But we already knew Charlottesville is a cool college town, Southern Living. What we didn’t know is that we had a Belmont “quarter.” We do have an area of Charlottesville called “Belmont” . Here’s a…
Browsing Category Albemarle
Stonefield’s Historical Context in Albemarle
As seen on Twitter: Read that again: “ARB discussion regarding Stonefield (White Brick vs Red Brick). Wright decries lack of historical context – wants full redesign” The “historical context” of what? The 29 corridor? The…
Politics – Will I Fit In?
“Will I fit in?” is perhaps the most common question any homebuyer asks. Is “How will my potential neighbors vote” one of your criteria when evaluating where to buy (or rent) a home? I don’t…
The Lodge at Old Trail in Crozet – So Much More than “Assisted Living”
If you haven’t been to Crozet recently to see The Lodge at Old Trail, you’re missing what may be the one of the biggest privately-built buildings in the area. I spent the morning there talking with David Hilliard, the owner of the Lodge at Old Trail.
Simply put, both the building and the mission are impressive – it’s so much more than an assisted living facility. From a pub to gardens to residential living to a dance floor to a secure area for those who need a bit more assistance.
Categorizing the Charlottesville Real Estate Market
The Charlottesville real estate market can be broken down into at least four categories.:
– 20% distressed
– 20-30% is overpriced
– 20-25% is stuff that no one wants to buy
– 20% is in great condition, priced really well and is selling in under 60 days. *
* “Right now” is Tuesday, 2 August. In the Charlottesville MSA, there are 2312 homes on the market, 482 properties are under contract. 266 have Days on Market of under 60 days. 257 have Continuous Days on Market of under 60 days.
Further, just because I was curious, 766 properties on the market have been on the market for under 60 days.
Albemarle County Schools’ Populations Are Growing. Unexpectedly. ?!
Is anyone other than the politicians surprised?
The question is – would you support an Adequate Public Facility ordinance?
Aaron Richardson at the Daily Progress reports:
Some Albemarle County schools could exceed their capacity sooner than expected, thanks to rapid growth.
Supervisor Ken Boyd curiously chooses the word “adequately” when referring to funding*
“We’re committed to providing adequate educational opportunities in this county, but we’re going to have to look at what other capital improvement projects we have going on,†Boyd said. “We’d have to take a more holistic view than, ‘Gee, have we got $46 million more to spend on education?’â€
“Curious” because either:
1 – He thinks the County should offer merely “adequate” education rather than “world class”.*
2 – He’s laying the groundwork for a conversation about adequate public facilities (which tend to be opposed by Realtors) , the long-debated ordinance that would essentially prevent new homes’ construction before adequate infrastructure/fire & rescue/school/etc was in place.
Better schools increase house prices.
At some point, the politicians and the people need to understand that our population is growing, and they need to plan accordingly.
What is an adequate public facilities ordinance? I found the following definition in 2005:
An Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) is a law adopted by the local government that allows it to defer the approval of developments based upon a finding by the governing body that public facilities would not be not adequate to support the proposed development at build out.
What are the components of an effective APF ordinance?

• Identifies the types of public facilities to be considered.

• Limits the period of time during which the deferral on development imposed by an APFO can be in force.

• Requires the locality to have in place a capital facilities plan to remedy the infrastructure inadequacy that has been the basis for the development deferral.
Stonefield’s Red Clay Sea
Stonefield’s Sea of Red Clay. Or Moonscape. Whatever you want to call it.