RIVANNA RESTORATION AT RIVERVIEW PARK

Urban Rivanna River Corridor Plan
Prepared for the County of Albemarle & the City of Charlottesville
Prepared by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
February 2022

1 | Introduction
CONTEXT & NEED
In July of 2014, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and the Charlottesville City Council held a joint, strategic
planning meeting to discuss overlapping priorities between the two localities. One of the priorities they identified was the
need for improved coordination and cooperation for the shared urban corridor of the Rivanna River.
This urbanized section of the Rivanna River Corridor is an important community asset. The river corridor has a rich history
spanning multiple eras of human history, beginning with the Siouan Indian people of the Monacan Tribe. It was then the site
of historic Colonial development as Europeans settled in the area. Enslaved people were forced to work on plantations and
farms located near the river. The river served as a navigation and transportation route, as tobacco and other goods were
transported downriver and networks of locks, dams, and canals allowed batteaux and other boats to travel upstream. The
Rivanna River provided power to mills and later to dams that generated electrical power to nearby neighborhoods and
industry. 20th century development patterns resulted in the Rivanna River being primarily forgotten and underutilized, as
roads and development was constructed with no relationship to the river.
Today, the urbanized Rivanna River Corridor is a different, but no less important, kind of community asset that runs through
the middle of densely developed portions of Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville. The river corridor provides
opportunities to experience natural respite-a special place to paddle on the water, fish in the river, walk along the trails,
and experience the seasonal sights and sounds of nature and wildlife.
In addition to being a natural asset, the river corridor contains centuries of urban development. Existing commercial and
industrial sites are located along the riverbanks and can be viewed from within the river corridor. New developments see
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proximity to the river as a valuable asset that can be leveraged to attract commercial patrons and residents. And the LOCAL AREA HISTORY
demand for recreational amenities to support river corridor users reached an all-time high during the summer of 2020 when
this planning study was being conducted. INDIGENOUS PEOPLE was located at the mouth of the Rivanna River.
With increased development pressure on this section of the river corridor, it is important that a plan is in place to balance The Rivanna River has a rich history dating back to before Spanish colonizers brought with them new diseases for
the competing priorities to allow for an appropriate number of different types of uses without negatively affecting the the first European settlers arrived and named the river after which The Tribe had no immunity for, greatly reducing
environmental quality of the river system or devaluing the most important natural attributes and cultural resources that Queen Anne of England, Scotland, and Ireland. This area their numbers and leaving them at a disadvantage by the
attract people to the area. As became abundantly clear during the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities to engage with was home to the Siouan Indian people of the Monacan time that English settlers arrived to the area. The warring
nature are essential to the overall physical, mental, and social health of a community. At a tumultuous time in our world's Indian Nation. With a population of more than 10,000 Iroquois, Cherokee, and Catawba were more powerful,
history, the river corridor provided opportunities for visitors to spend time together with friends and family, to experience inhabitants prior to European Colonization, the Monacan and their raids through Virginia in the early 1600s displaced
moments of peaceful solitude surrounded by nature, to reflect on the challenges that previous civilizations endured, to have Indian Nation is one of the oldest groups of indigenous many of the Monacan Indian Nation, who would later
a physical outlet for the stress and anxiety of the moment, and to be anchored in an environment that felt unchanged in people still existing in their ancestral homeland today, and face even more conflict and displacement from the newly
the midst of the upheaval of the rest of the world. is the only group in Virginia whose culture descends from arriving colonists. Skirmishes with advancing settlers drove
Eastern Siouan speakers. many of The Tribe westward, while some chose to resettle
in the mountains of present-day Amherst County. Other
Settling throughout the piedmont, the Monacan Indian confederacy members, such as Saponis, Occaneechis,
Nation were an agricultural peoples that included different and Tutelos, combined with the remaining Monacan Indian
clans within the Tribe. Their main crops were corn, beans, Nation, and the few Tuscaroras who chose to remain in
and squash. They used shells and fish bones as fertilizer for Virginia, were adopted by the The Tribe.
crops on forestland they cleared. They hunted deer, elk,
and small game, mined copper for jewelry, and traded THE ARRIVAL OF EUROPEAN SETTLERS
with other nearby tribes. They established villages and
constructed their dome-shaped homes of bark and reeds. The first European settlers began arriving on the Rivanna
riverbanks around 1607 and began mapping the territory.
