Restoration of Blue Ridge Tunnel to Begin

Nelson County:

“Nelson County officials announce that a contractor has been selected for Phase I of the rehabilitation and trail project for the Blue Ridge Tunnel.

Fielder’s Choice Enterprises, Inc. from Charlottesville, Virginia, has been awarded the contract.

Phase I encompasses the parking area and trailhead near the old Afton Depot and the construction of a pedestrian and bicycle trail along the original rail bed for approximately 3400 feet to the East Portal of the 1850s tunnel.

Work will is set to begin Monday, Sept. 29, and is scheduled to be completed by February 2015.”

~Writes Charlottesville NewsPlex

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34th Certified Board of Zoning Appeals

PlanVirginia:

“This event is composed of two training sessions (opening and closing sessions) and a self-study component lasting 10 weeks. The self-study component includes required readings and homework assignments. Attending and critiquing a BZA meeting is also required. Registration fee of $400.00 per person is required and can be made online at www.planvirginia.com”

Opening Session:Sept. 26, 2014

Closing Session:Dec. 5, 2014

Event Location:New River Valley PDC office.

~PlanVirginia

2014 Commonwealth Land Use and Zoning Conference schedule now available.

Land Use Education Program:

“This year the conference will be held at the Hilton at Short Pump. The hotel and conference facility while offering a great set of amenities is also located at the near intersection of Henrico, Hanover, and Goochland Counties.

This year's the conference will feature four tracks. more below...

• Skill Building- Planning Commissioners and staff planners alike will appreciate the need to keep their skill set sharp. This track offers basic and intermediate level trainings for new and seasoned community planners striving to "get it right".
• Planning Practice- Planning as it happens "in the wild". It's not always pretty but its always insightful. Learn from those who have gone before you. This track includes examples of how planning visions and zoning are being put into practice.
• Hot Topics- Fracking, Storm water, wireless technology...you've got questions, we've got information. Interact with the state's leading experts and hear the latest news and relevant information you can use back home.
• High-Tech/ High-Touch- Community participation. Computers. These are two things we struggle with sometimes. Don't worry. Bring your laptop and attend these sessions. You'll learn about the latest tools, and get a chance to get some hands-on training. Take what you learn back home and get more residents involved, and more useful input.”

More information is available here.

~LUEP

Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) Course Offered

Virginia Recreation and Park Society:

“The Virginia Recreation and Park Society is offering a three-day course co-sponsored by the National Recreation and Park Association. Held in Rockingham County on October 22-24, the CPSI course is designed to educate and train individuals to identify and reduce risks. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 205,850 injuries occur each year on playgrounds, and approximately fifteen children will die from playground related injuries.

Advanced reading and 15 hours of training from nationally known playground safety experts will prepare participants to sit for the Certified Playground Safety Inspector examination offered at the culmination of the certification course; it is also approved for CEUs. Those intending to take the exam at the end of the course are encouraged to review the materials provided at least three weeks in advance of the workshop.  For more information, visit the Virginia Recreation and Park Society Event Page or download the Event Flyer/Registrationpage.”

~TJPDC

American Trails Upcoming Trainings – Mountain Trail Sustainability & Equestrian Facilities

National Trails Training Partnership:

“Mark the dates! The next session in the Advancing Trails Webinar Series is scheduled for August 28, 2014: ‘Fundamentals of Mountain Trail Sustainability – Part 2 of 3.’  The webinars are applicable to all natural surface trail systems and offer successful Tools and Techniques, Examples, and Case Studies of mountain trail sustainability.

The first in the series, ‘Applying Foundations of Mountain Trail Sustainability to a Trail Network’ teaches applications of these principles and is available online as an archived webinar.  The third in the series will be ‘Towards a Mountain Trail Sustainability Ethic – Part 3 of 3,’ offered on December 11, 2014. Also watch for the September 11, 2014 workshop on ‘How to Build Top Notch Equestrian Facilities.’ Members pay $35 and Nonmembers $55 to access each webinar either recorded or live.”

For more information, click here.

~TJPDC

Wildfire risk assessment website now available for public use

Virginia Department of Forestry:

“Officials with the Virginia Department of Forestry have unveiled a new web portal that will help homeowners and communities determine their wildfire risk – and take measures to mitigate potential hazards. The Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal, or SouthWRAP, enables users in Virginia and 12 other southern states to identify wildfire threats based on landscape characteristics, historical fire occurrence, weather conditions and terrain. It also routes users to resources that can help them implement wildfire prevention practices.

