2014-02-19February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
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An adjourned meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Albemarle County, Virginia, was held on
February 19, 2014, 4:00 p.m.., Lane Auditorium, County Office Building, McIntire Road, Charlottesville,
Virginia. The meeting was adjourned from February 12, 2014. (Note: The meeting was originally
adjourned to 3:00 p.m., for the purposes of a Closed Meeting, but the Closed Meeting was not held and
the meeting convened at 4:00 p.m.)
PRESENT: Mr. Kenneth C. Boyd, Ms. Jane D. Dittmar, Ms. Ann Mallek, Ms. Diantha H. McKeel,
Ms. Liz A. Palmer and Mr. Brad L. Sheffield.
ABSENT: None.
OFFICERS PRESENT: County Executive, Thomas C. Foley, County Attorney, Larry W. Davis,
Clerk, Ella W. Jordan, and Senior Deputy Clerk, Travis O. Morris.
Agenda Item No. 1, Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 4:07 p.m. by the Chair, Ms.
Dittmar.
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Agenda Item No. 2. Pledge of Allegiance.
Agenda item No. 3. Moment of Silence.
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Agenda Item No. 7. Public Hearing to receive comments regarding the proposed Route 29
Western Bypass and to consider possible Board action. (Advertised in The Daily Progress on February
10 and February 17, 2014.)
Ms. Dittmar welcomed attendees and thanked the Albemarle County Police for being present to
help maintain order and promote decorum.
Mr. Foley addressed the Board, referencing a letter from the U.S. Department of Transportation –
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) regarding the Route 29 Bypass and its review comments on the
draft revised environmental assessment, which was received by the County within the last hour. Mr. Foley
said the letter was addressed to VDOT Commissioner Charles Kilpatrick, and he read the letter:
“Dear Commissioner Kilpatrick:
The draft of the Revised Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Route 29 Bypass has been
reviewed by our legal counsel. Because of the controversy associated with the project and the history of
litigation, our legal counsel coordinated their review with FHWA's Office of Chief Counsel in Headquarters
and the Office of the Secretary of Transportation. The review by legal counsel focused on the adequacy of
the discussion of specific document elements, including purpose and need, alternatives, the scope of the
environment affected, the responses to comments and fulfillment of essential coordination requirements.
Based on their review, our legal counsel provided us with a number of comments. Almost all of their
comments can be readily addressed with revisions to the draft of the Revised EA, but there are a couple
of comments that FHWA would like to bring to your attention because of the potential implications
associated with them. Our legal counsel has advised us to reassess the purpose and need of the project
in light of the changes in the Route 29 corridor tha t have occurred over the past 20 years to determine if
it remains appropriate since the need appears to have expanded well beyond the existing project limits.
As you are aware, the reason we initiated the EA was to determine the need for a supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and we need not complete that EA effort before rendering a
decision if the analysis carries us in that direction. Based on the EA analysis, our knowledge of the project
and FHWA's involvement in it going back to the late -1980s, it is expected that a reassessment of the
purpose and need will find that it is no longer adequate to support the investment in the corridor.
Accordingly, we advise VDOT to update the purpose and need and reopen the consideration of
alternatives. The most appropriate tool for formally updating the purpose and need and reopening
the consideration of alternatives would be a supplemental EIS.
As you are aware, the environmental process for this project has stretched over 20 years and
involved an EIS, supplemental EIS, two EAs, three Records of Decision (ROD) and a Finding of No
Significant Impact. While FHWA has led the environmental process for the project this entire time
and our decision making has been reinforced by the Fourth Circuit Court on mor e than one occasion,
the environmental process has become very convoluted. A supplemental EIS would allow both
FHWA and VDOT to take a fresh look at the needs that exist in the Route 29 corridor and develop a
solution that is supported by the public and lo calities in general. Additionally, we encourage you to
work closely with local representatives to gain their support of the transportation improvement
moving forward.
FHWA remains committed to working with VDOT to identify and develop solutions for the
Route 29 corridor. Should you have any questions on this letter or wish to discuss it further, please
contact me at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Irene Rico, Division Administrator”
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February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
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Ms. Dittmar asked Mr. Davis if he would like to comment on the letter.
Mr. Davis said the letter infers that, in order for the project to advance, the FHWA is looking for
a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to be prepared. Beyond that, he was not
prepared to make any additional analysis of the letter. He added that he would like some time to review
it.
Ms. Dittmar asked him to contact the FHWA at his convenience, and Mr. Davis agreed to do
so.
Mr. Foley stated that John Lynch, VDOT District Administrator, has contacted him and City
Manager, Maurice Jones, to schedule a meeting, and said that they would involve Mr. Davis. He said
the meeting was tentatively scheduled for more than a week out, and stated that he would keep the
Board up to date.
Ms. Dittmar asked Ms. Mallek to review the rules and procedures for speakers.
Ms. Mallek informed attendees of the proper protocol for addressing the Board.
Mr. Boyd stated that he hadn’t seen the letter until just a few minutes ago but, in the past when
this discussion came up with VDOT, they told the County that there would be a two-year delay in the
process if they had to do a supplemental environmental study.
Ms. Dittmar reviewed the process for having all attendees speak, including those who signed
up online and those who signed up at the meeting room.
Ms. McKeel called the speakers forward five names at a time.
Ms. Blair Williamson said she lives at 107 Falcon Drive in the Colthurst Farm Subdivision at the
toe in the proposed slope of the bypass and is President of S.L. Williamson Company, an asphalt
contractor. She said the bypass would create much needed jobs for her company, and encouraged the
Board to keep an open mind and consider all the facts before making a decision about support or lack
of support for the bypass. Ms. Williamson stated that her house is 150 feet away of the proposed
bypass slope below Stillhouse Mountain, but more impactful than building the bypass has been the
threat of building it – and the fear of building the bypass has made home sales on her side of the
neighborhood virtually impossible. She said, in the Bellair neighborhood, the existing 250 Bypass is
immediately adjacent to half the neighborhood, and the property values there have remained stable for
many years. Ms. Williamson also commented on the “Let’s Go 29” video created by the Piedmont
Environmental Council and the Southern Environmental Law Center, stating that the tagline in the video
is “A sum of simple fixes that is better than a bypass.” She stated that people may be lured into thinking
they can build these simple fixes – overpasses, extensions and bridges – with the click of a mouse, but
with 20+ years in the construction industry, she knows that things are not so simple. Ms. Williamson
said building this in an over-capacity roadway will create much frustration and come at a very high price,
which is still unknown for Places 29. She stated that the bypass would be built almost entirely out of
traffic with very little impact to local traffic, and it would be an almost perfect road if they eliminated the
northern terminus at Hollymead and extended it to the UVA Research Park. Ms. Williamson said she
envisions the proposed bypass as the first phase of a 29 Bypass that would eventually take traffic north
to the airport. She stated that the project has been contemplated, vetted, fretted over, designed,
redesigned, bid and awarded to a qualified contractor – and it’s time to build it. Ms. Williamson said
taxpayers have spent 30 years and $50 million studying it, and said that the Board shouldn’t waste any
more time and money but should just get started.
Ms. Nora Seilheimer, a City of Charlottesville resident at 308 Farm Lane, said she opposes the
bypass for many reasons – primarily because of the effect on her two young children. Ms. Seilheimer
said the proposed highway would come within 400 feet of where her four and five-year old children
spend the majority of their day, and EPA studies have shown that people who live, work or attend
school near major roads have increased incidence and severity of health problems that may be related
to air pollution from roadway traffic. She said, as it is currently designed, the southern terminus would
hover over their school and would be a constant factor in their lives – with the noise of trucks ascending
and descending the 11% grade and exposing them to harmful exhaust for their entire school career.
Ms. Seilheimer said study after study has shown that this proposed highway will not solve traffic
congestion on Route 29 and, if the bypass is built, Rt. 29 will still operate at a service level “F.” She
asked why the community would pursue a project that damages the community in so many ways when
the project won’t even help the problem they are trying to solve. Ms. Seilheimer emphasized that it’s an
outdated plan that was designed for the Charlottesville that existed 20 years ago, and requested that
the Board pursue alternatives such as Places 29 and intersection improvements that will help solve
traffic problems.
Mr. John Martin addressed the Board, stating that he has been waiting for an opportunity to speak
out against the proposed bypass in a formal public hearing since June 8, 2011. Mr. Martin stated that, on
that day, there was a calamitous and unfortunate Board of Supervisors meeting – before and during which
a group of Supervisors, with pre-meeting involvement by a high state official, succeeded with a legislative
scheme to obtain reversal of Albemarle County’s long-standing objections to the Route 29 Bypass, with a
vote taken near midnight without a public hearing, without any public notice, and without notice to all of the
Supervisors that the matter was going to be raised. Mr. Martin said the community was harmed by the
actions of that day, and they are here today to repair that damage with a most powerful force: their voices,
which they know can and will make a difference. He stated that it’s been a long wait for this opportunity
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but, during that time, the community has witnessed extraordinary courage, tenacity, valor, civic-
mindedness, and strength of character through the selfless acts of those who chose to run for office and
were elected. Mr. Martin said Board members will hear all the reasons why the bypass should not move
forward, and urged the Board to seek an end to “the bypass nightmare.” He said, fundamentally, any
project that is advanced not on its merits but on legislative trickery is not a project worth pursuing.
Mr. Robert Scheinfeld, a resident of 119 Falcon Drive in Charlottesville, said he’s been trying to
draw an objective conclusion on how to look at the project – whether he is affected or not. He said it’s
been very clear to him that there’s a problem which needs to be solved, so his first question is whether the
proposed plan would solve the problem or alleviate it significantly. Mr. Scheinfeld stated that there are
opinions on both sides of whether it will, but his personal feeling is that it won’t. He said his second
question is whether it’s the best way to solve the problem, providing the greatest benefits in the most cost-
effective and healthy way, and his conclusion has been that it is not the best way. Mr. Scheinfeld said he
hopes Board members will get off the path of adopting one plan or another, and instead look at the
alternatives with an objective eye to make a decision that’s best for the community, to really solve the
problem with the greatest benefits in the most cost-effective and healthy way.
Ms. Elly Tucker, a resident at 111 Reynard Drive in the County, said she currently serves on the
Places 29 Citizens Advisory Council, and stated that she is speaking as a private citizen in asking the
Board to cancel the proposed western bypass and instead support real, workable solutions such as those
already approved in the Places 29 plan. Ms. Tucker said VDOT engineers state that, even if the bypass is
built, Route 29 would remain at an “F” level of service – whereas putting in overpasses at Rio and
Hydraulic, the level of service would be at a “B” level, even without an exorbitantly expensive bypass
added. She stated that this bypass is not the road the County needs, as it is inefficient, sends truck traffic
within hundreds of feet of six local schools, cuts through seven already established neighborhoods,
passes through at least one historic African-American cemetery, sends trucks up an 11% grade from a
dead standstill, is environmentally unsound, empties out into one of the County’s most congested
developments – Hollymead/Forest Lakes – and its projected cost will exceed the accepted bid price by
millions due to the need for change orders. She said VDOT’s original three-party agreement sequenced
possible projects along Route 29, stipulated that parallel roads be constructed, overpasses be built at Rio
and Hydraulic, and only if all other improvements failed to solve local traffic issues – and if funding was
available – would a bypass be considered. Ms. Tucker said it was clear then, and it is clear now that a
bypass will not solve local congestion.
Mr. Jack Renard, President of the Colonnades Residents Association, said he has spoken to the
Board before about the impact that construction and the operation of the destructive western bypass will
have on their sunrise senior living community. He said they have 330 residents, 230 of whom are active in
the County – voting and contributing to the economy. Mr. Renard said he was accompanied by over 20
residents in support of the future of the Colonnades, stating that the road was still designed to arc around
the community, cut through Stillhouse Mountain, and has its footprint pass within 600 feet of their
healthcare center. He stated that they would be particularly vulnerable to the extensive blasting and air
pollution during construction, followed by truck traffic, noise, exhaust, and toxic pollution that would occur
once the road is in operation. Mr. Renard said VDOT did not even consider the Colonnades in their
environmental impact statements of 1993 and 2003, and they can only hope they are being included in
their latest effort to produce a proper supplemental environmental im pact statement as required by the
FHWA. He stated that, for 2.5 years, residents have been trying to get the Board’s attention to their
personal plight following the resurrection of the project – and have learned that the road is not at all a
bypass of Charlottesville, as envisioned by Lynchburg and Culpeper, but is simply another short internal
commuter road that is not worth the cost to taxpayers. Mr. Renard said it is time for elected officials to do
what’s right and cancel the western bypass project.
Mr. Bill Tucker, a resident at 111 Reynard Drive in the Colthurst Subdivision, said he has been a
real estate attorney in Charlottesville for over 40 years. He stated that, since the conception of the
bypass, property values have decreased and sales have been lost in the seven neighborhoods affected by
the bypass. Mr. Tucker said, once VDOT acquires a property for its right of way, it basically comes off the
tax rolls – and adjacent properties decrease in value and are unable to be sold. He stated that the
opposite was true for commercial properties, as they would go up in value, and canceling the bypass and
reconsidering Places 29 would resurrect lost residential values while increasing commercial values. Mr.
Tucker said VDOT has already acquired approximately $40 million in right of way acquisitions, and the
effect on adjacent properties is an estimated $20 million – which results in an annual tax loss of $450,000
per year for the County or a total of $9 million over the last 20 years. He stated that VDOT now estimates
spending another $40 million for additional rights of way, which would result in a minimum of $100 million
in reductions from the tax base, or an annual loss of $760,000. Mr. Tucker said these estimates are
probably conservative, and the actual losses could exceed $1 million or more, citing the increase in
revenue-sharing dollars over the years as an example of possible future revenue losses over the next 30
years. He added that, if the Board kills the bypass, the VDOT properties will be sold back to the public
and become taxable again, and the property values of the seven affected neighborhoods would
immediately increase. Mr. Tucker said, “Please stop the bypass.”
Mr. Milton Moore, residing in Colthurst at 106 Falcon Drive, said he has worked with CATCO for
25 years, and they have obtained over 1,000 documents through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
that were used in writing “Route 29 Bypass Alt 10,” often referred to as “The Green Book.” Mr. Moore said
that book details many valid reasons why this expensive, inefficient, destructive road should not be built –
and it is available on the Piedmont Environmental Council website. He stated that, for eight years, the
bypass was essentially a dead issue until the infamous midnight vote of 2011 and, since then, additional
costly issues have arisen – the likelihood of taking another six homes in Ivy Ridge, numerous reports on
the dangers of diesel exhaust to students and teachers in the six schools near the bypass, and the cost
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increases for modifying the southern and northern interchanges. Mr. Moore requested that the Board take
action to cancel the bypass and support projects such as the Best Buy ramp, Hillsdale and Berkmar Drive
Extended, the widening of Route 29 between Polo Grounds Road and the Hollymead Town Center,
overpasses at Hydraulic Road and Rio, and the state-of-the-art signal system underway now on Route 29.
Mr. Moore stated that he flew 341 missions in Vietnam, and that was a “piece of cake” compared to
dealing with this destructive road for over 25 years.
Ms. Grace Zisk said she just moved from Forest Lakes South to the Colonnades, “from the frying
pan into the fire,” but it is not for personal reasons that she asks the Board to defeat the present western
bypass plan because it is already outdated. Ms. Zisk said this misguided design does not take into
account the greatly increased amount of traffic and traffic lights between Ruckersville and Ashwood
Boulevard, and asked if anyone had counted the number of trucks that deliver their goods to all of the
other new shopping centers going up Route 29. She stated that, if the bypass is needed, it should start
further north and should swing further out into the countryside as was originally planned years ago. Ms.
Zisk said the bypass should not be the hastily planned and ill-conceived cut-through road that threatens
the health and well-being of the population, the value of some of their property, and even the natural and
physical beauty of the County.
Mr. Neil Williamson, President of the Free Enterprise Forum (FEF), a privately funded public
policy organization located in Albemarle County, said the FEF believes that the proposed US 29 western
bypass is the most practicable and least environmentally impactful transportation solution to congestion on
US 29. Mr. Williamson stated that, over the last several weeks, they have shared with the community and
the Board recent travel time information from the Department of Transportation showing 22 minutes of
time savings; engineering concerns with the construction viability of the expressway, often touted as the
bypass alternative; three independently conducted surveys showing public support for the bypass; and
cost comparisons to the unfunded Places 29 improvements which show the bypass is a better choice. He
said, even with all this data, the FEF understands that this is a political – not necessarily a rational
decision. Mr. Williamson quoted English poet John Donne: “No man is an island, entirely of itself. Every
man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod washes away by the sea, Europe is the less.”
He said Albemarle County is not an island, and they need to recognize their important role in the
Commonwealth Transportation Plan.
Ms. Ann Rooker, a resident of Albemarle County, addressed the Board stating that she has
opposed and fought against the proposed bypass for over 25 years because it is a wasteful project that
will damage the natural and built environment and will not solve the traffic problems on Route 29. She
said she and her husband, Dennis, are among the hundreds of County residents who live in the
neighborhoods that the proposed bypass would devastate. Ms. Rooker stated that their property values
have plummeted since the bypass was proposed, and residents of their neighborhoods can’t sell their
homes due to the threat of the bypass and, if it is built, they will lose the quiet and peaceful quality of life
that their neighborhood provides. She said she is also among the thousands of parents and grandparents
whose children’s and grandchildren’s schools will be negatively impacted by noise and vehicular pollution
from the proposed bypass. Ms. Rooker said she taught at one of the schools that would be impacted, and
her children attended four of the schools – with her grandchildren attending two of the schools. She
stated that her concerns for the health and well-being of the students and staff of those schools are very
real, and she is also a taxpayer – having lived in Albemarle County for 43 years and in Virginia her entire
life. From a practical standpoint, she said she does not want to see her tax dollars going to support a road
project which all studies show will not solve the traffic problem on Route 29. She asked the Board to
cancel the proposed bypass and instead support transportation projects that work – the Best Buy ramp,
extensions of Hillsdale and Berkmar Drive, the widening of Route 29 between Polo Grounds Road and
Hollymead Town Center, state-of-the-art synchronization of traffic signals, and improvement to the
intersections of Route 29 with Hydraulic and Rio Roads.
Mr. M. Rick Turner stated that he is the President of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Chapter of the
NAACP. Mr. Turner said there is a lot of information out about the negative impacts of the proposed
bypass on the community, but what’s only recently begun to receive any attention is the impact on African-
American resources in the community. He stated that there are serious impacts to their history, as the
route of the bypass would cut right through what was once a thriving rural African-American community of
farmers and professionals in the Hydraulic Mills/Union Ridge area, shortly before and then after the Civil
War. Mr. Turner said free and formerly enslaved African-Americans bought land, established farms, ran
businesses, and built schools and churches. He stated that this is where free citizens came together and
tried to get a foothold in the community and, while they appreciate VDOT’s efforts to avoid the Sammons
farmstead, there is more African-American history to this area than just that one piece. Mr. Turner said
the bypass would also impact their future, as it would come close to several schools on the route and
make them less desirable places in which to learn. He stated that, when ranking County schools by their
racial makeup, four out of seven schools with the highest African-American enrollment are located along
the route of the proposed bypass. He said, just as with their history, it is troubling to envision the impact
this highway would have on the future and, as the Board discusses and decides where it stands on the by-
pass, he asked the Board to keep in mind how the by-pass would impact these important sites which are
linked to the past, present and future of the local African-American community.
Ms. J. J. Towler, a resident of 1715 Vermira Place in Albemarle County, addressed the Board,
stating that she is opposed to the bypass and read from an editorial in The Daily Progress which stated
that “massive measures such as a bypass are more destructive than constructive,” adding that a costly
bypass would destroy homes, reduce land values, create a rural eyesore, probably endanger the
watershed, and threaten the County’s policy of rural protection, by increasing pressures for outlying
development. She stated that, for all of that, it would serve only 10% of the traffic now causing such
congestion on US 29, and the recommendation building among local leaders is instead a network of area
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roads that – coupled with improvements to US 29 – would relieve the traffic burden without creating
unbearable additional burdens on home and business owners. Ms. Towler said US 29 traffic congestion is
a local problem, so logically the problem requires a localized solution. She stated that the editorial was
published on August 29, 1989 – and it was right then, as it is now. She asked the Board to save the
community from more blood, sweat and tears - oppose the by-pass and support real solutions instead.
Mr. Lynwood Bell said he lives on Fontana Drive in Pantops and was most disappointed with what
kicked off this meeting. He said the County needs to stop the gridlock. He stated that they were likely
going to add a minimum of two more years onto a 20-year problem, and encouraged the Board not to
repeat another Meadowcreek situation. Mr. Bell stated that they are not the only ones affected by this
situation along Route 29, and they seem to be on the wrong side of the question. He asked people who
live in the County to think “a little larger” adding that the people and economy need a bypass, and the
County economy would suffer with bridges. Mr. Bell stated that the Board should ignore the naysayers
and build the bypass pointing out that the Lynchburg bypass would be the same length as what’s being
proposed here and it works.
