Light Industrial Park Proposed for Yancey Mills - Crozet Gazette

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page 8 s AUGUST 2008 Light Industial—continued from page 1 The 148 acres include 4 parcels whose southern boundaries follow Interstate 64 extensively and also contact the south side of Western Albemarle High School. They do not have any other direct access to Route 250. Roughly 30 acres of the land is unbuildable because it is floodplain covered by water protection ordinance buffers or has critical slopes. Yancey showed the commissioners photos of the site, which has attractive views, and it is presently cattle pasture watered by Stockton Creek. Yancey said he will submit a formal request for the rezoning to the county by September 2. Yancey argued that his proposal, which he called a “preliminary conceptual” plan, met county criteria for having interstate highway access and having a 50-acre minimum. The land would have to have public water and sewer extended to it, which he said was possible by connecting to lines at WAHS. He acknowledged that it did not conform with County policies on preserving rural areas. “We understand rezoning is at odds with the Comprehensive Plan,” he said. “Approval of our proposal will take some outside-of-the-box thinking.” Commissioners had been discussing a report prepared by county planning staff that said that only 111 acres of vacant, buildable land zoned for light industrial use is available in the county. According to their demand study, the county needs at least 121 more acres, and if office use, which is currently allowed in the zoning, were factored in, the shortage could be as much as 339 acres. The study took the growth in county employment from 2000 to 2006, which turns out to be 3.2 percent, and applied standard planning formulas to it to arrive at their figures. A fair percentage of the presently available light industrial land is in Crozet, including the Barnes Lumber Company property downtown, the former ConAgra complex that now houses MusicToday and Starr Hill Brewery, and the former Acme Visible property just east that is presently being remediated for environmental damage left by solvents used to remove grease during manufacturing processes. It is not expected to be usable again for three years. Some commissioners remained unconvinced of the need to preemptively rezone land without a specific applicant and probed the assumptions made in preparing the report. White Hall District Commissioner Tom Loach asked for a breakdown of the employment data to find out if the growth had been in light industrial jobs, or if the numbers perhaps reflected office jobs. Samuel Miller District Commissioner Eric Strucko asked if there had been a spike in jobs in any one year reflecting a single employer that might have especially affected the total. County planner Susan Stimart, who presented the report, did not have that information. Nora Gillespie, director of the Central Virginia Small Business Development Center, which assists about 200 young companies every year, said the Center has about “six to 10 cases a year” in which growing companies have trouble finding affordable light industrial land in Albemarle and adjoining counties where they can expand operations. Those companies have usually headed to the Valley or toward Richmond for space, she said. “It may be a regional problem since they can’t find land in nearby cssatcrozet@embarqmail.com counties either,” observed Strucko. “I’m not convinced we have to go outside the growth areas,” he said. “We could rezone, but not proactively.” Later in the discussion he insisted that County policy about increasing light industrial acreage be strictly limited to land inside growth areas. He also noted that highway commercial zoning also allowed many of the uses available through LI zoning. “Are we addressing a problem that’s out there?” he asked. “If so, we’ll devise a policy to deal with it.” “It’s really a subsidy problem,” said Rio District Commissioner Jon Cannon, comparing it to the affordable housing issue. “You’re stacking the deck competitively [by rezoning more land to LI].” “I would like to state up front that we should not change growth area boundaries but look at other mechanisms,” said Strucko. “I agree that we have to totally exhaust the growth areas first,” said Jack Jouett District Commissioner Bill Edgerton. “But we need some strength in the Comp Plan to continued on page 11 Crozet gazette July Anniversary Sale 20% Off Selected Items • Julie’s Organic Icecream • Genesis Today • Weleda Skin Care • New Chapter • Knudsen’s Soda A Big Thank you to all our Fabulous Customers 10% Off Everything 1205 Crozet Ave. (434) 823-1100. Across from Post Office. Parking in rear. Mon-Fri 9-7, Sat 9-5, Sun 12-5 www.fabfoodsmarket.com Guitar duo David Bailey & David Ferrall Music 1-3 p.m.
