RURAL NELSON MINUTES WEDNESDAY, JULY 7TH, 2004 RURAL NELSON OFFICE NEXT MEETING: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4TH, 2004 The meeting was brought to order by Kim Cash shortly after 7:30 p.m. Kim introduced Stratton Salidis who had come to the meeting to make a presentation on the proposed Meadowcreek Parkway and how it might affect Nelson County. Stratton is a teacher at the Living Education Center for Ecology and the Arts in Charlottesville. Stratton talked first about pedestrian-oriented development in contrast to auto-oriented development. He said that the defining feature of sprawl is that it is auto-centric, and therefore spread out, requiring many different parking areas. Pedestrian-oriented development allows more use of the available space for people, with living, working and shopping part of an integrated whole. Sprawl disempowers those who cannot afford cars, and young people who must be driven everywhere. Pedestrian-oriented development enhances health by reducing car accidents and diseases associated with air quality and obesity. Preserving habitat is easier also, and fewer animals are killed in road accidents. It also allows contact between people of all classes, something that is important for civic health. The Downtown Mall is an example of a wonderful public space. The U.S. is 5% of world population, but uses 25% of the world's oil. Auto-oriented development also leads to more expensive infrastructure, at the cost of the taxpayer. How do we get pedestrian-oriented development? The most important factor is transportation and land use policy. How do we give away our most valuable public space, i.e. our corridors? Is one person driving one car given the same value as one bus, even though one bus carries as many people as six blocks of single autos? Lights can be timed to the advantage of buses, and HOV lanes can be enforced. What is happening in Charlottesville? The bypass probably will not be built. Route 29 is scheduled to be widened north and south of the city, but currently Charlottesville is a bottleneck for through travelers. Interstate 81 is also being looked at for widening, including possible parallel rail traffic. The Meadowbrook Parkway, parallel to Rte. 29, is the road mostly likely to be built that would increase sprawl. Phase One is from Rio to the 250 bypass and Phase Two from Proffit (or Hollymeade) to Rio. The Hollymeade Town Center and North Pointe (in planning) will each have shopping centers bigger than Barracks Road. Business groups see the Meadowbrook Parkway as the number one government project they would like to see built. It would take some traffic off of Rt. 29 initially, but will increase traffic downtown. Planners have not looked at the fact that roads are a subsidy for development. Two lights will be put in on Rt. 29 for Hollymenade, and if North Pointe goes through there will be three more lights in that area. The Eastern Connector would connect traffic from the east with the Parkway, and would go through Penn Park. The Parkway itself would go through MacIntyre Park. When new roadways are built, they tend to be used to capacity in five years, in places with development pressure. Limiting access points is one possibility in terms of cutting down on traffic. Portland Oregon in the 1970's set up growth boundaries beyond which it was made known they the city would not provide infrastructure for development. Most good examples of cities handling traffic well are outside the United States. Cost estimates for Meadowcreek Parkway are 30 million dollars for the Rio portion and 90 million for the larger portion. The city is insisting that there be a Meadowcreek interchange at McIntyre. The attempt is being made to have the first funding be that portion that is completely under the control of the city, which could then emphasize transportation, including even potentially free and convenient public transportation. There already is a free trolley between the university and the Downtown Mall. Often good planning consists not of more restrictive laws but of less restrictive laws, for instance those that regulate the number of non-family members who can live together in any one residence. As to the effect of Meadowcreek on Lovingston, people would prefer to live here if they knew they could take the bus into work in Charlottesville. This is a twenty-year plan, but they haven't talked about the opportunities that will arise once internet access is quicker and more predominant and technology can connect us all more easily. Express bus routes connecting the airport, Pantops and Standardsville with the city of Charlottesville would make a big difference. Virginia Railway Express may also be extended to Charlottesville, using track leased from the Norfolk Southern Railway. There is, in this current plan, ten times more money dedicated to roads than to that dedicated to all other modes of transportation such as bikes. Developers have been pumping money into political campaigns to push Meadowcreek. It is a difficult issue. Stratton thinks that public opinion is beginning to turn against the Parkway Plan, and that it is possible it could be voted down. The Piedmont Environmental Council and the Southern Environmental Law Center have been fighting the Western Bypass. Neither has taken a stand vis-à-vis the Meadowcreek Parkway. The next meeting of Rural Nelson will be on Wednesday, August 4th at 7:30 p.m. at the office. The program will be on broadband access via the powerlines. Greg Kelly with Central Virginia Electric Cooperative will be the speaker. Respectfully Submitted, Mary Buford Hitz ------------------------------------------------------------------ OF INTEREST: - The Board of Forestry is holding meetings around the state to hear from citizens what factors, concerns and issues bear on their decision to maintain private forests. The closest meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 29th at 7:00 pm at the Dept of Forestry Office in Fontaine Research Park in Charlottesville. Call 434.977.6555 for more information. - Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan Public Meeting - VTrans2025,the statewide multimodal transportation plan, is a long range planning effort to create a more integrated, convenient, and efficient transportation system for Virginia's traveling public and for visitors. This effort marks the first time that all of the agencies responsible for providing transportation services and facilities have come together to analyze the future trends and needs of highway motorists, rail and transit passengers, freight shippers, airline passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians. A VTrans2025 public meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 10th from 4 pm to 8 pm at the Culpeper Train Depot. This will be an open format informational meeting where you will be able to learn more about VTrans2025 and speak with agency representatives who have intimate knowledge of this process. In addition, VDOT will be seeking comments on the State Highway Plan and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation will be asking for comments on the Rail, Transit, and TDM Needs Assessment. The Department of Aviation and the Virginia Port Authority will have their existing long-range plans available for informational purposes. Harrison Rue, TJPDC executive director, is a member of the VTrans 2025 technical committee. For more information, contact him at (434) 979-7310 x110 or hrue@tjpdc.org. To view the draft plan, visit http://www.sotrans.state.va.us/VTrans/home.htm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This report, sent to over 580 Nelson County citizens, was made possible by the generous donations of Rural Nelson members and supporters. We need your help to continue this service. Please consider donating. Kim T. Cash Field Officer Rural Nelson, Inc. P. O. Box 401 (622 Front Street) Lovingston, VA 22949 434.263.5000 Email: info@ruralnelson.org www.ruralnelson.org