Ms. Robyn Kells, a City resident at 2503 Westerly Avenue, was before the Board to voice her
support for bypass alternatives. Ms. Kells said, in the late 1980s when the bypass was first conceived,
there was no such thing as the worldwide web, John Paul Jones Arena did not exist, and US 29 North
from Hydraulic was a fraction of its current size. She stated that the bypass was designed to serve a
Charlottesville that no longer exists, and asked if they would take a paper map from 1989 and use it to get
around town today – or perhaps turn to their GPS. Ms. Kells said that is the same choice they have now –
whether they use 1989 or 2014 as a benchmark for planning the future of transportation in the community.
She stated that the bypass, as proposed, has serious environmental and economic implications and, at its
current estimate, it would cost taxpayers $40 million per mile – which is unacceptable. Ms. Kells said she
has heard people say that the alternative plan would hurt businesses along the Route 29 corridor, which is
interesting because the bypass would take people away from those businesses altogether. She
suggested that the Board strongly consider alternatives to the bypass.
Mr. John Cruickshank, a resident of 324 Parkway Street in the City, addressed the Board, stating
that he was speaking as a representative of the Piedmont Group of the Sierra Club, which has 1,090
members in Central Virginia. He said the Sierra Club has long opposed construction of the Route 29
Bypass, as it will damage neighborhoods, threaten the water supply, adversely affect the Ivy Creek Natural
Area and a nearby historic area, and increase the health risks of school children. Mr. Cruickshank
presented the Board with a list of 22 research studies published since 2009, showing that exposure to
vehicle emissions causes a wide range of negative health effects to developing fetuses, children and
adolescents – and this list is just a small sampling of a growing body of research showing similar results.
He stated that he strongly disagrees with the proponents of the bypass who say that there are already
schools located near large roads, and those children are doing just fine, because the rates of childhood
asthma, cancer, learning disabilities, and autism have risen sharply in recent years. Mr. Cruickshank said
there may be multiple causes for these disturbing statistics, but asked why a community would
intentionally build a highway so close to six of the schools. He stated that, during his 18 years as a school
principal in the County, he frequently saw asthmatic students come to the nurse’s office with breathing
difficulty – and it is a frightening experience which some children encounter far too often. Mr. Cruickshank
said the community owes it to the children by providing them with the safest possible learning
environment.
Mr. Will Rieley said he is a resident of the Samuel Miller District and a former member of the
Albemarle County Planning Commission. Mr. Rieley said he has some background in road design, with
his engineering firm designing the Thomas Jefferson Parkway and the City’s portion of the Meadowcreek
Parkway. He stated that they designed the access roads at the Darden Towe Park, McIntire Park and
Walnut Creek Park, so his reaction to a road project is not automatically one of opposition. Mr. Rieley
said the Board would hear many sound reasons to oppose the project – including an outdated
environmental impact statement, the economic stupidity of spending money on a project when there are
more cost-effective ways to handle the problems, impact on African-American history, and many other
issues. He stated that one aspect which hasn’t received as much attention is the decision to lump the
design and construction into one low-bid package, and asked them to imagine building a house or any
other private facility where the only criteria is cost. Mr. Rieley emphasized that it is a prescription for
disaster, and it is very clear that the design coming out of this flawed process doesn’t work. He
encouraged the Board of kill this very unwise project.
Ms. Katie Storer, a City resident residing at 1007 St. Charles Avenue, said her husband crosses
Route 29 every day at the Hydraulic intersection and has to wait through several stoplights to get through,
so the bypass will not help him in his commute. Ms. Storer said she has to work full-time and would like to
get home as soon as possible, so the bypass will also not help her. She stated that she would like the
Board to look into other alternatives which will help local traffic.
Ms. Deborah Prum, a County resident residing at 220 Ipswich Place, said she was present to ask
the Board to oppose the bypass – which isn’t really a bypass but is instead a cut-through that will cut
through established neighborhoods and school grounds and go near the reservoir. Ms. Prum said, as the
by-pass is being built, there will be years of school buses and young drivers trying to navigate through
detours to get to school. She stated that road funds are finite, and every dollar that goes toward this
antiquated and ineffectual project is one dollar less to spend on an intelligent plan that could actually
address the traffic problem on Route 29. Ms. Prum said, if the western bypass is built as planned, they
will still get to sit in traffic inhaling exhaust fumes on Route 29.
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Ms. Nancy O’Brien, a resident of 501 Ninth Street, SW, in the City, addressed the Board, stating
that, for forty years, she struggled with the problem they are struggling with now – first as an agitator, then
as a planner, then as a decision maker. She said, during her decision-making time, she did not support
this road and said she was “mystified” at how planning has gone in this area – going off on tangents and
forgetting that the main problem is right in front of them still needing to be addressed. Ms. O’Brien stated
that they’ve done a lot of tinkering around the edges of Route 29, but it’s not solving the problem. She
said Albemarle is well-known throughout the Commonwealth for intelligent decision-making and wise use
of resources, and asked the Board to do both of those things by saying no to the bypass and focus back
on Route 29 – which is the problem.
Ms. Nancy Goodrich said she is a resident of the Colonnades at 2600 Barracks Road in the
County. She said she and her husband moved to Charlottesville in 1949, and it has occurred to her that
this particular bypass could have been built back then and it would have been a great thing. Ms. Goodrich
said that was before Fashion Square Mall, before Forest Lakes, before Barracks Road Shopping Center,
the airport, etc., and it would have been a legitimate bypass in those days. She stated that the proposed
highway would hit the Colonnades particularly hard; built only 22 years ago, it faces the unique dilemma of
suffering 18 of the 27 negative impacts identified with the current plan. Ms. Goodrich said the southern
terminus would literally be in their backyard, with a grove of trees shared with St. Anne’s Bellfield School.
She stated that she takes issue with The Daily Progress’ contention that the bypass is “better than
nothing,” as that type of thinking is seriously flawed, adding that the by-pass is not the best that can be
done.
Mr. Bruce Prum, a resident of 220 Ipswich Place in the County, said he is a physician and people
will be affected by this in great ways. Mr. Prum said he has several elderly patients with visual disabilities
who have lived in the path of the proposed bypass for decades and are threatened with losing their
homes. He said this is the first time he has spoken on behalf of one of his patients who would lose his
home, lose his ability to carry on in life that he has had for decades with his elderly wife. He stated that he
hopes and prays that the Board will help the people of the community who would be suffering greatly
because of the bypass, adding that there are many other opportunities for traffic to be taken care of.
Mr. Russell (Mac) Lafferty of 135 West Park Drive said he is a County resident. Mr. Lafferty said
there has been a serious lack of information with this proposal and, when given, the information is
conflicting. He said if anyone is seriously considering the 29 Bypass project, they should be able to
answer these questions: What does the final project look like? Mr. Lafferty said citizens do not have a
final design of either terminus, or the actual route of the road, and all the rights of way have not been
purchased. He asked how anyone could speculate on travel time, project cost, or environmental impact
without knowing these specifications. He said the second question is whether this is the best use of
highway funds, and whether a cost benefit analysis has been done and if there are other possibilities to
achieve better results. Mr. Lafferty said if the answers to these questions are not available, it would be
reckless and bordering on malfeasance to proceed. He stated that this road was a bad design 20 years
ago, and it’s worse now. Mr. Lafferty said, on June 8, 2011 near midnight and in less than 20 minutes, the
Board took an action that completely dissolved public trust and, in that short period of time, some
members were willing to pander to political forces both locally and in Richmond. He stated that there was
no public notice, no agenda, and no established rules of procedure. Mr. Lafferty asked the Board to
commit themselves and future boards to follow the rules of procedures, and never let a new item not on
an agenda be brought to a vote in that meeting.
Mr. Bill Edgerton of 939 Barracks Farm in Albemarle County said he is an architect, a County
resident, concerned citizen and urged Board members to undo the real damage inflicted upon the
community by the so-called “midnight vote.” Mr. Edgerton said the citizens of Albemarle County deserve
much better than what Mr. Dorrier, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Snow and Mr. Boyd offered when they chose to
“reconsider” the County’s historic opposition to the previously proposed western bypass on June 8, 2011.
He stated that the citizens of Albemarle County deserve better, and it’s time for them to address this
injustice. Mr. Edgerton emphasized that the Board’s support of the western bypass must end at this
meeting and, even though it doesn’t impact his own property, he has been opposed to the bypass since its
inception for several reasons: the amount of development along Route 29 North which has occurred
since the route was developed precludes the hope for relief from congestion between local and through
traffic; the proposed route threatens the Rivanna Reservoir which provides 80% of the water resources
needed by City and County residents; and it is unconscionable to ignore the potential health impacts to
students, parents and faculty of the six schools along the proposed route. Mr. Edgerton said even the
lowest construction bid is far too high, and the design build protocol will only encourage change orders
that will result in greater waste of taxpayer funds. Concerning comments that a recent survey suggested
that a majority of citizens in Albemarle are in favor of the bypass, Mr. Edgerton said he would argue that
the survey did not make that determination – but did confirm a desire to address the congestion. He
stated that, at an absolute minimum, the proposed bypass should be evaluated against the original Places
29 Master Plan, including the grade-separated interchanges, with a real commitment to focus on the
needed relief for congestion as well as the most prudent use of taxpayer funds.
Mr. George Larie of 107 Tally Ho Drive addressed the Board stating that he is a resident of
Albemarle County and has been involved with transportation issues for 25 years which began with his
membership in the CATS 2015 Long Range Transportation Plan well over 20 years ago and is currently
serving on the Places 29 Advisory Committee. Mr. Larie said he strongly believes the proposed bypass
project should be canceled in favor of more cost-effective solutions such as the Places 29 Plan, which
was unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2011, in addition to intersection improvements
at Rio and Hydraulic Roads. He stated that he is opposed to the bypass because it is a terrible waste of
taxpayer money and doesn’t solve the traffic problem s on Rt. 29. He pointed out that, according to
VDOT’s own figures, the level of service on the bypass – if constructed – will remain at a level “F” and,
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 7)
even if the bypass is built, interchange improvements will still be required at Rio and Hydraulic. Mr. Larie
said it’s clear to him that the cost will be substantially more than the $244 million currently allocated, and
both the southern and northern interchanges, along with avoidance of the Sammons cemetery, will require
additional expense. He also mentioned the presence of harmful highway pollution near schools and
declining property values near the bypass causing a reduction in tax revenue for the County. Mr. Larie
said building the road is just plain dumb, and four times Taxpayers for Common Sense has listed this
project as one of the worst projects in the entire nation. He urged the Board to tell the Secretary of
Transportation that Albemarle County does not support the bypass.
Mr. Tom Strassburg said he is an Earlysville resident at 735 Lochridge Lane and provided a quote
from the VDOT website: “A western Route 29 bypass around Charlottesville was originally proposed in
1979.” He said, since that time, VDOT has built excellent bypasses around Richmond, Warrenton and
Lynchburg – but in 1990, the Commonwealth Transportation Board chose an alternative that was not a
bypass but was a freeway through the urban and suburban areas of the County. Mr. Strassburg said, in
1996, the Metropolitan Planning Organization said “no” to the fiscally irresponsible decision that would do
nothing to solve the local traffic problem and very little to solve the through traffic problems. He said if
those in Lynchburg understood what little good it would do, they wouldn’t be so high on this by-pass. He
stated that a basic rule in management is “don’t throw good money after bad,” and asked the Board to
respectfully follow the mandate issued by voters in November.
Ms. Leslie Middleton addressed the Board, stating that she is a City resident and is speaking as a
citizen. Ms. Middleton said she opposes the bypass and urged the Board to work with state and federal
agencies to implement the other solutions that have already been proposed. She stated that she is
speaking on behalf of herself, but also for the water quality and integrity of the Rivanna River and all of its
tributaries. She stated that the proposed road threatens the water supply and sections of the waterway
that would be further impaired and impact the health of these streams in five small watersheds. Ms.
Middleton said, as recently as 25 years ago, people thought the way to deal with stormwater was to route it
off of property, but now they know it’s not true and have made amendments to the way business is done.
She stated that, in that same period of time, they have learned that building bigger roads, even by-passes,
is not necessarily the solution, whereas parallel roads and multi-modal transportation may be a better way
to go. Ms. Middleton urged the Board to be brave, be smart, and use the intelligent planning that offers
other options, adding that retreating from a bad decision can be a really good thing.
Mr. Tom van der Voort said he lives in the City at 700 Highland Avenue and feels that it’s a great
sign that so many people have come out to talk about this issue. He said he is strongly opposed to the
bypass because he is looking for real solutions to the traffic problems on Rt. 29. He said he believes the
by-pass is a mirage that is incredibly expensive and destructive and won’t do a thing to help the 90% of
residents who aren’t looking to bypass their own community. Mr. van der Voort stated that highways are
not inevitabilities, they are choices and there’s no reason they have to settle for an outdated, outmoded,
and outrageous solution. He said, if building highways were the best way to alleviate traffic congestion,
Atlanta would be the finest place in the world to drive a car – but, of course it’s not, especially in the snow.
Mr. Bob McAdams said he lives in the Berkeley Subdivision located in the Agnor-Hurt Precinct of
the Rio Magisterial District and opposes the bypass. Mr. McAdams asked the Board to take two positive
actions: to hector, harass, cajole, persuade, beg the Commonwealth Transportation Board and whatever
other authorities fund things, and get the Berkmar and Hillsdale Drives extended, widen Route 29 and get
the Best Buy ramp done as quickly as possible which will alleviate and remediate some of the congestion
problems; and to urge VDOT to do a comprehensive traffic study. He said there is lots of traffic on Rt. 29,
particularly at certain times of the day, adding that it will be important to know where those vehicles enter
the corridor, where they exit the corridor, what the origin of the vehicles are, what their destination is
because that is concrete information which the Board desperately needs in order to make a reasonable
decision on whatever alternatives can be conceived. He urged the Board to take those actions at which
time people will applaud the Board for doing something positive to resolve the problem.
Ms. Jennis Warren said she lives at 11 Altamont Circle in the City and cares about the
community, about the children in the six schools near the proposed route of the bypass, about the water
and air quality, about the taxpayer dollars that will be used to fund this incredibly wasteful project, and
what she considers the most beautiful county in the country. Ms. Warren stated that she opposes the
bypass.
Ms. Rena Snow of 905 Leigh Way addressed the Board, stating that she is the wife of former
Supervisor Duane Snow and a resident of the Samuel Miller District . Ms. Snow said, 30 years ago when
she and Mr. Snow moved to the County, one of 27 proposals for the western bypass had the route coming
in front of their home – yet they still elected to move there. Ms. Snow stated that, no matter where they
put the bypass, someone will be affected. She emphasized that the proposed bypass is a beginning that
can be added upon, but the County needs to start somewhere and they need to do it fast. Ms. Snow said
improvements to Berkmar and other proposals would help, but that would still leave the problem of lots
trucks and larger vehicles rumbling down Route 29 all of which cause exhaust fumes as well. Ms. Snow
expressed her appreciation to the Board for their service, stating that it takes a lot of energy to be on the
Board, as she witnessed when her husband was a Supervisor.
Mr. Frank Patterson, a resident at 685 Flordon Drive in the County, in his experience, “stints
frequently lead to bypasses” and, at some point, there will be a bypass here. He said, in driving around
places like Lynchburg and Gainesville, there are interstate highways – and the destiny of Route 29 is to
become an interstate highway. Mr. Patterson said perhaps all traffic could be routed through Places 29
using overpasses, bridges and so forth, and those have been done in other communities – Knoxville, TN
and also in Austin, Texas where interstate 35 barrels right through the center of Austin - it is a nightmare.
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 8)
He stated that Places 29 is a nightmare in the County’s future; stating that the Board would not want to
curse this community with such a plan and this should not be the Board’s legacy.
Mr. Duane Snow said he is a resident of the Samuel Miller District and has lived in this community
all of his life as his parents had done. Mr. Snow said, when the Route 250 Bypass was originally
proposed, there was a lot of opposition – and it went within a few hundred yards of his house, and his
family still supported it. He stated that it is now a major part of the City and, when it was first built, it was
done in three different sections – one from Pantops over to 29, one from 29 to Route 250, and then from
Route 250 to I-64. He stated that, without the Rt. 250 by-pass, it would be very challenging to go from Rt.
29 to Pantops. He said the Route 29 Bypass can also be done in three sections – the one currently
planned, and two sections which would be built later. Mr. Snow said this community needs a by-pass and
he hopes the Board will support it.
Ms. Bess Carter said she is a County resident living off of Redlands Farm Road. Ms. Carter said
she is before the Board to state her opposition to the bypass and urge the Board members to consider
better alternatives.
Mr. David Carr said he has lived near Ivy since 1991 and he grew up on a farm off Barracks Road
near Foxfield which has been in his family since the 1850s. Mr. Carr said his family has been opposed to
the state proposal to run a four-lane road through western Albemarle for many years. He stated that they
all value the scenic and historic character of Albemarle, and the County and many landowners have been
dedicated to maintaining that character. He said VDOT’s highway would unnecessarily mar the
landscape, pointing out that the sprawling intersection at the southern terminus, the massive cut to the
west side of Stillhouse Mountain, and the bridge across Barracks Road are way out of scale and would be
extremely expensive. Mr. Carr said the road would not address local traffic needs, as VDOT studies have
shown it won’t improve the level of traffic service on Route 29, and the road will lead to more development
in northern Albemarle, and soon its capacity will be clogged with added commuters. He stated that
citizens and local governments have worked hard to identify improvements such as parallel streets and
overpasses that would help with traffic flow on Route 29 North, and he urged the Board to implement
those and the best elements of the Places 29 plan. Mr. Carr said the County should stick to a homegrown
plan and reject the state-directed ineffective and destructive bypass, and citizens have stood up to the
state in the past and avoided poorly conceived projects such as the four-laning of 250 West from Bellair to
Crozet. He stated that he and his family are urging the Board to cancel the bypass project, with $250
million in taxpayer dollars and destructive impacts being far too high a price with way too little benefit.
Ms. Kerin Yates, President of the Charlottesville Area League of Women Voters, said, over the
years, the League has asked questions and watched the bypass project unfold. Ms. Yates read from their
1997 letter to VDOT’s Culpeper District Administrator, noting that it still seems relevant: “The
Charlottesville Albemarle League questions the advisability of proceeding with a Route 29 Bypass in light
of a host of environmental concerns, including clear warnings about the threat it proposes to the primary
water source for this community. Its passage through the watershed of the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir
and proximity to the water intake put it on extremely sensitive terrain. She said this community has
struggled for 30 years, now 45 years, at great expense to reverse and prevent harmful effects of
development on this critical watershed. She said the right to assure this protection was upheld several
times in courts of law and the League is concerned that this project could negate these past and current
efforts for the sake of a road whose usefulness is limited and cost is excessive. Ms. Yates stated that the
environmental impact statement foresees runoff increasing the likelihood of groundwater contamination
from de-icers, pesticides, herbicides, spills, et cetera during construction and subsequent use of the
bypass.”
Mr. William Vollrath addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident of Forest Lakes at 3189
Turnberry Circle, and thanked the Board for holding this public meeting, which was denied to citizens on
the night of the midnight vote. Mr. Vollrath said it seems to him that the federal government has just told
them that the proposed bypass which probably should have been built completely around C’Ville 40 or 50
years ago – is no longer in the best interest of this community. He stated that the need now extends all
the way to Ruckersville, and this should have been obvious years ago. Directing his comments to Mr.
Boyd, Mr. Vollrath emphasized that the letter from the FHWA doesn’t just delay the bypass construction
two years – it realistically requires that an entire new plan be developed and approved. He suggested that
the Board now move ahead with other solutions to the 29 traffic problem, including a wider Best Buy ramp
and better intersection traffic flow at Rio, Hydraulic and Barrack s Road. Mr. Vollrath asked the Board to
have the common sense not to dump heavy truck traffic onto Route 29 at Ashwood Boulevard, citing
concerns about the number of school buses with young children that travel through that intersection every
day.
Mr. Boyd clarified that what he had said earlier was simply repeating what he had been told by
traffic engineers who design highways.
Ms. Dittmar asked Supervisors to wait until after public comment was given before making their
own comments, when it’s time to deliberate.
Mr. Boyd stated that he was only clarifying his point.
Mr. Timothy Hulbert, a City resident living on Brandywine Drive, said he is the Executive Director
of the 1,100-member Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Chamber of Commerce and, as communications
require a two-way street, he doesn’t believe that the Supervisors are really interested in listening to the
opinions of the thousands of residents – or the majority of area citizens who have regularly expressed their
support for the US 29 Bypass project. He said this “well-organized, well-choreographed show” is a “ready,
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 9)
fire, aim” execution of this project, which is unfortunate. While speaking about this project, Mr. Hulbert
stated that he and other Chamber members have been called ignorant and corrupt by past members of
the Board and some attendees at this meeting, just because they see the data and the need differently
than those who oppose this essential project. With that said, Mr. Hulbert said he and the Chamber
respect the opposing viewpoints of the neighbors in attendance, however, they continue to support this
project.
Ms. Shirley Midyette, a resident of 102 Cavalier Drive in Albemarle County, said a recent chemical
spill into the Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia and its downriver communities have been experiencing
a water nightmare – and they now know the importance of protecting their water supply. Ms. Midyette said
that accidents do happen, and the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir currently supplies the drinking water for
Charlottesville and most of Albemarle County, and the planned bypass is a serious threat to the reservoir
and its watershed. She stated that water is the most precious, irreplaceable natural resource in Albemarle
County, and asked the Board to ban the western bypass.
