From WINA:Snow or no snow, the annual Toy Lift is happening Friday from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. at the Lowe’s parking lot off 29 North. Spokesman Tom Powell says if you don’t know what to give or don’t have the time, you can give cash or use your credit card to make a donation. A phone number to use that method will be given out Friday morning on WINA.If you cannot make it, call and give some money. Or, call to talk to my wife, who will be there all day.
Date Archives December 2005
Albemarle County BoS meeting … growth issues come to a head
If you are concerned, curious or just feel ignorant about where the Albemarle County growth process/issue, take 30 minutes to listen to this podcast provided by Charlottesville Tomorrow.”If this were my business I would really be worried about being able to continue in business if my suppliers and my end users were not at all happy with the product that we were creating and the process that we were going about doing it.” Ken Boyd”It’s broken” DorrierDennis Rooker defended the Neighborhood Model while affirming that he is “not against looking at it, but …”… His argument that “one or two people” and “six or seven vociferous” opponents doesn’t hold water.The County’s own survey shows that residents are becoming less satisfied with the growth plan. (I said this the other day, but think it needs repeating)The survey indicated continued support for the county’s major growth management policies, with approximately 70% of respondents favoring concentrating development in the urban areas to protect the rural areas, but that percentage showed a significant decline in support from the 2002 survey where almost 80% of respondents said they favored concentrated growth.The public is raising its voice of disapproval with the direction the BoS has been leading the growth process.”It’s not working.” Ken Boyd”It is a fundamental conflict…”The development process needs to be more efficient, more open and better managed…. The BoS needs to plan and implement their plans better…. Don’t plan to raise the population in Crozet to 12,000 people without at least starting road improvements or mass transit. It is irresponsible and an extraordinary disservice to our community and region.
Google and transit
Charlottesville is consistently trying to tie itself to the debatable successes of Portland’s transit programs. Google now is implementing a Google Transit Trip Planner for Portland. Why don’t we see if Google will invest some time and money to implement an efficient transit program in our region from the ground up? They seem to be a fairly successful organization with a decent track record.
Eminent Domain update
This post at Bizzy Blog highlights some of the national and individual state movements towards protecting individuals’ property rights, in response to the SCOTUS’ Kelo ruling.Unfortunately, the author comes to this conclusion:I’m not happy with the idea that the “staying power†is already wearing down. If the relatively modest state legislation thus far is any indication, the initial outrage appears to have been largely neutralized….States and cities probably feel that they will be at an economic disadvantage against other states if they give up the ability to abuse eminent domain and other states and cities don’t.An excellent resource for staying abreast of the local and statewide eminent domain discussion is the VirginiaPropertyRights site. Perhaps most important is this link to find your legislator so that you can express your opinion(s) about this issue. I’ve said it before – this issue is neither conservative nor liberal, democrat nor republican; it is a matter of preventing the government from stealing your property.
Land use, APFs and the public good
There is a good discussion over at the Road to Ruin about this article in the DP that highlights the conflict, yet necessary relationship between private developers and the public good/public infrastructure.Note also Bacon’s Rebellion’s discussion about the recent forum held by the State’s new Economic Development Executive Director.I won’t step on their discussion. If you’re interested, check them out. The land use issue are ones that will continue to affect us as growth continues.
Cautiously exuberant.
I love this, from Freddie Mac.The market is cautiously exuberant. GDP growth figures for Q3 have been revised upwards, and now show that the economy grew at an annualized rate of 4.3%, the best showing since the first quarter of 2004. This growth was fueled by increases in personal spending and business investment, with revised increases in fixed residential investment playing an important role.”Cautiously exuberant.”Coupled with anecdotal signs of the economy,- Wide price differences for gas indicate that price sensitivity is less important than convenience.- Restaurant service: If it’s good, the unemployment rate is high. If it’s bad, high-quality help is harder to come by.- For Sale” signs can indicate how strong the real estate market is — particularly if prices are being lowered or properties remain on the market for a long time.The effects that the consumers’ perceptions play on the economy are fascinating.
Interest rates are high?
Interest rates are high if you look at a very short-term window.