BoS David Slutzky in Sunday’s Daily Progress:”It’s definitely time for the county and the city to put their heads together and develop a cohesive transportation system,” he said. “If you wait 20 years and start thinking about it, it will cost you a lot more than if you start thinking about it now.”I have heard many of the reasons that regional transit does not work: it is not fiscally viable, using eminent domain to take all the necessary rights-of-ways is neither reasonable nor practical, no mass-transit is successful or profitable (they are all subsidized) …… With fuel prices rising again and that Virginians are more susceptible to oil shocks, now is the time to consider our future. We seem to have a burgeoning grassroots effort with the likes of ACCT, MPO and now with a fairly forward-thinking Supervisor on Board, this thing may have legs. RCG had an excellent post last May that goes into great detail about whether mass transit increases property values. As with everything, (from the referenced report)Of course, as with any infrastructure project – be it a transit system, a public park, a highway or a school – there may be negative impacts that reduce the location value for some people. Some people move away from highways to escape the noise and smog, and some people move away from playgrounds to escape the shrill voices of kids at play. But for the market overall, positive impacts tend to outweigh the negative impacts, increasing overall property values.We should at least consider it.
Browsing Category Growth
Morning reading 04-04-06
dysfunctional layout of their physical environment — the separation of land uses; the physical disconnect between houses, offices and stores built in pods; the stringing of those pods along feeder and arterial roads — that they take it for granted…. What is a “successful” blog?A smart growth book and review.There is more to the debate over sprawl than just anti-Wal-Mart hysteria and anger over traffic…. The decentralizing trends in living and working patterns, first in suburbs and later in exurbs, have been deeply problematic for the Democratic party and the American left. So have the decentralizing patterns of the American economy in the last several decades, and the ongoing decentralization of information and media.Same with framing an argument as “left -v- right.”… That’s why I read both sides as often as possible and read between the lines. New math on homes.Calculating what to pay for your home.You look at the “comps,” of course. A real estate agent will tell you what comparable houses in the neighborhood sold for. Web sites like Zillow.com or HomeValues.com value homes the same way.
Friday afternoon …
I was in class all morning, so am in the midst of catching up. I leave you this Friday with these – (which have interesting headlines, but I haven’t read them all yet)If Michigan Is Looking at Rapid Transit, Can Virginia Be Far Behind?TDRs, a Step in the Right DirectionMedia Hype? on the emerging buyer’s marketWhy do planners favor automobiles?
April’s Forum Watch
The Free Enterprise Forum’s April Forum Watch is out. Take the time to read it. It’s long, and chock full of good information.
Morning reading 03-21-2006
Madison County struggles with their comp plan and affordable housing. Major subdivisions in Fluvanna County Augusta County’s comp plan consultant fed up, pulls out
Morning growth reading (and listening)
CvilleTomorrow continues to provide sunshine on Albemarle County’s processes. The two most recent buzzwords, “phasing” and “clustering” are on their way to prominence. My first question is – why has it taken the BoS this long to question the pace of the County’s growth?Orange, Louisa and Fluvanna are in the Commonwealth’s top 100.
The development news continues
The HooK has two excellent articles this week concerning development/growth.There grows the neighborhoodI love this part, referencing Hollymead Town Center:The only pedestrians — one touted hallmark of the neighborhood concept– enjoying the view are folks hurrying between car and shop….Thomas says the county expects each development “to have sidewalks, and have the developments be pedestrian oriented– which is a higher standard than simply providing sidewalks.”Asked about the sidewalks, Wood says wryly, “We don’t build sidewalks until we put in the streets.” He says Hollymead will eventually boast 2.5 miles of sidewalks.This is comforting:Critics complaining of “Fairfaxing” or “Loudounizing” can take comfort from this. There are only 1.4 million square feet of commercial space here. To become an “edge city” requires 5 million square feet of commercial space.This pretty much sums it up. Thanks to The HooK.