MEETING
COMMENCED 7:08 p.m. 2/18/2006
OPENING REMARKS:
Joe Cantu – Annual
meeting next month, Wed. March 8th at 7pm at Cale.
Get involved –
volunteer! Special requests
from numerous homeowners:
1. Please clean up after your pets –
there is too much dog poop on our roads!
2. For safety, please walk facing oncoming
traffic along MCS streets.
TREASURER REPORT
(Farrell):
Dues collection is
under way. $78 to MCS HOA, please
try to pay on time.
ARCHITECTURE
REVIEW COMMITTEE (Sally):
The non-compliant
fence at 447 Hidden Ridge will be removed by the property management
company. Thanks to Sally, the ARC,
and Joe Cantu for all their work.
Remember – if you are thinking of building or modifying your
property in any way, you MUST submit plans and obtain approval from the ARC.
GROUNDS AND
MAINTENANCE (Don Lepsch):
Sinkhole on Shady
Grove – Karla Berger discussed this w/ VDOT, not part of their domain,
must be fixed either by MCS HOA or the private homeowners.
SOCIAL COMMITTEE
(Jenny Commins):
1. The holiday neighborhood gathering was
cancelled as Jenny had a baby and no one else volunteered to plan the
event. Congratulations Jenny and
Scott!
2. Proposals have been made to create a
children's playground somewhere in MCS – no action yet - the board is
still discussing the issue.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
for several areas:
(1) Vice President
(2) ARC (Architecture
Review Committee) – we need more members and need a new chair. Sally Mank has served for years and is
tired.
(3) Grounds chairperson. Don Lepsch has served for years and is
tired.
(4) Homeowner's
relations chair. To receive
general complaints from homeowners and respond. Also to welcome new homeowners to the neighborhood.
SPECIAL DISCUSSION
– BISCUIT RUN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
INTRODUCTION
Margaret Weeks (MCS)
– Margaret has volunteered to lead a subcommittee from MCS to work
towards finding ways to work with the county and the Biscuit Run developers to
minimize the impact on our neighborhood.
She is joined by Steve and Teresa Olson (MCS residents) in leading this
effort. Tonight they have invited
several members of other Albemarle County subdivisions who have recently been
affected by growth to join us to share thoughts and concerns.
GUESTS:
1. Tom Loach (Crozet)
– encouraged residents to be pragmatic and to become involved with the
county planners to help shape growth and development. Tom feels that growth is inevitable but by becoming involved
we can have a voice.
2. Rhett Ripplinger
(Glenmore, Citizens of the Village of Rivanna) – Encouraged us to become
familiar w/ county master plan and invite local supervisor to future
meetings. Encouraged citizens to
develop their own version of the local master plan and submit a County Master
Plan amendment. Encouraged us to
examine infrastructure needs (fire, police, adequate roads, environment) from
our perspective (not the developers).
States that nationwide the average cost (for infrastructure development)
is $30-$50K per dwelling for growth – he feels that Albemarle county has
been undercharging the developers and passing these costs onto the current
residents.
3. Linda Harrill
(formerly in Glenmore, now in Ivy, GADS – Growth Areas Demanding
Services, gadflize@yahoo.com) – area of
expertise is investigation of creative ways to fund services in ÒGrowth
areasÓ. Currently, master plan
calls for high density development in 5% of county and preservation of rural
nature of 95% of growth area.
Example – wants to tax rural residents at higher rates to help
fund increased services for those in growth areas.
4. Jack Marshall
(Glenmore, ASAP – Advocates for Sustainable Albemarle Population, www.stopgrowthASAP.org 974-6390) Discussed the limits of desired
growth. Feels ASAP's goal is to
work towards defining the optimal size of growth and to work to set limits w/
county to level off growth rates.
Discussed means by which county sets growth limits – ACE areas,
Zoning, and Master planning (rural vs. growth areas). States that county has not actually examined the maximum
build-out population as allotted w/ current zoning.
SUMMARY:
- 51-53% of current
Albemarle county population lives in designated Ògrowth areasÓ, so if all
people vote we should be able to affect the growth.
- All speakers
encouraged us to work w/ other neighborhood groups, developers, and county
officials and not to just take the attitude of Òblocking growthÓ, but instead to
work towards common goals. The
developers and county officials are not necessarily the enemies – and
simple complaining isn't productive.
We need to work with these officials to develop plans to ensure that adequate
infrastructure and quality of life is preserved.
- MCS needs
volunteers for this – PLEASE contact Margaret Weeks (295-3453) or Steve
and Teresa Olson (984-1582) if you want to get involved.
IMMEDIATE ISSUES
for MCS concerning Biscuit Run:
1. We would like a
larger buffer between MCS and Biscuit Run (current plan is 30 feet along Stoney
Creek Drive, and 0 feet for houses at end of Hidden Ridge).
2. We would like to
avoid having any cut-through streets from Biscuit Run into MCS.
Official meeting
ended 8:16pm, individual discussions among neighbors and guests ensued.
IMPORTANT COUNTY
OFFICIALS
Lindsay Dorrier,
Jr. Board of Supervisors,
Representative for our Area.
220-0500 lindorrier@hotmail.com
Claudette Grant. Albemarle County Planner responsible
for Biscuit Run. 296-5832
x3250 cgrant@albemarle.org
IMPORTANT DATES
March 7th
– County Planning Commission meeting, Alb Cty Office Building March
8th – MCS Annual Meeting, Cale Elementary, 7pm
Directors
and ARCC: *=present Homeowners:
*Joe Cantu President
293-5191 jacantudc@yahoo.com 49
homeowners were present for this meeting - the
V-Pres second
largest turnout for a MCS meeting in
*Farrell
Vangelopoulos Treasurer 984-4990 ivyinn@adelphia.net the
last 5 years!
*Mark Lepsch Secretary 296-4359 mal6f@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu
Jenny
Commins Social 295-7586 jennycommins@hotmail.com *Special
guest – Jessica Kitchin,
Daily Progress,
*Megan
Raymond At
Large 979-5457 megan.raymond@mail.mcgill.ca jkitchin@dailyprogress.com
*Nini Almy At
Large 293-4598 ninialmy@aol.com