Concerns stalling streetscape project in heart of Crozet

Concern and distrust among property and business owners in downtown Crozet have stalled Albemarle County’s $4 million streetscape project.

The county needs signatures from 24 property owners to provide rights of way and easement rights before it can begin construction on a project officials say will help improve the downtown area, said Jack Kelsey, transportation engineer for Albemarle County.

So far, they have obtained just four signatures.

“We’re still working with property owners and it has taken a lot longer than we expected,” Kelsey said. “We’ve got a lot of them that are close and we’ve got some that still have a lot of questions.”

County officials are hosting a joint meeting with all property owners later this month to discuss concerns. The meeting is still in the works and no date has been set, said county spokeswoman Lee Catlin.

The project, which is phase two of an overall plan to revitalize downtown Crozet, will construct a new intersection on Crozet Avenue, improve the street with more turn lanes and wider sidewalks and create a corner for the new library.

Now, there is virtually no room between storefronts and the parking lot and no safe place for bike riders.

Some business owners are worried the project, estimated to take nine to 12 months, would chase away customers. They also wonder what it will do to the minimal amount of parking they have for customers.

“The business owners are afraid that if it’s too inconvenient their customers will go somewhere else [to shop] and won’t come back,” said Mike Marshall, chairman of the Crozet Community Advisory Council. “If your traffic goes somewhere else you won’t be in business very long.”

Mike Alexander, owner of Crozet Pizza, also owns two buildings on Crozet Avenue. Alexander said he originally was against the streetscape project, but then spoke with county engineers and realized it could help his properties in the long run.

Alexander said he has signed over rights of way to the county and is going to speak to other property owners about doing the same.

“The only way this is going to work is for us to work together,” Alexander said.

Alexander bought the first building, known in Crozet as the Old Post Office building, in 1995 to have a place to move his pizza restaurant if necessary. This year, he purchased the adjoining Robb Building as an investment and to provide more parking for his tenant.

“I could sit here and hold out, but [the construction is] going to happen eventually,” Alexander said. “If [the square] becomes Main Street Crozet, it will help every property owner.”

Last month, the CCAC asked county officials for an update on their efforts to obtain signatures. Part of an overall Master Plan for Crozet, the streetscape project was scheduled to be completed last winter.

“In the county, time moves at a much slower pace,” Marshall said. “People don’t want nine months to turn into two years.”

When construction on the $7.5 million rebricking project at the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville began in January, some business owners there expressed concern over how the work would hurt their businesses. But the project was completed on schedule and without losing customers, said Bob Stroh, chairman of the Downtown Business Association, in an earlier Daily Progress article.

County officials have met individually with all of the Crozet property owners and explained that they would work with contractors to make sure access to business storefronts would always be available, Kelsey said.

“We’re planning to stagger construction and work with businesses,” Kelsey said. “But it’s something you can’t really predict until you get started.”

Meanwhile, the downtown businesses continue to deal with the existing parking constraints and wonder if any improvements will ever be made.

“We have very little parking as it is and I’m not sure what will happen once construction begins,” said Linda Trigo, owner of Georgetown West Day Spa. Trigo, who is not a property owner, chose the location for her business five years ago because she wanted a place that was unique. She said any construction must be handled correctly.

“We don’t want the charm of downtown to die away,” Trigo said. “That’s why we have to keep the businesses alive and work together.”

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors already has appropriated the money as part of its capital improvement plans, but Marshall said he and other CCAC members are worried the money will be spent on other county projects if property owners don’t get on board.

“Downtown needs this to happen and time is slipping away,” Marshall said. “This is a project that will benefit everybody, [but] the county needs to find a way to reassure [property owners] they are going to hold contractors to a schedule and stick to it.”