Glenmore Community Association

GCA Newsletter                      29 May 2015

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Here is your monthly newsletter. As always, we welcome your feedback to [email protected].

 

Ben Benjamin,
GCA Communications  
New President of Glenmore Farm Inc.

Chris Grant, who has served as the inaugural President of the Board of Directors of Glenmore Farm, Inc., has resigned to prepare for his relocation to South Carolina. The GFI Board of Directors unanimously elected Allison Egidi as his successor. We thank Chris and Esther for their many years of service to the Glenmore community and wish them well in their new community.

 
Potential Changes to Darby Road East and Ferndown Lane
Because of safety concerns of traffic and pedestrians on Darby Road, in April the Board had requested the CARB to commission a design proposal that would close Darby Road east as a through street to vehicular traffic. Following consideration of feedback from the community and further review, the Board voted at its May meeting to suspend work on this option, and instead consider two walking path options to separate pedestrians from vehicles. Preliminary designs will be sought for both to support the decision making process. You may read the full resolution here. 

In addition, the Board recognized the need to broaden the assessment of traffic and pedestrian issues to other Glenmore streets, and will be developing a plan to help prioritize future actions.

 
Study of Option to Purchase Country Club
As you know from the  May 22nd letter from the GCA Board sent to Glenmore residents, David and Jayne Rathburn, owners of the Glenmore Country Club, have asked the GCA Board to indicate whether or not the GCA would have any interest in purchasing the Club should it be put up for sale. Such action was anticipated in the recent Glenmore Five-Year Strategic Plan, which recommended that the Board explore community opinion in anticipation of the potential sale of the Club. The Board has appointed an initial study group of GCA residents consisting of club members and nonmembers. The study group will be augmented in the coming days to ensure adequate balance between club members and non club members.
 
The study group is chaired by GCA Board member Diana Ferguson and is tasked with assessing community interest and exploring models for purchase should GCA residents indicate such a desire. The GCA Board has taken no position on this issue, but is in agreement that its responsibility to the community requires that the potential impact of the sale be explored. Over the next few months the study group will seek community input and feedback via a survey and a series of community forums.

 
Development of Leake Section of Glenmore
There have been recent changes in ownership of the Glenmore land to the east of Carroll Creek, in what was previously referred to as the Leake area. The whole undeveloped area between the creek and Carroll Creek Road, including the road itself, is now owned by SM Charlottesville LLC, a division of Stanley Martin Homes.  They are nearing approval of a subdivision application to the county which will permit the building of 26 new lots in the northern half of the area (K2C) as shown by the red boundary below. It will include two new cul-de-sacs, Waterside Way and Osprey Drive. They will also complete development of the remaining lots adjacent to Carroll Creek Road. Plans for the southern half of the area have not yet been finalized.
 
The responsibility for building a replacement stream crossing over Carroll Creek falls to this developer, who has to meet the county requirement that it must be built by the end of 2016, or before approval of the 51st lot in the Leake area. Lots in the southern part of the area will far exceed this number, so the timing of the bridge construction is a critical component in future plans. County staff have advised that the GCA will be consulted for input prior to any decision on this.

Use of Firearms In and Around Glenmore
In the last few weeks the sounds of nearby gunfire have been reported by residents, so we would like to clarify where shooting is, and is not, permitted by law. Most of Glenmore lies in an area zoned by Albemarle County as Planned Residential Development (PRD). A county ordinance prohibits all use of firearms within residential areas, including PRDs.  Similarly, it is prohibited in areas zoned as Neighborhood Density Model, which includes the proposed Rivanna Village development to Glenmore's north.
However, the area within Glenmore to the east of Carroll Creek Road, (the Glen Oaks area) is zoned Rural, as are all of the properties that surround Glenmore's boundary. The use of firearms is permitted in those properties, subject to some restrictions regarding proximity to houses and roads. There is a state statute prohibiting reckless use of firearms, but otherwise hunting, target practice, and skeet shooting are legal activities, and to be expected in Virginia's rural areas.