Mr. Anthony von Thelen, a resident of 400 Ivy Farm Drive addressed the Board stating that he is a
57-year resident of the County and remembers it before I-64 was here. He said roads can make a
difference – but placement and design also make a large difference. He compared this plan to the 8-track
tape player and, like the 8-track player, the bypass had its moment in time but it is gone. He said anyone
who drives to northern Virginia knows that the Rt. 29 problems cannot be solved in
Charlottesville/Albemarle. He said Stonefield and other things have been built on Rt. 29 and there didn’t
seem to be any concern about traffic when those developments were built. Mr. von Thelen said, if they
really want to help people get through the state, they should focus on a new interstate starting at the North
Carolina line and going through Charlottesville and Richmond. He encouraged the Board to think outside
the box and kill this flawed proposal.
Mr. David Mitchell said he lives off Georgetown Road in the County, which is the current bypass
because people trying to avoid the Hydraulic fiasco come through his neighborhood. Mr. Mitchell said
hundreds of children walk every day by that traffic to school, and he is more concerned about them than
students who are in school buildings that are 500-600 feet from the bypass. He stated that, with an
overpass or an interchange, all the Board will be doing is encouraging and facilitating more traffic down
the middle of the commercial and residential boulevard. Mr. Mitchell said everyone agrees that traffic is
the problem, and he doesn’t understand why they would want to encourage more people from out of town
and in town to drive through the middle of the area in which people work, live and play. He stated that
interchanges are not the answer, and a real bypass from Ruckersville south is the answer. Mr. Mitchell
stated that if they can get the traffic off of 29, VDOT will let them build Places 29 – with the exception of
interchanges. He said going forward, he hopes they will have a conversation to think about it.
Ms. Candice Grierson, who lives at 195 Ivy Ridge Road in the County, stated that she is a resident
of the Jack Jouett District and opposes the bypass for the many great reasons already stated by
community members.
Ms. Elizabeth Ike of 802 St. Claire Avenue stated that she has followed the project since she was
first a resident of the County and, now as a City resident, she has continued to follow it. Ms. Ike said she
hopes the Board will do all it can to move VDOT to find a true bypass for the corridor, and the letter read
at the beginning of the meeting indicates they will have at least two years to look for a true bypass route –
like Lynchburg and Danville have done – which truly goes around the area of congestion. Ms. Ike asked
the Board not to ignore the hard work of Places 29 and ensure the existing infrastructure is maintained as
it should be.
Ms. Caroline Polk stated that she lives at 1298 Dunlora Drive in the Rio District and asked the
Board not to be fooled by this “mess of pork barrel spending,” which fails even a back of the envelope
cost-benefit analysis and is tainted by both state and local corruption. Ms. Polk asked the Board to not be
fooled by sunk cost arguments, as it is better to quit the project now before millions more are wasted. She
stated that building roads like this proposed bypass does nothing to remedy the cause of congestion –
which is sprawl and over-reliance on cars – and it is an out-moded approach to the problem. Ms. Polk
said improving Route 29 through the Places 29 methodology and providing incentives for increased
density and mixed-use development will lay the groundwork for what really will improve traffic: decent
mass transit and walk-able communities. She stated that terminating the bypass will free millions in
transportation funding that will otherwise be wasted on an outdated project that would do the community
far more harm than good. Ms. Polk said, over the decade since the bypass was proposed, many forums
for public comment have taken place, and the voices in opposition have continually outweighed those in
support – and the arguments against it are far stronger than the arguments for it. As representatives of
Albemarle, she said the Board’s duty is to the voices here – not to Lynchburg or points south and she
urged the Board to end the by-pass project once and for all.
Ms. Savannah Grierson said she is 13 years old, and lives in the County on Ivy Ridge Road in one
of the homes proposed to be demolished. Ms. Grierson described details of her home and the creek in
her backyard, and said that it’s bad enough that they will be forced out of their home, but it will be totally
demolished for a by-pass that people don’t even want. She asked Board members to put themselves in
her shoes, and said the prospect of the bypass has upset even her younger brother. Ms. Grierson stated
that while she doesn’t know a lot about politics, there are a lot of people here who do not agree with this
road – and that must mean something.
(Note: The Board recessed their meeting at 5:49 p.m. The Chair reconvened the meeting at
6:00 p.m.)
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 10)
Ms. Dittmar said that there had been questions about where speakers might be in the order, and
explained that they would rotate five by five between online signups and signups at the meeting. She
stated that attendees could also sign up with Clerks, Ms. Ella Jordan or Mr. Travis Morris.
Ms. Cynthia McElroy addressed the Board, stating that she is a long-term resident of Albemarle
County currently living in Forest Lakes. Ms. McElroy stated that, late one night in 2011, the then Board of
Supervisors was instrumental in a “religious experience” – the resurrection of the dead. She said, contrary
to the opinion of a County businessman who recently stated that it is only the rich and powerful who are
opposed to the bypass, she is neither rich nor powerful – but she is opposed to the building of the so-
called bypass. Ms. McElroy said she lives in an area that would be greatly impacted by the building of the
bypass and drives the 29 corridor daily, and requested that the Board use common sense and vote
against this huge waste of taxpayer money. She stated that the bypass would terminate at the very center
of one of the most congested areas of the County at an outrageous expense to Virginia taxpayers, without
resolving the problems. Ms. McElroy said the bypass would create higher volumes of traffic by schools,
destroy neighborhoods and negatively impact the County’s beautiful ecology. She stated that there’s
nothing new she can share here, and said she speaks for many when she asks them to reject the
obsolete, ineffective bypass plan in favor of more cost-effective common sense solutions such as
overpasses, the adding of lanes to Route 29, and extending existing parallel roads. Ms. McElroy thanked
the Board for their time, and for showing the citizens enough respect to allow them to speak with all of
them publicly, as it’s been long overdue.
Mr. Robert Humphris, a resident of Albemarle County, said he is speaking on behalf of the
Charlottesville Albemarle Transportation Coalition (CATCO), which was founded in 1988 for the purpose
of researching and supporting reasonable transportation solutions for the community. For the past 25
years, CATCO has done that research, attended and spoken at many meetings and public hearings, and
advocated for transportation projects that are efficient, cost-effective, and sensitive to the natural and built
environment. Mr. Humphris stated that CATCO now comes before them again to ask them to cancel the
wasteful, harmful, and inefficient Route 29 proposed bypass and restate its support for more sensible
transportation solutions that all VDOT studies show will actually work – the Best Buy ramp project,
Hillsdale Drive extended, Berkmar Drive extended, the widening of Route 29 between Polo Grounds Road
and Hollymead Town Center, the state-of-the-art adaptive signalization system on Route 29, and
improvements to the intersections of Route 29 with Hydraulic and Rio Roads. He said the community
deserves a thoughtful, workable, multi-modal approach to transportation, and is counting on the Board to
provide it.
Mr. Cale Jaffe said he is a City resident and works for the Southern Environmental Law Center but
is speaking today as an individual who has raised 3 children in this community. He stated that he is
against the bypass and supports common sense alternatives such as those seen in the Places 29 Master
Plan. He said he prefers these alternatives because they need to keep their eyes on a positive vision for
the community – one that includes a robust downtown that’s easily accessible, a vibrant 29 North corridor
once the necessary road improvements are made, and the rural landscapes and scenic rivers that define
this historic community. Mr. Jaffe said the positive vision he sees for his family and community is
threatened by the bypass and, even though a lot of people are mentioning Lynchburg, he used to work
there and many of the downtown stores are boarded up and empty because the bypass takes people
away from that community. He stated that the positive vision he sees is supported and possible with the
alternatives in the Places 29 Master Plan and in the “Let’s Go 29” website – letsgo29.org. Mr. Jaffe noted
that those alternatives are the ones which the FHWA should consider.
Mr. David Hogg addressed the Board, stating that he has had a home on Ipswich Place in the
Jack Jouett District since 1965. He said he is opposed to the construction of the western bypass for the
following reasons: he is deeply concerned about the environmental impact on the schools, the
watersheds, the reservoir, the cultural history of the County, and the extraordinarily high cost of the
project, which won’t be fully known until the engineering has been completed. Mr. Hogg asked the Board
to conduct a serious study of alternatives, particularly the Places 29 recommendations which offer the
possibility of mitigating the traffic safety and congestion concerns.
Ms. Carol Carter, a resident of 852 Redlands Farm Road in the Scottsville District, stated that she
is opposed to the Route 29 Bypass. She said she has been driving Route 29 North since K-Mart was “out
in the country” and, while it’s sad to see the shape the road is in, she does not believe a by-pass is the
solution and would support a closer look at the alternative solutions which have been delineated earlier.
Mr. Gary Brooks, a resident of Avon Street Extended in the County, stated that, to the north, south
and west of them, there is quite a bit of traffic coming through the area. He said he is completely against
having a mega-highway run through the center of town particularly around Christmas time, so he supports
the bypass. Mr. Brooks also stated that the midnight vote helped bring this issue back to address a big
problem and, if the environment is bad out on the bypass, then he wants them to consider the students at
all of the other schools near mega-highways, because every child deserves the same.
Mr. John Brooks, a citizen of Albemarle County, addressed the Board stating that he does most of
his shopping in Waynesboro because 29 North is such a mess. He said it is a disaster to even think about
going to that area to shop. He emphasized that there is nothing they can do about it now, because they
have made it a main street and it’s something the Board will have to deal with in its present condition.
Mr. Frank Ward said he is a Forest Lakes resident and supports building a bypass as well as
building the other alternatives. He said he is also in favor of building an extension on the bypass up Rio
Mills Road to Dickerson Road and past the GE plant, which would be a complete bypass of Charlottesville.
Mr. Ward stated he would hate to be a person from Lynchburg having to get through this area during rush
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 11)
hour, adding that one can drive from Charlottesville to Madison in the same amount of time it takes to get
from Forest Lakes to downtown. He said concerning the pollution, some of the busiest roads in the area –
Preston Avenue and Ridge/McIntire – pass the County Building, and nobody is complaining about the air
quality inside the building. Mr. Ward said he believed the air and water pollution argument to be totally
bogus, because every square inch of the world is in somebody’s watershed. Concerning the cost, he said
the trillion-dollar stimulus passed should have meant $20 billion available to Virginia for shovel-ready
projects – suggesting 1/80 of the money could be used to build a bypass.
Ms. Sally Thomas stated that she is a resident of West Leigh. Ms. Thomas said, in 1993 she ran
a write-in campaign and got an endorsement from the Daily Progress because she opposed the western
bypass. She stated that the editorial board at the time knew it was a bad idea but, in later years,
ownership of the paper changed – and so did its stance on the bypass. Ms. Thomas said, in 2013,
outside consultants advised some candidates not to talk about the bypass because it seemed to be a
losing issue, but some of them spoke up and pointed out what was wrong with the bypass idea; grassroots
organizations spoke up; and those candidates won by 87% of the vote. She stated that the more firmly
the candidates spoke out against the bypass, the higher the margin of win. Ms. Thomas thanked the
Board for letting citizens speak again on this issue, adding that citizens had, indeed, spoken when the new
Board was elected.
Ms. Barbara Cruickshank addressed the Board, stating that she is a resident on Park Way in the
City and has a young granddaughter with another grandchild on the way. Ms. Cruickshank said there is
nothing more important than everyone’s children and grandchildren, adding that one doesn’t have to be a
scientist or researcher or a physician to know that car and truck exhaust is harmful to developing fetuses,
children, and adolescents. She stated that any parent or relative in the area would tell you that we need
safe alternative means of transportation, such as improved bus routes, pedestrian overpasses, and safe
bike lanes.
Ms. Mary von Thelen of 400 Ivy Farm Drive said she owns and operates a software business in
the Jack Jouett District. She said she is an Albemarle County taxpayer and opposes the building of this
road. She said, since the 2011 midnight vote, she has been dumbfounded that they are still having a
discussion about this antiquated road design that costs so much yet accomplishes so little. Ms. von
Thelen stated that she didn’t doubt that, when it was designed 30 years ago, it could be fairly described as
a “bypass,” but that’s not true anymore and when it was reintroduced it should have been named the
“Western Throughway.” She said many supporters of the road will say it’s “better than nothing,” but it
doesn’t have to be better than nothing – it has to be better than the proposed Places 29 solutions, and it’s
not. Ms. von Thelen said they should build the extensions to Hillsdale and Berkmar Drives and implement
the other changes that directly affect moving traffic on Rt. 29 and, if they want to build the road, they can
take the time to explore another longer route that is more appropriate for the current and future landscape
– and make sure that it really is a bypass.
Mr. Tom Olivier said he is President of Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population (ASAP),
which opposes construction of the Route 29 Bypass. He said building the bypass would spend hundreds
of millions of dollars on an ineffectual road and presents risks to the environment and risks to school
children. Mr. Olivier stated that the bypass was revived in a shameful process by an earlier Board of
Supervisors, and ASAP asks that the Board rights this wrong by asking Richmond to terminate the bypass
project now.
Mr. Saunders Midyette, a resident of 102 Cavalier Drive, said he is a resident of the Jack Jouett
District and asked the Board to enact a resolution to stop the construction of the W estern 29 Bypass. He
said his opposition is based upon the many valid reasons presented by bypass opponents and presenters
at this meeting, and thanked the Board for the opportunity to voice his opinion. Mr. Midyette urged the
Board to consider the Places 29 and Go 29 solutions to the Route 29 traffic problems.
Mr. Henry Weinschenck addressed the Board, stating that he was a long-time resident of the
County but now lives in the City and owns a business on US 29 near Hydraulic Road. Mr. Weinschenck
said the most direct route between DC and Atlanta is US 29, and geography marks their density – and
with it comes a limited access road that replaces the current US 29. He stated that they’re on the
Piedmont transportation corridor, and there are only two solutions to their dilemma: build the western
bypass and eventually extend it northwards to the Greene County line; or build an expressway where US
29 is now. Mr. Weinschenck said they can build overpasses, but for each one they would be building an
expressway a half-mile long and, in the process, destroying the livelihood of hundreds of people since the
current right of way would have to be doubled from 150 feet to 300 feet – to maintain traffic during
construction, and then to create adequate frontage roads. He stated that all small properties would have
to be acquired by VDOT, and the larger properties would be seriously impaired. Mr. Weinschenck said
they would have to keep doing this until all traffic lights are eliminated, and VDOT would have to spend
several times what the bypass would cost. He stated that eventually the Board would have to choose
between an expressway and a bypass – and all other choices are fictitious, unfortunately.
Mr. Brian Rizzo stated that he lives at 155 Ivy Ridge Road in the Jack Jouett District and that a
neighbor had stopped by his house in December to tell him that his home would now be in the middle of
the bypass. Mr. Rizzo said his neighbor showed him some images of the proposed route, and he and four
neighbors would now have their houses taken for right of way. He stated that, worse than that, is that the
neighbors across the road and a bit further down would remain, with the bypass running through their
properties. Mr. Rizzo said his neighborhood has been spearheading the anti-bypass efforts, yet he has
been told they are “wealthy landowners.” He stated that there is a lot of disinformation being spread,
which is dangerous and often used by people to get their own way. He said he is definitely opposed to the
by-pass and urged everyone to be careful about the information that is being disseminated.
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Mr. Robert Belton addressed the Board, stating that he lives at 2670 Stowe Court in Ivy
commenting that the phrase “you can’t see the forest for the trees” applies to this situation, with the Places
29 plan as the forest and the bypass project as the trees. He stated that the western bypass is politically
motivated at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, which is downright foolish and environmentally
suspect. Mr. Belton said Places 29, along with traffic light synchronization, will cost far less and will offer
real transportation improvements, adding that the same type of system is functioning beautifully on Rt. 250
at Pantops. He emphasized that, in Albemarle, they are surely wise enough, intelligent enough, and far-
sighted enough to see the forest and avoid a costly waste that is the bypass proposal – especially since
they have identified better alternatives. Mr. Belton encouraged southern localities that have spent
significant political capital to come for a visit, but not stay – because the western bypass was a dumb idea
when it was first proposed and it hasn’t gotten any smarter.
Mr. Michael Atchison addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident of 1771 Lambs Road and
opposes the current proposed bypass for all of the reasons previously stated. He said any rational person
who looks at the proposed bypass can see that it’s not a cost-effective alternative, and stated that they
should be looking at other alternatives besides that one.
Mr. Frank Rambo addressed the Board, stating that he is a City resident at 1449 Westwood Road
and stated that the proposed route is 25-30 years old. He said so much has changed in the community
and along Route 29 during that time and, if the route ever made sense, it’s obsolete now. Mr. Rambo
asked the Board to implement alternative solutions such as those in the Places 29 Plan, which will avoid
the damaging and permanent change that the bypass will bring, and will more cost-effectively solve the
traffic problems.
Mr. Robert Button addressed the Board, stating that he lives in Forest Lakes South near the
proposed northern terminus. He thanked the Board for allowing a democratic process so the public can
express what they have to say. Mr. Button said earlier Mr. Snow commented on the Route 250 Bypass as
a model for what a bypass can accomplish, and that road is an important way to get across town. He
stated that, if that’s the model for what a bypass should be, they’re moving in the wrong direction to latch
onto a bypass idea that’s 25 years old. Mr. Button said what the bypass would accomplish would be
avoidance of 14 traffic lights on the existing Emmet Street section, but it also puts thousands of cars each
day on the section of Route 29 north of the Rivanna River heading towards Ruckersville – simply creating
congestion where it is already fierce. Mr. Button stated that this proposal must be a dream for the land
developers who own vast chunks of real estate north of the Rivanna River, because it will simply become
much more valuable as they build gas stations and restaurants and other infrastructure to serve those
travelers. He said they will also bring traffic lights – one after another – to serve that increased
development. Mr. Button stated that it’s time to rethink the proposals. He emphasized that he favors a
bypass, but not this one – because it’s not a bypass. He urged the Board to look at other directions and
other ways to go.
Mr. Max Evans addressed the Board, stating that he has lived in the City at 1306 Oxford Place for
45 years and taught urban and regional planning at the University of Virginia for five years, then opened a
consulting business to support his family. Mr. Evans said he has been in the business of designing and
planning roadways for almost 60 years and, in 1963, he worked in Pittsburgh with the planning staff that
designed a four-mile section of urban interstate. He stated that, about 25 years ago, they suggested two
parallel roads along Route 29, and that each project along there would contribute toward that construction.
Mr. Evans said they proved in Pittsburgh that it’s very functional and the first thing they can do to relieve a
congested area along a major artery. He stated that this plan is way outdated and was never a bypass –
it’s an expressway, and there’s only two ways to get on and off of it, one at each end. He stated that the
length of travel way is only one-quarter mile longer than the stretch of US 29 it goes around, and the
remaining length is taken up with two interchanges – where most of the expense is. Mr. Evans said that
it’s a very expensive project, and they need to seek better alternatives.
Mr. Beverly Whitlock said he is a resident of 41 Georgetown Green and has been driving Route
29 for 59 years and has seen a few changes. Mr. Whitlock said his hometown is Stanardsville, and he
would like to see a bypass to make improvements – not this bypass, but further out to get to Greene
County. He said the house in which he grew up in Stanardsville was at the intersection of Route 230 and
Route 33, so all of the trucks trying to take a shortcut came down Route 230, stopped in front of his house
and then accelerated to go either east or west. Mr. Whitlock said his house has now been purchased by
the Greene County Historical Society for their museum, and they wouldn’t have bought it had the traffic
still been coming and accelerating at that point. He stated that something has to be done about Route 29,
and he doesn’t go up 29 North unless he has to.
Ms. Mary Rice addressed the Board, stating that she lives on Sugar Ridge Road in White Hall.
She said they have some responsibilities as County citizens with a road like Rt. 29 going through the
community, and they need to look at those responsibilities and put a value on them in order to make the
right decision. Ms. Rice stated that they first have a responsibility to be respectful of those who just want
to drive through Charlottesville to get north and south, and she would want the same from other
communities in Virginia. She said that, secondarily, they have a responsibility to people who shop, eat,
work and own businesses along Route 29 so they can do this safely with a minimum of frustration and a
maximum of safety. Ms. Rice said she is one of those people, and she considers that choice to come with
a little bit of patience – but nowhere near the traffic of other parts of the country. She stated that thirdly,
they have a responsibility as taxpayers to ensure the money they invest is well husbanded. Lastly, Ms.
Rice said, they have a responsibility to their children, their elders, their land and their County – and the
proposed route of the bypass comes so close to six schools, it will affect the air quality of the children
playing outside. She stated that it comes so close to the Colonnades, and asked if it was respectful and
healthy for elders to be subjected to a bypass that will tower over their homes. Ms. Rice said they have a
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responsibility to take care of the beautiful land in the County and the precious water resources, and that is
the most important responsibility they have – honoring the past and the future of the community.