Unlike other neighboring Indian Nations, the Monacan As the English colonists began to take over the area, more
Indian Nation buried their dead in mounds and burial rituals woodland was cleared for crop cultivation, typically by
played an essential part in their daily life. The Tribe honored indentured and enslaved people.
their deceased ancestors by reburying their remains
ceremoniously as part of an earthen structure. This tradition As settlement patterns began to evolve, more roads were
is unique among Native American tribes in the area. The built to serve the needs of a growing population. Three
mounds could reach eight feet tall and 40 feet in diameter. Notch'd Road, which spanned from Richmond to the
Thirteen mounds have been found to-date and excavated Shenandoah Valley, was a main route from the 1730s to the
throughout the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Mountain regions 1930s. First known as Mountain Road, the first use of "Three
of Virginia. Notch'd" is written in a Louisa County ordinary license dated
1742, and a few years later, it appeared in a Goochland
There were five towns of the confederacy of the Monacan County record. Three Notch'd Road would later serve as
Indian Nation which included its capital Rassawek. The town the basis for Route 250, established in 1930, following much
Aerial of Rivanna Corridor: Image courtesy of pecva.org
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of the original Three-Notch'd Road with parts of University Ave (near the University of Virginia) and Interstate 64 matching 18TH CENTURY
the historic roads course. Part of Jack Jouett's renowned ride that sounded a warning alert of approaching British troops
and the Marquis de Lafayette's endeavors to thwart Gen. Charles Cornwallis from obtaining munitions also occurred along Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia (just
this road. east of present-day Charlottesville), and along the north
bank of the Rivanna River near the site of his father, Peter
Jefferson's, mill. In 1762, a toll bridge was authorized over
the Rivanna River to offer an alternative for crossing the
river by wading through a ford or by ferry; this toll bridge
was never built. Eventually a bridge crossing the river at the
eastern end of Charlottesville was constructed and named
Free Bridge because it remained free for service and did
not charge tolls-the first in Charlottesville. The approximate
location of that original river crossing still bears the name
Free Bridge, where US 250 crosses the river into Albemarle
County from Charlottesville.
Along the shores of the Rivanna, agriculture formed the
basis of the economy. Planters claimed large tracts of land
along the river as early as the 1720s. Settlements developed
around big plantations, with less affluent landowners starting
smaller farms on the uplands. The owners of these large
plantations near the river were dependent on slave labor,
profiting off of this labor. Founding father Thomas Jefferson's
plantation Monticello was built on the River, where hundreds
of people were enslaved. It is reported that throughout his
lifetime that Jefferson enslaved 607 people in total, with 400
of them laboring on his farm and producing his cash crops
of tobacco and wheat. Tobacco, one of the major crops
cultivated on Jefferson's plantation, was often used as
currency. As tobacco depleted the soil, the planters made
way for new fields by clearing more forests.
Thomas Jefferson directed a study of the river in 1763 and
realized that it could be made navigable. He collected
money and requested that an act of assembly be passed
to begin the construction that made the Rivanna River a
viable commercial waterway.
Three Notc'd Road Remnants at Jefferson's Mill
Free Bridge
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Pen Park belonged to many prominent Virginia families, Rivanna. New locks and dams replaced older and less The Woolen Mills Village Historic District is primarily residential, and it still preserves its high degree of architectural integrity
such as the Hotopps, Cravens, and Gilmers. George C. efficient sluice systems. However, navigation of the river across the 80.4 acres where it is located. Many structures in the area have been listed on the National Register of Historic
Gilmer, once the personal doctor of Thomas Jefferson, was at odds with the mill industry - and early court battles Places. Most of the buildings in the Woolen Mills area were built before 1920. The period of significance for the district spans
purchased the property in 1777. All these families had and legislative petitions illustrate this fraught situation. In 1847 through 1962.
