There is one day left to tell the Virginia Department of Transportation your thoughts on possible transportation improvements in the area around Ivy Road and Old Ivy Road. The “pipeline study” is intended to help address congestion caused by both existing development conversion of the area into something significantly more urban. (take the survey)
“The purpose of this study is to identify project recommendations for the U.S. 250 (Ivy Road) corridor, including the interchange with U.S. 29, within Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville,” reads the description on the study’s webpage.
The website leaves out context that explains the urgency of finding solutions to turn into new projects.
For years, the University of Virginia and its real estate foundation have purchased land throughout the community for future expansion. Much of this land has been along Ivy Road or Old Ivy Road, with many private businesses having to seek other locations so the public institution could grow.
Last week, the School of Data Science opened its new building just west of where the Cavalier Inn stood for years. A new hotel called Virginia Guesthouse and the Karsh Institute of Democracy will follow in the Emmet/Ivy Corridor, as will other buildings that have not yet been disclosed to the public. These are on properties that used to generate tax revenue for the City of Charlottesville but are now exempt from that obligation as well as city zoning.
Properties in Albemarle County owned by the UVA Foundation continue to generate tax revenue for now, but places like the 440-unit Ivy Gardens apartment complex will one day be redeveloped with more residential units as well as academic and commercial space.
Food of All Nations and other tenants of the Ivy Square Shopping Center may also one day need to find new locations or go out of business. The UVA Foundation purchased the 2.77 acre site in December 2021 for $20 million, as I reported at the time.
Meanwhile, developers seek more places to build new places for people to live. Last March, Albemarle Supervisors unanimously approved a rezoning for 525 rental units on Old Ivy Road despite opposition from nearby residents who argued the immediate area could not support existing levels of activity, let alone future increases.
Since then, the Virginia Department of Transportation has been studying the area to identify future projects that could alleviate congestion and prepare for more people using the area. This is known as a “pipeline study.”
“The focus of this study is on improving roadway safety, reducing traffic congestion, improving access, and enhancing multimodal accessibility and connectivity for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users, including how these needs might be satisfied by facilities within the Route 601 (Old Ivy Road) corridor,” reads a description of the study.
Now VDOT wants community feedback on dozens of potential alternatives that might be pursued. The survey divides into different geographic areas and there are multiple ideas. (take the survey)
Both Ivy Road Western Corridor Improvement Package 1 and Package 2 would modify intersections on U.S. 250 at Ednam Drive, Farmington Drive, Boxwood Estate Road, Kenridge Park Road, and Boars Head Drive with roundabouts in a few locations. To learn more, it’s important to take the survey.
The “Middle” corridor package addresses areas closer to where new developments will take place in the future. One idea here would be to build a ten foot wide shared-use path on the south side of Old Ivy Road. Another would be to use an advanced traffic signal to ensure vehicular traffic could only move in one direction at any time through the narrow railroad underpass. This idea would also see construction of a sidewalk under the underpass.
There are many other ideas including a “triangle-about” at the southbound Bypass off-ramp/Old Garth Road/Old Ivy Road area. This idea was shown to the public shortly before the March 2023 decision to approve Greystar Development’s 525 residential units at Old Ivy Road.
The pipeline survey is open through May 10.
Decisions on what projects to pursue will likely be made by members of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Policy Board.
Before November 2019, there was a public body called the Planning and Coordination Council where the impacts of regional growth were discussed by elected officials in Albemarle and Charlottesville and UVA officials.
Now those meetings are held in private as the Land Use and Environmental Planning Committee. Members of the public as well as elected officials must rely on minutes from these meetings to know what was discussed. The minutes for the April meeting are not yet available.
Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment is from the May 6, 2024 edition of the newsletter. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.
