Note from a Reader – Access to Subdivisions

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Jim Duncan

I love my readers.

Jim: One thing I looked at when comparing properties was if the subdivision had more than one access; I was surprised at how many were dependent on one way in/out. Thought you would want to mention it along with other insights. Enjoy your blog even long after stopping to look for houses.

This isn’t something I’ve ever thought about, but in light of the snowpocalypse, it’s a pretty good idea.

One thing I do tell my clients relocating to the Charlottesville area from other regions is this – when considering the “sub regions” within Charlottesville and Albemarle, consider this -

Crozet is the only area with two major roads – 250 and 64 – accessing it.

Think about it -

29 North – has 29

Pantops – has 250 and 64, but they converge about a mile too early.

20/29 South – Same as 29 North


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About Jim Duncan

A Charlottesville Realtor who tries to stay on the bleeding/cutting/functional edge of technology and real estate trends. I have been selling real estate for the past 10 years, lived in C'Ville for twenty+ and am married to one of few Charlottesville natives left.
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  • Nalle

    Jim.
    While access to 64 and 250 from Crozet certainly is a great selling point, I would argue that the more important criteria should be distance from where you typically want to be (work, entertainment etc). If you live in Pantops, your already pretty close to town etc, so how critical is it to have two major roads? Even better, if you actually live in Charlottesville . . . you have endless roads to get to where you need to be. I’ve never considered my ability to get out to Crozet via 2 roads a major selling point of where I live in town. I wonder how many people living in Crozet felt “snowed in” until they made it into Charlottesville.

    -Nalle

  • http://www.realcentralva.com Jim Duncan

    Nalle -

    Thank you for the comment, and I absolutely agree that distance to work should be a major component in the location equation. But … considering that the City has about 45k people and Albemarle has about 91k, and the metro area has nearly 200k, many if not most of my clients are concerned about accessibility to Charlottesville … it’s usually why they choose to move here.

    Getting out to Crozet might not be an issue for you, but getting into Charlottesville is an issue for many. (although Crozet is rapidly becoming self-sufficient …. coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores … we just need a few more major employers)

    Personally, I was just fine in Crozet. :) I’m at the Mudhouse now.

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  • http://www.freeenterpriseforum.org Neil Williamson

    Please note the one way in one way out concept is most often driven by existing homeowners not wanting to have “cut-through” traffic in their neighborhood. There are countless examples across Albemarle County where planners and developers have envisioned roads, set aside valuable real estate only to have these connections blocked by homeowners. On a positive aside, these empty lots make great touch football fields for kids.

    Today’s Daily Progress has a letter to the editor highlighting Woodbrook’s desire to remain one way in/one way out.

    The “new” secondary roads standards for VDOT [enacted 2009] will require new residential developments maintain a higher links to node ration (generally meaning more ways to get in to and around a planned community. The compromise is that such a roadway allignment will likely require significant grading and the removal of tree canopy.

    Neil Williamson
    Free Enterprise Forum