slaves. The Pen Park cemetery is home to the remains of the 1850s, the lower part of the Rivanna saw improvements
members of the Hotopp, Craven, and Gilmer families. in the form of dedicated canals and towpaths for mules 20TH CENTURY
In 2019, 43 possible unmarked graves probably of the to haul boats upriver; however, there is no evidence that
enslaved were found outside of the cemetery. Samuel Carr, towpath navigation stretches further upstream than Union Pen Park, Darden Towe Park, and Riverview Park involve land that is part of the River's history. Pen Park, Dr. George Gilmer's
a nephew of Thomas Jefferson through his sister Martha, Mills in Fluvanna. land, became the largest of the City of Charlottesville's parks with 280-acres and is the largest of the City of Charlottesville's
was a prominent Albemarle County politician, soldier, and parks. It is located on land that gave Park Street its name. In about 1910, the original structure on the plantation burned,
planter who owned 44 slaves. His grandfather was Major The Rivanna River served as a vital navigation and and another house was soon built. By 1979, the City of Charlottesville had acquired the land. The 111-acre Darden Towe
Thomas Carr. The elder Carr had amassed more than transportation route throughout the 19th century, helping Park is a joint City-County venture across the River from Pen Park. It was once part of the historic Franklin estate, and, since
10,000 acres along the Rivanna River north of what is now propel the economy and leading to the establishment of the 1700s, it had always been open land and in agricultural use. Riverview Park lies on the land near the Woolen Mills. It
Charlottesville. Many of Thomas Carr's descendants built Charlottesville as the county seat. River traffic succumbed also is one of the newest additions to the City's parklands. This 26-acre tract of land was a gift from Riverview Cemetery
homes in Albemarle County similar to Jefferson's Monticello to the railroad and by the middle of the twentieth century, Company (the Jessup family) on October 16, 1974.
and used slave labor. The prominent University of Virginia with canals and towpaths becoming overgrown. Today
can be counted among the institutions profiting off slave only vestiges of the days of river freight remain. (source: Mr.
labor. Approximately 4,000 enslaved laborers built and Jefferson's River)
maintained buildings at the University of Virginia (UVA)
between 1817 and 1865. Woolen Mills, or as it was originally known, The Charlottesville
Factory , was founded in the early 19th century to take
Colonel Nicholas Meriwether built his home on the sprawling advantage of the waterpower generated by Moores Creek
1020-acre The Farm plantation in 1735. This plantation sits in and the Rivanna River. William D. Meriwether, Col. Nicholas
the river flats between Moore's Creek and Meadow Creek. D. Meriwether's son bought a gristmill and 500 acres along
The house was passed down to Revolutionary officer Col. the river in 1805. The younger Meriwether expanded the mill
Nicholas Lewis, Meriwether's grandson. In 1770, a new house to weave cotton and wool, grind flour, and saw lumber, and
was erected to replace the old house that was burned built a wooden toll bridge in 1826. The wool factory was
in a fire. British. Col. Banastre Tarleton made the house his one of several local companies that produced uniforms for
headquarters in 1781 in a useless effort to capture Thomas the Confederate States of America. Union soldiers burned
Jefferson. Although, Tarleton did capture Daniel Boone who, the mills on March 3, 1865, when the town fell to the Union.
at the time, was a member of the Virginia legislature, and Henry Clay Marchant rebuilt the mills three years after the
held him captive there. Civil War and renamed it The Charlottesville Woolen Mills. At
the time, there were 50 employees working at the mill, but
THE 19TH CENTURY AND INDUSTRY ALONG THE RIVER as the company grew so did the surrounding village. Around
1870 the Mills suffered a series of floods and fires until they
The Rivanna Navigation Company secured a charter from were destroyed in 1882.
