• Services for the Homeless
• Transportation News
• THA Toolkit Projects and Fact Sheets
• HOME Action Plan Available for Comment
• Environmental News
• Village of Rivanna Study Receives Planning Commission and Community Input
• Scenario Selection for Multimodal Corridor Study
• Training for Town of Louisa Planning Commission
• Homesharing/ADU Focus Groups
• RideShare News
• TJPDC Staff and Commission News

First Street Church Project Groundbreaking

Construction to transform the former First Street Christian Church into a center for services to the homeless and disadvantaged commenced on March 16. Ten days later, benefactor Tom Shadyac addressed a full house at the building to celebrate this important milestone. Plans for the building were on display, showing the four elements of the center: the Annex, Kay’s Kitchen, the Day Haven, and the Sanctuary. Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH) Board Chair Ed Bain announced the merger of the First Street Church Project (FSCP) with TJACH into a single organization. TJACH Board member Karen Shepard of MACAA also spoke at the event. TJACH is taking on the role of the lead organization on homelessness and plans to submit its application for non-profit status in May. For more information contact Billie Campbell at bcampbell@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x230.

TJACH Service Providers Council Officers Elected

The TJACH Service Providers Council elected Donna Baker as Chair and Adriana Nicholson as Vice Chair at its January meeting. The two officers will represent the council on the TJACH Board. The Service Providers Council is now a standing committee of TJACH and will advise the Board on various issues, particularly the annual Continuum of Care (CoC) submission. The 2008 CoC was submitted last September, and in February, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced FY08 CoC awards. The Thomas Jefferson Area was awarded a total of $350,480 for four programs as follows: 1) Positive Permanent Solutions, a new Supportive Housing Program by the AIDS/HIV Services Group (ASG); 2) Region Ten’s Shelter Plus Care Program (renewal); 3) Region Ten’s Dual Recovery Center (renewal); and 4) ASG’s Positive Places, a Supportive Housing Program. The Service Providers Council has changed its regular meeting day to the 1st Tuesday of the month from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. to facilitate communication and coordination with the Board, which meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. Meetings are held at the TJPDC office. For more information contact Billie Campbell at bcampbell@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x230.

Homeless Point-in Time Census

TJACH collected the seventh annual Point-In-Time (PIT) census of the homeless in the region on January 28, 2009. On that date, TJACH was able to locate 232 people who were homeless. Due to difficulties in locating homeless persons, this is a conservative figure and represents the least number of homeless people in the region on that date. Most of these were residing in emergency or transitional facilities, with no children and 14 adults unsheltered. Of the 232 people, 80 were chronically homeless, defined as “an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more, or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.” More than 120 surveys were completed, with respondents identifying services needed over the past year that they were unable to obtain. Dental care was the most common inaccessible service cited; job training/placement and shelter also were listed. Inability to find work was the most commonly identified challenge, followed by lack of affordable housing and medical and dental problems. Using a broader definition of homelessness, 327 homeless children were reported to be in area schools; the Homeless Census found only 27 children that met the more stringent HUD definition of homeless. For more information contact Billie Campbell at bcampbell@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x230.

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Regional Transportation Survey being Conducted

Since the fall of 2007, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has been studying the most appropriate areas and corridors to expand local transit services to provide the public with a more robust system that offers greater mobility choices.  Decision makers need to hear about where those transportation investments should go in order to yield the greatest return. An online survey has been launched for citizens to voice views on the future of regional public transportation. Recommendations from this survey will be unveiled at the Transportation Tomorrow workshop on Thursday, May 21st, 7:00-9:00 PM at the Albemarle County Office Building. Click here to take the survey.

Regional Transit Assessment Toolkit Project

The TJPDC continues to work with the Southeastern Institute of Research, Inc. (SIR), to develop a Regional Transit Assessment Toolkit. The TJPDC and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will utilize research surveys involved in the Toolkit Project to support planning related to a regional transit authority (RTA). Specific project objectives include 1) to assess public opinion of the existing public transit infrastructure and understand what drives these opinions; 2) to identify unmet needs and/or barriers to use by existing and prospective system riders; 3) to recommend specific public transportation system service enhancements; and 4) to measure the degree of awareness, familiarity, and support among the general public for the RTA concept. The TJPDC and SIR have developed a non-rider questionnaire that is currently being executed through a random telephone survey (Charlottesville Transit Service conducted an on-board rider survey and collected over 3000 responses). An online version of the questionnaire (referenced above) is now available and being marketed to the public. The final product will package all of the information related to this study into a toolkit that can be used by other regions to more actively engage the public in transportation/transit planning issues. For more information, contact Melissa Barlow at mbarlow@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x260.