Mr. Robert Brust addressed the Board, stating that he has been a voting resident of Ivy Ridge
Road for 18 years and commenting that the most accurate survey of how Albemarle County residents feel
about the proposed bypass is the Board of Supervisors sitting there today. Mr. Brust offered his sincere
thanks to the newly voted-in members who are delivering on the mandate from the people that this
useless road be stopped. Mr. Brust said citizens hope the fresh air they bring tonight will continue as they
lead the County successfully into the future, with a sharp reduction in sneaky midnight votes. He stated
that he is against the western bypass “road to nowhere” because it will not solve the Route 29 traffic
problems and even fails to deliver on its own name: bypass. Mr. Brust said, when he moved into the
area, the by-pass was a “done deal” and the route was finalized, however, due to a surprise
archaeological discovery 18 years later, the investment he made on the neighborhood would be wiped out.
He said there was a home and grave site in front of the faces of those hired to find it. He said, if they
cannot see the Sammons property, what other major historical sites exist throughout the route where
nothing was found. He stated that this road has minimal benefit at most, yet the cost in terms of
community, health, environment, heritage and money is astronomical – just to traverse six miles. He said
the equation just doesn’t work for this project, and asked them to stop the road permanently and cut their
losses now. Mr. Brust said Places 29 was publicly debated, unanimously approved by the Board, and is
an active plan – so maybe they should just do it.
Ms. Kathy Brust said she has been a resident of Jack Jouett for 18 years and, for 12 of those
years, her late father – a native New Yorker – was a frequent visitor to their home. Ms. Brust said he
considered this area “a little piece of heaven,” and the week before he died, he called and told her “not to
let them ruin Charlottesville.” She said she did not know what he meant, but the morning after the June
2011 Supervisors meeting, his prophetic message was clear: he was concerned that those with power
would destroy the beauty and tranquility of the area, much the same as the construction of the cross-
Bronx throughway did to his neighborhood when he was a boy. Ms. Brust stated that the Board will
continue to hear reasons why the resurrected bypass project is flawed, costly and ineffective – not only on
its own merits, but politically incorrect, reflecting a crisis in leadership on both the state and local levels.
She said she was reminded of the leadership debacle recently foisted on the University of Virginia by an
unscrupulous, secretive Board of Visitors. Ms. Brust said she would begin a unit on patriotism with her
preschoolers, and will teach them that it is the job of elected officials to represent the will of the people.
She stated that our government is designed to be “for” – and not “to” – the people. Ms. Brust said, since
June 2011, citizens have been bombarded with incessant messages that the western bypass is a done
deal – but it is not. She stated that she is asking that they stop once and for all this proposed highway,
which is not a true bypass, and incorporate Places 29 – which was supported unanimously by the Board of
Supervisors in February 2011 and is still in force. She urged the Board to hear the public it was elected to
serve and not allow our little piece of heaven to be defaced and destroyed by this multi-flawed plan.
Mr. Tom Thompson addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident at 200 Ipswich Place in the
Jack Jouett District and commented that, many years ago, there was an agreement that the western
bypass would only be built if necessary – after improvements were made to Route 29, the Meadowcreek
Parkway was completed, and roads near 29 were completed. Mr. Thompson suggested that they
implement those things and see if the congestion problem is solved, a similar situation much like
Greensboro, NC did years ago adding that there is no bypass needed there to this day. He said he
supports Ms. McKeel’s opposition resolution adding that, if the various improvements for Route 29 solve
the congestion, they won’t need a bypass and they will save the taxpayers the expense of one of the
highest cost-per-mile highway projects in the country – an embarrassment for Charlottesville and
Albemarle County. He stated that he doesn’t want to have to explain to his grandchildren why they spent
so much money to plow through seven neighborhoods near the reservoir, increasing the traffic and the
risk of pollution to the City’s main water supply. Mr. Thompson said it would also add more traffic to their
children’s schools and would negatively affect their air quality – all this to solve just 10% of the traffic
problem, when they still haven’t made the various improvements to Route 29 to solve the real source of
traffic congestion.
Mr. Kirk Bowers said he is a resident at 106 George Rogers Road in the Rivanna District and is an
elected officer of the Sierra Club, the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice, and the Rivanna
Democrats – and speaks for all three organizations. Mr. Bowers said Route 29 in northern Albemarle
County functions as a route for regional and local traffic and, while the regional road is significant, it
represents only a portion of the road’s function with 10-12% of the vehicles as through traffic. He stated
that the majority of trips have one or both ends inside the urban area of the County, and much of the
growth along Rt. 29 is in developments that are directly linked to Route 29 and use the road for their
primary access, which then forces local traffic onto the main regional roadway. Mr. Bowers said more
than 85% of trips along U.S. 29 are local, and this not only clogs the regional roadway, it makes it more
difficult for people to access businesses along US Route 29. Since 1990, he said all VDOT studies have
indicated that, if any of the bypass alternatives alone were constructed, the level of service along existing
Route 29 would still be an “F.” Mr. Bowers said those studies also indicate that a bypass alone will not
substantially improve traffic conditions on existing Route 29, and concludes that the decision not to
construct the interchanges on Route 29 will leave the congestion problem unresolved. He stated that his
organizations urge the Board to vote to include the two overpasses in addition to the Places 29 plan.
Ms. Theodora Carey, a County resident, addressed the Board, stating that she is against the
bypass and referenced World Health Organization information which is documented on the negative
effects of noise pollution. Ms. Carey said she has lived in the County for many years, but has also lived in
Pavilion VI on the Lawn at the University of Virginia. She stated that whoever designed the bypass took a
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straight line and just connected the dots – they didn’t think about the schools, the reservoir or the
community.
Mr. Matt Neurock addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident of 100 Ivy Ridge Road in the
County and strongly opposes the bypass for many personal reasons – as the bypass will cut right through
the middle of his neighborhood. Mr. Neurock said he has two daughters that attend schools in the area,
and they will breathe the noxious fumes from traffic day in and day out, at school and at home. He stated
that there have been recent, well-documented studies by the EPA and other agencies showing a direct
increase in asthma, other respiratory diseases, impaired lung function, and even premature death due to
exposure to automotive emissions for young children as well as the elderly. Mr. Neurock asked if a small
decrease in commute time is worth our children, adding that there are much more effective and cheaper
solutions to traffic problems which do not demolish homes, neighborhoods, African-American heritage
sites, and do not pollute the water and air supply which would impact the well-being of children. He asked
the Board to do the right thing by voting this by-pass down.
Mr. Frank Birckhead addressed the Board, stating that he was born and raised in Albemarle
County and moved to Carrsbrook in 1959, when it was out in the middle of nowhere. Mr. Birckhead said
he’s seen the County grow and has seen the need for the bypass for a long time. He stated that
Charlottesville was fortunate enough to get I-64 when it was supposed to go to Lynchburg, and made
commitments to help Lynchburg out but have not lived up to those commitments. Mr. Birckhead said the
29 Bypass is not the full solution, but it would get things started – adding that everyone in attendance
knows how long it takes any road approved, and by someone saying there would be another bypass is not
going to happen, as roads take many, many years to go through the approval process.
Ms. Cynthia Neff said she is a resident of the Rio District and lives off of Proffit Road near Route
29. Ms. Neff said there are many places with worse traffic than what’s on Rt. 29, but it is getting bad and
they do need a plan. She stated that, when attending the Places 29 Master Plan worksessions, she took
note of how complex the plans were – but over time, she realized that the time for simple, single silver-
bullet solutions is long gone as the plan is now too old and too unwieldy. Ms. Neff said she serves on the
Places 29 Advisory Council and still believes in the Places 29 Master Plan as it is something they not only
can do but should do. She said she was in attendance at the June 8, 2011 meeting, along with members
of the North Charlottesville Business Council and other members of the business community and said she
felt a lot of people did know what was going to happen that night. She stated that, with the design-build
approach, they will get what they can for $1/4 billion, but they don’t really know exactly what that will be.
She encouraged the Board to re-affirm against the by-pass.
Ms. Cheri Early addressed the Board, stating that she lives in the Samuel Miller District on
Holkham Drive. Ms. Early said, in addition to the impact on the Sammons property, the blasting of
Stillhouse Mountain to decrease the grade will do considerable damage to historic structures in that area
as well as to homes, schools and retirement communities nearby. She stated that some of the nearby
properties are also on the Virginia Department of Historic Resources Register, and all of these are major
threads of the local historic fabric which are in close range of the blasting. At the July 2011 CTB meeting,
she said the freight stakeholders input report listed I-81 and I-95 as corridors of significance for freight
movement – and Rt. 29 was not mentioned. Ms. Early stated that, if Lynchburg wants to direct their truck
traffic onto Rt. 29 rather than I81, they must realize that the termini at both ends are in the local commuter
growth areas. She said, by bypassing a few stoplights, this road will save a little bit of time but there will
be time lost in tie-ups at both ends of the road.
Ms. Sue Albrecht said she is a resident at 255 Ipswich Place in the Jack Jouett District and is very
much against the bypass because of the many reasons already mentioned. She said she also owns
property in the Rosslyn Ridge Subdivision which has been laced with the stigma of the bypass for 20 years
now, and also owns land across from the Sammons property on Lambs Road – and the bypass actually
severs that particular property which would leave a very odd and undevelopable piece toward Hydraulic
Road. She said she is very much opposed to this by-pass adding that she believes there is a much better
solution.
Mr. Lou Kramer said he is a resident of 700 Miller’s Cottage Lane in Earlysville and has lived in
Albemarle for the past 43 years. Mr. Kramer said he wanted to express his gratitude to the ‘powers that
be’ for putting I-64 in our backyard instead of Lynchburg, which everyone benefits from, and it is long
overdue for Albemarle to have the integrity to honor the intentions and commitments made years ago to
fellow Virginians and complete the bypass. He stated that the timing and location will never be right, and
that may be why there was a midnight vote. Regarding the school issue, Mr. Kramer said, of the 180
class days, only 25-30% of the day is spent at school – and most of that is spent inside. He pointed out
that those students are probably exposed to more pollution from riding the diesel-powered buses and
sitting in traffic. He stated that it is a well-oiled machine for the representation of the people this is going
to affect and, while he doesn’t fault them, it’s a shame that the local elections are being controlled by
money.
Ms. Janet Luff, a City resident of 2326 Highland Avenue, addressed the Board, stating that she
came to the meeting because she was concerned that many people who were in favor of the by-pass
would be at the meeting; however, it turns out that there are many voices against the by-pass. Ms. Luff
said she moved to the area from Japan about 18 months earlier but lived quite a bit of her adulthood in the
Hampton Roads area and, compared to that traffic, Route 29 is a breeze. Ms. Luff said there are many
improvements to the road which could be done, including walkways for pedestrians, and one of the
reasons she moved to Charlottesville was the availability of mass transit and waking opportunities. She
stated that all she saw in Hampton Roads when more roadways were added was the movement of
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businesses from one side of town to the other and places became blighted. Ms. Luff noted that she lives
in the Fry Springs area and walked to the meeting.
Mr. Don Cowdrey addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident of the Highlands Subdivision
in the Whitehall District and thanked the Board for holding the public hearing. He said the Board does not
have any easy choices, but they could ignore the cost and advertised benefits and kill the project based on
the environmental problems alone. Mr. Cowdrey said the Rivanna watershed is too delicate and too
sensitive, and to put a through highway there is terribly dangerous – as accidents will happen. He stated
that putting it at the doors of many schools also seems unacceptable to him. Mr. Cowdrey said changing
Route 29 will not be easy, but it can be done. He stated that there was some mention that the opposition
was “well-organized” and even “choreographed,” but he is a member of the opposition and that is not the
case. Mr. Cowdrey said most of the people attending don’t know each other, but heard about the bypass
hearing and came out to speak – so there is no well-oiled machine here.
Mr. Clay Moldenhauer, of 102 Lide Place, said his family pays taxes on property in Charlottesville
and Albemarle County. He said, initially he came to say that he is against the proposed bypass and for
other alternatives, but decided to frame it in Shakespearean terms: “To bypass or to upgrade Route 29,
that is the question. Is it nobler for our residents to accept for years Route 29, dust and potholes of
outrageous detours, or is it more prudent to lay down our arms against a bypass and, by not opposing,
move congested traffic further north and financial resources further south. That is the question.
Residents can deny and sleep no more to the fact that heartache and a thousand natural shocks that flesh
is err to, is being pushed upon us now by others devoted to schemes not our own. Yet something must be
done by those who are most affected. Residents’ chances to evade perchance to scheme are gone, but
there is time, as philosophy has taught, for the community hot tub, the circle on the green, time for the
heart, and time out for the spleen.” Mr. Moldenhauer asked the Board to honor this mortal coil of doubt
that makes them give pause to this calamity in the making that has been so long in the planning and even
longer in the delaying. He asked that they “bring us to the undiscovered country of community harmony
from which no traveler willingly leaves,” and “let this enterprise of great pith capture itself in resolution.”
Mr. Greg Buppert of 101 Woodhurst Court in the Canterbury Hills neighborhood stated that the
proposed bypass would be 100 yards from his backyard and he is opposed to the bypass because it is a
costly, short-sighted project that won’t actually fix the problems that it is supposed to address. He said the
project was certain to accomplish one thing: it will exact an irrevocable toll on the land, the
neighborhoods, schools, waters and sense of place in Albemarle County. Mr. Buppert said there are
better solutions, and he urged the Board to cancel the western bypass project.
Mr. David Steinberg addressed the Board, stating that he lives on Polo Grounds Road in
Albemarle County. He said he is a two-time cancer survivor and had lost a bit of his tongue, which
impacted his speech. Mr. Steinberg said he questioned the old-fashioned business approach to paving
and driving, and some businesses would have us believe that people have driven forever. He stated that
the only thing that is endless is change, and an old-fashioned style of doing business by way of massive
greenhouse gas emissions has supported them no less than it has supported other communities like
Lynchburg – but this has been brief and meager when compared to how long the earth’s climate has
supported us. Mr. Steinberg said the community has paved itself into a corner and there is no by-passing
that fact. He stated that Charlottesville could be a leader as it has a responsibility to recognize the bypass
idea for the historic relic that it is.
Mr. Paul Shepherd of 1787 Lambs Road in the Jack Jouett District addressed the Board, stating
that his entire family is opposed to the bypass and appreciates the Board’s willingness to revisit the
decision. Mr. Shepherd said, in his time, he has made mistakes and learned that it’s best to just own up –
and he appreciates this Board’s willingness to at least listen and consider that there are better alternatives.
Mr. Irvin Cox, a resident at 528 Rookwood Place in the Samuel Miller District, said, for almost 30
years, the community has been debating the issue of increased traffic on US 29 – their commercial
boulevard, their main street. Mr. Cox said the many businesses along the corridor are the economic
engine for Albemarle County, and those businesses employ over 20,000 persons, provide almost $900
million in annual salaries, and contribute over 45% of the County’s total local tax revenue. He said there
are basically only two solutions to the traffic issue: they can either build the bypass or turn Rt. 29 into an
expressway, as in Places 29. Mr. Cox stated that, for Places 29 to provide the level of service required,
between two and five grade-separated interchanges would have to be constructed. He said a video put
out by opponents of the bypass shows an artist’s rendering of the Hydraulic Road/Route 29 interchange
still in place – and this could only happen if the interchange was built overnight and magically dropped in
place. To maintain traffic during the grade-separated interchange construction as required in Places 29,
he said all existing lanes – north, south, east and west – would have to be temporarily relocated outside of
the 150-foot right of way, and all structures in the four quadrants around the interchange would have to be
demolished. He stated that there is also the issue of access and frontage roads that would take out even
more businesses, and all of that would create daily disruption and inconvenience during the 2+ years of
construction – all resulting in loss of jobs, salaries and tax revenues. Mr. Cox said the logical, common-
sense and effective solution is to build the Rt. 29 western bypass, which doesn’t go far enough to the north
or south but could be extended at a later time.
Mr. Randy Salzman addressed the Board, stating that he is a City resident but owns property in
the County, and is speaking as a taxpayer. Mr. Salzman said the overpasses at Rio and Hydraulic have
always been the best solution, as VDOT has indicated numerous times. He stated that, in 2012, the entire
County collected $12.8 million in sales tax revenue through the 1% that stays in the area. Mr. Salzman
said the businesses in the area would essentially have to lose $1.2 trillion in the two-year time period of
construction for them to actually lose as much as the County – and that presumes that everyone who
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would have been shopping on 29 North would have left the County. He stated that the argument makes
no sense. Mr. Salzman stated that the safety arguments are also flawed, as ¾ of all accidents on 29
North in the County take place at Rio and Hydraulic intersections, and only overpasses will resolve the
safety issues. He said, on a per accident preventive basis, building the by-pass will cost the County $10
million per accident; building the overpasses will only cost the County $450,000.
Mr. Ray Nedzel of 439 Woodhaven Court in the County said he moved here 12 years earlier,
loves the area and believes that it’s the people who make it a beautiful place to live. Mr. Nedzel said the
29 Bypass is not an example of how they’re being beautiful people, and it’s kind of a fake argument. He
encouraged the Board to abandon the fake argument of the bypass, along with the inaction of the previous
decades, and work toward solutions that actually reduce traffic, eliminate dangerous intersections, and
serve the beautiful people who live in the County.
Mr. Richard Wagaman addressed the Board, stating that he lives at 1565 Heathrow Lane in the
Keswick area of the County and is against the bypass in its current location. He said there’s no doubt that
a bypass is needed, and the Board has a rare opportunity now because the stars are aligned, with a
governor who can spend four years to help make the right solutions happen. Mr. Wagaman stated that
the bypass should be on the eastern side, not the western side, and running along the ridgeline so it
minimizes the environmental impact. He stated that it would also give the governor bipartisan support,
adding that he has spoken with the Chambers of Commerce in Lynchburg and Campbell County and
Danville, as well as the chamber in Culpeper, and they all want something to happen. Mr. Wagaman
stated that this governor can help make it happen in four to five years if it’s put in the right place.
Ms. Wren Olivier addressed the Board, thanking them for the opportunity to speak and stating that
she is opposed to the bypass for several reasons – but she would focus on the people and the
environment. Ms. Olivier said she is worried about the danger to school children as the bypass goes by
schools, the risk to the public water supply, and the potential damaging impact to the Ivy Creek Natural
Area which is such a valuable area for all of the residents of the County.
Mr. Daniel Keenan addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident at 208 Montvue Drive in the
Jack Jouett District and commenting that he wanted to focus on the misstatements made by the Daily
Progress and others. Mr. Keenan said the data released by the newspaper said that over 50% of the
community was in favor of the bypass – but these are done by phone surveys, which are extremely
unreliable and work their way through rejections until they find respondents. He stated that, even good
surveys only get 5-20%, and this one had about 15-20%, which means it took four or five-thousand
rejections to get there. Mr. Keenan said it’s hard to get accurate representation with that dynamic. He
stated that the paper also talked about “time savings,” but if you go into the actual report by the consulting
firm, those numbers are for 2040. Mr. Keenan said the 22 minutes saved are if one gets on the bypass
and does two trips, and the time on Route 29 is less than half of that.
(Note: The Board recessed their meeting at 7:25 p.m., and reconvened at 7:39 p.m.)
Ms. Anna Sisman addressed the Board, stating that she lives at the Villas at Southern Ridge in
the Samuel Miller District just south of I-64 and supports the bypass because time is the most important
thing to her, and the road would help her get to shopping on 29 North more quickly, would shorten her
travel time, and would also help her husband get home from work more easily.
Mr. Paul Adler, of 206 Westminster Road, addressed the Board, stating that he has been a
resident of the Jack Jouett District for over 20 years and opposes the bypass, and finds some of the
discourse related to the issue to be “pretty strange.” Mr. Adler said it’s been said that polls show people of
the County to be in favor of the bypass, but you can run polls to show whatever kind of result you want
based on how you state the questions and do the sampling. He stated that there is one poll that’s very
reliable, and that’s called an election. He said the major issue was the bypass and the midnight vote, and
the two incumbents who were supporters of the bypass and took part in the midnight vote were soundly
defeated – adding that it’s unusual to see incumbents lose by so much in U.S. elections. Mr. Adler stated
that this bypass will do nothing for traffic on 29 North, and VDOT says that 90% of the traffic is local. He
said the long-range through traffic can be assessed by taking a bus or car down 29 South to the middle of
Nelson County.
Mr. Mike Farabaugh of 24 Roslyn Heights Road in the County addressed the Board, stating that
he is against the road adding that it is not a bypass. Mr. Farabaugh said there are environmental, fiscal,
engineering reasons that it’s not a good idea and, if that’s not enough to consider, they should think about
how it got back on the agenda: a sneaky, underhanded midnight vote. Mr. Farabaugh stated that it was
crooked and it stinks and, if you dig deeper into it, one of the members of the Commonwealth
Transportation Board owns a business there – and it would hurt his business. He stated that was a
conflict of interest and he shouldn’t have been allowed to vote.
Ms. Tammie Moses of 24 Roslyn Heights Road addressed the Board, stating that she lives in the
Jack Jouett District and asked Board members to reconsider its stance on the western bypass. Ms.
