As noted earlier this month, building permits are down in the Albemarle County region. Now, the Third Quarter Building Report has been released.The market needs to work its way through the excess inventory. Not adding to that pile is a good start.Two notable conclusions can be drawn:1) The plan to drive development into the growth areas seems to be working (27% of permits issued were in the White Hall district in Western Albemarle)2) Fewer building permits means that the market’s focus may turn to existing housing inventory – which is a very good thing. Thanks to Brian Wheeler for putting this report together.
Browsing Category Growth
Rumors of Albemarle Place’s demise are greatly exaggerated
Following up on the great discussion at Cvillenews about the rumors of the demise of Albemarle Place …If it were to become a park, there isn’t much surrounding residential density from which to draw pedestrian traffic.View Larger MapDoes that look pedestrian-friendly to you?Online, the location looks ideal for “walkability” – 74 out of 100, even. That is, until you actually drive here and see that in crossing Emmet Street one is literally taking one’s life into one’s hands. Rumors were out as early as June (and probably earlier) that Whole Foods was moving to the K-mart shopping center, but the Daily Progress has an informative article this morning on the status of Albemarle Place saying that things are moving along quite well, thank you. Also, don’t miss the debate about next week’s BoS election there as well.
November Referendum on Growth in Albemarle
Will Goldsmith with C-Ville has an excellent summary of next month’s Albemarle County BoS election:In electoral terms, this is an off year, with no federal offices up for grabs. Typically, voter turnout is particularly low in Virginia during odd years like these, when there’s not even a governor’s race to push the masses to the polls. To see that, we can look at 2003, the last year a Board of Supervisors race was held without a governor’s race: Of 54,000 registered to vote, only 17,500 came out—32.5 percent…. With the seats divided up by district, that means each seat will be decided by 3,000 to 4,000 voters.With so much at stake, this has shaped up to be one of the most meaningful races for the Board of Supervisors in recent memory—the perfect referendum on the path the county has been taking lately, particularly as concerns development.Vote or don’t complain.Charlottesville Tomorrow’s election guides have just been released as well.
Where did Albemarle Place’s site go?
It’s gone. Much has been written about the massive development known as Albemarle Place over the last couple of years … most recently the news that it will be delayed by at least a year. Where’d their site go?
Water supply and drought in Central Virginia
For the first time, buyer clients of mine have specifically chosen to not look in the Charlottesville area and instead are redirecting their search to Waynesboro, just west of Charlottesville.(
We do not need studies. We need action. We need a plan.
Says Bryan McKenzie today.There are some serious concerns our community needs to address and not just with another study and another consultant but with real, shirt-sleeves up, kick butt and take down names attitude…
Growth issues abound in Charlottesville and Albemarle
Free Enterprise Forum’s October newsletter – they attend more meetings than almost anyone else Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Program still seeking tractionAh, the “greater good” argument:The request creates a conundrum for the Board, a conundrum most succinctly spelled out by Slutzky at that September meeting: “We’re weighing the individual property owner’s wishes appropriately, but we should be weighing them against ultimately what’s the objective of this master planning process.â€At that same meeting, Wheeler offered her own view: “To propose a change in property rights or the land use for my property without contacting me is unconscionable,†she said during the public comment. “The property rights for the people who live in that area should be the concern of the people who live on that land.â€Is a conservation easement not an option?At least one of the candidates is going door-to-door.Cato Institute scholar talks zoning.Dr. Van Doren outlined three points on zoning’s inefficiency, “Zoning reduces some property values (land that could be used more intensely), more than it increases other property values; zoning is not necessary to ‘preserve’ wealth; and the market for change in zoning is political rather than explicitly economic.â€How Houston gets along without zoning.Meadowcreek Parkway moving forward. I couldn’t agree with Dave Norris more:“I would like to see a much stronger emphasis be put on getting a commitment by the County and setting an expectation from the County to really step up on the issue of transit, bike and pedestrian connections,†he said.I would add only that to emphasize the need to coordinate transit plans with all the stakeholders, not just the City of Charlottesville, County of Albemarle and the University of Virginia.