WATCH: PEC staff and volunteers planted 300 trees at Meadows Farm in Fauquier County on Earth Day!
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 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.
Week Ahead for April 5, 2021: Charlottesville to consider Starr Hill Vision plan, $192.2 million budget; Both city and Albemarle consider COVID emergency
After a relatively quiet week, local government gets back to full speed with meetings of the elected bodies in Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene, and Louisa. Sorry, Nelson County! It’s been a very active year so far. Budget season is coming to a close. There’s been a lot of movement on transportation projects. Both Albemarle and Charlottesville will consider whether to keep COVID restrictions that are more stringent than Virginia’s.
Week Ahead for April 19, 2021: Greene PC to take up Villages at Terrace Greene; ARB to review Biscuit Run park site plan
More than a year into the pandemic, most of this community’s public realm continues to operate virtually. While our community begins to open up more and more, this is still a time when local government meetings are accessible from anywhere. This is a good time to begin paying closer attention.
Video: Restoring Access to the Rivanna River
To help the public safely access the Rivanna River, PEC teamed up with the City of Charlottesville Parks and Recreation, Rivanna Conservation Alliance, and Rivanna River Co, to update the boat landing at Riverview Park!
Rangel Communication Proposes 199-ft Tower in Thoroughfare Gap
We have learned that Rangel Communication Inc. will be filing an application with Fauquier County for a 199-foot monopole tower and tower compound in Thoroughfare Gap, just east of the Broad Run Post Office along the south side of Rt. 55. This area, steeped in history, is the gateway into Fauquier County from Haymarket to the east.
Appalachian Conservation Corps blaze new trail at Rappahannock County Park
Rappahannock County Park has been visited recently by the Appalachian Conservation Corps (ACC), an AmeriCorps program of Conservation Legacy. The Piedmont Environmental Council, PEC’s Krebser Fund for Rappahannock County and Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) have partnered with the ACC to bring a crew of 6 young adults to the Piedmont region for tree plantings and trail maintenance projects.
Cycling for Sustainable Cities
Join PEC and partners on May 7, 2021 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm for Cycling for Sustainable Cities: A Presentation + Discussion with Ralph Buehler & John Pucher.
Celebrate Bike Month (May, 2021) with some inspiring stories about how to make cycling safer for everyone! Researchers Ralph Buehler & John Pucher will talk 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 will include trends and policies, and share examples from across America and around the world–with cases similar to our own communities.
Week Ahead for April 12, 2021: Charlottesville planners to consider two housing projects, Greene to review 55-unit townhouse project
Every three years, Charlottesville selects a neighborhood to receive federal funds that come through a process known as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). A task force is selected to review potential projects. The Ridge Street neighborhood is the current recipient and Council approved a set of recommendations at their meeting on March 15, 2021.