Click on each question to expand and see each candidate's responses.
Y. Joy Crump:
I am fortunate enough that my businesses are located in close proximity to my home. So, on a daily basis, I either walk to work or drive a vehicle. It is not often that I take a bike to work or to commute around town; my biking is almost entirely recreational. The main reason why driving is practical for me is that I am often transporting goods from one business to another, or delivering products locally to clients in the area. It's important to me to have the flexibility and efficiency of my electric vehicle as I am constantly responding to immediate needs of my business and timeliness is important in these cases. However, when weather permits, I welcome the choice to walk to work and other areas of the city.
Anne Little:
We walk for exercise and to do errands downtown. For shopping, appointments, and work-related errands, we drive our car. We do not bike, but we are big walkers. I was on the original team that helped develop the original 19 Miles of walking and biking trails to Fredericksburg, so I love our trail system and use it often. We have a very limited regional transit system that serves those who do not have access to a car. Because we are not connected to any large metropolitan area or a regional employment center, we are limited in our choices of transportation except for the VRE which serves the greater metropolitan Washington area.
Y. Joy Crump:
Pedestrian safety is a multi-layered consideration. We have to take into account not just able-bodied adults on foot or on bikes but also the elderly who may have physical limitations. Or children who may not have the experience or reflexes needed to navigate mixed traffic areas. Or the community members for whom vehicles aren't financially practical so walking or biking is their main means of transportation. For this reason, we have to look at every opportunity to safely and affordably add designated non-vehicular travel lanes. We have to ensure that as we implement traffic calming solutions (for example, traffic circles) that we also thoughtfully consider how those areas might be managed by our community members who require more time and care during their everyday travel. Things like clearly-marked crosswalks, directional signage pointing pedestrians toward safe pathways, ample lighting and crosswalk signals that allow some of our specialized citizens (like children or the elderly) more time to cross....these things are essential as we consider the balance between vehicles and pedestrians.
Anne Little:
I was a member of the City of Fredericksburg Trails Committee for over 18 years. We were always deeply concerned about pedestrian and bike safety and what we could do to make our city safer. The city has seen some improvements with crosswalks, traffic calming and signage for pedestrians, but one of our biggest challenges is speeding in the city. As we see more growth in our city, traffic, speeding and noise all contribute to a lower quality of life for our residents. I have been knocking on doors for many months and one of the first things I hear from residents is how growth is degrading our city’s harmony.
Y. Joy Crump:
Obviously this is a big question with layered answers. There are many budgetary line items that need our attention. For this answer, however, I'll touch on some of the needs that pertain to improving overall mobility in our City. FXBG's Comprehensive Plan outlines our commitment to continuing to develop more means of traffic calming in our city. This lends to our overall safety and quality of life. I support using funds to enhance some of the sidewalks and streets in our older neighborhoods to ensure they meet today's transportation needs. Additionally, I suggest we work along with developers to identify and implement improvements that more deliberately balance the needs of pedestrians, bikers and those who use public transit with those who use vehicles. This may come in the form of feasibility studies, pedestrian-geared lighting, wider bike and walking lanes, safer and more practical connectivity, enhanced signage. Additionally, the City has been part of a longtime effort to connect some of our outlying neighborhoods to our downtown center. Funds focused on accelerating these plans would also serve to close the gap between the financially disadvantaged community members and the services and goods that they need the most. Things like retail, parks, job opportunities. These things can’t be consistently achieved unless all of our community members have ample, safe and well-known paths of access. We can also look more closely at installing speed tables in high pedestrian areas and gearing the timing of signals to favor pedestrian and bike traffic over vehicle traffic. Of course, overpasses would add greatly to the city’s non-vehicular mobility infrastructure but there are also more economical options that would also have a positive impact.
Anne Little:
There are many unknown quantities regarding data center revenue. We will not see any built out for many years, so I am hesitant to start spending money we do not have. When we do see revenue from data centers, I believe we should pare down the large debt that we have just incurred from our new middle school and our waste water plant upgrade that is projected to cost $169 million dollars. I would also like to see some tax relief go to elderly residents, so we do not force them out of our city with higher taxes. I would also like to see a rental inspection program implemented to protect renters from predatory landlords. One of our employees was a UMW student and lived in an apartment in the city. His building lost hot water for three months, but he was afraid to complain because his landlord threatened him with eviction if he did. Renters deserve decent housing and protection.
