Albemarle
Key Parkland Purchase
PEC worked with the City of Charlottesville and local conservation buyers, which included Charlottesville musician Dave Matthews and DMB band manager Coran Capshaw, to help acquire a 27-acre property along Moores Creek that straddles the City/County border. The property is immediately across the street from Azalea Park, and it will allow for a new public access trail corridor to be constructed between Old Lynchburg Road and Sunset Avenue Extended.
Historic Bridge at Risk
Also happening in Albemarle, a historic rural bridge is at risk of being torn down. VDOT announced plans to remove and replace a 1932 steel, pony truss bridge on Secretary Sands Road. The bridge spans the Hardware River, and is within the Southern Albemarle Historic District. It’s one of only a few such bridges left in the County. How long until there are none left to save? PEC, local residents, and historic preservationists are following this situation closely.
Clarke
River and Roots Festival
PEC will once again have a booth at the River and Roots Festival on Friday and Saturday, June 24th and 25th. Event organizers use the event to promote and support local nonprofits that help our waterways and support local farming.
Also, due to a delay in plant availability, the Monarch waystation and pollinator garden planting that was being planned in cooperation with VDOT, a coalition of nonprofits, and the County is on hold until the fall. We’ll keep you posted on when the planting is rescheduled. A lot of volunteers will be needed.
Culpeper
Working with Partners to Create a New Park
While this year’s General Assembly state park bond discussion fell short, we continue to advocate along with our partners Brandy Station and Cedar Mountain State Park Alliance for the creation of a new park encompassing these two civil war battlefields. Besides protecting the largest cavalry engagement in North America, the new park would create expanded public access and tourism opportunities, including the potential for river access.
Fauquier
Help Shape the Future of Fauquier
The County is hosting a series of community meetings about the future of Fauquier County. You have an opportunity to participate in the discussions on July 12, September 20, and November 15 at 7 p.m. at the Fauquier High School: 705 Waterloo Road Warrenton, VA 20186. It is very important that informed PEC members like you participate in this planning exercise. Fauquier is a beautiful and unique place to live, but it hasn’t happened by chance. County residents have worked hard for a long time to ensure desired growth does not diminish Fauquier’s natural, cultural or historic resources.
Also, funding has been allocated to extend the Remington Wastewater Treatment Facility line out to Midland, and there is talk of bringing the extension all the way out to Catlett. These extensions are extremely costly and threaten to use up the limited capacity of the plant before places like Bealeton and Remington can fully buildout to the walkable, high-quality communities envisioned.
Finally, Costco has stopped negotiations on the Rt. 29/Rt. 605 site, which abuts Chestnut Forks Tennis and Fitness Club. We don’t know the specific reason the negotiations stopped or if they are considering other sites. A Costco at this particular location would have caused significant traffic problems on Rt. 29.
Greene
Landowners Learn About Land Conservation and Land Management
PEC helped coordinate a landowner outreach workshop in Stanardsville with presentations from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, Virginia Department of Forestry, Soil and Water Conservation District, and the US Dept of Agriculture. About 45 landowners attended to learn about assistance programs for land conservation and land management.
Loudoun
Planning Underway for Loudoun’s Future
Loudoun County is kicking off its Comprehensive Plan review, starting in June. PEC will be participating on the stakeholder committee and encourages residents to stay informed and involved. We will let you know about the many public input opportunities, so you can have a say in Loudoun’s growth and future.
On a more short-term note, the Board of Supervisors will make a decision on two issues of concern to Loudoun residents in the rural and transition areas.
One of the issues the BOS is addressing is whether to approve or deny a Commission Permit for AT&T that was approved by the Planning Commission for a two-story, 160,000-square-foot building on the top of Short Hill Mountain. PEC and other members of the Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition expressed concern about the project at the Planning Commission meeting on April 26, 2016. Now, many Loudoun residents and members of the Board of Supervisors have raised concerns about the application, including the proposed use and visibility of such a large building located on top of the mountain. The BOS will take final action on the application on June 23, 2016.
The BOS will also hold a public hearing on June 15 to consider vastly expanding permitted uses (34 new uses) on open space lots, rural economy lots and common open space in HOAs byright and special exception. County staff do not support moving forward with these uses without extensive public input. PEC and many residents are encouraging the BOS to sort through the uses to determine which ones may be suitable and which are not. And we want them to engage the public in a thorough outreach program. It is important for you to share your opinion with the BOS.
Madison
Helping Native Brook Trout Habitat
Final designs are being prepared for the culvert removal project on the Robinson River, which will reconnect over 5 miles of native Brook trout habitat. PEC is teaming up with two families, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Trout Unlimited and a contractor to complete this project. Implementation is slated for later this summer.
Orange
Gordonsville Renaissance
The Town of Gordonsville recently completed its Main Street Streetscape Enhancement Project in the business district from King Street to High Street. Enhancements include the replacement of deteriorating concrete sidewalks with brick sidewalks, curb and guttering, rehabilitation of drainage structures, and crosswalk safety and aesthetic improvements. The town also installed pedestrian-scaled street lighting, trees and landscaping. The Main Street corridor is part of the Gordonsville Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rappahannock
Working with Shenandoah National Park
PEC has been working on donating a property it owns to the National Park Service for inclusion in Shenandoah National Park. The property is surrounded by the park on three of its four sides, and it is adjacent to a designated wilderness area within the park.
In other news, our restoration project on Sprucepine Branch, a native brook trout stream, will take place this summer when water levels drop. The project will replace the only man-made barrier to fish passage on Sprucepine Branch and reconnect over two miles of habitat for aquatic organisms.
This article was featured in our Summer 2016 Member Newsletter, The Piedmont View.