Regional Transit Authority Enabled by General Assembly Session

The General Assembly approved enabling legislation this past session to authorize Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville to form a regional transit authority (RTA). The legislation does not form the RTA, but rather grants the two localities permission to form the Authority when deemed appropriate by both governing bodies. The legislation was modeled after a similar measure that was enacted several years ago for the Williamsburg area. A second, unsuccessful bill would have authorized a referendum to gauge voter sentiment about increasing the local sales tax by up to one-cent in each locality. Such revenue would then have been used to fund the operations of the new RTA and other priority transportation projects. Local officials will resume meetings this spring to discuss next steps for forming the RTA.  For more information, visit our RTA page at http://www.tjpdc.org/transportation/rta.asp. 

VDOT hosts Route 29 Regional Forums
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has completed a series of four Regional Leadership Forums to solicit input and ideas about the future of the Route 29 corridor. One of the sessions was held in the Charlottesville area. The forums helped to identify issues that are important to everyone along the corridor, as well as areas of concern about roadway safety, capacity and access. They were part of an in-depth study of the 219-mile segment of Route 29 from I-66 at Gainesville to the North Carolina line. The study is intended to assess the highway with regard to safety, congestion, through-travel, access control, land use and transportation planning, and economic development. A set of short-, mid-, and long-term recommendations and action plans to improve the regional functionality of the corridor will be developed. The next steps in the study include one-on-one meetings with localities along the corridor to develop/refine specific recommendations.  These discussions will address recommendations from previous studies, key issues related to transportation operations and safety in the corridor, as well as land use and growth management. The project should be complete by December.  For more information, visit the VDOT Route 29 Corridor Study page. 

Rural Roundtable

The Rural Technical Committee held a roundtable meeting in March, with guest speaker Julie Brown, Assistant Division Administrator with the Local Assistance Division of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). This discussion focused on VDOT programs such as Access Roads, Rural Rustic Roads, Revenue Sharing and Enhancement Grant Programs. There was also discussion regarding the agency’s devolution initiative for secondary roads. For more information, contact Will Cockrell at wcockrell@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x440.

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The Transportation and Housing Alliance (THA) is a statewide initiative linking public and private leaders in the areas of housing and transportation to promote independent living and community inclusion for people with disabilities, the elderly and other underserved populations. The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD – www.vaboard.org) administers a grant for applicants wishing to use the THA Toolkit, which is available here. Since its inception, 12 projects have been funded through this initiative. Four of these were recently approved: 1) Senior Services of Southeast Virginia (SSSV), to assess elderly and disability services in the Hampton Roads area; 2) the Town of Mineral, to establish a walking tour of its downtown and to determine the need for assessable pedestrian facilities; 3) Louisa County’s Transportation Plan, to consider the needs of people with disabilities; and 4) the Jefferson Area Transition Council, to conduct a regional Needs Assessment in partnership with the Disability Services Board. Three fact sheets have been completed to provide guidance on using the THA Toolkit for a Needs Assessment, Housing Market Study and Transit Feasibility Study, and are available at http://www.tjpdc.org/housing/index.asp. For more information, contact Will Cockrell at wcockrell@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x440. To request a Toolkit binder, please send an email to info@tjpdc.org.

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The City of Charlottesville and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission invite all interested citizens to comment on the Draft Year 2009 - 2010 Action Plan of the Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan and the Action Plan guide the use of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds in the City of Charlottesville and federal HOME funds in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District (City of Charlottesville and counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson). Funding levels for the coming year are not yet known. The Action Plan and additional information is available on TJPDC's Consolidated Plan Page. For questions or more information, contact Melissa Celii, City of Charlottesville, at 434-970-3093, or Billie Campbell, TJPDC, at 434-979-7310 x230.

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Electronics Recycling Event

The TJPDC joined other area organizations to sponsor a free Television and Electronics Recycling Event in late January. A coalition of partners hosted the event, which was funded by an anonymous local foundation, at Charlottesville’s Rio Hill Shopping Center. The response was overwhelming, as over 218,500 pounds (109 tons) of electronics were collected. Additional in-kind and physical support for the event was provided by UVA Recycling, Crutchfield, Rivanna Solid Waste Authority, and Papa John’s Pizza. The Charlottesville Community Design Center served as the non-profit lead on the event. AERC Recycling from Ashland, Virginia, was the contractor charged with collecting and recycling the materials. TJPDC serves as the central archive for recycling for the Solid Waste Region, which includes the City of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna and Greene.

Second Composting Workshop Held

The TJPDC partnered with the Piedmont Master Gardeners to hold a workshop on home composting Monday, April 20 at 7 pm at the Albemarle County Office Building. Inexpensive compost bins were raffled off and also sold at cost. The TJPDC partnered with the Fluvanna Master Gardeners to offer a very successful workshop on home composting last November at the Lake Monticello Volunteer Fire & Rescue building. Please e-mail or call Rochelle Garwood at rgarwood@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x320, for information about these events.

