Jarman’s Gap Widening (Finally) Approved

Whether it’s new homes, widening roads or general urbanization, there’s no denying that Crozet is experiencing some serious growing pains. The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors last week approved a design plan for widening Jarman’s Gap Road—an important step toward accommodating an expanding population, and giving the County’s Master Plan a much-awaited kick in the pants.
Folks at Crozet United Methodist Church, however, are the ones feeling the pinch. The road widening—which will add two 12′ lanes, two 4′ bicycle lanes and a sidewalk along the road’s north side from the intersection of Crozet Avenue to Jarman’s Lake Road—will infringe on the church’s property at the intersection of Jarman’s Gap Road and Crozet Avenue.
County documents say the church stands to lose anywhere from 10 to 25 parking spaces, but church officials say there’s more at stake. Mark Jensen, the church’s lay leader, told the supes that traffic noise in the sanctuary is already a problem, and the church’s handicapped and food ministry entrances would also be impacted. “We feel a little underrepresented,” Jensen told the board. “Has anybody been inside
our sanctuary?”
Ultimately, the supes recognized the church’s concerns, but approved the design anyway. Supervisor David C. Wyant, who advocated for parking solutions but ultimately sided with the approval, said, “If you want Crozet to be like the Master Plan, then we’ve got to make some changes really quickly.”
Crystallizing the issue, Supervisor Sally H. Thomas said, “Going from a suburban church to an urban church is going to be some changes for everyone.”
The Virginia Department of Transportation can now move forward with engineering, and will ultimately determine exactly how many feet of church property will be lost (according to Jensen, the church has not yet begun to discuss compensation with VDOT).
Jensen says that while the church wants to be “more consistently in the loop,” they also want what’s best for the community. “We’re not wanting to be an impediment to growth…we realize that this is probably the best option on the table.”—Meg McEvoy