Moses said she is hopeful that, with the new Board, the voice of citizens will be heard and not ignored as it
was in the past. She stated that it’s time to act in a fiscally responsible manner by putting the so-called
bypass to rest. Ms. Moses said the route is obsolete at best and will not serve the community in the
manner proponents are suggesting. She said the bypass is a politically-motivated project that will cost the
County in terms of tax dollars and in aesthetics. She stated that the County would look like Northern
Virginia and would not have learned from the mistakes of Culpeper and Gainesville, who have two
bypasses because the first one wasn’t adequate. Ms. Moses said they don’t have the resources to get it
wrong, and they would have to live with the decision and won’t be able to afford the right bypass, with this
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
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6.2-mile road costing about $1/2 billion or more with change orders, with many unknowns such as the
Best Buy ramp and northern terminus. She stated that Places 29 would be a fraction of the cost, and they
need to make the right decisions for now and for the future. Ms. Moses said it is a proven fact that parallel
roads and overpasses work, and they need to stick with Places 29 and see those projects through. She
stated that the public is tired of midnight meetings, surprise votes, and Lynchburg and Danville telling
them what’s right for the community – as it’s the local residents who will have to live with it.
Mr. Harold Pillar, a resident of Scottsville, addressed the Board, stating that he doesn’t drive on
Route 29 because he doesn’t want to see cars “t-boned” by other vehicles and no one is really talking
about the safety issue. Mr. Pillar said that these are real problems, and he doesn’t see any peace and
tranquility when driving on 29 – he sees a mess – and having overpasses doesn’t resolve that. He stated
that the Board should put the people of Albemarle County ahead of their own political agendas.
Mr. Charles Tolbert addressed the Board, stating that he lives at 303 Westminster Road in the
Canterbury Hills neighborhood and sees the road as a needed internal connector, which will become a
major asset to the County. Mr. Tolbert said the County has one other such internal connector in the
community – the Route 250 Bypass, which connects the western part of the community with Pantops to
the east, bypasses downtown and the City business district along Main Street, and cuts through
neighborhoods, passes near schools, and even goes through part of a park. He asked the Board to think
about what the community would be like if the road had not been built, adding that they would still be using
Main Street and University Avenue to go across town. Like the east-west connector, Mr. Tolbert said they
now need a north-south connector to bypass the County’s business district along Route 29. He stated that
he is grateful that the leadership at the time had the foresight to build the 250 Bypass, and believes there
will come a time when the western bypass is just as important. Mr. Tolbert urged the Board not to be on
the wrong side of this decision.
Mr. Tracy Carver of 2009 Woodburn Road addressed the Board, stating that he was born in this
area as were many previous generations of his family and was against the bypass because of facts – not
emotion. Mr. Carver said $40 million a mile is excessive, and he drives from Batesville from Ruckersville
on a daily basis for work. He stated that the through traffic mentioned on 29 southbound is not there at
8:00 or 9:00 a.m. Mr. Carver said it only takes him 40 minutes to drive 31 miles and, when he returns
from Ruckersville, he hits no traffic until Hydraulic and the 250 Bypass. He emphasized that all of the
traffic in the afternoon is going north, and the bottleneck happens at the Rivanna Bridge where there are
four lanes of traffic going down to two. Mr. Carver said the bypass will essentially create a bottleneck at
both ends, and stated that they would not be creating anything to move traffic any faster – as it would still
create a bottleneck no matter how it is built.
Ms. Laney Kaminer addressed the Board, stating that she is a resident of 201 Montvue Drive in
the Jack Jouett District and is president of the Montvue Citizens Association. Ms. Kaminer said they are
not one of the rich neighborhoods mentioned by opponents, but are mostly folks who have owned their
homes for over 20 years and are either retired or would like to retire – but their houses aren’t saleable.
She stated that they have lived under the specter of the bypass for over three decades, and just this line
on a map has cost them dearly in declining property values and the inability to sell their homes for what
they’re worth. Ms. Kaminer said VDOT owns or leases 10 properties out of the 39 homes in the
subdivision, and many of the tenants have not been properly vetted – with drugs sold from two of the
houses. She stated that she has a bacterial lung disease that has environmental origins, and will remain
on antibiotics indefinitely – and the proposed bypass will be directly behind her house, with an 11% grade
stretching to the top of Stillhouse Mountain. Ms. Kaminer said, for reference, the grade of Afton Mountain
is only 5%, and the diesel fumes from the climbing and descending trucks m ay further impact her health –
adding that children at the nearby schools do not need to be breathing harmful fuels from vehicles on a
road to nowhere. She stated that she is hopeful that the Board, along with the state and federal
government, will do the right thing and stop the by-pass.
Ms. Jane Porter Fogleman addressed the Board, stating that she is a native of Charlottesville and
her family has been here since the late 1600s. Ms. Fogleman said she lives west of town and is not
directly impacted by the bypass, but feels that it would be very destructive to the scenic beauty of
Albemarle County. She stated that she echoes the opinions of all of the previous speakers in opposition
of the bypass, adding that everyone made the same points over and over again. Ms. Fogleman said she
has great faith that the Board will take all of those comments and consider them in total, then make the
right decision.
Mr. Scott Vande Pol said he didn’t know about the bypass when he moved to Lambs Road in the
Jack Jouett District 10 years ago but he has been coming to meetings for that decade. Mr. Vande Pol
said the road is not only objectively pretty stupid, it is really unpopular. He stated that, in reading the
history of the bypass, the early environmental impact statements show that the route was chosen because
it was the shortest and cheapest route – not the best – to serve the interests of trucking in the late 1980s.
Mr. Vande Pol said today, even that purpose is poorly served by the 30-year-old plan, so it’s reasonable to
ask what is pushing it forward. He stated that he thinks it’s a type of authoritarian energy, moving forward
not on its own merits but on its own momentum. Mr. Vande Pol said, if you listen carefully to the
comments, no one is actually in favor of the bypass, they are just in favor of doing “something.” He stated
that, even proponents are not expressing enthusiasm for this plan and, in opposition to this force, is strong
grassroots energy and encouraged the Board to go with that.
Ms. Donna Vande Pol addressed the Board, stating that she lives in the Jack Jouett District and
strongly opposes the western bypass for the reasons already stated. Ms. Vande Pol urged the Board to
consider the alternatives, which are more cost effective and will solve both current and future needs. She
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 18)
stated that she hopes the Board can permanently terminate the bypass plan and release all the
neighborhoods that have been held hostage for more than 20 years.
Ms. Mary Buford Hitz addressed the Board, stating that she and her husband live at 521 N. First
Street and own property in the Whitehall District. Ms. Hitz said she likes Winston Churchill’s statement
that “democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried,” and
commented that living in a democracy is messy and time-consuming, and she salutes all Board members
for the patience and stamina it takes to be public servants. Ms. Hitz stated that transparency is the core
principle of democracy and, in the battle over the bypass, transparency was lost. She said citizens were
asked to come to meetings held over many months to devise a strategy for improving traffic on 29, and
slowly – with citizen input – they came up with Places 29. Near midnight one night, she said, through
back-channel maneuvering, a BOS meeting was hijacked and the bypass was resurrected. Ms. Hitz said
state and local efforts to ram through the funding and planning stages were slowed only by federal
environmental standards and, in the middle of this, then Governor Bob McDonnell fired a member of the
Commonwealth Transportation Board who was against the bypass. At each critical juncture, she said the
message has been “it doesn’t matter how it happens, just make it happen.” She stated that it does matter
how it happens, with Charlottesville being a historic city and UVA’s lawn being a World Heritage site, and
they need to keep the scale of the infrastructure appropriate to the city it serves. Ms. Hitz asked the Board
to continue to restore citizens’ faith in how things are done by deliberating openly.
Mr. Ben Bates addressed the Board, stating that he lives at 4220 Rowan Court in Earlysville in the
Whitehall District and commented that he wasn’t the only one outraged when he heard of the sleazy
midnight vote that occurred to resurrect this process. Mr. Bates said he’s been going to these meetings
since the early 1970s and, in every one of them, the public opinion has been overwhelmingly against the
proposed bypass. He stated that the seeming conspiracy to resurrect the project was the most egregious
exhibit of trying to thwart the will of the public that he’s seen in his lifetime, and he doesn’t understand how
the perpetrators of the plan can walk in the community and look people in the eye without a feeling of
shame. Mr. Bates said his feeling was shared by others, and they’ve now had an election – the best
demonstration and proof that citizens are overwhelmingly against the bypass and that justice will prevail.
He stated this has provided the best opportunity they will ever have to kill the plan once and for all, and
encouraged the Board to use this positive opportunity to eliminate the project forever.
Ms. Sallie Kate Park, a resident of Old Brook Road in the Rio District, addressed the Board stating
that she’s attended several hearings over the past few years and is puzzled at the claims that the vast
majority of people support the bypass – but considering that these claims are made by the Free Enterprise
Forum and the Chamber of Commerce, the proof of the pudding has been the attendance at these
hearings and the vast opposition to the project. Ms. Park said the most recent election is also proof, and
she appreciates a previous speaker’s emphasis on the importance of transparency. She stated that
another reaction brought forth in the hearings has been frustration, focused on not seeing alternatives or
options other than the planned bypass. Ms. Park said other cities in both the US and Europe use
alternatives to deal with traffic such as roundabouts, and she would like to see other options like that
explored.
Ms. Lee Politis addressed the Board, stating that she is a resident of 533 Rookwood Place and
referencing comments made by a speaker at a previous meeting who said that her father – who had built
roads for a living – would have said that “this one’s being built for the politicians.” Ms. Politis said the
woman said the reason he would have made this rather obvious comment is because the road would cost
an exorbitant amount of money and bypass all of three miles of Route 29. She stated that the road would
cut through a small mountain and run surprisingly close to a number of schools and homes, the
Colonnades, the SPCA, the Ivy Creek Natural Area, and the South Fork Rivanna River. Ms. Politis said
there would be tremendous destruction and widespread exposure to noise and vehicle exhaust for a very
small savings in time, and only for 10-12% of drivers passing through the area. She stated that it just
doesn’t make sense, and four of the former County Supervisors pushed for the bypass before they had
accurate information about the health and environmental effects of the road, and now it is known that the
Army Corps of Engineers and EPA had advised serious consideration for alternatives before committing to
the bypass. Ms. Politis said the bypass is not a road they want or need, but they do need overpasses at
Hydraulic and Rio Road, extensions to Hillsdale and Berkmar, and a Best Buy ramp. She stated that
those projects would serve local traffic and the traffic passing through to Lynchburg and other points
south.
Mr. Morgan Butler, on behalf of the Southern Environmental Law Center, stated that the choice
they face is not between building the bypass and doing nothing – and it’s not a question of whether they fix
the problem, but how. Mr. Butler said, at its core, the Places 29 strategy is about prioritizing fixes that help
all drivers, and not just helping one subset over another. He stated that it also offers so many other
benefits that the damaging bypass proposal does not, such as increasing access to local businesses and
giving people a safe way to walk across Route 29. Mr. Butler said the County has put a huge amount of
effort into fleshing out this approach and making sure that the projects can be sequenced in a logical way
that minimizes disruption during construction. He stated that it’s a feasible and cost-effective plan that
makes sense, and this is where they were headed prior to the abrupt reversal that occurred in June 2011
– and this is where they need to return now. Mr. Butler said the Board doesn’t have the sole power to stop
the bypass or build the Places 29 improvements, but it makes clear to the state, federal government, and
everyone else that the surprise vote engineered two and one-half years has been corrected, the County
opposes the bypass, and that they would like to partner with the state to advance the better solutions
outlined in Places 29. He stated that, with the letter released today, efforts today send a strong message
that the bypass does not make sense and the state should pursue better alternatives. He said this isn’t a
signal to spend two more years studying this proposal, as was suggested earlier; it is a signal that this
proposal should be killed. He said now is the perfect tim e for the County to send this same message.
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 19)
Mr. Peter Hallock addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident of Keswick, Virginia in the
Rivanna District and commenting that he had attended a meeting in the 1980s in which the interchanges
had all been approved by VDOT and they were just putting on the finishing touches, when a group of
people from the Chamber of Commerce came in and killed it. Mr. Hallock said that, if they had let it go
through, they would have the interchanges and know if they would solve the problem and know whether
they needed a bypass. He suggested that they go back and do the interchanges to find out. He stated
that he had a business on Rio Road and, when they widened the road, he lost some business but his
property values went through the roof – so it’s not a bad thing to improve roads right in front of your
business.
Mr. Dennis Rooker of the Jack Jouett District addressed the Board, stating that every neutral party
that has studied the western bypass has concluded it’s a project that should not go forward. Mr. Rooker
said the environmental impact statement, which was done at a cost of $3.5 million, concluded that if you
built a bypass and did not build overpasses at the key intersections, the corridor would operate at an “F”
level of service. If you built the overpasses and didn’t build the bypass, he said the corridor would operate
at a “B” level of service. He stated that Mark Warner voted against the project in 1990 when he served on
the CTB, stating it was obsolete. Mr. Rooker said Butch Davies and Jim Rich served on the CTB for 11
years, both studied it and determined that it didn’t make any sense for the state to invest in the project.
He stated that Friends of the Earth and Taxpayers for Common Sense have five times found the project to
be one of the worst projects in the country in terms of wasting taxpayer dollars and harming the
environment. Mr. Rooker said the Secretaries of T ransportation, Whit Clement and Pierce Homer, had
their commissioners study the road thoroughly and determined that it should not go forward. He said
VDOT itself performed a $1.5 million corridor study that concluded in 2010 that the bypass would no
longer serve as a useful through-transportation corridor and, most recently, the FHWA issued a letter
stating that, “It is expected that a reassessment of the purpose and need will find that it is no longer
adequate to support and serve the investment in the corridor.” Mr. Rooker stated that the findings by
these independent third parties were not even based upon the severe environmental impacts of this road
on the community; they were based on the conclusion that the proposed bypass has long been obsolete,
and there was no way to justify its cost by its very limited transportation benefits. He said the
environmental impacts as presented are devastating – and that’s because the proposed road is not a
bypass at all, and goes through or beside 10 neighborhoods, six schools and the reservoir. Mr. Rooker
asked them to return to the sanity embraced by the Board for more than 25 years and support the
resolution before them.
Mr. Ted Deucher addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident of the County and is opposed
to the bypass. Mr. Deucher said three decades ago, this was determined to be inadequate to serve their
needs but has now been resurrected and is still not adequate to serve the purpose it was intended for. He
stated that bypass proponents suggest that the majority of citizens of the County favor a bypass, but this is
a faulty conclusion.
Ms. Lynne Deucher addressed the Board, stating that she is opposed to the bypass as it’s
designed now because it is an old plan that was rejected 20 years ago. Ms. Deucher asked if they could
be more future-oriented than that, and said that they needed to think of new plans and not go back to
something that was rejected long ago. She stated that it also threatens the water supply, which is a critical
factor to consider, and the recent contamination of the Dan River in Danville and the Elk River in
Charleston, WV should give the Board pause and reason to be more aware of the need to protect the
area’s water supply. Ms. Deucher said the project will cause major air and water pollution to six schools,
and she asked why they would want to pay $250 million to burden children with this additional risk when
they are already reeling from reduced funding for schools in general. She added that the bypass would
ruin many neighborhoods and would have a devastating effect on the beauty and ambience of the area.
Mr. Michael Bills addressed the Board, stating that he was a resident of Broomley Road in
Albemarle County and had been in the area for many years trying to assess what citizens care about. He
said the one issue that consistently comes across is traffic and, when you offer the idea of a bypass, they
say “yes, please and thank you.” Mr. Bills stated that then, when you talk about this particular bypass and
show what the cut would look like versus the land that is there now and tell them that there is no money for
landscaping in the plan, you lose some support. He said, when you tell them it goes near schools, you
lose some other people and, when you tell them how much it costs, you get groans and lose more
support. Mr. Bills stated that, when you talk about the antiquated plan and the fact that VDOT says the
road will still be an “F” level of service, people get completely incensed. He said the Board needs to
address the traffic issue, but needs to oppose the bypass because it doesn’t work. He stated that they
need to protect the local reputation as thoughtful people working to protect the character of the
community.
Mr. Scott Tumperi addressed the Board, stating that he is a City resident living on Jefferson Park
Avenue and isn’t for or against the bypass, but just doesn’t feel that there’s been an appropriate
engineering study. Mr. Tumperi said the numbers are a bit old because the technology at the time for
counting traffic was just using air hoses across the road so it didn’t really show the traff ic destination. He
stated that, if he could be shown that an appreciable percentage of the traffic actually bypassed
Charlottesville, he could possibly support the road, but if it is just a small percentage, he would have a
problem with it. Mr. Tumperi said, regarding safety concerns, he would make a bridge overpass at
Ashwood Boulevard, and there are also other pressing safety needs. He stated that he would probably
support a bypass in the future if the numbers worked, but not at this point with the data that they have.
Mr. Benjamin Lehman addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident of 145 Ivy Ridge Road
and his home is one that could potentially be taken from him by eminent domain to build this project. He
said he and his wife and three children could be displaced from their home and friends and neighbors and
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 20)
schools against their wishes and desires and, when eminent domain is invoked, it must be for a project
that holds a very high standard – and this one doesn’t. Mr. Lehman stated that this road may have
provided a small amount of traffic flow benefits 25 years ago, but at this point, 25 years have gone by and
massive amounts of development have occurred north of where the road ends – so it no longer fulfills its
original purpose. He said it is ludicrous to believe that, after 25 years of change and growth, this outdated
project could provide any significant benefit, especially at its huge financial cost. Mr. Lehman stated that
most opponents of this project are not suggesting doing nothing, but they should focus efforts on Places
29 improvements and building overpasses at Hydraulic and Rio Roads, which would significantly improve
local and through traffic as well as providing safe and easy passage to move across Route 29. He said all
of these projects could be done at a fractional cost as compared to the so-called bypass, and provide
equivalent time savings along with additional benefits to local traffic flow. Mr. Lehman also commented
that the FHWA letter included a lot of common sense, and it seemed ironic to him that the federal
government was preaching to the locality about common sense approaches and practical spending of
money. He asked the Board to please apply common sense and end this project once and for all.
Mr. Dave Marsh addressed the Board, stating that he lives at 55 Lynnwood Lane in the Jack
Jouett District and is a small business owner, and opposes the bypass. Mr. Marsh said, in 2012, he
started a business that utilized his 25 years of experience making video games. He stated that he did a
Kickstarter campaign for $120,000 and raised all the money to resurrect a 1980s video game, and in
looking at it he realized that he had 3,468 gamers who had backed his project – and as such had a
responsibility to them to be a good steward of the money entrusted to him. Mr. Marsh said the definition of
a good steward is one who manages another’s property or financial affairs, one who administers anything
as an agent of another or others. Mr. Marsh urged the Board to be good, smart stewards of what has
been entrusted to them, not only for hardworking people’s dollars but for the compelling information
presented to them by regular people here and various experts in the field, who have shown that this
proposed bypass is reckless and wasteful. He said, if the Board fails in this regard, they will not only fail
those who trust in them to make wise, accountable decisions, but will also fail future generations who will
be impacted by the same.
Mr. Nicholas Rader of 1012 Druid Avenue addressed the Board, stating that he and his family
chose Charlottesville for a number of reasons, but quality of life, community values and great schools
were driving factors behind their decision, and they found what they were looking for in Albemarle County.
Mr. Rader said, in looking at the proposed solution to the traffic problem s, he is astonished that the
project was ever considered – let alone approved – and it doesn’t take an engineer, a business person or
a politician to come to this same conclusion. He said he is pro-growth, but it must be managed and
strategic, and it seems that neither of those things applies in this case. Mr. Rader said the proposed
bypass is not a bypass and should not be described as such, and a 6.2-mile access road is not a long-
term solution but a poor attempt at a Band-Aid. He stated that it skips only a portion of Route 29, and they
would still be faced with heavy traffic congestion and dangerous intersections along the corridor. If a
bypass is truly desired, he said it needs to look much different and actually be a bypass. Mr. Rader said it
is the Board’s responsibility to perform due diligence and come to the table with proposals that mitigate
the problems, not add to them. He stated that they do not need to solve the problem today, just stop the
insanity adding that support of the project would be negligent and would not uphold the greater voice of
the community and the values that have attracted people here. Mr. Rader emphasized that this decision
will have impacts on the community that extend far past what any one proponent of the project is willing to
consider. He stated that they need to confront the problem where the problem is, and that’s along Route
29. Mr. Rader said the reality is that sometimes short-term sacrifices need to be made to ensure long-
term success and, while going back to the drawing board is painful, it is required of them. He urged the
Board to ask themselves if it makes any logical sense, and the answer is no.
Mr. Stephen Bach of 1208 Meriwether Street addressed the Board, stating that he is a City
resident and commented that the reason road proponents resurrected the bypass is that they didn’t have a
rational, persuasive case to build it – and they don’t have one now. Mr. Bach said part of killing the project
involves having the MPO representatives removing the item from the project list of the long-range
transportation plan, which is now in the process of being updated. He stated that it’s critical the Board
make sure there is no entry in the list for construction of the bypass, and getting the federal money out of
there will be a big step in the right direction.
