The future of the U.S. 29 corridor has always been a point of contention among business owners, developers and those who wish to protect rural land and prevent the expansion of the growth areas. The County Planning Commission meeting on October 27 was no different. At stake: the Places29 Master Plan. The commission was tasked with deciding whether to send the plan, as is, to the Board of Supervisors. Tempers flared. Local developer Wendell Wood vocally objected to a few points made regarding land use and growth areas.
In a 4-2 vote, the master plan was endorsed and moved for consideration to the Board of Supervisors, which, in turn, will begin looking at the document early next year. Commissioners Linda Porterfield and Don Franco voted against endorsing the plan.
The Places29 Master Plan covers four development areas with a coordinated land-use and transportation system. Of the 14 speakers who walked up to the podium, 12 urged the commission not to endorse the plan as is.
Neil Williamson, executive director of the business-centric Free Enterprise Forum, was one of them. Williamson, who has been following the development of the plan since its inception, was “disappointed” that he couldn’t endorse it.
“I believe the decision was not unexpected,” he told C-VILLE. “I am concerned that the plan as written does not solve the problems that exist on 29. I agree that something must be done.”
Morgan Butler of the Southern Environmental Law Center is glad the commission voted favorably. Butler says the plan represents a general framework that can move forward transportation projects the corridor “desperately” needs. Yet, the biggest concern involves what people want to add to the plan. He was, however, pleased with the decision of the commission to vote down the expansion of the growth areas. “I think that’s the right decision,” he told C-VILLE.
Like Williamson, many business owners stressed the need to have the corridor remain a viable commercial area with a better transportation system. Henry Weinschenk, owner of Express Car Wash on Rte. 29 and founding member of the Charlottesville Business Council, envisions a gradual transformation of the corridor from its current suburban character to an urban one. Weinschenk said he believes it is a good idea to develop parallel roads to Rte. 29 to improve the connectivity from neighborhoods to commercial centers. Yet, creating several grade-separated interchanges would lead to faster traffic, thus compromising the goal. “Places29 needs to be revised,” he said, adding that the plan should have high quality, pedestrian-friendly bridges and bike lanes.
An additional concern is the physical impact of the plan’s projects on businesses. Although Timothy Hulbert, president of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, supports the proposed designs for Berkmar Road Extended and Hillsdale Drive, the design for the main corridor is “fundamentally flawed,” he said. The grade-separated interchanges will be disruptive to the commercial boulevard design.
Wendell Wood, who has been developing along Rte. 29 for years, objected to the commission’s refusal to add land for growth. For Wood, just like Williamson, the land-use plan needs to be connected to the transportation plan and told the commissioners that they are not treating the problem as a reality.
“NGIC … they are coming, they are coming. They are in that area,” said Wood. “You have professed for years, ‘let’s put the growth where you work, where you sleep, where you go to school’ … and you choose not to put it in your growth area.”
Another point of contention for Williamson is the name of the plan. The county calls it a ‘vision’ for the community. According to a county report, “the Plan’s Future Land Use Map shows the community’s ultimate future vision for the area.” It would take several years before the vision would be implemented.
“By eliminating the restriction of 20 years, they have freed themselves and freed their imaginations and done a disservice to the community. Effectively, they have eliminated time and money from their constraints. What would your future look like if time and money where not an issue?” says Williamson.
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