Albemarle Place (archived: 2007) … it is almost upon us.
I have been writing about this for a little while now, and it’s almost here. I saw a note on cvillenews that their site has been updated … it certainly is enlightening. Make no mistake; this project is going to be massive.
I will let my bolding speak in place of my sarcasm:
No one has time these days to spend all day in the car, so why not park your car at our town center, then stroll along our Main Street. Meet friends, window shop and enjoy the atmosphere. Find clothing for that upcoming event and a special gift at one of our many boutique shops. Then, swing by and pick up fresh produce at our high-end market before heading home, and you haven’t had to navigate any traffic to get it all done!
This is a good concept, and it should prove interesting to watch. A little bit of candor would go a long way. Almost 60,000 vehicles travel this intersection everyday. What’s a few more? Source: VDOT (archived: 2006)
New Urbanism is all the rage. Bacon’s Rebellion had an interesting article (no longer available) a little while ago about this project.
By traditional planning logic, the Albemarle Place project is in the worst possible location: The trips generated by thousands of additional residents and workers should turn U.S. 29 into a poster child for gridlock. But the Albemarle planners know what they’re doing. In fact, the rest of Virginia should watch this development closely because it may offer a way to harness economic growth into a mechanism for transforming the disconnected, traffic-plagued development of the past four decades into something far more livable.
Resources: TJPDC (archived: 2010), VDOT (archived: 2006).
Either way, people are going to move here to be a part of Albemarle Place (archived: 2007). I wouldn’t mind if people contacted me to help them relocate.
Interested in Learning More?
Jim Duncan has been helping buyers and sellers in Charlottesville’s neighborhoods for 25 years. Get local insight born of experience.
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