SouthWRAP is a web portal that grants public access to risk assessment data that previously hasn’t been readily available, particularly in a user-friendly format.   Accessible at www.southernwildfirerisk.com, the tools are free to use. Professional users, such as civic planners, wildland fire managers and elected officials, can use SouthWRAP to generate a report packaging all the wildfire risk data for their community.  Such a tool can be useful in defining mitigation options, allocating resources and prioritizing programs that will better protect communities.

John Miller, VDOF director of resource protection, said, ‘This can and should be a pivot point for Virginians as they learn what their risks are and how to mitigate them.  SouthWRAP is a tool that neighbor can pass on to neighbor – making every community in Virginia a safer place in which to live.’ 

State Forester of Virginia Bettina Ring said, ‘My colleagues and I in the Southern Group of State Foresters are excited to open the Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal to the public.  This website will enable homeowners, civic leaders, community planners, elected officials and others to identify the risk wildfire poses to their communities. This tool empowers Southerners to be able to better protect their homes and property.’”

~Virginia Department of Forestry, News Release

APA Virginia's September Newsletter is Now Posted

APA Virginia Chapter:

APA Virginia just posted its September 2014 Newsletter. In this issue, you can find:

• Summer at Wintergreen for the APA Virginia Annual Conference
• President's Column
• Jim Bacon to Provide Keynote Address
• Conference Mobile Workshops explore Charlottesville and Waynesboro
• Food Planning and Food Insecurity in Virginia
• Virginia Rural Planning Caucus to Host 36th Annual Conference, "Cultivating Self-Sustaining and Innovative Rural Communities" at Smith Mountain Lake
• AICP Outstanding Student Awards
• NACo Honors Chesterfield and Henrico Counties
• APA Spring/Summer Update

Click here for the link

Infrastructure Planning for a Major Arena in Virginia Beach

APA Virginia, Hampton Road Section:

The Section is holding an event: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Infrastructure Planning for a Major Arena in Virginia Beach

 

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Panel Speakers:

Brian Solis, AICP Transportation and Transit Manager, City of Virginia Beach

Mark Shea Transportation Planner, City of Virginia Beach

Carl Tewksbury, P.E. Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc.

At the City of Virginia Beach Strategic Growth Area Office

4525 Main Street, Suite 710

Town Center Clark Nexsen Building, Virginia Beach

2:30 PM Registration

3:00 to 4:30 PM event

Refreshments provided

Please RSVP to hamptonroads@apavirginia.org by Monday, July 14th

*AICP Credits Pending*

Since 2013, the City of Virginia Beach has solicited private proposals to build a sports and entertainment arena near the Virginia Beach Convention Center.  On May 27, 2014, Virginia Beach City Council adopted a resolution directing city staff to pursue negotiations with a private consortium headed by United States Management LLC (USM) to proceed with a public-private process to develop the arena and prepare a report determining the scope and cost of public infrastructure needed for the project. City staff and their associates will discuss the report and answer any questions regarding this exciting new sports venue for our region.

Natural Bridge to Become State Park

Rockingham County:

“A celebration ceremony was held at Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County on May 12th, marking the passing of the National Historic Landmark, once owned by Thomas Jefferson, to public ownership. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe accepted the deed to the property.

A nonprofit organization, the Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund (VCLF) took ownership of Natural Bridge and its surrounding 1600 acres. The former owner, Mr. Angelo Puglisi, gifted a 188 acre parcel that includes Natural Bridge to VCLF, which was then donated to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for a future state park. Most of the surrounding property held by VCLF will be transferred to the state park system once VCLF pays off its loan; VCLF will retain the hotel, cottages, and caverns. The former and current owners, local government leaders, conservation organizations, and state agencies collaborated to keep Natural Bridge accessible to future generations.”  

~ CSPDC

SAW MPO Tours Crozet Tunnel

Nelson County: 
“The Policy Board of the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAW MPO) and invited guests were given a presentation and tour of the Crozet Tunnel after their May 7th meeting.   The presentation was made by Nelson County Supervisor and Blue Ridge Tunnel Foundation President, Allen Hale.  Mr. Hale's presentation focused on the history of the Tunnel and the status of the project to restore the Tunnel as a rails-to-trail project connecting the Piedmont in Nelson County to the Shenandoah Valley in Augusta County near Waynesboro.  The Tunnel was built in the 1850's under the direction of French engineer, Claudius Crozet, and abandoned in the 1940's when a new, more modern tunnel was built to accommodate larger trains.  To learn more about the Crozet Tunnel and efforts to restore the Tunnel, please go to the Blue Ridge Tunnel Foundation website at www.blueridgetunnel.org.   The Tunnel is not open to the public at this time.”
~ CSPDC

Ashburn Redevelopment Plans Spurs New Push To Create Historic District

Loudoun County:

“In 2002, a proposal to nominate the core of the village of Ashburn to the National Register of Historic Places failed to gain traction and was pulled by the Board of Supervisors. But, a new effort is underway, propelled by businessman and history buff Tom Burson, aided by Middleburg historic preservation architect Jane Covington.