Crozet gazette AUGUST 2008 s page 9 Condon’s Corner: Cooking Made Easy © Marlene A. Condon Easy and Better Ice Cream If you do not own an ice cream machine, you might want to think about buying one. I got an Oster “Quick-Freeze Ice Cream Maker” several years ago and I have not ever wanted to buy ice cream at the grocery store again. Many folks do not realize how good homemade ice cream can be because people are under the mistaken impression that it should be eaten as soon as it is made. Indeed, many country fairs and some fruit stands make ice cream and immediately sell it while it still retains a somewhat liquid or “soft” consistency. But ice cream is best when it is hardened, just as when you buy it at the grocer’s. Therefore the trick to making great ice cream is to use a great recipe and to allow the ice cream time to harden in the freezer instead of eating it right away. I once offered a neighbor a quart of homemade ice cream and he initially declined, saying he didn’t like homemade ice cream. I convinced him to take it for his kids to try. The next time I saw him, he told me the whole family thought I should be working for the Breyer’s ice cream company! They thought it was the best vanilla ice cream they had ever had. Many recipes for vanilla ice cream contain eggs which give the ice cream a creamier (and fattier) consistency. Known as “French” vanilla, these recipes usually require cooking and cooling of the egg mixture (known as custard) before you can even begin to think about making the ice cream. But my Oster machine came with an egg-less recipe for the best vanillaflavored ice cream that I have ever had. Because I do not have to cook a custard first and cool it down to go into the ice cream machine, I can easily whip up a quart and a half of ice cream within an hour of deciding to make it—assuming I have all of the ingredients at hand, of course! So I thought I would share with you this wonderful recipe because vanilla is the basic flavor that goes so well with just about everything. I am also providing four variations of this recipe that are absolutely yummy after being allowed time to harden completely. Homemade ice cream will keep very well for a few months inside a “real” freezer if kept tightly sealed. If you have only a refrigerator freezer, try to use it up within a month. Easy Vanilla Ice Cream NOTE: Before starting to make the ice cream, get out two clean plastic freezer containers in a onequart and a one-pint size. Each container should have a tight-fitting snap-on lid. Also make two dated labels. Place these items on the counter with a spoonula (a plastic or rubber spatula with curved edges that is used like a mixing spoon) or some other large spoon. It will be needed to guide the soft ice cream out of the ice cream machine canister into the storage freezer containers as quickly as possible. You may Subscribe to the Gazette! Don’t miss your hometown news! Have the Crozet Gazette delivered to your mailbox. Send a check to: Crozet Gazette P.O. Box 863 Crozet, VA 22932 Delivery rate: $24/year for 12 issues spill some of the semi-solid mixture so you should also have a damp paper towel available for wiping the plastic containers after filling them. Be sure to stick dated labels onto the containers before placing them into the freezer. Put the following ingredients into your ice cream canister: 2 cups whipping cream 2 cups half and half (NOT LOW FAT) 1 cup granulated white sugar 1 Tbsp. REAL vanilla extract (NOT IMITATION) Stir with a mixing spoon until the sugar is completely dissolved (the graininess will disappear). After thoroughly mixing the ingredients, I place the canister into the freezer for about 5 minutes to make sure the ingredients and the canister are quite cold. Freeze according to your manufacturer’s directions. When done, transfer the soft ice cream into the freezer containers as quickly as possible. Be sure to wipe the top edges (and sides, if necessary) of the containers with the damp paper towel and snap the lids on. Place the dated containers into a freezer for several hours (preferably at least eight) to completely harden. Variations: To make chocolate chip ice cream, add two-thirds cup of MINIATURE chocolate chips just before the ice cream has reached the desired consistency (follow your manufacturer’s directions for how to mix in ingredients). To make cinnamon ice cream, which is great for use with warm apple desserts (not for eating by itself), use the same amount of whipping cream, half and half, and sugar as for the vanilla ice cream. However, mix in only 1½ tsp. vanilla extract and add 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon. For really delectable chocolate ice cream, you need to first combine the following ingredients in a blender set to a LOW speed until it is smooth: 2 cups whipping cream, 2 cups half and half, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1½ cups sugar, and ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Freeze as directed by the manufacturer. For superb strawberry ice cream, place 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries into a blender or food processor fitted with a blade. Cover and process at a LOW speed until chopped. Pour into the canister in which you have thoroughly mixed (until the sugar is dissolved) 2 cups whipping cream, 1 cup half and half, 1 cup sugar, and 2 tsp. vanilla extract. Freeze as directed by the manufacturer of your ice cream machine. IMPORTANT NOTE: Strawberries from your own garden, a nearby farm, or a farmer’s market are preferable to those available at most grocers. However, if you must purchase them at the grocery store, buy a package from the freezer section. These fruits tend to be of better quality in terms of ripeness— and thus tastiness—than the practically unripe fresh strawberries shipped in from who-knows-where. Enjoy!
Page 1 and 2: INSIDE the Land Use Taxes editorial
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Light Industrial Park Proposed for Yancey Mills - Crozet Gazette

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