Updated Friday, February 4, 2005 8:15 AM
Action Alerts & Upcoming Events
PEC events in bold. Your participation will determine the outcome:
2/5: Landowners' Woods & Wildlife Conf.
2/7: Support VA Amendments for Air Quality
2/8: Orange Considering Rural Area Protections
2/9: Public Hearing on Albemarle's Rural Plan
  • More Events...

Open Space Protection Number 1
"Reality Check" Affirms Smart Growth Principles

Keeping jobs and housing together in growth centers, and protecting open space and environmental resources (in green marker, above) were consistent themes throughout the exercise.

Three hundred government, business, and community leaders came together Wednesday, February 2nd for an exercise in joint planning called "Reality Check". These participants established "guiding principles" and using lego blocks representing housing and jobs, distributed future growth across the region. Across the 30 tables, the number one guiding principle was "preserving and protecting open space". Concentrating growth near transit, and keeping jobs near housing were other unifying principles.

Action Alert - Public Hearing February 8
Orange Co. To Consider Rural Area Protections
Current Subdivision Ordinance allows the division of an agriculturally zoned parcel into 4 parcels every 4 years byright (without any additional approval by the County). The three in ten amendment would revise the current “four-in-four” to allow three lots every ten years by-right.

Action Alert - Act by February 7
"Clean Smokestacks" Bill Defeated in Committee
VA Clean Air Advocates Continue to Fight for Air Quality, Support Budget Amendments to Support Clean Air
The House Agriculture, Chesapeake & Natural Resources Committee voted 18-4 to table legislation to cut pollution from Virginia's dirtiest power plants. Called "Clean Smoke Stacks," the bill would have cut emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other pollution from power plants and will save lives, spare asthma sufferers, reduce crop damage, help clean up the Chesapeake Bay, protect wildlife, and improve visibility in places like the Shenandoah National Park. Virginia's Clean Air Advocates have now turned their focus to support for budget amendments that would use monies generated from the sale of air pollution emission credits to improve Virginia's air quality monitoring system and to fund the retrofitting of thousands of school buses across the Commonwealth.
  • Support Budget Amendments for Air Quality
  • Clean Smokestacks in the Richmond Times Dispatch

More Hot Topics
Developers Bury Growth Management  ( pdf file)
VDOT Revives Western Bypass  ( pdf file)
Loudoun Voters Say NO to Developers
Buyers Favor Walkable Communities  ( pdf file)
W&OD Trail Still Threatened
Job Opportunities at PEC