A community meeting has been planned by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources at 2 p.m. Saturday for a presentation on the proposal. The meeting will be held at the old Weller Tile location at 20711 Ashburn Road. Covington has updated the 2002 National Register nomination that was written by Traceries of Washington, DC. She also will consult on tax credit and restoration opportunities going forward.

The proposed 28-acre historic district, which will first be nominated to the Virginia Register of Historic Places, and then later to the national level, will include the African-American schoolhouse that closed in the 1940s.”

~Writes Margaret Morton of Leesburg Today

Click here to read this column

Hampton moves forward with eminent domain on 39 properties, if necessary

City of Hampton:

“The city is giving 39 properties owners an ultimatum: Willingly sell a portion of your land or we'll take it at a price you have little control over. The City Council agreed Wednesday evening to allow city attorneys to begin eminent domain proceedings on 39 property owners whose land is needed to widen Saunders Road from Big Bethel Road to the Newport News city line if negotiations with the owners break down.

City Manager Mary Bunting said the city is still negotiating with many of the 39 property owners. If talks deteriorate, the city will be able to use eminent domain to take the land at a price deemed fair by an independent appraiser. The last chance property owners have to continue talks will likely be in spring 2015.

The city is razing homes on some of the properties it has already acquired, Deputy Public Works Director Lynn Allsbrook said.”

~Writes Robert Brauchle of the Daily Press

Click here to read this column

Metro stations created car magnets in the suburbs for sake of livable downtown

Northern Virginia:

“When a co-worker asks if you take Metro to work and you say ‘yes,’ are you leaving something out? For tens of thousands of Metrorail riders, the transit commute starts in a car. Metro was built to be a car magnet. The rail stations were supposed to suck up car commuters in the suburbs and spit them out as rail riders in downtown Washington, where they would walk or take buses for the short trip to their offices. That was a very green strategy for downtown, but not so much for the suburbs.

It spared the District and parts of Arlington County and Alexandria some of the agony that would have resulted from building more highways to funnel traffic into the dense core of the region. But in the decades since this hub-and-spoke rail system was planned, suburbanites have gotten the notion that they also could live in communities, rather than in random gatherings of bedrooms and parking garages.

Hence, plans to retrofit suburban centers such as Tysons Corner and Silver Spring. Across the region, we see townhouses and apartments rising from every available space near Metro stations…

But car magnetism is a powerful force, as I found out during my online discussion with readers on Monday. My response to one traveler’s point about the role of parking garages in creating congestion included this: ‘Metrorail also provides an enormous incentive to drive by surrounding its suburban stations with massive parking garages.’”

~Writes Robert Thomson of the Washington Post

Click here to read this insightful column

Children’s science museum coming to Northern Virginia

Loudoun County:

“A new children’s science museum plans to debut a hands-on learning space in Fair Oaks Mall by spring 2015, its organizers announced Tuesday. The Children’s Science Center will host interactive exhibits and experiments in a mall storefront as a leadup to a full-scale museum in Loudoun County, projected to open in 2019.

The center looks to fill a hole in Northern Virginia, which is the largest metropolitan area in the country without its own dedicated children’s museum, said Nene Spivy, the museum’s executive director. Both the Fair Oaks Mall space and the full museum will target children ages 2-12, Spivy said, and encourage their exploration of STEM subjects--science, technology, engineering and math.

The mall location, dubbed ‘The Lab,’ will take over a 5,400-square-foot space previously occupied by an Uno Pizzeria. It is located at an outside entrance to the mall between the Sears and Lord and Taylor anchor stores.”

~Writes Kate Yanchulis of the Fairfax Times

Click here to learn more

Many of Virginia’s historic sites are in jeopardy

Virginia:

“The commonwealth’s rich history includes land where the English first settled in the New World and enslaved people sought rest on their way to freedom. But many of those places are in jeopardy from decay and development, weather and lack of resources, according to Preservation Virginia, a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting historic locales.

