I truly appreciate our hometown newspaper and look forward to reading it every month. However, I must address inaccuracies in the recent article titled “County Advances Public Private Plan for Eastern Avenue Bridge.” The headline and narrative gave undue credibility to the County’s PR spin, promoting their false narrative.
Firstly, Albemarle County has not genuinely advanced a plan for the Eastern Avenue Bridge and connector. The exposure of Project Heron forced the County to justify its prior behind-the-scenes dealings with the Oak Bluff developer.
Secondly, the Gazette’s article omitted critical questions: Under what authority did a County staff member work on Project Heron last year? Evidence suggests the EDA was used as a cover, with the County pivoting to the P3 once public documents surfaced.
Project Heron seems designed to support Riverbend’s high-density Oak Bluff development, appearing as an attempt to gain favor from the staff, Planning Commission, and Board of Supervisors by promising a bridge connector. This could push another large development into East Crozet for a powerful developer, based on aspirational promises but without a VDOT-approved design and viable new funding mechanisms.
The article’s title gave Crozet residents false hope there was a viable plan for the connector. Conversations I have had revealed that people now mistakenly think a plan exists to build the bridge. The County has only provided an aspirational plan, not a concrete one.
The Crozet United publication has a compelling series on Project Heron, providing history and raising crucial questions. Visit www.crozetunited.com to read their ongoing series.
As someone closely following the Oak Bluff development rezoning request, I have observed a one-sided process with stunning transparency gaps. The cozy relationship between the building community and County staff is troubling.
Here are some key unanswered questions that are eroding public confidence including:
Under what authority was a County staff member acting when accepting and working actively on a single bid from a developer without EDA authority or under the PPTA with an RFP?
Why did a staff member accept emails from a powerful developer conflating Project Heron and Oak Bluff and aligning the timing of approval?
What is the lawful basis for destroying Project Heron engineering plans and documents?
Will the County produce documentation from the Library of Records to back up their PR story?
Why was Project Heron still discussed in emails well into 2024 if it ended on November 30, 2023?
Why are elected County officials and the White Hall Supervisor holding meetings with a powerful Developer before a Zoning approval matter has come before the Board?
Given the lack of transparency and activities suggest a quid pro quo, along with the destruction of documents, surely County leaders must see how this erodes public trust in a fair review process.
A Call to Action: Crozet has a history of residents achieving big things and significant milestones, such as securing a state-of-the-art library, rescue squad, and fire station. We host an amazing parade and 4th of July show annually and we also have the Crozet Trails Crew with wonderful volunteers across the community.
Most residents of Crozet are probably unaware that the vast majority of public officials determining our future reside outside of our area. They are determined to continue pushing high density growth into our community based on a deeply flawed and unpopular Master Plan. They know Crozet is a unique satellite growth area (miles away from C-Ville amenities) and we are dependent on road systems that were simply not designed for this type of growth. Yet they ignore safety and traffic concerns at the risk to our residents. In fact, one Board of Supervisor has recently commented “build it and the infrastructure will follow”
To the Editor and staff at the Crozet Gazette, unfortunately the title of the article and the first part of the story missed the mark. It only served the County narrative. Unfortunately, many readers now believe there is renewed hope for the connector and bridge.
To the Chair of the Board of Supervisors, what actions are you willing to take to address community concerns and restore confidence?
Crozet residents are tired of decades of old promises and PR spin from Albemarle County. If you want to continue to approve more high density residential in our community, then how about producing a VDOT- approved plan along with full funding to connect the community and make good on building the bridge?
I moved to Crozet seven years ago. I am a small businessperson, and also a volunteer and mentor for small business owners. I want the best for Crozet, and I am far from a NIMBY. I am for Smart measured growth aligned with a true Master Plan.
Bill O’Malley
Crozet