Mr. Keith Crawford of 3374 Turnberry Circle addressed the Board, stating that he is a Forest
Lakes resident and works at UVA’s Darden School of Business. Mr. Crawford stated that he grew up on
Proffit Road and has worked as a transportation planner, road designer and real estate developer. He
said he drives 29 North almost every day and believes they need to make investments to improve the
corridor, urging the Board to stop the outdated bypass project. Mr. Crawford stated that the community
and state deserve better, and the design-build process under which the obsolete bypass project was
suddenly revived displays either the mismanagement of financial resources at best – or deception at
worst. He said either conclusion is deeply disturbing for those who are funding this venture, which was
labeled one of the nation’s worst transportation projects even before its southern terminus design was
altered to make it a functional failure as currently proposed. Mr. Crawford stated that the accepted
northern terminus design is also inadequate, and this leads to the conclusion that either the previous
administration in Richmond did not understand that they had proposed a new design that did not work, or
they had intentionally put forward a design that had a lower cost to gain CTB approval with the idea that
they would later change the southern and northern terminus designs at an additional cost of tens of
millions of dollars to taxpayers – which he sees as bait and switch deception. He said this is not how he
wants his money to be spent and, as proposed, the 29 Bypass is little more than a dysfunctional local
street that only leads to another set of endless traffic signals beyond its northern terminus. Mr. Crawford
said there are better ways to invest the limited transportation funds available for 29 North improvements,
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 21)
and hopefully they will be rationally considered. He urged the Board to stop the outdated 29 Bypass
project, stating that the community and the Commonwealth deserve better.
Ms. Lena Seville of 808 Altavista Avenue addressed the Board, thanking members for providing
the public with an opportunity to talk about something that a lot of people felt they should have been able
to do back in 2011. She stated that she is a big proponent of transparency and openness in government,
and the new Board members understand how the public felt about the last-minute change of the rules.
Ms. Seville said previous speakers have spoken well on the specific issues related to the project, and
shaving a few minutes off of 10% of people’s time doesn’t fit for this amount of money and destruction, or
the potential pollution hazards to the school and water supply.
Ms. Jeanne Liedtka, a resident of 320 11th Street in the City, addressed the Board stating that she
is a taxpayer both in the County and the City and thanked the Board for the opportunity to allow the public
to be heard. Ms. Liedtka said she is a business school faculty member at UVA, and believes in economic
rationality and sacrifice for the greater good – but when she evaluates who the greater good is here and
who is being serviced by this road at the expense of schoolchildren and taxpayers and college students
who have to cross Leonard Sandridge Drive to get to class every day, who’s being served seems like a
very small number of passersby, politicians, and businesses on 29. She stated that she finds it
outrageous that somehow their needs trump the needs of everyone else, and urged the Board to overturn
the decision.
Mr. Daniel Bowman of 3170 Beau Mont Farm Road addressed the Board, stating that he has lived
in the Jack Jouett District for nearly eight years and, prior to that, lived in Lynchburg for 12 years, so he is
very familiar with the 29 corridor and is strongly opposed to the proposed bypass. He thanked the Board
for holding the public hearing, and said that citizen participation and transparency in government decision-
making are extrem ely important. Mr. Bowman asked the Board to base its decision on the proposed
bypass on a careful analysis of data, not on assertions or generalizations, and on the basis of economic
impacts to local taxpayers. He stated that a Daily Progress article published the previous day states that
people would save “22½ minutes in daily commutes” if they used the proposed bypass compared to using
the existing roadways. Mr. Bowman said, at a quick glance, that looks wonderful – but upon closer
inspection, that is the cumulative time savings by the total but unstated number of both northbound and
southbound vehicles in the year 2040. He stated that another way to look at it is that driving the entire 6.2
miles of the proposed bypass at 55 mph would take 6 minutes, 45 seconds; driving the existing roadways
at 40 mph would take 6 minutes, 45 seconds. Mr. Bowman urged the Board to examine the costs and
benefits of the proposed bypass and compare them to the cost and benefits of real alternatives.
Ms. Sonjia Smith addressed the Board, stating that she has lived in Albemarle County since 1999
and currently lives at 815 Broomley Road. She said she was before them to express her deep dismay at
the June 2011 Board of Supervisors vote and ask them to reverse that vote. Ms. Smith thanked the Board
for holding the public hearing, stating that it means a lot to her to see her fellow citizens being heard.
Ms. Nancy Sherman addressed the Board, stating that she lives at 355 Barracks Farm Road in
the County, near where the bypass would cut through. Ms. Sherman stated that she strongly opposes the
bypass, partly because the plan seems outdated and short-sighted, and also because of health impacts
on adults and children in schools located near the bypass. Ms. Sherman said she doesn’t believe the
environmental impacts have been fully considered and, in looking at a Google map of the bypass route,
it’s easy to see that it will go straight through one of the largest remaining forested landscapes in the area.
She stated that the forest provides ecological benefits such as cooling of the air in the summer, removal
of carbon dioxide and additional oxygen to the atmosphere, natural water filtration, and habitat for birds
and other wildlife. Ms. Sherman stated that the bypass would go straight through this irreplaceable
landscape and, in addition, is on a slope that drains to the tributaries to the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir
and Rivanna River. She said runoff from the bypass carrying pollutants such as oil from vehicles and
herbicides may eventually end up in the streams and rivers, and winter chemicals and salts used to treat
the roads are visible on pavement and cars – and an article in Cville Weekly the previous week pointed
out that some of it ends up in streams and rivers. Ms. Sherman said it seems likely that treating icy roads
on the bypass would add to the pollution burden in local waterways. She stated that one of the joys of
living in Albemarle County is the quality of life, including relatively clean air, and quiet and dark skies at
night, and building the bypass will encourage more commercial truck traffic – which will increase air
pollution, ambient light at night, and traffic noise. Ms. Sherman said she hoped the Board would reject the
bypass and seek other suggestions to congestion on Route 29 such as the Go 29 plan, while working on
forward-thinking, long-term solutions which would address all of their transportation challenges.
Mr. Patrick Jordan addressed the Board, stating that he resides at 1915 Lambs Road and is the
parent of two school-age children. Mr. Jordan said, in late November, he was notified by the local media
that he resided in the direct path of the slightly rerouted bypass that would take even more homes. He
stated that he wished he could tell his children someday that the bypass that took their home away was
the best thing for the community but, as many have mentioned at this meeting, this bypass is a pure waste
of resources and destructive to many things that make Albemarle great – including environmental
resources and schools. Mr. Jordan said, prior to November’s news, he had made several trips to the
podium to fight this ludicrous scheme, and made those trips as a concerned taxpayer and parent of a
student at one of the six affected schools. He stated that he also spoke out as a voter who demanded
common sense-based decisions and transparency from elected officials. Mr. Jordan said the bypass
project was dusted off and resurrected due to pressure from communities south of Albemarle County, and
supported locally by profiteers of more urban sprawl in the County. He stated that the previous governor
and his transportation secretary fired the gun to get the bypass back on track, with their own questionable
motives. Mr. Jordan said they took out anyone in their way, including removing transportation board
member James Rich, who vocally objected to the scam. He stated that, despite overwhelming public
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opposition at previous hearings and pleas to elected officials to use common sense, they are still talking
about a decades-old bypass plan that will not bypass the community. Mr. Jordan said people called the
actions of elected officials “inexcusable and ill-informed,” but he calls it “frightening and dangerous.” He
stated that the Supervisors are representatives of the community, and asked that they represent the
people – not let business interests dictate policies. Mr. Jordan asked that they protect children and the
elderly, and not needlessly endanger the environment and natural resources by building the bypass.
Mr. Thomas Platts-Mills addressed the Board, stating that he lives at 480 Ivy Farm Drive in the
Jack Jouett District. Mr. Platts-Mills said he is with the medical school and has been studying childhood
asthma for the last 30 years. He stated that traffic exhaust causes serious damage to the health of
children, and the evidence is much better than it was even two years ago, and the work of Rob McConnell
in southern California has clearly shown that putting roads close to schools damages the health of
children. Mr. Platts-Mills said diesel particulates are major contributors to the damage, and people think
that “clean diesel” with smaller particulates reduces that damage – but, in fact, it allows the particles to go
further into the lungs. He stated that there have been comments made about the 250 Bypass not having
an impact on children, but there has been a ten-fold rise in asthma and ten-fold increase in children being
admitted to the University hospital for asthma. Mr. Platts-Mills said, if they build the road, there are two
possibilities: that it will fail, or it will succeed. He stated that if it fails and isn’t used, it will be a total waste
of money and will have done great damage to the County; if it succeeds, there could be thousands of
trucks going from Atlanta to New York through Charlottesville – then the position of the road is completely
inappropriate, as it is much too close to the town to be an actual bypass. Either way, he said it’s a
disaster.
Mr. Leon Gorman addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident at 105 Powhatan Circle in the
Rio District and indicated that he has done volunteer work with numerous environmental organizations
over the years – but he does believe in the bypass. Mr. Gorman said there has been so much growth on
Route 29, including Stonefield, Belvedere, Hollymead Town Center, and hundreds of apartments and
condominiums – but no major road to accompany that growth. He stated that the Board is trying to force
feed traffic through every nook and cranny in Charlottesville just to avoid a bypass, and are making a lot of
people unhappy and are negatively affecting a far greater number of people in the densely populated area
near 29 than in the less populated area where the bypass would be. Mr. Gorman said, if they widen Route
29 above Polo Grounds Road, it will be bumper to bumper within weeks of its completion, and overpasses
at Rio Road and Hydraulic will make it more of a nightmare with increased congestion. He stated that
Route 29 is becoming a major north-south artery, whether they like it or not and, if they don’t build the
bypass, they need to stop all growth along the road and stop Places 29 now.
Dr. Charles Battig addressed the Board, stating that he is a physician living in the White Hall
District of Albemarle County and stating that fact-based science is often a casualty of inflammatory
language in the discussion of the proposed Route 29 Bypass. Dr. Battig said the EPA asserts that
exposure to ozone and particulate matter increased hospital emergency admissions for asthma and has
even been considered an acute cause of death, but asked if causation has been linked to what’s
happening or if it’s just an association. He stated that local environmental lobbyists parrot these scary
studies, and the litany of health problems claimed even includes obesity and autism and anything else that
comes to mind. Dr. Battig asked if they have investigated the scientific validity of these claims, but he
thinks they have not. He stated that, in the past ten years, the EPA has paid the American Lung
Association more than $20 million, and so it’s no surprise the EPA gets the results it wants from the
studies. Dr. Battig said the existing US 29/Route 250 Bypass around Charlottesville passes within a few
hundred feet of Martha Jefferson Hospital Rehabilitation Services, Burnley-Moran Elementary School, the
McIntire wading pool, the Covenant School, Walker Upper Elementary School, Kluge Children’s
Rehabilitation Center, and long stretches of the Rivanna Trail. He asked where the health impacts are of
those living there, and said that the studies in northern California where the air is particularly dirty
repudiate the EPA studies referred to, adding that unsubstantiated, bogus health claims are not reasons to
delay the bypass.
Mr. John Pfaltz addressed the Board, stating that he lives in the City at 1503 Rugby Road and is
the City representative on the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC). Mr. Pfaltz said, two
weeks ago, he met with UVA architecture students on what Route 29 could look like – and the vision was
wonderful. He stated that there are marvelous ideas, and they accord with his own vision of a new
urbanism with much more pedestrian and bicycle access, and much more transit orientation. Mr. Pfaltz
said none of the studies that he saw had trucks and semi-trailers going through them, emphasizing that
you can’t do a bicycle or pedestrian plan if you have heavy trucking. He stated that he is frustrated with
the lack of better opportunities, and almost all of the efforts in Places 29 are currently in the constrained
long-range program. While they will get built, he said they wouldn’t take any semi-trucks off the road, and
the County’s vision must figure out how to make main street Albemarle County a wonderful place to live.
He added that it was going to take vision, and it was going to be hard.
Dr. George Politis, of 533 Rookwood Place addressed the Board, stating that he is a physician
living in the Samuel Miller District of the County and is trained in pediatrics, anesthesiology and public
health. Dr. Politis said, two years ago, the Board at the time hastily pushed forward the bypass initiative
without duly considering the detrimental health impact on the children of the six schools that would be
close to the bypass. He stated that a rapidly growing body of literature reports detrimental health impacts
of highway pollutants such as ultrafine particulate, black carbon, and nitrogen oxides. Mr. Politis said
there was nothing unsubstantiated or bogus about these studies, and the previous speaker sounded more
like the tobacco industry did a few years earlier when they said that cigarette smoking didn’t cause lung
cancer. He stated that well-conducted studies have found that proximity to busy roads is associated with
a higher incidence of childhood asthma and a greater need for hospital therapy when children do have
asthma. Dr. Politis said for all children – asthmatic or not – lung development and function appears to be
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
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substantially diminished by living within 500 feet of a freeway, and the Centers for Disease Control stated
in 2010 that their goal is to have fewer schools located within this proximity to major highways. He said
that both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics published statements
noting that children living near highly trafficked highways appear to be harmed by pollution from those
roadways, and the EPA recommends a thorough environmental review process for all major roads within
½ mile of a proposed school site due to pollution and potential for accidental releases like the recent one
in West Virginia. Mr. Politis said building a bypass represents wasteful and irresponsible spending for
minimal gain and, with a price tag approaching $1/2 billion, they should see a lot more benefit and a lot
less harm. He stated that alternatives that would truly impact the 29 traffic problem must be considered,
and it would be unconscionable to ignore the health impacts of the bypass.
Ms. Deborah Murray addressed the Board, stating that she is lives on Lexington Avenue and has
been living in the City for almost 30 years. Ms. Murray said she cares deeply about the community and is
strongly opposed to the bypass and, until June 2011, the Board opposed the bypass with good reason.
She stated that it would do very little to alleviate traffic congestion, and the great expense and harm to the
community cannot justify moving forward with the ill-conceived and obsolete project. Ms. Murray said
Places 29 alternatives should be pursued and would truly alleviate traffic congestion, such as building
overpasses and developing parallel roads. She stated that she also disagrees with the need for a longer
bypass, as that is not the solution, and the Free Enterprise Forum’s report compares building the bypass
with doing nothing – which is not what anyone is advocating. Ms. Murray said the FHWA letter suggests
that the bypass does not serve the purpose and need of resolving traffic congestion on Route 29, and
asked the Board to reverse the hasty and ill-considered decision of the prior Board and instead pursue
alternatives that do make sense.
Mr. Timothy Weber addressed the Board, stating that he and his wife live on Arrowhead Court in
Earlysville near the de-facto bypass and stating his opposition to the current design of the US Western 29
bypass – not from a “not in my backyard” standpoint or environmental factors, but based on common
sense that has been brought forward. Mr. Weber said there were comments earlier about the
orchestrated opposition to the bypass and he took great umbrage to those remarks, as there have been
people from all backgrounds and walks of life coming to this meeting to oppose the road for various
reasons. He emphasized that they absolutely need a traffic solution, but there have been so many studies
showing that this is not the right road for Charlottesville, asking the Board to put a stop to this design. Mr.
Weber said the Lynchburg bypass starts in Amherst and, if they are truly going to build a bypass around
Charlottesville, it needs to start in Ruckersville and go all the way around.
Ms. Deborah Luzynski-Weber addressed the Board, stating that she lives on Arrowhead Court off
of Earlysville Road and was excited with the last election to get rid of the last Rio Supervisor and have new
representation that allowed the public the opportunity to speak. Ms. Weber said Secretary of State John
Kerry recently likened those who denied clim ate change to those who believed the world was flat, and she
likens those who support the current obsolete bypass proposal to those who used believe the world was
flat. She stated that Route 29 is not going away, therefore, the Board needs to put their resources into
making it something beautiful and functional for commuters, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Ms. Weber said
they’ve been presented with a number of forward-thinking alternatives to this obsolete proposal, and if
these are not enough to move them forward then they should think about all the beautiful things they will
lose if they push this plan forward – such as the natural beauty and wildlife.
Ms. Virginia Rovnyak addressed the Board, stating that she lives in the Samuel Miller District and
has lived in the County for 44 years and, in looking at Mapquest today, there are 80 miles of Route 29
between the current 250 Bypass and I-66 to Washington. She said they all know the future of those 80
miles – more development, more local traffic, and many more traffic lights and, while she understands that
Lynchburg and Danville want a good, fast route from D.C. to their communities, when you look at what’s
been happening along Route 29 between Charlottesville and Washington, it is obvious that Route 29 will
not serve that function. Ms. Rovnyak said it’s a preposterous waste of $300-$400 million of taxpayer
money toward something that is bound to fail, and Route 29 is absolutely bound to fail to provide a good
fast route from Washington to Lynchburg and Danville. She stated that the Federal Highway
Administration may be having the same idea, and she suggested that the Board support projects that will
actually benefit Albemarle County.
Mr. Frank Calhoun of 95 Burch’s Creek Road in Crozet, VA addressed the Board, welcoming the
new members and stating that he had experienced two bad midnights in the room. Mr. Calhoun said that
he was the assistant chief counsel for over 30 years with the FHWA, and was brought from the U.S.
Congress as a young attorney to help draft the legislation setting up the U.S. Department of
Transportation. He stated that he has some pride of authorship in some of the federal codes, and
encouraged the Board to read Section 128, Title 23 of the U.S. Code. Mr. Calhoun said he has great
concern with the bypass but is not anti-development, and said that he looked forward to hearing the
Board’s decision.
Mr. Lee Schultz addressed the Board, stating that he lives on Thurman’s Tract located off of
Route 20 North and Stony Point Road in the County and is a voting taxpayer. Mr. Schultz said he is in
favor of some kind of bypass for the US Rt. 29 and, some years ago, it was put on paper that it would be
further west but, over time, the Board has changed and the bypass kept coming closer and closer to the
City. He stated that they are now against the wall with this bypass proposal, with lots of money spent on
planning and research. He asked the Board to find some kind of bypass.
Ms. Lyn Stirewalt addressed the Board, stating that she lives in Staunton, VA and stating that
Charlottesville is an important destination for people in the Shenandoah Valley for work, shopping,
recreation, etc. She said she has gotten lost numerous times between 29 from south of I-64 and north to
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 24)
the 250 Bypass, and she still thinks it’s a mess. Ms. Stirewalt said this bypass project does not fix that, it
just adds to it, hooking another element of entanglement to the same leg of the 250 Bypass that goes
north-south. She stated that, at the environmental impact statement meeting held at the middle school,
she focused on the fine print of the travel time study element, which showed a net loss of time, not gain,
although the executive summary claimed the opposite. Ms. Stirewalt said she and others pointed the
discrepancy out to VDOT, and they have now generated a replacement time-travel study. She stated that
any environmental impact study revisions must be resubmitted to the public with a new comment period,
and Board and City Council members should make themselves familiar with both versions of the travel
time element and other details, as this is the core and only indispensable reason for the project.
Mr. Fred Williamson addressed the Board, stating that he lives at 5623 Sugar Ridge Road in the
Whitehall District and thanked the Board for the public meeting. Mr. Williamson said he is not
psychologically opposed in general to bypasses, and the 250 Bypass makes a huge difference to City and
County traffic, with the McIntire extension also being a great help. He stated that these serve the local
community with lots of access ramps and exits, unlike the Lynchburg and Danville bypasses that have no
local exits. He said the 29 Bypass is designed for that second purpose, with no local exits and, as
proposed, it is not a true bypass. Mr. Williamson stated that when the shorter bypass is finished, they
would immediately need a bypass for that bypass, and it would not be a long-term solution for through
traffic nor will it help the 90% of 29 North that is local traffic. By carrying out improvements to existing 29,
he said it would help local traffic and speed up through traffic, and he asked the Board to cancel the
bypass. He also said that Route 29 is not and should not be seen as an expressway artery from D.C. to
Atlanta, as that is a bigger interstate kind of project, and he sees 29 as a road that goes through some
communities and around others.
Mr. John Erdwurm addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident of Carrsbrook in the Rio
District and is reluctantly in favor of the bypass. He said what is overlooked consistently is that the Board
doesn’t control most of the roads in the County – as that is a function of VDOT. He said, if this particular
project is dissuaded from going forward by the members of this Board, VDOT will be considerably
unhappy, and they will not entertain many of the projects in the original letter authorizing the bypass – so
there would not be a widening of 29, the Hillsdale Drive extension, or the Belmont Bridge that needs to be
rebuilt. Mr. Erdwurm said this is the deal that is on the table, and the Board can’t walk away from it and
say they want something different. He stated VDOT is not going to allocate the money for whatever
projects other people decide.
Mr. James Donahue addressed the Board, stating that he is a resident of Albemarle County and a
licensed, professional civil engineer. He stated that he has three reasons to oppose the bypass, the first
of which is cost. Mr. Donahue said the bypass construction is grossly under-budgeted, and that the cost
overruns could reasonably be in the range of 50-100%. He asked who would pay for the added costs, and
believes Albemarle citizens would have to assume some of this cost. Mr. Donahue said his other reasons
include lack of adequate geotechnical information and the consequences of dynamite and rock removal,
which he has discussed with a geotechnical engineering firm representative – who said that very few soil
borings have been done along the proposed bypass rock. He stated that there is a lot of rock to be
removed in the hills along the project route, and excavation can run three to four times the cost of earth
excavation; rock demolition can also be very disruptive to local residents and schools, and can cause
vibrations that could structurally affect buildings in the adjacent areas. Mr. Donahue said this plan has
been fought for almost 30 years by differing political views and is being pushed by citizens from Danville
and Lynchburg. He stated that it isn’t justified, and wondered what ever happened to the three-party
agreement from the fall of 1990 – which explicitly recommended that, in lieu of a bypass, Route 29 would
be widened from Hydraulic Road to the Rivanna River, the construction of Meadowcreek Parkway, the
construction of three grade-separated interchanges at the intersections of 29 and Rio Road, Greenbrier
Road, and Hydraulic Road.
