TJPDC E-News
Summer 2005
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 at www.tjpdc.org.
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. Please feel free to send comments and suggestions
to
.
TJPDC Office Relocating
The TJPDC is excited to announce that it will be moving its office
to 401 East Water Street (at the corner of 4th and Water
Streets) near the end of August. In addition to providing a brighter
and more open atmosphere, the new office space is conducive to better
teamwork and interaction. We look forward to welcoming all our partners
and friends to our new space. Stay tuned for more details and specific
timelines.
TJPDC and Albemarle County Kick off Places29
The TJPDC, along with the County of Albemarle, City of Charlottesville,
and VDOT, kicked off Places29 with the first public workshop on May
25. Places29, which combines the US 29 North Corridor multi-modal transportation
study along with Albemarle’s Northern Development Area Master Plan,
is scheduled for a second set of workshops in late fall. For information
on work to date, visit http://albemarle.org/department.asp?department=planning&relpage=6916.
Information on the detailed technical and economic analysis performed
in the 29H250 Phase 2 Study that will be important components of the
extended study can be found at www.tjpdc.org/transportation/29H250_Phase_2_toc.asp.
For more information, contact Harrison Rue at (434) 979-7310 x110 or
or Rhonda Edmunds at (434) 979-7310 x330 or
.
Piedmont Workforce Network
The Piedmont Workforce Network recently co-sponsored and assisted in
the planning and operation of a program, “Building Partnerships: Workforce
and Economic Development,” presented by the National Association of
Workforce Boards and the Virginia Workforce Council. This course was
designed to provide Workforce Investment Board members and staff, economic
developers, and other key stakeholders with a basic understanding of
the players, activities, and resources in the fields of economic development
and workforce development, in an effort help put collaboration between
the two systems into practice. For more information, contact Todd Palmquist
at (434) 979-7310 x250 or
General Assembly Final Report Available
An in-depth report summarizing actions taken by the 2005 session of
the General Assembly is now available on the TJPDC website. The document
highlights significant budget and legislative action of interest to
local governments. The text of the report is available at http://www.tjpdc.org/liaison/finalReport.asp.
If you have questions about items in this summary, please contact David
Blount, TJPD Legislative Liaison, at 979-7310 x350 or
.
TJPDC Awarded Transportation and Housing Alliance Grant
The TJPDC, on behalf of the Virginia Association
of Planning District Commissions, was awarded a $100,000 grant through
the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities to develop a Transportation
and Housing Alliance (THA). The goal is to develop a THA that will serve
as a conduit of information, resources, technical assistance, and education.
The THA will make public policy recommendations in the areas of transportation
and housing, and work to build and improve community infrastructure
in localities and statewide. The THA Steering Committee will include
representatives from TJPDC and four other Planning Districts (Northern
Virginia Regional Commission, Rappahannock Area Development Commission,
Accomack-Northampton PDC, and Mount Rogers PDC), as well as representatives
from state transportation and housing agencies. The THA will develop
an assessment tool to assess the housing and transportation needs of
people with disabilities, project future needs, and identify overlapping
issues and opportunities. For more information, contact Billie Campbell
at (434) 979-7310 x230 or
.
TJPDC Environmental Planner Accepted to
Leadership Institute
Rochelle Garwood, TJPDC's Senior Planner
- Environment, was accepted to the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership
Institute (VNRLI) with a $1,000 scholarship. VNRLI offers a series
of six 3-day workshops from September-June and has the goals of creating
"a leadership network of people who are engaged in working with
Virginia's natural resources at all levels" and "who will
have the leadership skills needed to engage in collaborative problem
solving around environmental issues." For more information, contact
Rochelle Garwood at (434) 979-7310 x320 or
.
Area Plans for Fluvanna County
TJPDC and Fluvanna County provided staff support for residents and
business owners in the greater Lake Monticello area in the development
of the Lake Monticello Community Plan. The Plan will shape future transportation,
housing, and economic development in Lake Monticello and the surrounding
areas. The recent Community Celebration included a mock-up of the proposed
pedestrian crossing at the Jefferson Centre, set up with traffic cones.
