The Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) has been conducting a study on the future land use of the George Washington Region—the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, Stafford and the city of Fredericksburg.  In order to gain public opinion on the planning matters, FAMPO has been holding meetings open to the public in each county and in downtown Fredericksburg.  I attended the meeting for Spotsylvania County on September 23, and even though there was a small showing (due to the wrong address printed on the invitations) there was no lack in feedback from the opinionated/concerned group of five. Our group was an interesting mix—an older man who had grown up and still lives in the area and longed for the original transit option, pre-Fred, another older man who had moved down here from New Jersey to be close with his grandchildren and is concerned for their upbringing and how the area will shape their growth, a Fredericksburg GIS employee with the same … [Read more...]

Dr. Chris Pyke, vice president of research for the U.S. Green Building Council, met skepticism when he spoke to UMW students and teachers on Sept. 14 about the design challenges and opportunities associated with the LEED building program. The Green Building Council, based in D.C., introduced LEED in 1998 to encourage the public to adopt responsible building practices with is competitive rating system. During the question and answer period, several people raised concerns with the LEED point system. Professor Michael Spencer, from the historic preservation department, mentioned how the system rewards developers who opt to destroy buildings rather than renovate them. He said LEED gives projects a higher score when builders demolish a building but reuse the old materials. Pyke agreed there are some unintended consequences, but they are trying to fix them. Others discussed the Monroe Hall renovation project and mentioned how LEED influenced builders to throw away materials rather than … [Read more...]