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At its March 17, 2009 meeting, the Albemarle County Planning Commission reviewed a preferred land use scenario for the Village of Rivanna, located on Route 250 East near Charlottesville. This preferred scenario is the result of a November 2008 workshop where community members voted on their preference from the three scenarios presented. For more information, contact Bill Wanner at wwanner@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x390.

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On March 31, a community-wide scenario workshop was held for Greene County residents to select the preferred alternative for the types and locations of future development and needed transportation improvements in the county that will guide work on the Greene County Comprehensive Plan.  This workshop was a follow-up to a November event in which residents identified preferred land uses and suggested transportation improvements. Based on the information from that workshop, four scenarios were modeled and presented to residents on March 31 for review and refinement. For more information, contact Bill Wanner at wwanner@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x390.

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On March 30, TJPDC staff presented two topics as part of the Town of Louisa continuing education training: 1) How small towns can develop transportation and land use strategies for preserving their character; and 2) the role of and the legal issues for planning commissioners. The Town of Louisa Planning Commission is to be commended for its commitment to continuing its education and to the betterment of the town. For more information, contact Bill Wanner at wwanner@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x390, or Will Cockrell at wcockrell@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x440

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Two focus groups were held in January to discuss a possible homesharing program in the Charlottesville area. Home providers and home seekers provided input through two separate groups, articulating their ideas and concerns about homesharing. Consultant Janice Jackson conducted the focus groups as part of the feasibility study currently being conducted by TJPDC and the Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA). Focus group participants voiced support for an agency-sponsored homesharing program and offered suggestions on program design. Desired elements in a homesharing program included the following: a comprehensive screening and matching process that addresses lifestyle issues, agreements that clarify expectations, linkages to mediation and other community services, orientation, periodic check-ins and evaluation, and exit strategies. Findings from the focus groups were presented to the Advisory Council on February 18. A handout is available at http://www.tjpdc.org/housing/index.asp. For more information, contact Kristen Pingry at kpingry@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x310.

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Clean Commute Day

The Commuter Information Team (RideShare, JAUNT, CTS, UTS and Greene County Transit) has been making plans to host the 19th annual Clean Commute Day. This year’s event will be held in two locations on Friday, May 1--on the east end of Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall and on the UVA grounds outside Clark Hall. Stop by between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm to learn about different commuting options while enjoying free food and entertainment (downtown only). Residents again will be encouraged to take the Clean Commute Pledge, promising to use a transportation alternative for one day this spring. Pledges will be entered in a drawing to win prizes donated by local sponsors. Visit www.commuterinformation.com for more information.

RideShare Partners with Westminster Canterbury of the Blue Ridge

In January, RideShare added Westminster Canterbury of the Blue Ridge (WCBR) to its list of employers that provide carpool matching and Guaranteed Ride Home information at the workplace. RideShare provided employers with information tables, on-site registration and door prizes. WCBR staff had the opportunity to ask questions and get started with carpooling, while those already carpooling or using JAUNT commuter routes signed up for a Guaranteed Ride Home. RideShare has worked with several of the areas large employers, such as UVa, State Farm and LexisNexis; however, free commuter services are available for any and all employers in the Planning District region. Contact Will Sowers, RideShare Outreach Specialist, at wsowers@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x270, to schedule a RideShare event at your worksite.

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TJPDC Hires New Executive Director

The TJPDC has hired Steve Williams to be its Executive Director, effective May 11, 2009. For the past five years, Steve has been the executive director of the Nashua (New Hampshire) Regional Planning Commission (NRPC), after having served two years there as assistant director and Metropolitan Planning Organization coordinator. He also served as assistant director and transportation planner for the East Central Intergovernmental Association in Iowa, and held numerous positions with the Association of Monterey Bay (California) Area Governments. Mr. Williams is a professional planner with over 25 years of experience working for local and regional planning agencies and brings specific expertise in transportation planning to the work of the TJPDC.

New TJPD Commissioners

Two new Commissioners have been appointed to the TJPDC in recent months. Chris Fairchild is a new representative from Fluvanna County, replacing former Commission chairman Grant Tate, who has moved out of the county. Chris is CEO of National Filter Service, Inc. and a past chairman of the Fluvanna County Economic Development Authority. In addition, Andrea Wilkinson succeeds former Commission chairman Jeri Allen, representing Greene County. Andrea is a CPA who has been active with the Ruckersville Citizens Council.

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Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
PO Box 1505 - 401 East Water Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
www.tjpdc.org
(434) 979-7310