At this point in the 2021 Virginia General Assembly, the House and Senate versions of the budget have passed their respective chambers and a conference committee has been assigned to work out the differences. While we believe many of our conservation funding priorities are well-positioned, we’re making a final push to help ensure they make it into the final budget.
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.
Week Ahead for February 22, 2021: Batesville solar project, Charlottesville’s future land use, and more
The final week of the second month of 2021 is here, and is slightly less hectic than last week. Or is it? The pandemic seems to have made everything busier than in years before with virtual meetings becoming commonplace and part of how things work in our community.
Week Ahead for February 15: Presidents’ Day Edition
Today is Presidents’ Day, and what better a time to get this newsletter out to you than on a national holiday! In these times when it may seem powerless to affect what happens in federal government, perhaps this is a good day to learn more about what’s happening locally. That’s where this newsletter comes in each and every week. Thanks for reading and please send it on to someone you think might benefit from the information.
Local Land Conservation Total in 2020
5,287 acres of land were protected by conservation easements last year.
Greene Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing Rescheduled for Feb 17
I wanted to give you a brief update on Greene County’s comprehensive plan review process. The planning commission’s initial public hearing was scheduled to take place a few weeks ago on January 20, but since the meeting ran long, they decided to postpone it to allow for better public participation.
The initial comprehensive plan public work session and public hearing has been rescheduled for next Wed., February 17 at 6:30 PM. It is now the first item on the planning commission’s agenda. As I mentioned in my previous email, this is a great opportunity to get an overview of the existing comprehensive plan, as well as to learn about the county’s anticipated timeline for completing the comprehensive plan review this year.
Against All Odds: Re-Discovering Walker Cobler and His Legacy
“…the presence of an African American cemetery here is uncovering a largely forgotten history that will change the way we think about the African American legacy in Madison County.”
Week Ahead for February 8, 2021: No Slow Week Edition
So far, 2021 has moved at a fast pace. Somehow this week, it appears as if there might be a small break. Yet, each week I put this newsletter together, I find there’s always enough to write about in our community. Our country is built upon thousands of municipal meetings and this work is intended to help you know what’s coming up so you can get involved.
An Albemarle / Charlottesville Update
Despite the challenge of the ongoing pandemic and the limitations of working at home, there is still a lot of positive conservation and land-use work we’ve been able to accomplish at the local level.
Week Ahead for February 1, 2021: Fresh Snow edition
A new month brings a fresh start, one day after the first significant snowfall in Charlottesville in some years. As it is somewhat of a snow day, let’s just get right into it without any pontificating!
Thank as always to the Piedmont Environmental Council for their support of this newsletter’s creation each week.