Work on the Palmyra Community Plan began with the first community planning
session on June 29. The standing-room-only crowd met at the Palmyra
United Methodist Church. Local residents identified key issues and marked
up maps to record their recommendations. Key themes were preserving
the historic character of the village and making it pedestrian and bicycle-friendly.
For more information, contact Billie Campbell at 979-7310 x230 or
.
TJPDC Completes Lovingston Safety Study
The TJPDC, along with Nelson County, VDOT,
and engineering and landscape architecture consultants recently completed
the Lovingston Safety Study. This plan studied and made recommendations
to enhance the small town, pedestrian-oriented character of historic
Lovingston, the County seat of Nelson, and to achieve a safer, more
efficient connection between historic Lovingston and the growth occurring
on the opposite side of Route 29. During the May 31st community
workshop, community needs and ideas were expressed and written on maps.
The Project Team then analyzed the results of the workshop and began
defining recommendations. The draft report can be found at http://tjpdc.org/community/Lovingston.asp.
For more information,contact Bill Wanner at (434) 979-7310 x 390 or
.
Executive Director Reappointed to NACEPT
Harrison Rue has been
re-appointed to a second two-year term on US EPA's National Council
on Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT), by EPA Administrator
Stephen L. Johnson. NACEPT advises EPA administration on a wide variety
of environmental policy and technology issues, most recently a
review of the Report on the Environment.
Rue's reappointment was noted by Gov. Christie Todd Whitman in her keynote
address to the Virginia Conservation Network (VCN) annual banquet. Rue
also serves on the VCN Board. For more information, contact Harrison
Rue at (434) 979-7310 x110 or
TJPDC and Coalition for Homeless Submit
Continuum of Care
The TJPDC and the Thomas Jefferson Areas Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH)
submitted the annual Continuum of Care Plan to the Department of Housing
and Urban Development. The Continuum of Care is a community plan to
organize and deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs
of people who are homeless as they move to stable housing and maximum
self-sufficiency. It includes action steps to end homelessness and prevent
a return to homelessness. The plan includes a request for funding for
proposed projects. Submitted projects in priority order are:
1. People And Congregations Engaged
in Ministry (PACEM), Tenant Based Rental Assistance Program, $28,800
2. Region Ten Community Services
Board, Dual Recovery Center (renewal), $143,946
3. Thomas Jefferson Planning District
Commission, Homeless Management Information System (renewal), $71,070
4. Helping Hands Home for Women,
$59,325.
For more information, contact Evan Scully at (434) 979-7310 x440 or
.
TJPDC Awarded Transportation Grant for
Fluvanna and Louisa
TJPDC has been awarded $120,000 from VDOT
for the Northwest Fluvanna/Louisa Corridor Study, whose goal is to create
a transportation plan that will coordinate existing and planned transportation
systems with existing and projected land development in the counties.
It will expand on several completed local, regional, and state studies
and the existing county comprehensive plans, and model alternative development
scenarios to help determine appropriate transportation investments to
build an efficient, multi-modal transportation system. For more information,
contact Harrison Rue at (434) 979-7310 x110 or
.
Forestry Grants Awarded
The Department of Forestry, through its Urban and Community Forestry
program, has awarded two grants to the TJPDC. One is for $11,000 to
develop a Green Infrastructure Plan for an interconnected
network of green space throughout the region. Benefits of green
infrastructure include improved water quality and quantity, biodiversity,
recreational opportunities and stormwater control. The second is a
$9,000 grant for the StreamWatch Data Center and Rivanna Water
Window. This project will include development of a searchable
database of water quality data and a website that links that data
to interactive maps of the Rivanna watershed. For more information,
contact Rochelle Garwood at (434) 979-7310 x320 or
.
