• TJPDC Welcomes New Faces
• Regional Transit Authority Pursuit Continues
• Launch of Greene County Multimodal Corridor Plan for US29 and US33
• FY09 TIP (Transporation Improvement Program) Approved
• Nelson County/Rockfish Valley Fixed Route Transit Proposed
• RideShare News
• TJPDC Assists with Local Plans
• Housing Studies and Reports
• Mayor & Chairs Hold Special Town Hall Meeting
• Thomas Jefferson Community Land Trust
• TJACH Board Members Appointed
• Composting Workshop Scheduled

Kevin Collins joined the PDC staff in early August as GIS Specialist. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science in Geographic Science from James Madison University and previously worked for NAEVA Geophysics Inc. as a GIS Specialist. He also has interned with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Kevin is a Harrisonburg native and currently resides in Orange County.

Meg Johnstone is a UVA Landscape Architecture Public Service Fellow who is working with the TJPDC during the current school year. She will be assisting in the completion of the regional green infrastructure plan and the first year’s work on the Federal Highway Administration grant to link transportation and green infrastructure planning.

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The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and the Charlottesville City Council have renewed their commitment to create a regional authority to expand transit services in the two communities. At their third joint work session, held in early August and also attended by Delegate David Toscano and Senator Creigh Deeds, the group received the consultant’s report on formation of a regional transit authority (RTA). A Joint Work Group was formed that includes two elected officials from each governing body, UVA, JAUNT, as well as other City and County staff, to meet weekly and reach consensus on issues to be identified in the draft enabling legislation for the formation and funding of the RTA.  The legislation will be presented at the next General Assembly session in January, 2009.  For more information visit http://www.tjpdc.org/transportation/rta.asp or contact Melissa Barlow at mbarlow@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x260.

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The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has awarded a Multimodal Planning Grant to the TJPDC to develop multimodal transportation solutions, land use strategies, and an implementation plan specific to Greene County, while addressing regional travel needs on the US29 and US33 corridors.  Data gathering for the project continued through the summer, and public workshops in the county are planned for the fall. The project should be completed by next summer.  For more information, contact Bill Wanner at wwanner@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x390.

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In order to secure federal funding, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) must produce a list of transportation projects for the near future, including project details and funding. In August, the MPO approved the FY09-FY12 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). The TIP lists federally funded road, transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and related urban transportation projects.

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The TJPDC and JAUNT have partnered to develop a preliminary proposal for the Nelson County Economic Development Authority (EDA) to consider funding fixed route transit to serve the Wintergreen and Rockfish Valley areas.  Those areas have seen a 70% reduction in home building and construction, and the EDA has taken note of local businesses being severely impacted.  Adding fixed route transit in and around the resort area would increase tourism value and also provide transportation alternatives to residents, guests and employees of the area.  Presentations to the Nelson County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors are being planned.  For more information about this project, contact Melissa Barlow at mbarlow@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x260.

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Gas prices reached a record high this summer, and area commuters and large employers turned to RideShare for help. July was a record month for RideShare in terms of applications received and number of carpool matches. Over 70% of applicants were matched with other RideShare members interested in forming or joining a carpool. RideShare assisted employers by providing information to staff, analyzing traffic patterns through density maps and providing an online commuter survey for employers to distribute.

RideShare partnered with UVA Parking and Transportation to introduce the new CavPool program, which provides incentives for University of Virginia and Medical Center employees that carpool or vanpool to work. CavPool incentives include reduced permit rates, access to free occasional parking permits and preferred parking assignments. All CavPool participants are automatically enrolled in RideShare’s Guaranteed Ride Home program. UVA employees who live on a Charlottesville Transit Service (CTS) or University Transit Service (UTS) bus line already have a no-cost commute option. The University pays a subsidy to the City of Charlottesville to allow its faculty, staff, and students to ride CTS buses at no charge, simply by showing a University ID.

RideShare also is working with the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation (ACCT) on the Safe Routes to School Program in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Participating schools receive safety kits for students including pedometers and workbooks provided by RideShare. The workbook, entitled “A Day on the Go: Making Smart Choices with Zach and His Friends,” is a free resource available to all schools, after-school groups and other children’s programs in the region. For more information, visit www.adayonthego.org or contact Lisa Horanyi at lhoranyi@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x270.

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Greene County Comprehensive Plan
The TJPDC is assisting Greene County with its Comprehensive Plan, an official public document used as a policy guide for the orderly development of the county. The Greene County Planning Commission is heading up the effort. As development of the Comprehensive Plan will rely heavily on citizen participation, two community focus groups have been held thus far. Additional community workshops will be planned in anticipation of completion and adoption of the plan by the Board of Supervisors in late 2009.  For more information, contact Bill Wanner at wwanner@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x390.

