• Encourage and maintain strong ties between the region's urban and rural areas
• Strive for a size and distribute the human population in ways that preserve vital resources
• Retain the natural habitat
• Ensure water quality and quantity are sufficient to support people and ecosystems
• Optimize the use and re-use of developed land and promote clustering
• Promote appropriate scale for land uses
• Retain farm and forest land
• Develop attractive and economical transportation alternatives
• Conserve energy
• Provide educational and employment opportunities
• Increase individual participation in neighborhoods and communities
  

• Community and Small Towns Planning
• Environmental Planning
• Housing and Human Services
• Legislative Program
• Transportation
• Workforce and Economic Development
• Financial Charts

This past fiscal year, TJPDC has worked on various projects that are forging sustainable solutions to regional issues. Highlights include working with housing advocates and the community on the Regional Action Agenda for Housing; completing and distributing the Transportation and Housing Alliance Toolkit; working closely with the Town of Scottsville and Fluvanna County to update their comprehensive plans; and introducing a new youth educational project (RideShare). Other projects included the Village of Rivanna Master Plan for Albemarle County, and continuing to work with the reinvigorated Mayor and Chairs group, which assumed a lead role in legislative program development and advocacy this past year.

As part of its goal to increase work through contracts with localities, TJPDC worked on a number of projects in partnership with local jurisdictions.

Comprehensive Plans

TJPDC completed its work on the Scottsville Comprehensive Plan update in June, working closely with the Scottsville Planning Commission. TJPDC also provided assistance to Fluvanna County for its Comprehensive Plan and has been selected to work with Greene County on its Comprehensive Plan over the next two years.

Local Support

TJPDC served as the planning consultant for Albemarle County for the Village of Rivanna Master Plan, conducting three community workshops and presenting a report to the Albemarle County Planning Commission. Work on the project will continue through FY09.

With assistance from TJPDC, Louisa County was successful in its application for funds to create a plan for its rural Broadband Planning Initiative. The project has progressed through the year, and includes a needs assessment, an analysis of current and future business and professional uses, an assessment of community computer literacy, and the identification of technology education needs.

back to top

Green Infrastructure

With $10,000 of funding from the Virginia Department of Forestry, the TJPDC collected and mapped data to create the base maps needed to develop a green infrastructure plan for the region over the next year. Green infrastructure involves an interconnected network of green space, which can provide protection and/or travel routes for animals, plants, water and people. TJPDC also was awarded $77,833 through the Federal Highway Administration’s Eco-logical program to integrate green infrastructure with transportation planning over the next three years.

Recycling Rate

The Thomas Jefferson Solid Waste Region (Charlottesville, Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, and Nelson) had a recycling rate of 36.5% for 2007, up from 34.3% the previous year, and far exceeding the state’s mandated minimum of 25%. Going forward, the solid waste region will not include Nelson County, which withdrew to join Region 2000’s solid waste region to realize transportation efficiencies and significant savings.

back to top

Regional Action Agenda for Housing

The Regional Housing Conference “Finding Common Ground,” held in March, included in-depth discussions on such issues as emerging housing approaches, density and sprawl, community design, community land trusts, proffers and lending/finance. Attendees included realtors, business people, public officials, lenders, builders, developers, architects, site planners, consumers, community leaders and concerned citizens. The Regional Action Agenda for Housing was developed from information presented and small group work at each breakout session. It addresses four broad categories: public-private partnerships, coordination and cooperation, policy changes, education and advocacy. A follow-up event, “Finding Common Ground: Call to Action,” is focusing on implementation of the Action Agenda.

Transportation and Housing Alliance (THA)

The first edition of the Transportation and Housing Alliance (THA) Toolkit was distributed to planning district commissions (PDCs) across the state at a conference of the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions (VAPDC). The Toolkit is a planning tool to assess needs and a guide to incorporate what has been learned into a plan, to create an action agenda, and to implement the plan. The key outcome of using the toolkit is a clear understanding of the current transportation and housing needs of people with disabilities and others who otherwise may be excluded from the planning process. This project was funded by the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities, which awarded a two-year continuation grant to TJPDC to put the Toolkit into use through 12 projects across the state.

Homeless Census

The Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH) collected the sixth annual point-in-time census of the homeless in the region in late January. The process included a count of people in homeless shelters, transitional housing, and various street and outdoor locations. There were 246 adults and 46 children found to be homeless on January 30, the “point in time” for the census, a 10% increase over last year. Most of these were residing in emergency or transitional facilities, with no children and 15 adults unsheltered (the second lowest number of unsheltered in the six years of the census).