the state in 1827 and sought to improve navigation on the
Woolen Mills. Image courtesy of 3north.com
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DEVELOPMENT OF THE CORRIDOR OVER TIME
1937 1966 1974 1990 1996 2015
PPeenn PPaarrkk PPeenn PPaarrkk PPeenn PPaarrkk PPeenn PPaarrkk PPeenn PPaarrkk PPeenn PPaarrkk
DDaarrddeenn TToowwee DDaarrddeenn TToowwee DDaarrddeenn TToowwee DDaarrddeenn TToowwee
LLooccuusstt GGrroovvee LLooccuusstt GGrroovvee LLooccuusstt GGrroovvee LLooccuusstt GGrroovvee LLooccuusstt GGrroovvee LLooccuusstt GGrroovvee
PPaarrkk PPaarrkk PPaarrkk PPaarrkk
PPaannttooppss PPaannttooppss PPaannttooppss PPaannttooppss PPaannttooppss PPaannttooppss
RRiivveerrvviieeww
RRiivveerrvviieeww RRiivveerrvviieeww RRiivveerrvviieeww RRiivveerrvviieeww RRiivveerrvviieeww
PPaarrkk
PPaarrkk PPaarrkk PPaarrkk PPaarrkk PPaarrkk
((FFuuttuurree SSiittee)) ((FFuuttuurree SSiittee)) ((FFuuttuurree SSiittee))
WWoooolleenn
WWoooolleenn WWoooolleenn WWoooolleenn WWoooolleenn WWoooolleenn MMiillllss
MMiillllss MMiillllss MMiillllss MMiillllss MMiillllss
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BACKGROUND ON THE PROJECT
The Urban Rivanna River Corridor Plan is part of a multi- project webpage to act as a landing page for stakeholders
phased approach to build a vision and develop an action as well as the public, the formation of a Technical
plan for the urbanized section of the Rivanna River. This Committee and Steering Committee, a report highlighting
coordinated effort between the City of Charlottesville and findings, and a scope of work for the second phase of the
Albemarle County, along with other stakeholder groups, is planning process. The following timeline summarizes project
the culmination of work that started in 2014. milestones during the initial phase.
PHASE I TIMELINE
In the fall of 2014, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District
Commission (TJPDC) began facilitating a joint river corridor
2017
2 | Process Overview planning effort. Between 2014 and 2016, the TJPDC
convened a stakeholders' group to identify priorities for - Identification of Steering & Technical Committee
future river corridor planning efforts. Through a series of nine members
meetings, this group discussed a variety of topics related
Fall of 2017
to the river and provided a set of recommendations on
how to move the planning effort forward. Staff developed - Finalized study area
a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among the City
- Held Technical Committee meeting
of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the TJPDC to
- Held meetings with local staff & stakeholders
execute this initial phase. Both the City and County decided
to proceed with the initial phase, signing the MOA in June - Identified mapping themes
of 2017. At the suggestion of the working group, the TJPDC
Winter 2017|2018
proposed a phased planning approach for the Rivanna
River. Three phases would be conducted: - Collected data & developed maps
- Launched project webpage
* Phase I: Collection and inventory of existing conditions
- Completed mapping work
* Phase II: Building a vision for the river corridor
- Held regular Technical Committee meetings
* Phase III: Developing a master plan to implement the
Spring & Summer 2018
vision
- Held Technical & Steering Committee meetings
Phase I began in earnest in September 2017. This phase
- Drafted Existing Conditions report
focused on developing the necessary foundation, structure,
and information to lay the groundwork for completing an - Finalized Existing Conditions report
eventual joint area plan for the shared boundaries between
- Developed visioning phase scope of work
Charlottesville and Albemarle County, resulting in a set
of maps of the corridor highlighting existing conditions, a
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PHASE II THE COMMITTEES
Phase II began in July 2019 by reconvening the Technical the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, worked As in the first phase of this project, two committees - the Technical Committee developed the Vision Statement for the
Committee to review the anticipated project timeline and with the consultants to provide additional feedback, Technical Committee and the Steering Committee - were river, a set of guiding principles to build upon the vision, and
provide direction to staff on how best to proceed with narrowing down the potential alignment options. The fifth formed to help guide the work of staff and provide feedback recommendations aimed to sustain it. Beginning in the summer
the plan. They reviewed the existing conditions maps from Technical Committee meeting was held in January 2020 on the overall vision for the corridor. The Technical Committee of 2020, the Technical Committee began meeting bi-weekly
Phase I and discussed gaps in the data. A series of drop-in to discuss the status of the project and brainstorm next was charged with coordinating the more technical aspects to refine the Vision, Guiding Principles, and recommendations,
hours was held for City and County staff to mark-up printed steps. Work continued throughout the spring of 2020, with of the project, while the Steering Committee helped to as well as to plan for the virtual public engagement webinars
maps to identify opportunity sites, new development, park a renewed focus on drafting the vision statement, guiding guide the overall planning effort and act as advocates for that would be hosted in the fall. Moving to a bi-weekly meeting
amenities, etc. The input received from the drop-in hours principles, and the recommendations. Throughout the advancing the process. In Phase I, the Technical Committee schedule helped to propel the project forward and maintain
was then entered into ArcGIS. Throughout the summer of summer and fall of 2020, staff refined the guiding principles was made up of locality staff and representatives from momentum throughout the course of the pandemic.