Mr. Jeff Werner addressed the Board on behalf of the Piedmont Environmental Council. Mr.
Werner said, since the 1990s when the bypass was first leap-frogged for better solutions for Route 29, the
PEC is before the Board again to ask it to shelve the bypass project and return to the plan that has real
solutions. He said, between 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. at the meeting, over 400 people signed a petition
opposing the bypass. Mr. Werner said a bypass proponent accused him of being a puppet-master
manipulating people with misinformation, but the people are here as they have been for years – because
they oppose this road, and he isn’t aware of any misinformation he’s been sharing. He stated that the
Board may not have full decision-making power over roads, but they do have decisions over land use and,
if the bypass gets forced on this community, he suggested that during the Comp Plan review they should
then halt all future growth north of the northern terminus of the bypass. Mr. Werner said it would be
senseless to spend $1/4 billion to bypass four and one-half miles of congested Route 29 just to replicate
the congestion on the four and one-half miles north of it. He stated that it would redefine absurdity to
spend that much money and not take steps to protect the investment. Mr. Werner said he is so proud of
the community, because they come out, they speak, they’re passionate and informed and articulate, and it
has nothing to do with his “puppetry.”
Mr. Tonu Nauage, a resident of 1702 Vermira Place in the County, addressed the Board, thanking
them for the opportunity to speak and adding his voice to the opposition to the bypass. Mr. Nauage said
he attended Greer, Jack Jouett and Albemarle High School and was shocked to see this plan and the way
it was forced upon the community. He stated that he moved back to the community from Northern Virginia
to get away from the sprawl there, and said that people spoke clearly in the November election. Mr.
Nauage said he wants the community to retain its natural beauty and character, and said there are a lot of
other creative solutions to alleviate traffic problems.
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 25)
Mr. Paul Wright addressed the Board on behalf of Bypass 29 Now and thanking them for holding
the hearing. Mr. Wright said, 30 days ago, a new group started with a simple message, but it wasn’t
treated as good news by environmental groups. He said air quality has gotten 30% better in the last 10
years, and it’s because of the EPA and the DEQ. More importantly than that, he said, is that if they build
the bypass – according to the air quality technical report from VDOT dated August 2012, the air quality will
be better at places like St. Anne’s Bellfield because trucks go faster and don’t make as much pollution.
Mr. Wright said air pollution does cause disease, but pollution is not a problem locally, and as an
asthmatic, it’s not something he treats lightly. He stated that the air quality monitor at Albemarle High
School shows that there are only “good days” when it comes to air quality, and the statement in the
resolution before the Board against the bypass that says “air pollution for students and teachers in close
proximity to the proposed route will have severe impacts” is simply not true.
There being no further public comment, the Chair closed the public hearing and thanked the
speakers who came out to make their voices and opinions heard.
(Note: The Board recessed the meeting at 9:29 p.m. They reconvened their meeting at 9:43
p.m.)
Ms. Dittmar said, during the break period, constituents asked her what “Places 29” was. She read
information that she had taken from the preamble of the Places 29 plan and the County’s website:
“Places 29 is a far-reaching plan based on existing development and expected growth; it coordinates land
use and transportation so that homes and businesses are well served by roads, transit and community
facilities. It also establishes priorities for the location of public investments to guide land use decision
making; it has comprehensive recommendations for a regional, multi-modal transportation network that
includes improvements on US 29, improvements to the intersections at Rio and Hydraulic Roads, and a
system of roads that are parallel and perpendicular to US 29.”
Ms. Dittmar opened up the discussion to fellow Board members.
Ms. Mallek said she wanted to clarify the perception and the statements made regarding all of the
other projects being in jeopardy if there were a change in the County’s position on the bypass. Both
representatives from VDOT and members of the CTB have told her in writing and in person that Hillsdale
and the Best Buy ramp and other initiatives are separate, numbered projects for VDOT that have their own
funding. She stated that all of the projects on the Places 29 list are already in the County’s constrained,
long-range plan – which means that they are in the budget going forward. Ms. Mallek said the other thing
mentioned in public comments was that it was sad the Board had taken away the wide open routes that
were considered in the early 1980s and, in 1984, there was a proposed western route that went from
Spring Hill north of Earlysville all the way down to North Garden. She stated that, at that time, the way
they determined the need for a road was to have people standing at the intersections with clipboards all
day long for days and days, and they asked people individually where they were going. Ms. Mallek said
they determined, at the time, that there would be so few people using the route for their daily use that it
was not economically feasible to build it, and VDOT decision-makers made the decision to abandon that
route and bring the bypass in closer. She stated that a few other items that are important to her are health
issues, and her own pediatrician spoke at the Board’s 2011 hearing about the fact that a lot of new
information has been learned by the medical community over the past 20 years. Ms. Mallek said they
made mistakes 20 years ago by not understanding those impacts, but they do know those things now and
should pay attention to that information rather than pretending they don’t know it. She stated that the other
item that has stuck with her throughout the years is the statistical probability of an accident carrying
chemicals along that stretch of road, every 50 years. Ms. Mallek said their one recommendation from the
body that studied it was to be sure that the intake from the South Fork Reservoir could be turned off, but
that would have had a huge impact during the severe drought of recent years.
Ms. Palmer said she had spent a lot of hours in the audience, and this is her first time on the other
side of the room. She stated that she’s been incredibly impressed by how articulate and knowledgeable
everyone is, and really appreciates everyone who came out. Ms. Palmer stated that she’s hoping they can
move forward tonight and send an unambiguous message to the Governor, and said she is looking
forward to reviewing the resolution that has been put forward.
Mr. Sheffield stated that, when he first started his campaign and started running for office, one of
the parts of his platform was to look beyond the bypass – because, at some point, this will be a stopped or
progressed project and they are at that point now. He said he has sat through two public hearings on this
now – one to put the bypass in, and one to take it out. Mr. Sheffield stated that there is still much
uncertainty about this alignment and the impacts on neighborhoods, and he wanted to bring to the Board
some suggestions on how to deal with the issues in Squirrel Ridge and other neighborhoods – as those
issues would exist regardless of what’s happening with this bypass. He said, in addition to what’s been
said at this meeting, the Board has received hundreds of emails and he tries to respond to all of them.
Mr. Boyd stated that the letter from the Federal Highway Administration has thrown a monkey
wrench into his thought process on the bypass, and he didn’t know what it meant or how to interpret it. He
said they need to ask VDOT or legal staff to provide an opinion on what it means, and he has been
concerned all along that the Board doesn’t have the authority to either stop or start the bypass. Mr. Boyd
said, even with a resolution that states they would not do anything with the MPO decision, they don’t have
anything to do with stopping the bypass and he wouldn’t want to give the false impression that VDOT or
the Governor would stop the bypass. He stated that, if the Board is going to move forward with the
resolution, he has a lot of issues with it that he’d like to discuss, but the first step is to get input from Mr.
Kilpatrick and legal staff as to what authority they actually have in this situation. Mr. Boyd said he is
sympathetic to Mr. Sheffield’s point about property owners who are in limbo.
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 26)
Ms. Dittmar said that speaking as Supervisor for the Scottsville District, she received volumes of
calls and emails from constituents in her district and elsewhere. She stated that consistently, the theme
was that people want to get this done, and want the Board to finish this so the community can move on.
Ms. Dittmar said, in a recent meeting with a citizen’s advisory committee from the northern part of her
district, they have issues with another primary road – Route 250 – and would like to move forward in
looking at that corridor. She stated that Scottsville Town Council has also voiced through her that they
want the Board to get on with this, so that safety issues on Route 20 in their area can be addressed. She
stated that she represents everyone in the County tonight, and looks forward to having the discussion after
hearing from all Supervisors.
Ms. Mallek asked her to clarify what they mean by “get on with this.” Ms. Dittmar said people are
tired of the discussion surrounding this project, and want the County to move on from being stuck in this
contentious debate so that other projects can be considered.
Ms. McKeel thanked audience members for coming to the meeting and podcast listeners for
tuning in, and for being respectful to one another. Ms. McKeel said, as a widow of a 42-year VDOT
engineer, she almost always supports improvement to the transportation network both locally and
throughout the state – which can mean new roads, bridges, bicycle and walking paths, and mass transit.
She said she also has an appreciation for VDOT and their mission, their great employees, their lack of
funding, their workloads, and how politics – including demands from the Governor’s office and the General
Assembly – play out within the department. Ms. McKeel stated that on Monday, in preparation for this
public hearing, she released a resolution – as is often this Board’s customary practice if they anticipate
possible action after a public hearing. She said, in order to eliminate any element of surprise, she
circulated the resolution to the Board and the community so that everyone would have the time to review
it, and Board members could prepare any questions they might have. Ms. McKeel said releasing the
resolution also focused attention on the decision that this Board and the local community needed to
determine: how to most effectively and quickly improve traffic snarls within the 29 corridor. She stated
that she believes now is the time to move forward with some solutions together and, to that end, she
proposes that they pass the resolution as presented – which re-endorses prior planning strategies to
readopt the Board’s opposition to the proposed western bypass, to ask Governor McAuliffe and
Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne to re-prioritize funding to other specific projects. She then so
moved.
Ms. Palmer seconded the motion.
Mr. Boyd said, if the Board is going to vote on this, he has all sorts of problems with the resolution
that he’d like to go through, and it’s going to take some time. He stated that, in going through it, he has
comments with every single “whereas” other than the first one – which clarifies that 29 is a U.S. Highway,
not just a Charlottesville road. Mr. Boyd said the second “whereas” includes information that the bypass
would only be 10% of daily trips, and he would like to know the source and the date of that particular data.
Ms. McKeel said she didn’t have the studies with her, but said the information was from the
Places 29 Plan information.
Ms. Palmer confirmed that the information came from the Places 29 Plan and, in one place, it
says 10% and in another it says 10-12%, and she suggested changing it to the higher range.
Mr. Boyd said the reason he is asking is because part of the opposition to the bypass is the
growth that’s taken place north of the northern terminus and that would increase the use of local traffic –
as people who live north of the bypass will take it to get to the University, the hospital and other places.
Ms. Palmer said she wouldn’t need that information to vote on this, as she is OK with the Places
29 information which says 10-12%.
Ms. McKeel said that the Places 29 Plan was adopted on February 2, 2011.
Mr. Boyd stated that he meant the survey source itself, not when the Places 29 Plan was adopted.
Mr. Boyd asked who authored the resolution. Ms. McKeel said she wrote the resolution in
consultation with residents of Albemarle County and some of her constituents who are familiar with the
bypass and its history. She asked if it might be better to read it as they go through.
Ms. Dittmar asked to see a show of hands of people in the audience who could not read the
screen.
Ms. McKeel read the proposed resolution:
“WHEREAS, Albem arle County recognizes the m ultiple purposes that US Route 29
serves as it traverses the Charlottesville/Albem arle area, functioning as an im portant corridor for
regional as well as local traffic; and
WHEREAS, the regional im portance of US Route 29 is dem onstrated by its designation
as a Corridor of Statewide Significance and as a Highway of National Significance, and
regional travelers using US 29 to pass through the City of Charlottesville and northern
Albem arle County to reach destinations outside the Charlottesville Metro Area represent
approxim ately 10 percent of the daily trips on this portion of the highway.”
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 27)
Mr. Boyd said he would like to include that it’s based on a survey done, and what year, because
he would like to know how current that information is. He stated that this was never vetted, reviewed or
commented on by staff, and he questions the validity of some of the information in the resolution. Mr.
Boyd said it’s not normal that they would have a resolution proposed two days before they go into a
meeting that hasn’t at least been reviewed by staff.
Ms. McKeel continued to read the resolution:
“WHEREAS, the local im portance of US Route 29 is dem onstrated by the fac t that the
vast m ajority of trips on US 29 in Charlottesville and northern Albem arle County are local trips
traveling to or from the em ploym ent, retail, and residential areas located along the corridor”
Mr. Boyd asked if it was intended to mean that people would not use the bypass to go to and from
employment.
Ms. Palmer said it’s intended to mean exactly what it says, the majority of them.
Ms. Mallek said they’re the ones that need to be there, and that’s why the traffic is there.
Mr. Boyd said, when he was campaigning – which was the year the bypass was being discussed
and the year of the election – he walked the neighborhoods and people told him that they would use the
bypass to get to and from work at places like the University and PVCC. He stated that he is talking about
anecdotal data which isn’t reflected in this clause of the resolution.
Ms. Mallek said, for comparison purposes, for the long-range plan that was adopted in 2005, and
all of the real origin destination studies done in the previous decade before that, the number was 5%. She
stated that was compiled through the interviews and license plate data gathered, and it has doubled since
that time. Ms. Mallek said the only way to get it higher is to segment the corridor and delineate through
traffic in a different way.
Mr. Boyd stated that the origin destination study was done in 1995, so it’s a 20-year-old study –
yet people voiced concerns about using other old data and the map.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, the m ultiple purposes that the US 29 North Corridor serves in the
Charlottesville/Albem arle area have led Albem arle County, working with the City of
Charlottesville and the Virginia Departm ent of Transportation (“VDOT”), the Charlottesville-
Albem arle Metropolitan Planning Organization (“MPO”), and the Thom as Jefferson Planning
District Com m ission (“TJPDC”), to develop a cost-effective transportation strategy for
addressing local and regional traffic on US 29 by com bining selected im provem ents to US 29
with im provem ents to a network of parallel and local streets”
Mr. Boyd said his question had to do with the cost-effective statement, and asked if those issues
had been completely costed out by someone.
Ms. Mallek said one of the members of the Technical Planning Committee for the current MPO
said all of the high priority items were already in the constrained plan so, to that extent, they have been
costed out in the plan being worked on right now.
Mr. Boyd stated that he was getting a different indication from VDOT with regard to building an
interchange, and they have seen other studies which refute that the interchanges are inexpensive things
to build. He said the analysis done for the MPO indicated that they didn’t include acquisition costs and
utility relocation costs – just the cost to build it. He stated that he doesn’t see how they can put a positive
statement that it’s a “cost-effective transportation strategy” because they don’t even know what the total
cost would be.
Ms. McKeel said much of this came from the 29 Master Plan that was approved, voted on and
supported by the Board. She continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, a crucial step in the developm ent of this transportation strategy was initiated
with the 29/H250 Intersections Studies com pleted by the TJPDC, the MPO, the City of
Charlottesville, Albem arle County, and VDOT in 2003 and 2004”
Mr. Boyd said excluded from that was any information about the by pass, as it was prohibited
from being studied.
Ms. Mallek said that was the next one, and it was a state decision.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, the transportation strategy from the 29/H250 Intersections Studies
was then extended to the entire 10.75-m ile long portion of the US 29 Corridor from the Route
250 Bypass to the Greene County boundary with the developm ent of: (1) the US 29 North
Corridor Transportation Study Final Report that was developed by the TJPDC, the MPO, VDOT,
and Albem arle County and that was unanim ously approved by the MPO Policy Board in 2008,
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 28)
and (2) the Places29 Master Plan that was a joint project of Albem arle County, VDOT, and the
TJPDC, in cooperation with the City of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia, which the
Albem arle Board of Supervisors unanim ously approved in February 2011”
Mr. Boyd said it was approved then, and he attended that meeting. He stated that the Board
clearly removed the emphasis on interchanges in that document. Mr. Boyd said they had spent six years
and millions of dollars on Places 29 at that point, and there were four members of the Board who agreed
to “do the doable,” and they took out the interchanges because they were not considered cost-effective
measures.
Ms. Mallek said those were ones that could not get support, and it was more than the cost issue.
Mr. Boyd said it was softened, and what they did is remove that it was an “ultimate” cost incentive
and said that it “may be” something that’s added to it. He said they couldn’t have gotten four votes at the
time if they had left in strict language about building interchanges, and what they had said was they would
take them out of the first five-year plan and add them to the review process later on.
Ms. Mallek stated that the clause in the resolution doesn’t say anything about mandatorily building
them, it just says there were strategies and studies done, and the plan was adopted unanimously after it
was all worked on.
Mr. Boyd said it’s implying that the interchanges were approved, and they weren’t.
Mr. Sheffield said the resolution states that “the Places 29 Master Plan was adopted unanimously
in February 2011,” and asked if that statement was false. He stated that he isn’t interpreting any more
than the text that is present in the resolution.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, the transportation strategy that was developed for the US 29 North
Corridor offers m ultiple transportation, land use, and econom ic benefits by providing additional
capacity on Route 29 and by providing alternative routes for shorter distance trips in the corridor
via an augm ented network of parallel and local connecting streets”
Mr. Boyd said he had no issue with that clause.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, the benefits of the transportation strategy include preserving and increasing
capacity on US 29 for longer distance trips, enabling the state and Albem arle County to m axim ize
the efficiency of the transportation infrastructure that is already in place, and fostering
transportation and land use patterns that encourage m ore trips to be m ade by transit, walking,
and biking”
Mr. Boyd said the bypass would also accomplish this because the intent of the bypass proponents
is to make 29 into a boulevard that will be much more accessible for pedestrian crossings and other
amenities, so this isn’t something that’s excluded by building the bypass.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, the transportation strategy recognizes that the large m ovem ents of turning
and crossing traffic at the intersections of Rio Road/US 29 and Hydraulic Road/US 29 can cause
substantial peak period queues to develop at these locations, and num erous transportation
studies conducted over the past decades, including traffic studies conducted as part of the
National Environm ental Policy Act analysis of the proposed Route 29 western bypass of
Charlottesville, have indicated that significant im provem ents to these intersections will be
necessary for traffic to function at a desirable level of service on US 29 regardless of whether the
proposed western bypass is constructed”
Mr. Boyd said that he would prefer to have source information about things like the National
Environmental Policy Act.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, in recognition of the challenges presented by the lim ited availability of
resources to undertake transportation im provem ents, the Places 29 Master Plan articulated a set
of ‘essential transportation projects’ as the highest priorities, each of which help to advance
the transportation strategy espoused by Albem arle County and its partners in the studies and
plans referenced above:
Expanding the southbound-to-westbound ram p at the US 29/250 Bypass with an auxiliary
lane to the Barracks Road off-ram p
Mr. Boyd commented that that’s in the long-range plan including the bypass, and the revenue for
the project was received because they agreed to do the bypass.
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 29)
Ms. Mallek emphasized that it was a separate project altogether.
Mr. Boyd said that it is, but that particular project never would have had any money. He stated
that, if they went back to where they were before the Board approved the bypass, there was no funding for
that, no funding to complete the Best Buy ramp, no Berkmar Drive Extended money, no Hillsdale Drive
Extended money, no money for expanding 29. He added that those were separate projects.
Ms. Palmer stated that there was no money for anything for quite a while, and it didn’t have
anything to do with the bypass – they got more money when the Governor did the transportation plan and
floated the extra bonds. She emphasized that it was never tied to it, but they don’t need to argue about
those kinds of questions, and these things can make a big difference in the road. Ms. Palmer said that
whether it was funded and when it was funded is not really important to this resolution.
Mr. Boyd said he was part of the conversation with the Secretary of Transportation at the time,
and there is a letter which verifies that the state approved this money based on the fact that the County
was going to do the bypass.
Ms. Mallek stated that the letter was written to lay the trap that they fell right into, because all of
those projects were on the list and had some segment of money in them long before this happened. She
said the Board did not hang onto that knowledge long enough to see it through.
Mr. Boyd said there was only preliminary engineering money, no money to actually build those
projects.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
constructing a fourth southbound lane on US 29 between Hydraulic Road and the
US 250 interchange; and constructing a westbound m erge lane on the 250 Bypass at
the Barrack s Road interchange (collectively known as the “Best Buy ram p project”);
W idening US 29 to six lanes from Polo Grounds Road north to Town Center Drive;
Construction of Berkm ar Drive Extended (including a bridge across the Rivanna River);
Construction of the Hillsdale Drive Extension; and
Enhanced transit service
Mr. Boyd said all of those things are still in the plan along with the bypass.
Ms. Mallek emphasized that they are in the plan – period – on their own, and they’ve been in the
plan for 10 years.
Ms. Dittmar stated that it seems the resolution is just listing all of the things that are in the Places
29 Plan, because it’s referenced later.
Mr. Boyd said it starts out by saying “In reference to the challenges presented with limited
availability of resources to undertake transportation improvements,” yet it’s already funded – and he asked
what the first sentence is about.
Ms. Mallek stated that the County can’t build everything on the list and they had to pick six to get
into the constrained plan, and those projects were items that had been working their way to the top for
many years.
Ms. Dittmar said she looked at the six-year plan during the campaign, and all of this wasn’t funded
– she only found the widening to be in the six-year plan. She stated that this is just clarifying the aspects
of the Places 29 Plan, it’s really not a position yet.
Mr. Boyd stated that it was funded in VDOT’s six-year plan but wouldn’t appear in the County’s
because these are VDOT allocations, and it was approved by the CTB.
Ms. Dittmar said that these are key elements in Places 29 that make the plan something to talk
about in this resolution.
Mr. Boyd said he didn’t have a problem with that other than the implication that they need the
money that would go toward the bypass in order to get these other projects done, and that’s not true. He
stated that the only thing they’re not going to get done is Berkmar Drive Extended because the only thing
negotiated was to accommodate the bridge.
