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States at a Glance: Virginia
At the Simplicity development in Charlottesville more land is being left open than is actually being developed. This small-scale project leaves three of its four-and-a-half acres as open space. A green, affordable, bike- and pedestrian-friendly neighborhood will soon exist on what used to be an abandoned industrial site. In fact, Simplicity gives new meaning to the term "pedestrian-friendly." The developers plan no through streets, only a central parking area with foot access to homes, parks and open spaces. Residents may find they don't even need cars, as the downtown areas of Belmont and Charlottesville are only a 5- to 10- minute walk. Children will be able to safely bike or walk to the neighborhood elementary school in about 10 minutes, and commuters can use bus service to connect with rail and other forms of transit. The University of Virginia, the region's largest employer, is 15 minutes away by bus. Simplicity also pushes the envelope when it comes to green-building techniques. The houses will be constructed with extensive use of natural or environmentally friendly building materials and will be very energy efficient. Solar water heaters and special floor heating systems will be incorporated into all the homes. Though developers hope to make this the greenest community of its kind in the area, the goal is to keep these homes affordable. In fact, over half of the housing stock will be reserved for first-time homebuyers earning 80 percent or less of the area's average monthly income. Perhaps the best thing about Simplicity is that it is designed to last. The developers propose to transfer ownership of the green spaces on the eastern half of the property to a public/private organization that will permanently protect them.
Residents of Loudoun County have mobilized to fight sprawl by electing an entire new board of supervisors dedicated to smart growth. Unfortunately, years of bad planning have left a legacy of sprawling projects that continue to harm the area. The Villages at Round Hill, a massive 1,100-unit housing development, is one of them. Situated in rural Loudoun County, with no shops or stores and little public transportation, the development's location will force residents to drive to the small town of Round Hill for every errand. There are no provisions for pedestrians or bicycles on these small rural roads, and increased traffic is making a stroll or a ride unpleasant and unsafe. Efforts are being made to direct growth to existing urban or rural communities. The trade off is supposed to be a dramatic decrease in building on agricultural land. Unfortunately, sprawl continues to creep into agricultural areas. If the Round Hill development has a silver lining, it's that the project has spurred other towns in Loudoun County to become more proactive in fighting sprawl. States at a Glance | Introduction | Resources | Acknowledgments Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