The group’s annual list of endangered historic sites was released Tuesday:”

~Writes Zach C. Cohen of The Washington Post

Click here to learn more

Over 20 properties could be torn down in the city

City of Petersburg:

“The city is taking strides toward reducing blight and crime with the identification of over 20 properties that could be demolished under Operation Renew - a national effort against crime and blight. As part of Operation Renew, members of the Army and Air Force National Guard come into a locality and demolish structures that have been associated with drug crime in an effort to reduce it. The city has also determined that the properties, which are located on Dunlop, Jones, Hinton and Commerce streets, aren't up to code.

City Attorney Brian Telfair said in an interview Tuesday that the properties have been identified by the Petersburg Bureau of Police as sources of crime, which would allow them to be demolished under Operation Renew.

In a Tuesday evening meeting, City Council voted to set a May 20 public hearing on ordinances declaring the properties blighted and a public nuisance, which would allow their demolition. If the ordinances are passed, property owners would be mailed 30-day notice to fix the property or have it demolished.”

~Writes Leah Small of the progress-index

Click here to learn more

Click here for the ABC 8 coverage on this story

1 million-square-foot development in the works in Chesterfield

Chesterfield County:

“Chesterfield County’s Economic Development Department is working on a project that could bring more than 1 million square feet of industrial warehouse space to Bermuda Hundred Road near Meadowville Technology Park. Plans submitted to the county show four 252,000-square-foot warehouses and an office area on about 140 acres along the 2400 block of Bermuda Hundred Road off Interstate 295 near where Honeywell, Philip Morris and DuPont have plants or facilities.

Those involved in the deal, called ‘Project Twister,’ are being tight-lipped about details until they’re sure the deal is done. ‘It’s a codenamed project, and we don’t talk about projects, real or imagined,’ said Garrett Hart, assistant director of the county’s economic development office.

The developer, Seefried Industrial Properties of Atlanta, also was involved in developing the 1.2 million-square-foot Amazon.com fulfillment center in Meadowville in 2012. Seefried’s chief development officers did not return calls this week seeking comment.”

~Writes John Ramsey of the Richmond Times Dispatch

Click here to learn more

2014 LUEP Legal Seminar

PlanVirginia:

“This event is a one day event. The session focuses on major legislative actions passed by the Virginia General Assembly in the past year. The program is designed to provide BZA members, planning commissioners, and professional planners with the most timely and relevant information to guide their work on emerging issues. This year we will be examining recent on-farm agriculture legislation, the impact of land use rulings made since the year 2000, and more! A detailed agenda will be published as the event date approaches.”

~PlanVirginia

Click here to learn more

Click here to register

Main Street Program focused on beautification, new events

Town of Warsaw:

“From hanging lush, green plants along a central roadway in town to holding innovative events at Warsaw Town Park, the Warsaw-Richmond County Main Street Program continues to make strides towards meeting its goal of attracting more families and businesses to the community that they call the heart of the Northern Neck.

Following the visible success of Warsaw’s new playground in the park and an annual Main Street Program meeting that, according to Executive Director Patricia Pugh, was well-attended by 25 to 30 citizens, the program is focused this year on multiple beautification projects as well as on its new ‘Season of Shindigs’ that will feature four family-centered events for residents from Richmond County and beyond to enjoy.

Recently, the MSP, with a helping hand from Northern Neck Electric Cooperative, hung ferns from the poles along Main Street in Warsaw. Local resident Harold Childs made a note of appreciation for the parties responsible for the hanging baskets. ‘They are and have been noticed and discussed by local travelers,’ said Childs. Alongside the ferns, Pugh said there would be other projects and activities taking place throughout the community all the time.”

~ Writes the Northern Neck News

Click here for the link

Restaurant planned for abandoned power plant site

City of Fredericksburg:

“A local businessman plans to transform an abandoned hydroelectric power plant on the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg into a restaurant and build adjacent residential condominiums. Ed Whelan and his family last week bought a riverfront property near the intersection of Caroline and Ford streets where the Virginia Electric and Power Company used to run a hydroelectric plant. Whelan’s family, through a limited liability company called Dreamland, bought the 3.93-acre property from an LLC headed by Hugh Cosner, a former Spotsylvania County supervisor who has owned the property at least in part since 1979 and who had also long envisioned a restaurant in the plant known as the former Embrey Power Station.

Whelan, who owns The Inn at the Olde Silk Mill across Caroline Street from the property, said he started talking to Cosner about buying the property last year. The sales price was $1 million. Whelan plans to turn the long-abandoned, graffiti-covered plant into a multilevel restaurant, perhaps with a rooftop bar and other outdoor seating overlooking the river.”

~ Writes Bill Freehing of the Free Lance–Star

Click here to learn more