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Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce Releases Comments on "US 29-Hydraulic Road - US 250 Phase II Report"
(Charlottesville, Virginia - October 28) The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce today released its formal comments on the "US 29 - Hydraulic Road - US250 Phase II Report" noting that "... it is time for action ... to advance needed area highway projects ... " A copy is attached.
The planning study report itself, the result of a year-long study, was released to the public last month. Public comments on the study report were invited. The comment period ends on November 15th.
The Chamber directed its formal comments to Virginia Secretary of Transportation Whittington Clement, John Davies III, Culpeper District Representative on the Commonwealth Transportation Board, Albemarle County Supervisors, Charlottesville City Counselors, and Harrison Rue, Executive Director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and managing planning executive of the study and report. The Chamber has also communicated its comments to members of the Greater Charlottesville Delegation to the Virginia General Assembly and other Chambers and business organizations.
The Chamber again strongly reinforced its support for the Meadowcreek Parkway. "Once again, for the record," the comments emphasized, "our Chamber firmly states that action should begin with construction of the Meadowcreek Parkway - from Rio Road in Albemarle County to US 250 and McIntire Road in the City of Charlottesville. Nothing in this latest report convinces us that any other road enhancement project has greater priority over the Meadowcreek Parkway project."
The Chamber expressed its "growing frustration ... that this latest report's data, findings and recommendations do little to turn plans for needed projects into reality." The Chamber reiterated "that it is now time to take action - by building real transportation improvements, improvements that enhance a safer, vehicular mobility for citizens and commerce. Again, it is time to act; it is time to build."
The Chamber Government Affairs Committee Transportation Task Force, chaired by Christopher Lee, Chairman of the Chamber Government Affairs Committee, developed the Chamber document. Other Task Force members are: Ben Foster, Chamber President Timothy Hulbert, Susan Lewis, David Sutton, Eric Strucko and Neil Williamson.
The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to representing private enterprise, promoting business and enhancing the quality of life in the greater Charlottesville communities. Founded in 1913, today the Chamber has 1,200 member businesses and civic organizations. Chamber members employ more than 45,000 men and women in the Charlottesville region, representing an estimated total payroll of more than $1.3 billion a year.
October 22, 2004
TO:
The Honorable Whittington W. Clement
Secretary of Transportation of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Chairman, Commonwealth Transportation Board
cc:
The Honorable John Davies, III, Commonwealth Transportation Board
The Honorable Charlottesville City Councilors
The Honorable Albemarle County Supervisors
Harrison B. Rue, Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission & Greater Charlottesville Metropolitan Planning Organization
The Chamber Board of Directors
Chamber Government Affairs Committee
FROM:
Ivo Romenesko, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Timothy Hulbert, Chamber President
Christopher Lee, Chairman, Chamber Government Affairs Committee
RE:
US 29 / HYDRAULIC ROAD / US 250 PHASE II REPORT
* * *
Our Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce is pleased to offer for your consideration, our comments on the US29/Hydraulic Road/US 250 Phase II Report.
The final study report, undertaken and completed by the staff and consultants of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission / Greater Charlottesville Metropolitan Planning Organization, was provided to our Chamber on September 17th. We direct our comments to the Commonwealth and our local governmental officials.
Saying that it is time for action may best sum up the reaction of much of our Chamber leadership and membership to the seemingly endless string of governmental studies of this highway. By our informal count, there have been more than a dozen different studies of the US 29 corridor at a cost of several millions of tax dollars. Our Chamber - and we believe a good number of our region's fellow citizens - greatly prefer that the Commonwealth and our local governments begin taking action to advance needed area highway projects. It is time to act; it is time to build.
Once again, for the record, our Chamber firmly states that action should begin with construction of the Meadowcreek Parkway - from Rio Road in Albemarle County to US 250 and McIntire Road in the City of Charlottesville. Nothing in this latest report convinces us that any other road enhancement project has greater priority over the Meadowcreek Parkway project.
Our Chamber appreciates the efforts of the Planning District, MPO, the Virginia Department of Transportation, study consultants, the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, numerous civic groups and citizens and our region's Commonwealth Transportation Board member Butch Davies for this massive compilation of transportation data.
A number of our Chamber members have been involved with numerous other planning studies, surveys and analysis of this national highway corridor, a vital commercial center of our region. Prior to this most recent effort, you may recall our Chamber's and a number of Chamber representatives' involvement with the earlier US29/US250/Hydraulic Road Phase I planning "exercise" reported in May 2003. We will continue to participate in these undertakings.
