On Wednesday night at Charlottesville Tomorrow's monthly News n' Brews, over 50 community members packed into Bashir’s on the Downtown Mall to talk about economic development.

Here's how we captured the conversation...

Which transportation projects should Albemarle County and Charlottesville begin planning for now to make it easier for people to travel around the community in the future?

That was the central question asked Thursday at a workshop held by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission as part of its “Many Plans, One Community” initiative.

Albemarle County Chief of Planning David Benish helping a member of the public

Nearly 60 people attended the event, which was an opportunity for the TJPDC to receive public input on a new forecasting model that can project how different transportation solutions would affect traffic volumes.

Many roadway segments and intersections in the region are projected to experience gridlock as population increases.

“I think the projections for 2040 are somewhat scary, and I think it’s important that they get out and people realize that this is going to happen,” said city resident John Pfaltz.

Pfaltz said he observed that most of the sharpest increases in traffic would occur within city limits.

“This congestion is on residential streets where people live as opposed to U.S. 29 or [U.S. 250] where almost nobody lives,” Pfaltz said. “I’m very much for getting traffic around the city and not through it.”

However, many attendees argued that the last thing the community needs is more roads.

“We obviously need more alternatives to the single-occupant automobile because what the modeling is showing us is that’s not going to work,” said former Albemarle Supervisor Sally Thomas.

Stratton Salidis, an opponent of the Meadow Creek Parkway, said the community should focus on travel demand management programs to help people make alternative choices to driving.

“Instead of building a lot more things in general, if we could just get better information coordination and help people share rides, that could go a long way in addition to making it easier for people to walk, bike and take transit,” Salidis said.

Transportation activist Randy Salzman used the workshop to promote the development of a footbridge to connect the city’s Woolen Mill’s neighborhood with Pantops.

“That’s a growth area for employment with State Farm and the new Martha Jefferson Hospital and the only way to get there is via Free Bridge,” Salzman said. “As the employment center expands, there will be huge political pressure to create a new highway bridge.”

Albemarle resident Audrey Wellbourne said she was skeptical that cycling would become a viable commuting alternative until the community begins to emulate other cities that have planned better.

“It’s not a very safe way to do it [here] with the narrow bike lanes,” Wellbourne said. “I’ve done a lot of biking in Bend, Oregon, and the way they do their biking there is just amazing.”

Charlottesville’s newest planning commissioner said she thought the workshop demonstrated that cooperation will be key to solving gridlock.

“We’re going to have to work with the county on that because people drive through municipalities and don’t recognize any boundaries,” said Natasha Sienitsky.

People who did not attend the workshop will have the chance to have their voice heard by an online survey that will be made available at www.tjpdc.org.

We all know the media landscape is changing. More people are reading their news online and looking for multiple sources of news, including social media.  Yet, in many communities local newsrooms are shrinking and the information our democracy and a thriving local community depends upon is getting even harder to find. 

Last winter, I was contacted by Virginia Tech's Institute for Policy and Governance which is involved in an effort to reinvigorate local information resources, news and otherwise, in Blacksburg. That conversation led to an invitation to meet with their residents and Virginia Tech faculty and students to discuss our work in civic media and community engagement.

A video capturing the evening presentation at the Lyric Theater has just recently been published.  I was joined by Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Senior Reporter, and we both found it very interesting to see another Virginia community searching for new ways to share information and engage the public.

Throughout the day we were peppered with questions about the origins of our organization, funding, our board of directors, our daily work, and of course our partnership with The Daily Progress. 

It was an invigorating day, and a good reminder that we have a lot to be thankful for in the resources and information we are able to share in this community.  I sincerely hope Blacksburg proves to be as generous towards whatever form of new media they decide to pursue as our local donors and foundations have proven to be. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without this community’s generous support.

I shared in Blacksburg some of the metrics below related to our news partnership.  While Media General, the company that owns The Daily Progress, does not pay for articles we write, the partnership pays off for us in many other ways.  For example, our surveys tell us many of you see our content primarily because it's in the paper or on their website. 

In 2012, we are planning a series of events and activities to build even better connections with you.  That has been facilitated by a major grant from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.  I know many of you are noticing the increased attention our Community Engagement Coordinator, Jennifer Marley, has put on everything from social media to community events.

For those of you interested in reviewing this data and the presentation, we are naturally curious about your observations.  We are half way through this grant, and I’d like to hear what’s on your mind.

Brian Wheeler
Executive Director

Charlottesville Tomorrow + The Daily Progress: Partnership Highlights 2009-2011

487 published stories (newspaper’s online and print editions) including major front page stories, features, and collaborative series - 24 stories a month in 2011 17% increase in newspaper’s content on growth and development (Charlottesville Tomorrow now produces almost 50% of content in that area) 100% of Charlottesville Tomorrow’s stories now appear on the newspaper’s website and more than 80% appear in print 217% increase in Charlottesville Tomorrow's website traffic Significant collaboration between editors and reporters, in both organizations, to maximize quality and timeliness of coverage Joint production of local election voter guides and co-sponsoring of candidate forums - Newspaper makes in-kind gift for voter guide layout and printing There is no direct financial contribution to Charlottesville Tomorrow

A traffic forecasting model created by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission is projecting that roads in Charlottesville and Albemarle County will be more crowded over the next few decades, even as improvements such as the Western Bypass are built.

Some routes in heavy use today will face what TJPDC characterized as “gridlock," including points on U.S. 29 both north and south of the Western Bypass.

An overview of the model of the 2040 scenario

“This is a real wake-up call that if we’re serious about alleviating congestion, we’re going to keep hitting snags no matter what we do to fix the roads,” said City Councilor Kristin Szakos at Wednesday’s meeting of the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Policy Board.