Y. Joy Crump:
The definition of affordable housing is incredibly subjective. What may be affordable for one individual or family can be entirely unaffordable for another family in our city. The important distinction is that we have to maintain an inventory in housing that meets the cross-section of our community. The city is made up of government contractors, doctors, nurses, college professors, hospitality workers, retirees, educators, first responders, tech professionals, etc. We also happen to have nearly 45% of our community living below the ALICE threshold. As we look at development (and redevelopment) in our city, it makes sense to view it as both an opportunity and a responsibility. So while we may seek to add housing or retail to our region, we also have to consider what else we might accomplish when we grant these permits for growth. Because un- or under-developed land in our community is extremely limited, we have to look closer and more flexibly, at land that has already been developed. It makes sense to turn a creative eye toward projects that have already cost our city in terms of its density, traffic impact and environmental and ecological stressors. Redevelopment of existing buildings, tracts or complexes from (for example) purely commercial, or even medical, to residential or mixed use is worth exploring in a manner that coordinates with our existing comprehensive plans on housing in the City. Requiring (rather than just incentivizing) measures that directly address affordability, environmental health and connectivity will benefit our community long term.
Anne Little:
As I am knocking on doors, almost every resident I speak to tells me the same thing – they moved to Fredericksburg for the small town feel and to get away from Northern Virginia. They do not want to see us turn into another Alexandria and destroy the historic charm of our city. The recent development of Mary’s Landing by the old hospital of Fall Hill Avenue is a perfect example of how developers are taking small lots and placing 4 story townhouses on them and pricing them over $600,000. Not affordable at all. If the city would have required the builder to adhere to the smaller lots, we could have seen 63 small affordable houses built in this area instead. Density and big townhouses that replace smaller affordable small houses in our downtown neighborhoods will only push up taxes for everyone in the city and speed up gentrification of our city. It is crucial that the housing market includes options that meet the various needs of our diverse community and produce housing choices for people of all income levels. Tax abatements, guaranteed loan programs, and tax credits are some of the ways to help teachers, nurses, and essential workers gain home ownership and enable them to build wealth. There are state and federal programs that are available to help with this process. Having a dedicated city program to help guide people to these resources would be a good first step.
Y. Joy Crump:
Like most, I look at the City’s Comprehensive Plan as the living, breathing roadmap for Fredericksburg. It's a detailed, well-researched series of targeted actions meant to guide us toward the Fredericksburg we all say we want. Part of Fredericksburg’s long-term goal is to redevelop shopping centers into mixed-use neighborhoods that promote vitality, connectivity, inclusivity and housing affordability. I think it’s fair to say that there are some existing zoning regulations that are at odds with Fredericksburg’s goal surrounding mixed use redevelopment. I support amending those regulations so that they are more in line with reimagining these underutilized commercial corridors to the benefit of our community.
Anne Little:
Prior to my time here in Fredericksburg I built and owned a sales and marketing firm that operated for over 25 years, helping small retailers with marketing and sales. My team of over 50 members covered the five Mid-Atlantic states from Southern New Jersey to Virginia. We represented over 20 major manufacturers to large retailers, Macys, Costco and also to small retail shops. Retailers began facing serious challenges as early as 2002, when the internet started drawing customers away from traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Over the years, we’ve seen countless businesses close as online sales grew, a trend that has only accelerated over the past two decades. Here in Fredericksburg, we are fortunate to have a Main Street centered around the arts, which helps preserve its vitality.
Consumers prioritize convenience, preferring to shop where they can meet their needs quickly and efficiently—one reason big-box retailers remain strong. At the same time, many local projects have already struggled to attract traditional retailers, and that reality is unlikely to change. However, there will always be demand for small restaurants and service-oriented businesses, making them a more natural and complementary fit for future developments.