By Brad Smith
For many reasons, as a kid growing up just north of the city, I could not imagine myself living in Fredericksburg as an adult. As an adult, there are few places I could imagine living that bring the same mix of community engagement, diversity, recreation, and potential. I say potential because, while there is already so much to be admired and emulated in our community, I believe our greatest days lie ahead. Continue reading Brad Smith: I Support ADUs for Opportunity
Citizens and lawmakers are debating whether to legalize new Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in the City of Fredericksburg. ADUs are small residential units that are built as accessories to existing single-family homes. They are complete homes, but are typically less than 500 square feet in area. ADUs are currently illegal due to zoning restrictions implemented in the 1960s.
ADUs come in many different forms. Common types include basement or attic apartments (a.k.a. mother-in-law suites or granny flats), backyard cottages, apartments built over garages, or homes retrofitted from existing garages. Their versatility and modesty allow ADUs to fit seamlessly into residential neighborhoods alongside detached single family homes. Continue reading Bring Back the Accessory Dwelling Unit
By Aaron Frank
Fifteen Minute Fredericksburg has proudly supported the City’s effort to transform the one-way street triplet of streets including Washington Avenue, Fall Hill Avenue and Maury Street to two-way traffic and is excited for its implementation this fall. Repaving and restriping will soon begin and will be accompanied by new crosswalks, improved sidewalks and a pedestrian bump-out at the Virginia Avenue and Fall Hill Avenue intersection.
Where is the area we are discussing? Well, check out the graphic below:
On Thursday, May 12th, join Fred15 for the first of several family friendly social bike rides this summer.
This first ride will be from Downtown Fredericksburg to Falmouth, using protected trails and the new Chatham Bridge bike connection, with a stop off at Amy’s Café for a refreshment.
Continue reading Join Fred15 in Checking Out the New Chatham Bridge Connector on May 12th
Late last year, Fred15 member Alex Capshaw-Taylor blogged about the progress on the City of Fredericksburg’s proposed Kensington-Twin Lakes connector path. This 1,500-foot long, 10-foot wide protected multi-use path is the next phase of a trail network that will connect the communities along Lafayette Boulevard to amenities such as downtown Fredericksburg, the VCR Trail, local businesses and numerous schools and parks.
Continue reading Call to Action: Support the Kensington-Twin Lakes Pathway
By Lauren Bock
You may have heard the slogan ‘the more you move, the more you move’ – if you are a patient of mine, there is a good chance that you have heard that line from me a time or two. As a Lifestyle Medicine specialist in a busy Cardiology practice, much of my days are spent discussing healthier habits with my patients. While it is easy to focus on nutrition as ‘low hanging fruit’, movement is a core concept in health that is often misunderstood. It has enormous benefits, especially when it is built naturally into the rhythms of our daily lives. Therefore, cities that are built to make physical activity a natural part of our lifestyles are often the healthiest cities known to man. Continue reading Building Movement into our Lives for Health
By David Durham
On December 8, 2021, the Fredericksburg Planning Commission voted unanimously (with one member absent) to recommend approval of various changes to the city’s Comprehensive Plan associated with the small area planning process for Area 1, the portion of the city west of I-95 (including the Central Park and Celebrate Virginia South developments among others). It is expected that City Council will begin its consideration of the proposed Comprehensive Plan changes in January, 2022.
Downtown Fredericksburg is a lovely place to walk, which increases its quality of life, the health of its small businesses, and its property values. But it is less safe to walk Fredericksburg’s streets during the winter months, because the City has a policy of removing the reflective “Stop for Pedestrian” signs marking crosswalks at many of our city streets during the winter months.
These signs, which are a critical piece of the city’s pedestrian safety infrastructure, are bolted into the asphalt along the center line and provide visual cues for drivers to slow down at intersections. These reflective signs were introduced in response to community concerns about speeding and pedestrian safety, and have become widespread across the City in the last decade. There are currently 23 signs in regular use, including three where the Heritage Trail and Canal Path intersect streets. Continue reading Call to Action: Keep our “Stop for Pedestrian” signs in place this winter
By Alex Capshaw-Taylor
On Wednesday, November 17, 2021 the city held a virtual information session to discuss the next phase of the City’s Pathways Plan. The Twin Lakes-Kensington Bike/Ped Connector will extend the current multi-use trail along Lafayette Blvd from where it ends at St. Paul St. to Twin Lakes Dr. In addition, Springwood Dr. will serve as a connection route to the VCR Trail. This plan also includes placing a bike repair station on the VCR Trail at Alum Springs Park. Funding for this trail is provided by the state of Virginia through their SmartScale grant initiative.
by Ann Glave
Founded by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday has become an important part of small businesses’ busiest shopping season. According to the 2019 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, 70% of U.S. consumers are aware of Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday ensures that the consumers keep local businesses in mind as they buy gifts. Small businesses need our support now more than ever as they navigate and pivot from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic brought on in 2020.
Continue reading Small Business Saturday is Saturday, November 27, 2021
