WINA reportsThe follow is a letter of invitation from David Wyant that is in the mail to all Crozet residents regarding the February 9 meeting at Western Albemarle High School…. The February 9 meeting is intended to have staff members who are working directly on major infrastructure projects such as those mentioned in the letter talk directly to Crozet residents about the status and future steps of those projects…. While staff who will be in the room on February 9 to talk about the respective infrastructure projects are not the decision makers on population projections, they do have some important infrastructure information to share and we are hoping the meeting will be a venue where that kind of information can be exchanged and discussed…. Dear Crozet Residents, You are cordially invited to attend a town meeting to update residents on the status of implementation for the Crozet Master Plan to be held on Thursday evening, February 9, from 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm at the Western Albemarle High School Cafeteria…. While the Master Plan and its population projections have been the topic of much discussion recently in other venues, the purpose of the meeting on February 9th is to focus on infrastructure development in Crozet over the next 20 years of the plan. We feel that Crozet residents need and deserve the opportunity to hear directly from county staff and officials about the status of implementation and the efforts that are going on to support the goals of the plan…. We will also discuss the formation of the Crozet Community Advisory Committee to be appointed by the Board of Supervisors and outline other ways for you to stay engaged in the process of master plan implementation…. You may also sign up for the County’s Amail enews service on the website so that you will receive regular bulletins, meeting notices, etc. We appreciate your interest and hope that you will attend the meeting and/or stay informed about the progress of the Master Plan through one of the methods we have mentioned.
Date Archives January 2006
Inventory is up in CharlAlbemarle
The moderation continues – In January 2005 in Albemarle and Charlottesville, there were 228 active properties on the market. In January 2006, there are 272.
Blogging’s rise
This article from the current American Journalism Review examines blogs’ influence on the recent political campaign in the Commonwealth. I personally see blogs contributing to the dispersion of news and information rather than replacing mainstream newspapers. I say newspapers and their online arms because I tend to not watch any television news and read mainly the WSJ and occasionally the Daily Progress in print. We need “big media” for several reasons – the inherent trust which blogs for the most part have not yet developed or cultivated.But most acknowledge their dependence on newspapers for the raw material on which they then riff. “I’m not a journalist and don’t claim to be,” says Chad Dotson, the 32-year-old prosecutor whose Commonwealth Conservative blog was perhaps the season’s most popular pro-Republican site…. This is the Wild West of reporting (and I use that term very loosely), but if I said something completely off the reservation, I would expect that bloggers on the left side would come on my blog and correct and criticize me. It is self-governing in that way.”That’s what I try to do – in an open, honest and decidedly interested way, here in my little corner of the blogosphere (there’s got to be a better name than that!)One of the greatest differences between the mediums is the speed of reaction.But Jaquith is clear that blogs operate in a different universe, with different rules: “Bloggers are not a model of bipartisanship or a model of journalism. We jump to conclusions; we say stupid things; we say things that are wrong.”There is a level of accountability and desire to be accurate due to that accountability.
No support on weekends
This isn’t surprising to most; we work around others’ schedules. It’s the nature of the business. The company that provides the online contract forms we use, Zipform, apparently does not know this, as their tech support is closed on the weekends…. They implement a change and then their support department is closed. Sales is open, support is closed. They support only Internet Explorer…. If I chose to use curse words on this blog, I would. Narrow-minded and short-sighted business practices bother me.
New listing in the City
More information can be found at my website, Google Base and Craigslist.A true renovation opportunity in the City. A two to three minute walk to the thriving West Main corridor, close to coffee shops, restaurants, Starr Hill music, UVa, the Hospital and more. This home and mostly level lot define potential. Nalle Street, in the heart of Fifeville, is experiencing tremendous revival, evidenced by the homes being restored and built up and down the street and the new condos close by.Please let me know if you are interested.
Population increases (shocking!)
The Weldon Cooper Center has released a study showing population increases throughout the Commonwealth. The Thomas Jefferson Planning District (our region) has seen a fairly significant increase in its population – 7.5%.Albemarle has seen a provisional change of 7.4%.Charlottesville – .5%Greene – 11.2%Fluvanna – 24.4%Louisa – 12.1%Nelson – 4.2%The above numbers are the total percentages, combining the natural increases and the change due to migration.
Another way to provide affordable housing?
This is ludicrous.Caravati visited Richmond on Wednesday for the third time in two weeks. He’s pushing an amendment to the City’s Charter that would make developers set aside parts of their projects as low- and moderate-income housing. Caravati says the city has had some success partnering with developers but now, “they’re just not answering the call there and hopefully this will be another inducement to get them to build more affordable units for those families that can’t quite afford it in a very expensive city.”If the developers “aren’t answering the call” why doesn’t the City go after the employers for not paying their employees more? Neil Williamson of the Free Enterprise Forum responds:”I consider the other ten buyers the ones that won the lottery and won the opportunity to have the below-market cost house and the other 90 are the ones that subsidized it,” Williamson said.The intent may be good, the method is not. Penalizing developers may make some “feel good,” but it’s not right. Nor is it right to penalize those who can legitimately afford homes in the are. The solution to the affordable housing crisis is out there somewhere. This is just not it.