The debate over the Places29 master plan is heating up. Just a day after the Free Enterprise Forum (FEF), a conservative organization that has advocated for pro-business policies, called for the plan to be scratched, the North Charlottesville Business Council, part of the regional Chamber of Commerce, is following suit.
In a release, the council argues that unless significant changes are made to the master plan by the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, the plan should be rejected.
The business council says that the recent master plan fails to address the guidelines set by the Board of Supervisors regarding the desire to avoid “jug-handle” projects and any grade-separated interchanges along Rte. 29.
For the FEF, the plan as it stands now, fails to address the need of the community. Another point of contention for the organization is the source of funding for the projects in the master plan and the discrepancy between the planners’ estimates.
In opposition to both groups stands the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC), which states that although the plan might not be perfect, it will solve many congestion problems along Rte. 29.
“Places29 is a good plan to improve the "Main Street" of Albemarle County –but there’s a real danger that the Board of Supervisors may remove core components (like improvements to the Rio Rd and Hydraulic Rd intersections) and also needlessly expand the Growth Area along 29 North,” writes PEC’s Jeff Werner.
The Board of Supervisors will pick up this issue for a vote tomorrow night at 6pm. For background information about the Places29 master plan, click here.