TJPDC e–News—Spring 2004

30 Years of Regional Planning, Linking Transportation, Land Use, Economy, & Environment

TJPDC e–News is issued on a quarterly basis to keep you informed about the programs and projects at the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. In addition to e-mail, every issue of TJPDC e–News is posted on our website.

TJPDC e–News provides brief snapshots of our current efforts. If you are interested in additional information on a particular subject, just click on the link embedded in the article or contact the appropriate TJPDC staff member. We hope you enjoy this update. Please feel free to send comments and suggestions to info@tjpdc.org.

The Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization, Virginia Department of Transportation, City of Charlottesville, and Albemarle County along with an expert consultant team are nearing completion of the 29H250 Phase 2 project. Phase 2 has examined the study area of the US-29/Hydraulic/US-250 triangle in more depth, extending on each end of the 29 corridor to the 250/Barracks Road Exit to the west and Greenbrier Drive to the north. Valuable feedback on design concepts were received during public workshops held in January and February. Detailed design alternatives with technical and economic analysis and visualizations will be presented to the local government agencies and public for review and comment on Thursday, April 29 at the Holiday Inn-Emmet Street. Be looking for more details.

For more information, contact Harrison Rue at (434) 979-7310 x110 or or Rhonda Edmunds at (434) 979-7310 x330 or .

Homelessness Issues

"Homelessness in a World-Class Community: Creating an Action Plan" was the first regional forum on homelessness held in March. A huge success, over 140 service providers, concerned citizens, business people, volunteers, and people who were homeless met to identify gaps in regional services and to develop strategies to address them. The specific agenda items were to identify the causes and extent of homelessness in the region, identify homeless services and issues, and build partnerships to develop an action plan for ending homelessness. TJACH will release a report in May on the results of the forum.

For more information, contact Evan Scully at (434) 979-7310 x440 or .

Also, visit the TJACH website,.

Fork Union Community Workshop April 24, 2004

Area residents and business owners are encouraged to attend the Fork Union Community Workshop to be held at the Fork Union Baptist Church on April 24, 2004 from 9:00 - 3:00 p.m. The purpose of the workshop is to garner community input into developing a community plan for the greater Fork Union area. This plan is intended to guide future business growth, residential growth, recreation, transportation, and infrastructure development in the Fork Union area. Along with Fluvanna County staff and community leaders, TJPDC will facilitate the workshop on April 24th and provide assistance with the development of the plan. All citizens who have an interest in the future of the Fork Union area are invited and encouraged to attend this workshop. There will be planning activities scheduled for children. Lunch will be provided.

For more information, contact Harrison Rue at (434) 979-7310 x110 or or Shae Garwood at (434) 979-7310 x360 or .

Hazard mitigation saves lives and reduces property damage. The Regional Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee will meet on May 4, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. at TJPDC to further develop the hazard identification and risk assessment portion of the Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Members of the public and representatives from local governments, the business community, and non-profit organizations are encouraged to attend.

For more information, see the Hazard Mitigation Plan  page on our website or contact Shae Garwood at (434) 979-7310 x360 or .

Piedmont Workforce Network Launches On-the-Job Training Program

As a result of discussions with federal partners, Workforce Today (Local Workforce Investment Board, Area VI) is launching an On-the-Job Training (OJT) initiative to serve workers affected by plant closings. There are many affected workers in the region who have exhausted their unemployment benefits and need to generate income. The OJT program will focus on workers served with emergency response funds, including ConAgra, ComDial, Liberty Fabrics, Wrangler and Sprint, and those served through national emergency grant funds, including Technicolor and Keller Manufacturing. Workforce Today is looking forward to the formation of stronger partnerships with the business community on economic development initiatives.

For more information contact Jim Elmore at (434) 977-2662 or .

