Crozet’s Master Plan receives major award

Albemarle County, Virginia’s Master Plan for the village of Crozet has been singled out as one of the most innovative such projects in America. The plan was one of fifteen studies selected nationwide by the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) for a 2005 Charter Award, the organization’s highest accolade for exemplary design and implementation. From Citiesthatwork.com (no longer available)

What is most funny is that Two weeks before the Board of Supervisors voted December 1 to approve the Crozet Master Plan, the Crozet Community Association just said no. From The HooK.

Update – Albemarle County has posted this press release on their website. Full text of the release is below.
The plan was one of fifteen studies selected nationwide by the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) for a 2005 Charter Award, the organization’s highest accolade for exemplary design and implementation, it was announced recently.
The Crozet Master Plan was selected for a Charter award from among 136 entries, with elements considered including design, sensitivity to surroundings both geographic and built, strength of implementation and the quality of presentation.
The plan was developed by Albemarle County Department of Community Development with the assistance of a team of nationally recognized, Charlottesville-based planners and designers led by Kenneth Schwartz, FAIA, AICP of Renaissance Planning Group in partnership with Warren Byrd, FASLA of Nelson-Byrd-Woltz Landscape Architects and Bruce Dotson, Ph.D.  Christensen Associates of Richmond provided facilitation support.
As one of the County’s designated development areas, Crozet’s population is expected to grow from 3,000 to as much as 12,000 by the year 2020.  The plan is the first of a series of development area plans to incorporate the County’s award-winning “Neighborhood Model” principles, which require new development to be organized around compact, walkable communities featuring a variety of activities and protected natural areas. The alternatives offered by this approach allowed planners and developers to accommodate the level of development that was authorized “by right” while preserving 35-50% of the land for recreational open space. 
“Our staff is deeply honored to be recognized in this way,” said County Principal Planner Elaine Echols. “Planner Susan Thomas deserves special recognition for her hard work to lead the process.  She smoothly coordinated the work of the consultant team with all the key County departments, and devoted a great deal of professional and personal time to this community.”
“The people of Crozet are to be thanked most of all,” said County Supervisor Sally Thomas who represents the largely rural district surrounding Crozet.  “They gave thousands of volunteer hours to the effort and continue to show tremendous commitment to ensuring that Crozet will grow in the best possible way, encouraging new businesses and residents to honor and celebrate its unique, historic character.”
CNU (www.cnu.org) is the United States’ leading organization promoting sound urban design and walkable, mixed-use cities and towns as alternatives to sprawl. The juried Charter Awards program is CNU’s main vehicle for recognizing work that best embodies and advances the principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism, which assembles the essential principles of urban design and the qualities of coherent places from the scale of the region to the block and building.