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30 Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Conununities <br />Albemarle County, Virginia, has adopted a comprehensive <br />approach to addressing growth. This has enabled the county <br />to direct growth in a way that maintains the community's rural <br />character and quality of life, which are valued by residents. <br />Albemarle County, which is the most populous county in the <br />Charlottesville metropolitan area, recognized that strategies <br />for land preservation work better when complemented by <br />policies and zoning regulations that promote better growth <br />in places where the community has already invested in public <br />infrastructure. The county contains many working farms and <br />scenic natural features, including a portion of Virginia's Blue <br />Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park, but growth <br />pressures remain strong. County leaders have adopted policies, <br />including the establishment of designated growth areas in <br />which infrastructure already exists, and have pursued strate- <br />gies, such as the acquisition of conservation easements, to <br />preserve rural character in places outside of designated growth <br />areas. The county has also adopted a Neighborhood Model that <br />requires new development to adhere to a set of 12 principles <br />(see below), which ensure the livability of new neighborhoods. <br />The Neighborhood Model describes the recommended prac- <br />tices for new development based on 12 principles: <br />• Pedestrian orientation <br />• Neighborhood friendly streets and paths <br />• Transportation networks and interconnected streets <br />• Parks and open space <br />• Mixed uses <br />• Neighborhood centers <br />• Buildings and spaces of human scale <br />• Relegated parking <br />• Affordability with dignity <br />• Redevelopment <br />• Site planning that respects terrain <br />• Clear boundaries with the rural areas <br />Albemarle County provides an example of how to address <br />development in a way that promotes economic growth in places <br />that the community believes are best while maintaining the <br />rural landscape that is central to the community's identity. <br />Between 2000 and 2006, Albemarle County protected more than <br />5,000 acres of forest and farm land, including 286 mountaintop <br />acres. At the same time, it began or completed plans using the <br />Neighborhood Model to both accommodate growth in desig- <br />nated growth areas and complement the rural land protection <br />strategies. <br />See also: http: / /www.albermarle.org. <br />See highlights of the Albemarle County Acquisition of Conservations Easements <br />(ACE) program, http://www.albemarle.org/upload/images/forms-center/ <br />departments /community_development /forms /Rural_Area /ACE Fact Sheet 2006 <br />.pdf. <br />119 <br />