A town square is coming to Crozet in late 2025. The Crozet Square will be located in front of Mudhouse Coffee Roasters, between Crozet Avenue and Oak Street. Its purpose is to make downtown Crozet more accessible and aesthetic and to manage stormwater systems.
“It’s going to feel very pedestrian friendly; it’s going to flow very well,” said Steve Hoffmann, a Senior Project Manager for Albemarle County’s Facilities and Environmental Services Department.
First beginning in 2017, the plans for the Square originated from a Neighborhood Improvement Funding Initiative Project. These projects, also known as NIFI projects, were created to revitalize and enhance neighborhoods and towns.
“The board initiated funding for each one of the magisterial districts, or CACs, within the county of Albemarle to receive $200,000 to put towards a smaller project,” said Hoffmann.
Albemarle County is partnering with VDOT, the Virginia Department of Transportation, for this project because it includes rebuilding and repaving Oak Street.
“If we’re going to improve [Oak Street], this is also going to involve VDOT…because they want to own the road and be able to maintain the road,” said Hoffmann. “So now, we bring in a state agency that has its own funding, and now we have a partnership to improve this area.”
Construction for the town square began in January 2025, with the building plan including five stages. Currently, on stage three, the county is working in a timely manner to complete the Square by January of 2026. The Square project plans to rebuild infrastructure to improve the aesthetics of the downtown Crozet area.
“It’s going to take a location that has buildings that are falling down, the infrastructure that’s in need of repair…and that’s all going to be improved to be a beautified and nicely finished streetscape,” said Hoffmann.
Rebuilding infrastructure also assists in ADA compliance: “Instead of there being a gravel parking lot, it’s going to be a nice paved driveway. There will be parking spots with concrete, sidewalks, and ramps so that people can access the space unimpeded,” said Hoffmann.
This construction has also affected the small businesses of downtown Crozet. Since the start of the project, Mudhouse Coffee Roasters has noticed a decline in the number of customers.
“People just didn’t want to deal with the hassle of trying to get around the construction,” said Meredith Hollifield, a barista at Mudhouse Coffee Roasters. “We’re hoping that it will give more parking spaces and more accessibility.”
Many WAHS students frequently pass the construction site of the Square project. Alice Maples, a Crozet native and a junior here at WAHS, drives around the Square every day on the way to and from school.
“The cones were in the middle of the road, so it was a little tight to drive through, but overall it hasn’t made that much of a difference.” said Maples. “[The new parking lot] has actually made it a lot easier to get to Crozet Creamery.”
In the coming years, new additions to downtown Crozet will be added to improve safety, aesthetics, and flow for pedestrians and visitors.
“[In] the future phases, there will be parallel parking along all streets that we’re going to be putting in,” said Hoffmann. “We’ve got just a couple more phases to get through before we’re done.”