Village of Rivanna Master Plan Progresses
TJPDC and Albemarle County staff presented a progress report to the Albemarle County Planning Commission on September 23. TJPDC is the planning consultant for the county on the project. Land use alternatives are being explored for areas within the Master Plan area that have development potential. The selection of a preferred alternative will set the stage for specific analysis of infrastructure improvements, including transportation, that will be needed to support future development. Three public workshops have been held during the process to date, with the next public session scheduled for November 19. For more information, contact Bill Wanner at wwanner@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x390.

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Homesharing/ADU Feasibility Study Underway
The TJPDC has partnered with the Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA) to conduct a study to ascertain if and how Homesharing and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) can increase the availability of affordable housing for low income senior citizens, workforce residents, people with disabilities in the City of Charlottesville, and persons with incomes at or below 30% of area median income. The study is anticipated to be completed by next June and is funded through the Charlottesville Housing Fund, with matching funds provided by JABA and TJPDC. Research on homesharing principles and practices is available at www.tjpdc.org/housing. If you are interested in being involved in this project, please contact Kristen Pingry at kpingry@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x310.

HOME Performance Report Submitted
Each year, the HOME Consortium and the City of Charlottesville prepare the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) to report on activities and achievements over the past year. The CAPER was submitted to HUD on September 30 and is available at www.tjpdc.org/housing. In the past fiscal year, CDBG and HOME funds achieved the following results:

• A total of 48 HOME projects were completed. Of those, 26 were substantial rehabilitation, 16 were first-time homebuyer downpayment assistance, and six were new construction.
• 100% of people served were low or moderate income (defined as having incomes at or below 80% of the area median income).
• 84% of people receiving direct housing assistance had incomes at or below 60% of the area median income, while70% of people receiving direct housing assistance had incomes at or below 50% of the area median income.
• 49% of the families assisted with HOME funds were racial or ethnic minorities, as were 69% of persons served by CDBG funds.
• A variety of community development projects were accomplished with CDBG funds in the City of Charlottesville. For more information, contact Melissa Celii, City of Charlottesville, at 434-970-3182 or Celii@charlottesville.org, or Billie Campbell at bcampbell@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x230.

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The Mayor and Chairs group held a special “town hall” meeting with State Farm Insurance employees in mid-September. State Farm was looking to provide opportunities for employees to be more knowledgeable of and active in their communities, and felt that a look at the operation of local governments in the region would be one good way to spur such participation. The meeting consisted of brief presentations by an elected official from each locality, then group meetings with workers from each of the region’s localities to discuss local issues of concern. As State Farm draws workers from all across the region, this was a great opportunity for elected representatives to be able to interact with constituents and discuss local concerns.

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The Thomas Jefferson Community Land Trust (TJCLT) is a new initiative to establish a mechanism for perpetual affordability of housing on land owned and controlled by the land trust. A Steering Committee conducted a feasibility study over the past year, working with consultants from Burlington Associates in Vermont (who were retained as the consultant for the implementation phase). The Steering Committee formally agreed at its May meeting that establishing a land trust in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District would be feasible. The TJPDC adopted a resolution of support for the Community Land Trust, and the initial Board of Directors was established and held its first meeting the end of July. Articles of Incorporation were submitted and the TJCLT is now incorporated. The board consists of Frazier Bell, Josh Goldschmidt, Billie Campbell, Ron White, Tim Rose, and Amy Kilroy. For more information contact Billie Campbell at bcampbell@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x230.

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The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) has appointed ten members to the board of the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH) as it steps into the role of the lead organization on homelessness. The creation of a regional non-profit organization to coordinate services to the homeless and initiate new approaches to move toward the goal of ending homelessness was recommended in the Community Plan to End Homelessness, adopted by the TJPDC as a draft in January 2007. The ten board members are as follows: Ed Bain - Attorney, Boyle, Bain, Reback & Slayton; Patricia “Trish” Cluff - Chief Marketing Officer, UVA Medical Center; Marty Fox - consumer/advocate; Robert Johnson - Executive Director of Region Ten; Mark Lorenzoni - Ragged Mountain Running Shop and Chair of the Task Force to Develop the 2012 Plan to End Homelessness; Jim Miller - Realtor with Prudential Charlotte Ramsey REALTORS Inc.; Kate Rosenfield - Adult Education Specialist; Evan Scully - Homeward Community Information System (HCIS) Director (Richmond); Karen Shepard - Executive Director of MACAA; and Adam Thompson - former consumer, advocate, and staff member at AIDS/HIV Services Group (ASG). The board held an orientation session on September 9 and has scheduled its organizational meeting for October 29. For more information contact Billie Campbell at bcampbell@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x230.

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The TJPDC is partnering with the Fluvanna Master Gardeners to offer a workshop on home composting on Saturday, November 22, at 10 a.m. at the Lake Monticello Volunteer Fire & Rescue building.  Participants will learn how to improve their soil quality while reducing what they send to the landfill – and have a chance to win a free compost bin!  A significant percentage of landfilled items could be composted instead (in 1996, it was about 25% for Charlottesville/Albemarle); thus, promoting composting is a goal of the regional solid waste plan. For more information, contact Rochelle Garwood at rgarwood@tjpdc.org or 434-979-7310 x320.

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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