Before we begin, Liam Kelly took this photo of the Horseshoe Bend. As we travel through 2024, I will be adding a new feature: “Where Are They Now?”
And, Liam will not be my first guest!
A January Challenge and The West Village Subdivision
In December, Liz Knotts and I challenged the 100+ members of the Horseshoe Bend Hikers to walk/hike/run 70 miles during the month of January. Three of us took to the challenge. Two of course are Liz and me. The third is Casey Kerrigan.
We have been exploring the SCAN Land, Van Clief Nature Area and that bounded by Blenheim, Albevanna Springs, and Pat Dennis Roads (known to the locals as the Paulette Tract). Our dogs, Jeff and Henry, join us. To their delight and our dismay, our canine pals do what they do and sniff out skeletons of field dressed deer and enjoy a rather disgusting (to us) snack. Every so often, Jeff will wander into a pasture and hide his scent with that of freshly made “cow patties”—this is what those of us who grew up on farms tend to call them. He is so proud of his accomplishments while knowing he will be hosed down when we get home. This he does not enjoy.
You may ask what our 70-mile January challenge has to do with the changing landscape of Scottsville.
As we explore the many creeks and small, natural ponds, it is evident that this beauty has to be retained. For the most part it will be. According the Albemarle County Code there has to be a 100 foot buffer on both sides of a stream. (A deeper dive into County requirements). The Town of Scottsville does not have a clear cut ordinance on riparian buffer requirements. In fact, the only reference is made toward flood control in the Historic Overlay district which is comprised of the original Town boundary.
The good news is Albemarle County officials oversee this part of development and construction. Scottsville Planning Commission and Council approve building and subdivision projects. As an aside, Council does not have oversight on by-right subdivisions. Once this phase is complete, the County grants permits and oversees the work being done. (I will be doing a piece on the economy of Scottsville later).
With all of this municipal oversight in mind, we are also walking around the downtown area and paying attention to the the West Village (formerly Upper Bird Street). With the exception of the sidewalk Southern Home Development has almost all of the required permits. I asked Charlie Armstrong, Vice President of land development for Southern, where they stand on permits. His response:
We needed to gather some additional survey information so that we can design a water line connection and the plan for the Bird Street sidewalk. That is in process, then we’ll resubmit it to the County and town, hopefully for approval this time.
During last Monday’s (January 8) Town Council work session, Councilor Bill Hyson brought up the road that has been established on the West Village parcel. Armstrong clarified the work being done:
One of the things we’ve been waiting on is for AEP to remove some of their vestigial lines. That’s the activity on site now. With that done they’ll be able to vacate some of their easements, freeing up the land needed to build.
This concept does not utilize the full 19+/- acres of the West Village land. The plan calls for additional trails that will become part of the Scottsville trail and green space initiative.
Uptown’s Changing Landscape
For a few months, I have been doing the feature, “The View From My Front Yard” or progress on Tiger Fuel’s project on James River Road and Route 20.
Construction has an end in sight. They are anticipating a February opening. To date the majority of the work is complete with paving is projected by the end of this month.
I met Maurice Lamarche and Nick Rader. Maurice is the Director of Retail Operations and Nick is the Director of Tiger Wash. For those who don’t know the different divisions of Tiger Fuel, they are The Markets, Tiger Wash, Tiger Solar, and Tiger Fuel.
Both Maurice and Nick are excited about Scottsville.
And, it is special to them and the Tiger company because it is the first location that is under their own branding “The Market.” From Nick:
This is our first exclusively branded Market location, where we are not partnered with a nationally recognized fuel supplier. The Market is both the brand on the fuel canopy and the brand on the store. The building itself is not quite twice the size, but the lot, car wash and project as a whole are twice the size of Mill Creek.
The full spectrum of services offered will be The Market with their famous gourmet sandwiches and fried chicken, fuel and diesel, Tiger Car Wash with one automatic, three self-serve bays, six vacuums, propane filling station, and solar panels on both canopies and the car wash building.
The Scottsville location will have five gasoline pumps which will give customers ten spaces to fill their tanks. They are on the northeast corner of the property while diesel will be on the backside of the market building.
A View From Inside the Market
Maurice and Nick in the above photo are leaning against the half-wall which will separate the kitchen from the rest of the interior space. The public area is larger than many of their Markets, and at this point waiting for a couple of islands and shelving to be installed. The interior is still under construction. Most utilities are in place as well as the needed refrigeration for drinks and kitchen use.
The only other Market that has the full spectrum of services Tiger offers is in Ruckersville. The Scottsville location is the first project since Ruckersville was built in 2019.
A Scottsville Property Gets a Facelift
The “Stinson House” at 550 Valley Street building gets a paint job. The property is currently off-market according to numerous internet real estate sites. Over the past several months crews have scraped, primed and painted the house and carriage house bringing this well-known home back to its former glory.
A Tree is Slated To Go Away
When it comes to safety, especially for school busses with students on board, VDOT takes action. It seems that those in charge of Albemarle school transportation made a complaint that a bus had to back out into oncoming traffic on Rt. 20 because it couldn’t make the turn onto 726 (James River Road). I have it on sound authority, that the tree will be coming down, and the intersection adjusted for vehicles making a left-hand turn from Rt. 20. And, I am told that VDOT will be conducting a traffic study due to the potential increase of traffic once Tiger opens.
The Town Council and Planning Commission
Both will be holding a joint public meeting Tuesday, January 16. There are public hearings on the following:
1: Public Hearing for Zoning Text Consider action on Zoning Text Amendment for Section 11, Commercial District
2: Consider action on Recommendation for Zoning Text Amendment for Section 11, Commercial District
Planning Commission Agenda
Town Council Agenda
What I Love About Living in a Small Town
This is a wrap for today. As always, if you have a song, a story, an event or an issue you would like to discuss, perhaps it is time for a conversation.
Scottsville, A Changing Landscape