Letters reflect the opinions of their authors and not necessarily those of the Crozet Gazette. Send letters to [email protected] or P.O. Box 863, Crozet, VA 22932.
An Open Letter to the Albemarle Board of Supervisors
Having just returned from sitting in traffic and waiting patiently for the umpteeth time to deliver my son to Henley Middle School, I am writing to ask if you have now had time to consider the real consequences of the incredulous decision by you, the BZA and the ARB to allow for the development of yet another gas station on Route 250—just a few hundred yards from three large, and growing, schools and when we already had three existing gas stations within a half mile of this location.
We have already suffered deaths, and numerous accidents, including my own accident last year outside Brownsville Market, due to the heavy traffic and congestion along this corridor of Rt. 250. With the growth of Crozet, and the corresponding growth in our school populations, this is only going to increase—and that was BEFORE you approved the new gas station.
I am a businessman, and I have no fundamental issue with growth or private enterprise, but this was a very bad decision for our community for all the reasons many other citizens have given. However, assuming there is now no longer a chance of reversing that decision, I ask that you seriously consider ways to reduce the consequences. Specifically, I ask that you seriously consider limiting access to this corridor by tractor trailers and other large, commercial vehicles, at least during peak school hours. The thought of even more heavy traffic being added to this section of road in the mornings and afternoons when schools open and close hardly bears thinking about. What is already taking twice as long usual to deliver my son safely to school will only get worse. Will he be given a “pass” by the Principal when he arrives late for school due to no fault of his own?
There WILL be more accidents, and possibly more deaths once this development opens and so I truly hope you will give very real consideration to how you can mitigate the impact of your decision. It’s not too late to act before something awful happens. In hope,
Ian Sole
Crozet