2019, staff created new thematic maps reflecting feedback and recommendations through a series of stakeholder focus the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Conservation District, the
from July Technical committee meeting and drop-in hours, groups and two public webinars. Drafting of the Phase II Rivanna Conservation Alliance, and the Rivanna Water and Throughout November and December 2020, staff held
with routine monthly meetings of the Technical Committee report began in December 2020. Sewer Authority. For Phase II, it was recommended that the a series of stakeholder focus groups with subject matter
to further plan for the first round of community engagement Technical Committee be comprised solely of staff from the experts to further refine the draft Guiding Principles and
and further refine the maps. In September 2019, staff two localities, with stakeholders representing other interests recommendations. The insight gained from these discussions
conducted a trail walk to identify potential obstacles as being invited to topical meetings throughout the process to helped to provide clarity on topics that staff did not have
well as future opportunities for connections to the corridor. gain more targeted feedback. The Technical Committee for the expertise in, and this step was crucial in formulating
Staff also developed a virtual survey and then held the first phase II consisted of staff from the following departments: recommendations that were actionable and implementable.
Steering Committee to serve as the formal kick-off for Phase Focus group topics included the following:
II. The first public engagement opportunity occurred at * Albemarle County's Community Development Department
the May 2019 Rivanna Flow River Fest at Darden Towe Park, * Albemarle's Parks and Recreation Department * Historic and cultural resources
where the public was invited to take the survey, participate * Albemarle's Environmental Programs * Trails, connections, and access to and within the river corridor
in a scavenger hunt, and review the maps. * Albemarle and Charlottesville Economic Development * Public health, safety, and wellness measures
Departments * Economic development potential
Feedback from the survey and comments received from * Charlottesville's Neighborhood Development Services * Visual elements of the river experience, such as landscaping
the Flow River Fest were summarized and reviewed by the * Charlottesville's Environmental Sustainability Division and buffering
Technical Committee in October 2019. City and County * Charlottesville's Parks and Recreation Department * Environmental protection
economic development staff held discussions on how * Charlottesville City Manager's Office
best to approach business and property owners within the In addition to the Technical Committee, a Steering Committee
corridor. In a separate study that was occurring at the The newly reformed Technical Committee held its first meeting was formed to guide the overall planning process, build
same time, TJPDC staff was working with VDOT consultants in June 2019 to review the Phase I report and begin defining consensus and support for the plan, and review deliverables.
on a feasibility study to identify potential alignments for the study area for Phase II. The Technical Committee met The Steering Committee was comprised of elected officials
a bike and pedestrian crossing within the study area. monthly throughout the fall of 2019 and winter of 2020. from the two localities, along with two planning commissioners
Potential alignment options and preliminary cost estimates The COVID-19 pandemic brought in-person meetings to a and one citizen appointment for each locality. They held their
were developed in the winter of 2019-20. The Bicycle and halt in March 2020, forcing the committee to meet virtually first meeting in the fall of 2019 to review the project timeline,
Pedestrian Coordination Committee, made up of staff from beginning in April. Throughout the spring of 2020, the community outreach plan, and initial mapping efforts to
Image courtesy of rivannariver.org
synthesize data not collected during Phase I.
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DEFINING THE STUDY AREA AREA OF FOCUS
The Technical Committee was instrumental in defining the study areas in both phases of the planning process. The Phase PHASE II STUDY AREA
I study area consisted of a 1-mile buffer from the centerline of the river, with South Fork Reservoir as the northern terminus,
and the Milton Road Bridge near Shadwell serving as the southern terminus.
For Phase II, the Technical Committee recommended a more concentrated study area to focus efforts specifically on the
joint urban corridor shared between the two localities. The new study area consisted of the parcels adjacent to the Rivanna
River from Darden Towe Park south to where I-64 crosses over the Rivanna.
Image courtesy of findyourchesapeake.com
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