Disability Services Board

The Jefferson Area Disability Services Board (DSB) was one of 14 DSBs statewide (of 28 that applied) to receive funding from the Rehabilitative Services Incentive Fund (RSIF) grant program. The grant will provide for transportation on JAUNT for 80 people with disabilities to enable them to find and establish employment.

back to top

The Legislative Liaison represents the interests and positions of the region’s localities before the state legislature and other state policymakers. Much of this effort occurs at the General Assembly during January to March of each year, but includes work during the off-season, attending legislative study committees and other meetings of interest to local governments. The liaison also works directly with the “Mayor and Chairs” group, reconstituted at the direction of the TJPD Commission in 2006. This group of top elected officials has taken on a role of helping to direct and lead legislative advocacy efforts, including hosting a special meeting of the region’s legislators to outline concerns with local implementation of the Comprehensive Services Act (CSA). Two meetings focused on discussion of SB 768, the cash proffer/impact fee bill from the 2008 General Assembly session that was opposed by most local governments.

back to top

Regional Transit Authority (RTA)

Work toward establishing a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) project moved along quickly over the course of the year. Staff analyzed initial study reports and planned meetings with the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County to move toward formation of an RTA in the region. The RTA Plan identifies corridors in the region anticipated to have high transit service needs, presents several management and governance options and provides various options for service, operations and investment options. TJPDC planned and facilitated a joint work session in February to address these issues. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) also awarded TJPDC a $100,000 grant through its Public Transportation Participation Pilot Program. TJPDC began work on the project late in the year to develop a Regional Transit Assessment Toolkit to survey public transportation riders on their satisfaction levels and ways to improve the system. Work will continue through FY09

United Jefferson Area Mobility Plan (UnJAM)

TJPDC worked on the update to the Long Range Transportation Plan, the United Jefferson Area Mobility Plan (UnJAM 2035), throughout FY08. The highlight was a May summit that featured a keynote address by Dr. Reid Ewing, author of “Growing Cooler”, and provided the opportunity for participants to work together in small groups to answer questions and mark up maps in workbooks created for the session. Public input for the long-range plan was also received via the www.UnJAM.org website, built on the Neighborhood America template. The web site was a vehicle for two-way communication between the public and the planning team. Over 400 people from across the planning district responded to the on-line survey. The UnJAM plan combines transportation planning for both the MPO area and rural areas of the PDC. In addition, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) formally recognized TJPDC in January for outstanding work in Communicating Transportation Concepts to the Public. The award for the Street Capacity Exercise conducted for the previous UnJAM 2025 plan was presented at the 87th Annual Meeting of the TRB.

RideShare

As gas prices continued to rise, more area commuters and employers turned to RideShare for a solution. In addition to matching a record number of applicants in the spring, RideShare worked with some of the largest employers in the region to provide their employees a better way to get to work. RideShare staff made presentations at a Fall workshop to demonstrate how providing commuter benefits to employees can help companies ease parking issues and improve employee morale.

RideShare produced a story and activity book entitled “A Day on the Go: Making Smart Choices with Zach and His Friends,” which introduces the concept of making smart transportation choices to elementary school children. The workbook was designed for children in grades 3-5 in accordance with the Standards of Learning currently used in Virginia schools. In January, RideShare launched a companion website, www.ADayontheGo.org. The site includes games for children and background information for parents and teachers interested in the program. Workbooks are available free of charge for any school or youth program in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District. RideShare also continued working with area schools to enroll interested parents in the SchoolPool program. Participating schools provide a formal way for parents to connect with each other to share the ride to the same school – on a daily basis, occasionally or in an emergency.

back to top

Piedmont Workforce Network

The Piedmont Workforce Network (PWN) completed its eighth year at the TJPDC and prepared to shift fiscal and administrative functions to the Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development (TJPED). During FY08, the Incumbent Worker Retraining Program moved forward and PWN served workers laid off from Thomasville Furniture in Fluvanna County with funds through the Rapid Response Program. The PWN Youth Council sponsored the “ABC’s of Finding a Job” in conjunction with job fairs in Culpeper and at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC). The Virginia Workforce Center--Charlottesville was opened and formally dedicated in December during ceremonies featuring Governor Tim Kaine and members of his cabinet. The center, located at 2211 Hydraulic Road, is the state’s first comprehensive workforce one-stop center for employment needs to serve jobseekers and businesses in the region from one central location. It will house local and state government agencies and not-for-profit organizations, serving as the model for future one-stop centers throughout the state. Its creation was a coordinated effort among the Special Advisor to the Governor for Workforce Development's office, the Piedmont Workforce Network and local Workforce Investment Act partners. The Louisa Employment Center also was established this year, with its grand opening on June 7. The center will be open on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons, providing services to both job seekers and employers, including job search, resume writing and interview skills, job applicant screening and on-site recruitment.

Piedmont Sustainable Woods Initiative

Piedmont Sustainable Woods (PSW) is a new initiative in central Virginia focused on producing lumber and wood products made from sustainably grown or recovered trees. This project directly reflects the TJPDC commitment to sustainable practices as envisioned in the Sustainability Accords. The entire process from harvest to finished product would be done regionally. In May, a previously-established Exploratory Committee adopted formal operating guidelines and reconstituted itself as the Advisory Committee. PSW entered into a joint work program with the Virginia Organizing Project to operate as a non-profit organization, applied for and received private grant funding to study its sustainable wood operation, and then contracted with a Maryland-based consulting firm to perform the work. The feasibility study was due to be completed by the end of October, 2008, and will set the stage for attracting partners and developing a full Business and Operations Plan.

back to top

back to top

Unsubscribe
You are receiving this Annual Report because you have indicated you would like to stay informed on TJPDC programs and projects. If you no longer wish to receive communications from us, we will promptly remove your address from the distribution list. Click here to unsubscribe.. 

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