Complete a Community Priorities Questionnaire!

What are your top priorities in planning for the future of Charlottesville and Albemarle County? Let us know by filling out a Community Priorities Questionnaire!  Rank the top ten issues that are most important to you from a list compiled from Charlottesville and Albemarle County Comprehensive Plans and comments gathered during the Community Outreach Series workshops.  Findings from the questionnaire will be used to help structure conversations between Livability project staff and elected and appointed officials to inform local policy updates and provide direction as the Livability Project moves forward.

Download a pdf of the survey here.  Use the blank spaces on the questionnaire to add and rank additional topics that you think are important. We have currently received about 150 surveys and would like to gather as many as possible by the end of June, so please help spread the word!  Completed surveys may be mailed, emailed or hand delivered to TJPDC no later than Monday, July 2, 2012.

Many Plans, One Community Turns One!

On Friday, June 1^st TJPDC hosted a One Year Celebration for Many Plans, One Community, showcasing the accomplishments and community findings from the first year of the project.  The event featured live demonstrations of the Local Plans Database, a searchable compilation of over 12,000 goals and strategies from a collection of 81 local planning documents.  Also on display was information from the recently completed Community Outreach Series, a series of six topic-specific workshops created to gather input from local residents about how City and County Comprehensive Plan goals can be improved.  Other highlights from the June 1 event included the current working draft of the Performance Measurement System, the recently approved Common Land Use & Transportation map, and an update on the status of the Long Range Transportation Plan. If you missed the event, posters are available on our Meetings & Events page.  Keep an eye on our website this summer to stay informed about upcoming events and opportunities to be involved.

The Many Plans of Many Plans, One Community – The Local Plans Database

While community outreach efforts have been underway around the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Comprehensive Plan updates, TJPDC staff have also been reviewing a variety of existing community plans from the City, County and other local partners.  A total of 81 plans were reviewed during this process!  From these plans, just over 12,000 goals, objectives, strategies, and action items were compiled.  Additionally, a list of 224 tags representing key community issues and topics was developed and vetted by project partners.  Each of the goals was reviewed and tagged with relevant tags to create a searchable database. 

The Local Plans Database will significantly increase the efficiency and decrease the staff time requirement related to community plan reviews.  Instead of visiting 81 different plans individually, this compilation of community goals provides a one stop shop, allowing community stakeholders to quickly access goals related to the important issues in the region.  This resource can be used for everything from supporting funding applications to informing plan updates.  Stay tuned to 1-community.org for more to come…

Community Outreach Series Recap

At the end of March, the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission wrapped up a six-month Community Outreach Series created to seek input from local residents on Charlottesville and Albemarle County’s Comprehensive Plans and the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) Long Range Transportation Plan.  The workshop series touched on a wide range of topics, including the Environment, Land Use & Transportation, Housing & Economic Drivers, Community Facilities & Services and Historic Resources.   Attendees were asked to provide feedback on existing goals and actions being taken to implement these goals in the community.  From September to March, over 700 public comments were gathered and will be taken into consideration as the City, County, and the MPO begin updating their respective plans. Both the City & County will be working to draft revised language for their Comprehensive Plans over the summer. 

On April 17, TJPDC staff presented a summary of many of the recurring themes that came up during the Community Outreach Series to a joint session of the City & County Planning Commissions and again to the Livability Partnership on April 23. Links to these presentations can be found on the Meetings & Events page in addition to posters & complete transcripts of public comments from each of the six workshops.  As the planning process moves forward, project staff will continue to seek input from individuals in the community to help prioritize issue areas where policy change or action is most needed. Stay tuned to 1-community.org to find out how you can get involved!

Final Community Outreach Series Workshop to be held March 29

On Thursday, March 29 from 4-7 pm the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission will host the sixth and final workshop in the Community Outreach Series at TJPDC’s Water Street Center. The workshop will highlight City and County Comprehensive Plan goals related to historic preservation, the protection of community entrance corridors, and natural heritage.  As in previous workshops, members of the community are invited to provide feedback on existing goals and strategies and offer suggestions about what else can be done to preserve and protect historic and scenic resources.  The workshop format is open house and the public is encouraged to stop in anytime throughout the three hour timeframe.

At the conclusion of the Community Outreach Series, public comments from each of the six workshops will be compiled and analyzed to inform the next phase of the City and County’s respective Comprehensive Plan Updates. The Charlottesville and Albemarle County Planning Commissions convene their next joint work session on April 17, 2012.  The work session is open to the public. Stay tuned to 1-community.org for information about future opportunities to be involved.

                                                                                                                                

Residents speak up at community facilities & services workshop

On Thursday, February 23 TJPDC, Charlottesville and Albemarle County staff hosted a fifth Community Outreach Series workshop at CitySpace.  The Facilities & Services Workshop focused on current Comprehensive Plan goals affecting emergency services, libraries, utilities, parks and recreation programming.  Attendees shared over 60 comments that addressed a wide range of issues, including current levels of service and how these services can be improved to better protect the health, safety and well-being of community residents.

If you missed the workshop, you can view posters and comments from the workshop online by visiting our Events page and submit your own feedback through our Comments page.  And don’t forget to mark your calendars for our final workshop in the Community Outreach Series addressing historic & scenic resources on Thursday, March 29 from 4-7 pm at TJPDC’s Water Street Center.