Ms. Mallek said there may be some project shortfalls that need filling in to get them finished, such
as the right of way for Hillsdale.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, Albem arle County, the City of Charlottesville, and VDOT recently
comm itted to installing adaptive control technology at traffic signals along Albem arle County and
Charlottesville’s portion of the US Route 29 North Corridor extending north to Airport Road, a
system that should significantly reduce travel tim e in the corridor and should be in place later in
2014”
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 30)
Mr. Boyd said he disagreed with that statement and said that it’s an entirely different situation, and
he’s not sure he can support the adaptive light appropriation of local dollars as it has now climbed to over
$1 million and still climbing. He stated that he has information from some traffic engineers who say that
it’s not going to do what the company said it would, and the only significant input that has been received
has come from the company selling the system. Mr. Boyd said it’s a different situation at Pantops, and
VDOT engineers would explain that the cross traffic is much different there.
Mr. Sheffield asked if he could share that information. Mr. Boyd said he didn’t have anything in
writing, as it just came from conversations.
Mr. Sheffield said the phrase in the resolution is just fine, and he would like to explore that project
further as it comes up for funding.
Mr. Boyd stated that all of the clauses in this resolution are leading up to the fact that they don’t
need the western bypass, and he isn’t agreeing with the criteria that says this.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, opposition to the proposed western bypass has long been intense in t he
Charlottesville/Albem arle area due to its excessive financial cost (currently estim ated at $244.5
m illion) and the significant harm it would have on the comm unity if constructed, including the
im pacts of noise and air pollution on students and teachers at six schools located in close
proxim ity to the proposed route, severe im pacts to ten established neighborhoods, impacts to five
watersheds through which it would be built (Moore’s Creek, Meadow Creek, Ivy Creek, the South
Fork Rivanna River, and the Rivan na River), im pacts to the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir that is
a prim ary source of drink ing water for County and City residents, and the harm to an area of
historic African-Am erican communities around Ivy Creek”
Mr. Boyd said that every single one of those issues has been dealt with in the environmental
impact statement (EIS).
Ms. Mallek stated that the EIS was deemed to be deficient.
Mr. Boyd said it was the public’s opinion that it was deficient.
Ms. Mallek said she was referencing the FHWA letter.
Mr. Boyd said it’s a separate environmental process that one goes through.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, as part of a m ulti-year, $1.5 m illion study com pleted in 2011 that VDOT
conducted of the entire Route 29 Corridor in Virginia, from the North Carolina state line to
Interstate 66 in Prince W illiam County, VDOT determ ined that the proposed western bypass is
not an effective option to se rve corridor-wide trips, and the Places29 Master Plan recognized that
the western bypass is not a substitute for im provem ents within the corridor”
Mr. Boyd said the last sentence about the Places 29 Master Plan recognizes that the western
bypass is not a substitute for improvements in the corridor, and they just talked about the fact that those
improvements would get done – whether they’re part of Places 29 or not. He said Hillsdale and Route 29
widening are in the budget, and the western bypass was specifically excluded by the Board from the study.
Ms. Mallek said it was VDOT that excluded it because every study showed it was not going to be
functional for the region, and what she is reading in the clause is another way of saying that Rt. 29 would
still be a level of “F” service unless they do the corridor projects.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, from 1983 until June 8, 2011, the Albem arle County Board of Supervisors
consistently opposed construction of the western bypass or m ade clear that the bypass was
a m uch lower priority than direct im provem ents to Route 29, and the MPO consistently voted
from 1996 until 2011 not to allow federal construction funds to be used for the project”
Mr. Boyd asked how they got $40 million spent in the early 2000s.
Ms. Mallek said those funds were for planning and engineering, and no funds were allocated for
construction until 2011. She stated that right of way and engineering were done without the Board’s
support because VDOT could do that without asking, and construction needed local compliance.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, following an unannounced discussion of the proposed western bypass and
a suspension of the Board’s Rules of Procedure to allow a vote on an item that had not been
included on the agenda, the Board of Supervisors, without a public hearing, voted 4-2 to change
Albem arle County’s longstanding position of being in opposition to the construction of the
western bypass on June 8, 2011”
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 31)
Mr. Boyd said this Board had just suspended its rules because of the need to get something to the
General Assembly, and there wasn’t time to get it on an agenda. He explained what happened with the
June 2011 vote is that there were all these projects to be funded, and it was supposed to happen at a
meeting in the middle of the day. Mr. Boyd said they thought they had the votes for it, but Mr. Dorrier
voted against it and it was a three-way tie. He stated that, in the interim, Mr. Dorrier talked to the
Secretary of Transportation – who told him all the things he was going to provide for the County if they
agreed to do the bypass, which is a high-priority project for the state. Mr. Boyd said the rules of procedure
had been implemented the week before and, prior to that, the Board had the ability to bring things up at
the meeting without putting them on the agenda. He stated that the reason it had to be done that night
was not the intent to deceive the public, and said that there had been 21 different public hearings on this
item – including those held by the Board, VDOT and the MPO. Mr. Boyd said the reason the item had to
come up that night was because the MPO was going to meet the following week and they had to take it
out of their TIP fund, then it would go to the CTB for funding. He stated that there was never any intent to
deceive, it was simply a matter of timing – and that’s what this Board did two weeks ago when there was
something they needed to get to the General Assembly.
Ms. Mallek said that the recent vote was unanimous.
Mr. Boyd said that it shouldn’t be any different just because it was unanimous.
Ms. Dittmar stated that, as a citizen, she was not sure what was in the hearts and minds of the
people who acted that night, so she wasn’t going to say there was malevolence – but there were rules in
place, and those are there for the public. She said that, at the beginning of this year, the Board set up a
new procedure which requires a super-majority to suspend rules, and the reason for the suspension this
year was because of the timing of the General Assembly meetings and the need for the County to act
quickly on something that was contrary to the Boards’ interests. Ms. Dittmar said, in general, it is
something they should not do.
Mr. Boyd said this was a brand new rule, and never have they had a rule in which a standing
Supervisor couldn’t bring up an item. He stated that there was nothing devious in their actions, and the
state had laid $250 million on the table – so the MPO representatives from the County said they wanted all
the projects done, not just the bypass.
Ms. Mallek said, in that case, it would have been nice for all the Supervisors to know about it.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“WHEREAS, the MPO am ended its Transportation Im provem ent Program and its Long
Range Transportation Plan, both in divided votes, in July 2011 to rem ove the prohibition on
federal construction funds being allocated to the western bypass
WHEREAS, the Albem arle County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on
February 19, 2014 for the purpose of tak ing public comm ent on the proposed western bypass
and priorities for the Route 29 corridor and reconsidering its policy on those item s”
Mr. Boyd stated that this is sour grapes because the vote was lost 4-2, just as it was a 3-2 vote on
the MPO both being legitimate votes.
Ms. Mallek said this is just a statement of history, not a pejorative statement.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Albem arle County hereby re-endorses
and again prioritizes the strategy set forth in the US 29 North Corridor Transportation Study Final
Report and the transportation im provem ents set forth in the Places29 Master Plan, including the
set of priority projects discussed herein; and
FURTHER RESOVED, that, for the above reasons, Albem arle County readopts and
reestablishes its longstanding opposition to the proposed western bypass; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that Albem arle County requests Governor McAuliffe, Secretary
of T ransportation Layne, and the Comm onwealth Transportation Board to redistribute funding
curren tly allocated to the proposed western bypass to the following projects, and to advance their
com pletion as expeditiously as possible:
Berkm ar Drive Extended (including a bridge across the Rivanna River);
Any additional expenses for widening US 29 to six lanes from Polo Grounds Road
north to Town Center Drive to cover the portion between Polo Grounds Road and
Ashwood Boulevard;
The Hillsdale Drive Extension and the Best Buy ram p project, if additional funds are
needed for their com pletion; and
A study of various options for im proving the Rio Road/US 29 and Hydraulic
Road/US 29 intersections
Ms. Dittmar said that “enhanced transit service” as it appears in Places 29 had been left off, and
asked if it would be alright to add it. She also stated that concerns from bypass proponents about the
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 32)
Places 29 improvements fall within a few particular categories: solutions to improve the intersections of
Rio and Hydraulic causing frustration during the construction period; the interchange proposed having a
significant impact on tax revenue for the City, which prompted the City to come to the Chamber of
Commerce asking for support in opposition to it; and concerns over employment along Route 29 and the
potential impact on that corridor. Ms. Dittmar emphasized that a lot of opposition to the bypass is fear
over those three things, so the Board needs to be really sensitive to that and she would work hard at the
state level also to do so.
Ms. Palmer commented that she would not want to add “enhanced transit” unless they can be
very specific about that.
Mr. Sheffield said Places 29 does speak to enhanced transit but, in this resolution, he is
comfortable not including it.
Ms. Dittmar stated that the Places 29 vote in February 2011 was unanimous, and asked if the
enhanced transit service was an appealing factor of that vote.
Mr. Sheffield said he believed it was, but there wasn’t too much articulated at that point about
what that would be – and the long-range transportation plan now is trying to do that, such as bus rapid
transit.
Mr. Boyd asked if that wouldn’t be challenging to do without taking some of the businesses along
the corridor.
Mr. Sheffield said he has seen it work in many places, but he wouldn’t get into that level of detail
at this meeting, and their intention should be to have those discussions with the business community
about the intersections.
Ms. McKeel continued to read from the resolution:
“FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution is not a request by Albem arle County or the
Charlottesville Albem arle Metropolitan Planning Organization for termination of t he proposed
western bypass within the purview of Va. Code § 33.1-12 or Va. Code § 33.1-223.2:13.”
Mr. Boyd asked her to explain to the public why that particular clause was included.
Mr. Sheffield suggested that Mr. Davis explain it.
Mr. Davis said Section 33.1-12 provides possible action by VDOT requiring reimbursement of
funds that have been expended on the project if it is terminated at the Board’s request, and this resolution
makes it clear that the Board is not doing that at this point but could ask for that action in the future if
VDOT does not terminate the project based on the Board’s position.
Mr. Boyd asked if the Board has the enabling authority to stop the bypass with that clause in there,
because his thought was that the only place they could stop it was at the MPO level – and he’s not even
sure they could do it there.
Mr. Sheffield said he isn’t interpreting opposition as a request to stop.
Mr. Boyd stated that he’s just making it clear to the public that this resolution carries no legal
authority to stop this project.
Board members agreed that this was correct.
Ms. McKeel pointed out that there was a motion and a second on the table.
Ms. Dittmar said this resolution, at its core, is not asking to terminate the western bypass, but is
asking Governor McAuliffe, Secretary Layne and the CTB to transfer funds from the bypass project over to
Places 29 – excluding transit.
Mr. Sheffield said he isn’t comfortable with that statement, but he would say “transfer funds to the
bulleted items.”
Ms. Dittmar stated that she is trying to reframe three pages into something that’s understandable
to people, so that when they leave tonight they know what the Board did. She said the Board is not asking
for termination of the western bypass, but are saying that there are certain aspects to improving Route 29
congestion and safety that are critical and need to be funded, and they don’t want to lose money allocated
to the bypass – so they’re asking that it be shifted to the items listed here.
Ms. Palmer said the clause related to redistribution of funding that names specific projects should
include a request that those projects be completed as expeditiously as possible.
Mr. Boyd said, by doing that, the County runs the risk of losing the dollars, and asked Board
members if they disagree with that.
Mr. Sheffield said he did disagree with that assertion.
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 33)
Mr. Boyd stated that it’s not the Board’s call.
Mr. Sheffield said it is the Board’s call to take opposition to a project it doesn’t feel should be
funded.
Ms. Mallek clarified by saying “at this sequence.”
Ms. Dittmar said the funds wouldn’t be at risk until the Board asks for termination, and she wasn’t
prepared to vote one way or the other until they got through the public hearing – and one other thing that
added to the situation was the letter from the FHWA, which indicates that people outside of the County are
now requesting reassessment of the project to determine if it remains appropriate given that the need
appears to expand well beyond the existing project limits. Ms. Dittmar stated that it also says a
reassessment of the purpose and need will find that it’s no longer adequate to support the investment in
the corridor, so it advises VDOT to reopen consideration of alternatives. She said if VDOT no longer
thinks it’s adequate for the investment, she wants to take that out and assign it to things that will improve
the corridor. Ms. Dittmar said they’re not asking for termination, they’re asking the Governor, Secretary
Layne and the CTB to take a look at this solution at this time.
Ms. Mallek said a supplemental EIS would allow VDOT and FHWA to take a fresh look at needs
that exist in the corridor and develop a solution that is supported by the public and the localities, and the
FHWA seems to be directing VDOT in that accord.
Ms. McKeel reminded everyone that they were reading from a letter dated February 18, 2014 from
the Federal Highway Administration.
Mr. Sheffield asked if it would be appropriate to post it on the County’s website.
Mr. Foley said that it’s public information now and could be posted.
Mr. Sheffield stated that it’s important for the public to know that the letter has been received and
is being evaluated by the County, the MPO, VDOT and others, and that it has significant implications as to
where the bypass is going from here.
Mr. Boyd called for the vote.
Roll was then called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Ms. Dittmar, Ms. Mallek, Mr. McKeel, Ms. Palmer and Mr. Sheffield.
NAYS: Mr. Boyd.
(The adopted resolution is set out below:)
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Albemarle County recognizes the multiple purposes that US Route 29 serves as it
traverses the Charlottesville/Albemarle area, functioning as an important corridor for regional as well as local
traffic; and
WHEREAS, the regional importance of US Route 29 is demonstrated by its designation as a Corridor
of Statewide Significance and as a Highway of National Significance, and regional travelers using US 29 to
pass through the City of Charlottesville and northern Albemarle County to reach destinations outside the
Charlottesville Metro Area represent approximately 10 percent of the daily trips on this portion of the highway;
and
WHEREAS, the local importance of US Route 29 is demonstrated by the fact that the vast majority of
trips on US 29 in Charlottesville and northern Albemarle County are local trips traveling to or from the
employment, retail, and residential areas located along the corridor; and
WHEREAS, the multiple purposes that the US 29 North Corridor serves in the
Charlottesville/Albemarle area have led Albemarle County, working with the City of Charlottesville and the
Virginia Department of Transportation (“VDOT”), the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning
Organization (“MPO”), and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (“TJPDC”), to develop a cost-
effective transportation strategy for addressing local and regional traffic on US 29 by combining selected
improvements to US 29 with improvements to a network of parallel and local streets; and
WHEREAS, a crucial step in the development of this transportation strategy was initiated with the
29H250 Intersections Studies completed by the TJPDC, the MPO, the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle
County, and VDOT in 2003 and 2004; and
WHEREAS, the transportation strategy from the 29H250 Intersections Studies was then extended to
the entire 10.75-mile long portion of the US 29 Corridor from the Route 250 Bypass to the Greene County
boundary with the development of: (1) the US 29 North Corridor Transportation Study Final Report that was
developed by the TJPDC, the MPO, VDOT, and Albemarle County and that was unanimously approved by the
MPO Policy Board in 2008, and (2) the Places29 Master Plan that was a joint project of Albemarle County,
VDOT, and the TJPDC, in cooperation with the City of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia, which the
Albemarle Board of Supervisors unanimously approved in February 2011; and
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 34)
WHEREAS, the transportation strategy that was developed for the US 29 North Corridor offers
multiple transportation, land use, and economic benefits by providing additional capacity on Route 29 and by
providing alternative routes for shorter distance trips in the corridor via an augmented network of parallel and
local connecting streets; and
WHEREAS, the benefits of the transportation strategy include preserving and increasing capacity on
US 29 for longer distance trips, enabling the state and Albemarle County to maximize the efficiency of the
transportation infrastructure that is already in place, and fostering transportation and land use patterns that
encourage more trips to be made by transit, walking, and biking; and
WHEREAS, the transportation strategy recognizes that the large movements of turning and crossing
traffic at the intersections of Rio Road/US 29 and Hydraulic Road/US 29 can cause substantial peak period
queues to develop at these locations, and numerous transportation studies conducted over the past decades,
including traffic studies conducted as part of the National Environmental Policy Act analysis of the proposed
Route 29 western bypass of Charlottesville, have indicated that significant improvements to these
intersections will be necessary for traffic to function at a desirable level of service on US 29 regardless of
whether the proposed western bypass is constructed; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of the challenges presented by the limited availability of resources to
undertake transportation improvements, the Places29 Master Plan articulated a set of “essential transportation
projects” as the highest priorities, each of which help to advance the transportation strategy espoused by
Albemarle County and its partners in the studies and plans referenced above:
● Expanding the southbound-to-westbound ramp at the US 29/250 Bypass with an auxiliary
lane to the Barracks Road off-ramp; constructing a fourth southbound lane on US 29
between Hydraulic Road and the US 250 interchange; and constructing a westbound merge
lane on the 250 Bypass at the Barracks Road interchange (collectively known as the “Best
Buy ramp project”);
● Widening US 29 to six lanes from Polo Grounds Road north to Town Center Drive;
● Construction of Berkmar Drive Extended (including a bridge across the Rivanna River);
● Construction of the Hillsdale Drive Extension; and
● Enhanced transit service; and
WHEREAS, Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville, and VDOT recently committed to installing
adaptive control technology at traffic signals along Albemarle County and Charlottesville’s portion of the US
Route 29 North Corridor extending north to Airport Road, a system that should significantly reduce travel time
in the corridor and should be in place later in 2014; and
WHEREAS, opposition to the proposed western bypass has long been intense in the
Charlottesville/Albemarle area due to its excessive financial cost (currently estimated at $244.5 million) and
the significant harm it would have on the community if constructed, including the impacts of noise and air
pollution on students and teachers at six schools located in close proximity to the proposed route, severe
impacts to ten established neighborhoods, impacts to five watersheds through which it would be built (Moore’s
Creek, Meadow Creek, Ivy Creek, the South Fork Rivanna River, and the Rivanna River), impacts to the South
Fork Rivanna Reservoir that is a primary source of drinking water for County and City residents, and the harm
to an area of historic African-American communities around Ivy Creek; and
WHEREAS, as part of a multi-year, $1.5 million study completed in 2011 that VDOT conducted of the
entire Route 29 Corridor in Virginia, from the North Carolina state line to Interstate 66 in Prince William
County, VDOT determined that the proposed western bypass is not an effective option to serve corridor-wide
trips, and the Places29 Master Plan recognized that the western bypass is not a substitute for improvements
within the corridor; and
WHEREAS, from 1983 until June 8, 2011, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors consistently
opposed construction of the western bypass or made clear that the bypass was a much lower priority than
direct improvements to Route 29, and the MPO consistently voted from 1996 until 2011 not to allow federal
construction funds to be used for the project; and
WHEREAS, following an unannounced discussion of the proposed western bypass and a suspension
of the Board’s Rules of Procedure to allow a vote on an item that had not been included on the agenda, the
Board of Supervisors, without a public hearing, voted 4-2 to change Albemarle County’s longstanding position
of being in opposition to the construction of the western bypass on June 8, 2011; and
WHEREAS, the MPO amended its Transportation Improvement Program and its Long Range
Transportation Plan, both in divided votes, in July 2011 to remove the prohibition on federal construction funds
being allocated to the western bypass; and
WHEREAS, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on February 19, 2014
for the purpose of taking public comment on the proposed western bypass and priorities for the Route 29
corridor and reconsidering its policy on those items;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Albemarle County hereby re-endorses and again
prioritizes the strategy set forth in the US 29 North Corridor Transportation Study Final Report and the
transportation improvements set forth in the Places29 Master Plan, including the set of priority projects
discussed herein; and
February 19, 2014 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)
(Page 35)
FURTHER RESOVED, that, for the above reasons, Albemarle County readopts and reestablishes its
longstanding opposition to the proposed western bypass; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that Albemarle County requests Governor McAuliffe, Secretary of
Transportation Layne, and the Commonwealth Transportation Board to redistribute funding currently allocated
to the proposed western bypass to the following projects, and to advance their completion as expeditiously as
possible:
● Berkmar Drive Extended (including a bridge across the Rivanna River);
● Any additional expenses for widening US 29 to six lanes from Polo Grounds Road north to
Town Center Drive to cover the portion between Polo Grounds Road and Ashwood
Boulevard;
● The Hillsdale Drive Extension and the Best Buy ramp project, if additional funds are needed
for their completion; and
● A study of various options for improving the Rio Road/US 29 and Hydraulic Road/US 29
intersections; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution is not a request by Albemarle County or the Charlottesville
Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization for termination of the proposed western bypass within the
purview of Va. Code § 33.1-12 or Va. Code § 33.1-223.2:13.
_______________
Agenda Item No. 8. From the Board: Matters not Listed on the Agenda.
There were none.
_______________
Agenda Item No. 9. Adjourn to February 21, 2014, 11:00 a.m., Room 241.
At 10:53 p.m., Mr. Sheffield moved to adjourn the meeting to February 21, 2014 at 11:00 a.m.
Ms. Mallek seconded the motion.
Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Ms. Dittmar, Ms. Mallek, Mr. McKeel, Ms. Palmer, Mr. Sheffield and Mr. Boyd.
NAYS: None.
________________________________________
Chairman
Approved by Board
Date: 05/07/2014
Initials: EWJ