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.
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.
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.
Take Action to Support Conservation Funding
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.
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.