New VDOT Bike and Ped Policy Supports "Complete Streets"

• On March 18, Virginia's Commonwealth Transportation Board adopted a new bicycle and pedestrian policy that commits the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to routinely accommodate bicycling and walking "as fundamental travel modes and integral components...in the planning, funding, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of Virginia's transportation network".
• VDOT will initiate all highway construction projects with the presumption that the projects shall accommodate bicycling and walking.
• Stand-alone bicycle and pedestrian projects and retrofits, independent of concurrent highway construction, are now broadly allowed under the same procedures as other highway construction projects.
• Bicycle and pedestrian facilities will now be funded in the same manner as other highway features.
• Accommodations are specifically promoted in conjunction with access-controlled highway projects, operation and maintenance activities, long-distance bicycle routes, and tourism and economic development initiatives.

For more information visit the VDOT Programs webpage.

The UnJAM 2025 Plan will take advantage of this new policy by funding $6 million worth of bike and ped projects throughout the MPO area. A listing of these projects can be found here (92 KB).

HOME Consortium Focuses on Building Sustainable Communities

The Thomas Jefferson HOME Consortium has begun a Sustainable Communities Initiative aimed at encouraging the use of sustainable, green building techniques and materials in the development of affordable housing in the region. The HOME Consortium will create a regional clearinghouse of information and resources on green building design and construction. In addition to the environmental, health, and safety benefits of green building, low income residents will benefit from increased affordability through lower energy costs from heating and air conditioning, less water consumption, lower costs from waste disposal, andreduced long-term maintenance.

For more information, contact Shae Garwood at (434) 979-7310 x360 or .

The TJPDC is working with both Greene County and the Town of Stanardsville to identify improvements that would offer additional amenities for both residents and tourists. A Community Planning Workshop was held in January where possible improvements to the Town were developed including additional sidewalks and relocating utility lines underground. The first phase of TEA grants to improve safety and walkability in Stanardsville was submitted to VDOT on March 1.

The Town, County and TJPDC matched the potential federal grant for a total amount of $22,500. If approved, the grant will be used to construct a Route 33 crossing improvement between the schools and the shopping center, add sidewalks to Route 230, and create more crosswalks along Main and Celt Streets. Future phases, if funded, would build more sidewalks, add benches and trees, and possibly bury utility lines in and near court square. The plan and report are available on our website at the Stanardsville Community Planning page .

For more information, contact Chris Gensic 979-7310 x 260 or .

In partnership with the City of Charlottesville and Piedmont Housing Alliance, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission developed the region's Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. The report includes data, analysis, and proposed methods of promoting fair housing choice in our area. The report was approved by the TJPDC Commissioners on April 1 and will be submitted to HUD in April, which is Fair Housing Month. The Analysis can be viewed here .

Executive Director Addresses Audiences on Smart Growth

TJPDC's executive director Harrison Rue is a featured speaker at several events.

On April 14, he will be part of a WHTJ "Virginia Currents" panel discussing growth in Central Virginia and its impact on transportation, housing, and the environment. For more info see the Community Ideas website.

On May 17, as part of the Smart Growth Speaker Series, he will speak at the National Building Museum in Washington DC, outlining success stories in regional smart growth planning. For more info, see the calendar at the Smart Growth website.

Rue also recently gave the Plenary Address at the Environment Virginia Conference in Lexington, on "Regional Planning Linking Land Use, Transportation, Economy, and Environment." See the event page at the Environment Virginia website.

About this email

TJPDC e–News is a publication of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and is published as a forum for the latest news and information concerning the programs and projects at the PDC. This newsletter is mailed on a quarterly basis. If you would like to be removed from the distribution list, please contact the TJPDC at info@tjpdc.org or by calling (434) 979–7310.

For more information about the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, please contact us or visit our website:

Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
300 East Main Street, P.O. Box 1505
Charlottesville, VA 22902-1505
(434) 979–7310
(434) 979-1597 (fax)
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info@tjpdc.org (email)
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Regional planning
linking transportation,
land use, economy, & environment.