Our growing frustration, however, is that this latest report's data, findings and recommendations do little to turn plans for needed projects into reality. Another transportation study again demonstrates the obvious - that transportation actions - or inaction - affect the daily lives and economic vitality of thousands of our fellow citizens.
Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a comprehensive transportation analysis along a key section of two national highways - US29 and US250 - has devolved into an almost academic, although interesting, discussion of new urbanism land use design. And it is another study that, among other recommendations, recommends further study. Our Chamber prefers action.
Our Chamber is further disappointed that the results of more than one half million dollars of increasingly scarce transportation tax dollars are recommendations of only incremental transportation improvements at the intersection of two national highways.
The US29/Hydraulic Road/US 250 Phase II Report certainly offers some very alluring, potentially valuable new urbanism designs for the study area. We applaud these designs and their innovative look at one key area of our community. We believe there are merits to some application of these concepts. However, we are concerned that transportation solutions aimed at greater vehicular mobility, which should have primacy in any transportation study, have been relegated to a much lower order than warranted in favor of a greater emphasis on urban planning.
Assume for a moment that our region and the Commonwealth could somehow find swift agreement on all of the recommendations in this latest report. If so, the report suggests that the first evidence our fellow citizens would see towards any real transportation improvement would be the construction of one additional traffic lane from US29 South to the US250/29 South Bypass ramp - maybe five years from now.
In the meantime a very real, needed transportation improvement - construction of the Meadowcreek Parkway from Rio Road to the US250 Bypass & McIntire Road - languishes in governmental gridlock. Once again, our Chamber calls on all our public officials to resolve the remaining issues and move forward with this critically needed project.
Is the Report's recommendation of construction of an additional US29 South - Bypass ramp lane needed? Absolutely; tomorrow. Our Chamber agrees. Would a Hillsdale Road Extension ease significant local traffic from the very busy US29 corridor? Of course. This project must be pursued vigorously. Neither project however should supplant the Meadowcreek Parkway as the highest regional transportation priority. Building the Meadowcreek Parkway must remain our region's highest priority project.
This report proposes incremental, localized measures - at costs estimated as high as $130 million - over a 20-year period, for what is clearly an increasingly vital national highway - US 29. As residents of this region, we recognize and appreciate their local value and will no doubt embrace many of them as such. However, it seems clear that broader transportation considerations of the Commonwealth remain unaddressed.
The recommendation in this latest report that is potentially the most disruptive is the proposed replacement of the current US29-Hydraulic Road intersection with a grade separated "single point urban interchange" sometime after 2020. This looks mostly like an old proposal dressed in a new name. However, dismissal of such long-term design consideration would be inappropriate. Still, our Chamber believes at this time that the level of disruption and dislocation associated with such a multi-year project in the heart of the region's commercial corridor cannot be justified by the report. Other transportation options - such as a US 29 Bypass - continue to offer a broader opportunity to achieve both our Commonwealth's and our regional transportation goals.
In commenting on the report, we applaud the inclusion of an economic and fiscal analysis. Again however, we have some concerns. The analysis appears to have several flawed assumptions. The analysis reports the Albemarle County Property Tax Rate at $1.10 per $100 of assessed value (actual 2004 rate = $0.76/$100); as having no Meals Tax (actual 2004 Albemarle County Meals Tax = 4%); with no assumption of any Lodging Tax (actual 2004 Albemarle County Lodging Tax = 5%; City of Charlottesville Lodging Tax = 6%); and no assumption for local BPOL revenues. This gap suggests the resulting analysis may be deficient and requires a more thorough review by regional and VDOT staff.
Our Chamber again applauds the Commonwealth and our local officials for approaching these complex issues in a thoughtful manner. We appreciate the inclusive nature of this study, its sponsors and staff. We believe strongly that our current and identified future transportation problems can indeed be solved. Our Chamber also firmly believes that it is now time to take action - by building real transportation improvements, improvements that enhance a safer, vehicular mobility for citizens and commerce. Again, it is time to act; it is time to build.
Our Chamber is dedicated to representing private enterprise, promoting business and enhancing the quality of life in the greater Charlottesville communities. Founded in 1913, today the Chamber's 1,200 member enterprises employ more than 45,000 men and women in the Greater Charlottesville region, representing an estimated total payroll of more than $1.3 billion a year.
As always, our Chamber thanks you for your continuing efforts to improve transportation within our Commonwealth and Greater Charlottesville region. We remain interested and available to you in those common goals.
Thank you.
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