“The Three Notched Trail (3NT) will serve a variety of users—walkers, bikers, commuters, wheelchairs, and strollers. Long term, we envision this becoming part of a statewide network,” explained consultant Chris DeWitt during his 30-minute presentation to a standing-room-only crowd at the Three Notched Trail (3NT) open house held at Crozet Elementary School on May 15. This event kicked off Albemarle County’s development of a Master Plan for the Three Notched Trail, funded by a federal grant (see the Gazette’s 9/22 issue). A shared-use path planned to eventually run from Charlottesville to the Blue Ridge Tunnel, the trail “will provide a safe, car-free route for locals and visitors, showcase the region’s historic, natural, and agricultural resources, and support the local recreation and tourism economy” (engage.albemarle.org/three-notched-trail-master-plan). “The proposed trail will be approximately 24 miles long and the planning process is estimated to take 24 months,” explained the handout provided at the meeting.
3NT Project area map, courtesy Albemarle County“The purpose of the Master Plan,” continued DeWitt, “is to map the preferred route, identify trail segments for phasing of design and construction, show likely construction costs, outline steps to make the trail a reality, and identify priority segments to focus on first.” His presentation was preceded and followed by free time for attendees to view maps and provide input on how they will use the trail and how it can best serve their needs.
The 150-plus open house attendees were excited and enthusiastic, eager to learn more about the proposed trail and to share their insights and recommendations for planning it. Allie Goerrs Hill, chairman of the 3NT Planning Group, Terri Miyamoto and Gary Kuhns, co-presidents of the Crozet Trails Crew, and CTC founder Jessica Mauzy were active participants. Hill, Miyamoto, and Mauzy all serve on the 3NT committee and are involved in the planning. Albemarle County Community Development’s Principal Planner Jessica Hersh-Ballering and Deputy Director of Planning Kevin McDermott were also in attendance.
Various easels allowed attendees to share comments. Photo: Clover Carroll.The overall project phases include Data Collection, Alternatives Analysis and Route Selection, Design Development, and Implementation—which is projected to begin in 2027. “As part of the study, three different routes will be drafted and evaluated. Ultimately, one route will be selected as the preferred location and preliminary plans will be developed for priority segments of the trail,” continued the handout. “We’ve hired the consulting firm of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) of Richmond as consultants to guide this first phase,” said McDermott. “VHB has added Toole Design and Engineering & Planning Resources (EPR, P.C.) as subconsultants.” The grant did not include funds for land acquisition or construction, so the County will need to seek additional funding for that. Acquiring easements to support the trail will be the biggest challenge.
Over 150 residents attended the 3NT Open House at Crozet Elementary School on May 15. Photo: Clover Carroll.This kickoff public meeting was planned to gather input from residents and establish common goals for the trail, such as what locations it should connect as well as potential trail features and concerns. Easels were set up all over the CES cafeteria to gather this information. At the entrance, attendees were asked to use colored dots to mark where they lived, worked, and played on a map of the entire trail area. Another easel asked “How do you plan to use the Three Notched Trail?” again using colored dots to mark answers such as Commuting/ Transportation, Getting to School, Social Activities, Recreation & Exercise, and Access to Nature. Yet another easel allowed us to write what specific benefits the trail would provide on sticky notes.
Crozet Trails Crew found Jessica Mauzy and current president Terri Miyamoto. Photo: Clover Carroll.Henry Cohen of Toole Design and Jeanie Alexander of EPR, who are coordinating the community engagement events, stood behind a long table containing an oversized map of the entire trail route. Colored dots were provided for attendees to mark locations the trail should connect and areas of potential concern. Sticky notes were also available to make specific comments.
Everyone is invited to share your vision for the 3NT via an online questionnaire at engage.albemarle.org/three-notched-trail-master-plan/surveys/3nt-community-questionnaire-1, as well as to sign up for future engagement opportunities and project updates.