The model forecasts what traffic conditions will be in 2040 and assumes all projects in the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s long-range transportation plan will be built by then. It uses future housing construction data to calculate how traffic volumes on roadway segments will be affected by population growth and other changes in socioeconomic conditions.

The combined population of the MPO area in 2010 was 118,546. The 2040 scenario assumes a population of 188,610. In 2010, there were an estimated 495,000 vehicle trips per day. The 2040 scenario assumes that will increase to 727,487.

That last figure prompted Albemarle Supervisor Rodney Thomas to speculate that the model could be used to provide data on alternatives for an Eastern Connector. That project was put on hold in 2008 when members of a steering committee requested traffic data that was not yet available.

“I’d like to see these models used for the construction of new transportation development to concentrate on hotspots so we can make things move better,” Thomas said.

Members of the public are invited to comment on the model at a workshop that will be held at the TJPDC’s offices on Water Street this evening from 4:00 to 7:00 pm.

“This is the kick-off of a two-year dialogue on what the long-range transportation improvements need to be,” said Stephen Williams, the executive director of the TJPDC.

Williams wants citizens to suggest potential projects to address congestion after viewing the data.

These suggestions would then be evaluated as potential additions to the MPO’s long-range transportation plan, which is required by federal law to be updated by May 2014.

“We are viewing this as a start to a two-year process to have decision-makers grapple with possible transportation solutions,” Williams said.

The workshop is part of the TJPDC’s “One Community” initiative that was funded by a $1 million grant awarded to the TJPDC by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grant also paid for the TJPDC to create for the first time a single map that displays land use designations in both Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

“Traffic doesn’t care about political boundaries,” Williams said.

The model also shows that traffic on Interstate 64 could nearly double in the next 30 years. In 2009, VDOT observed that 47,216 vehicles travelled between exit 118A and exit 120. The model projects that will increase to 87,200 in 2040.

Also on Wednesday, the MPO voted to issue a formal request to add several programs to VDOT’s six-year improvement program.

During last year’s resurrection of the Western Bypass, Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton stated he would request the Commonwealth Transportation Board approve funding for the completion of Hillsdale Drive ($10 million), the “Best Buy ramp” and the Belmont Bridge replacement ($8.4 million) in the next six years.

The formal request was applauded by Jim Utterback, administrator of VDOT’s Culpeper District.

“I don’t think the MPO wants to lose what was discussed last summer,” Utterback said.

The MPO also agreed to request that VDOT amend its six-year program to include the proposed Northtown Commuter Trail, a widening of Fontaine Avenue to three lanes between U.S. 29 and Maury Avenue in Charlottesville and improvements at the interchange of I-64 and U.S. 29.

“I would like to see the Northtown as the first priority,” Szakos said.

The MPO also elected Szakos to serve as its chair for 2012 and Albemarle Supervisor Duane Snow to serve as vice chair.

The Charlottesville Planning Commission discussed a key question on Tuesday — how dense can the city become within its footprint of 10.4 square miles?

“If all vacant land in the city were developed at maximum by-right density with no regard for any limiting factors, it would yield 4,328 additional residential units, or 10,514 additional residents,” said Brian Haluska, city planner.

“With special-use permits, these same parcels could accommodate 14,536 additional units, and 34,625 additional residents,” he added.

Listen using player above or download the podcast: Download 20120124-CPC-Build-Out

Download city's build-out analysis and cover letter

Haluska’s figures were derived as part of a build-out analysis that calculated a hypothetical number of potential dwelling units that could be constructed under existing zoning regulations.

There are currently 17,778 dwelling units within city limits. The 2010 Census recorded 43,475 people as Charlottesville residents.

“Build-out potential generally exceeds reality,” said Genevieve Keller, chairwoman of the Planning Commission. “What the numbers say to me is that our city can meet growth demands that could occur as a result of university expansion or other economic development that could occur.”

The community water supply plan received its final approvals at Tuesday’s meeting of the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority board of directors. Representatives from the RWSA, the city of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the Albemarle County Service Authority were all present to sign the official documents.

On hand to sign the documents approving the community water supply plan, front row (L to R), Charlottesville Mayor Satyendra Huja, Mike Gaffney (RWSA Chairman), Clarence Roberts (ACSA Chairman), and back row, City Councilor Kathleen M. Galvin, Thomas L. Frederick, Jr. (RWSA Executive Director), Liz Palmer (ACSA Board), Albemarle Supervisor Kenneth C. Boyd, and Albemarle County Executive Thomas Foley (who signed on behalf of Albemarle).

The action, following separate votes by city and county officials at earlier meetings, and a unanimous vote by the RWSA that day, concludes years of study and negotiations. Next, the RWSA will oversee construction of a new earthen dam at the Ragged Mountain Reservoir beginning as early as March.

“I think it is a momentous day,” said Mike Gaffney, the RWSA board’s chairman. “We have gone through a six-year period of time, between 2006 to 2012, to get to where the community water supply plan is approved, the cost-sharing agreement is approved and the property agreement is approved. We are moving forward to take care of the next 50 years’ worth of our community’s water needs.”

Mayor Satyendra Huja signed on behalf of the city and County Executive Thomas Foley signed for the county.

City Councilor Kathleen M. Galvin attended her first meeting as one of two elected council representative on the RWSA board.

 “I think it represents the culmination of a long, hard series of negotiations … and it’s very good to have it done,” Galvin said. “Now we can start thinking about what other issues are on the table, so I am excited we can get on to new business.”