the agricultural, historic, rural, and scenic character of the Catoctin Creek watershed in Loudoun County, Virginia.
Loudoun Board to Reconsider Goose Creek Overlook Approval
Goose Creek is a premier natural resource in eastern Loudoun, but it is under threat from development. The Goose Creek Overlook application, proposes to rezone a group of properties located just south of the Greenway, on the eastern slope of Goose Creek for intense residential development.
Week Ahead for March 8, 2021: Charlottesville PC to take up New Hill’s vision for Starr Hill
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the “before times” when meetings were held in person in greater Charlottesville. We still don’t when we’ll be able to return to administrative buildings, but for now, many have adjusted to a new normal where meetings can be attended with relative ease — as long as you have the Internet.
Summit Mobilizes Collective Action
Representatives from several dozen organizations, businesses, agencies, and a handful of passionate individuals came together for a virtual gathering on Friday, February 26, to strategically plan for better walking, biking, running, everyday access nature and active lifestyles in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia.
Warrenton Residents Deserve Better than “Plan Warrenton 2040”
On March 9, 2021, the Warrenton Town Council will consider whether or not to adopt a new vision as outlined in Plan Warrenton 2040.
Over the last year, PEC has highlighted specific concerns tied to the draft plan’s emphasis on recruiting residential growth (well beyond any projected need), the lack of planning to tackle affordable housing, the inclusion of a new western bypass and missing information on water and wastewater needs, among many others. We believe these concerns need to be addressed and urge the Warrenton Town Council to redraft the plan with these issues in mind.
Premier Circle Rezoning in Albemarle County
Affordable housing non-profits (Piedmont Housing Alliance, Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless, and Virginia Supportive Housing), in collaboration with the current landowner (Tiota, Ltd.), with support from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, submitted a rezoning request to redevelop the Red Carpet Inn along Route 29 in the Places 29 South growth area.
Week Ahead for March 1, 2021: Budget season, public hearing for 370-unit RST rezoning and more
For now, meetings in Albemarle, Charlottesville, and some other localities continue to be held virtually in order to halt community spread. It’s too early for a return to City Council Chambers or Lane Auditorium, so for the next while it’s possible to continue to be in many places at once. If you’ve ever wanted to get involved in local government, take advantage of online meetings while they are still the norm.
RST Residences Rezoning Application in Albemarle County
Virginia Beach developer, RST Development LLC, requested a rezoning (Residential-1 to Planned Residential Development) for 19.51-acres along Route 29 in Places 29 North.