Browsing Category Growth

A better implementation of the “Town Center” model?

in General Real Estate Growth on

Despite that this plan originated somewhat in Celebration, Florida, there is one aspect of this plan that makes sense:Besides the location, many of the 3,000 residents rave about the pre-1940s-style architecture that includes Victorian, Colonial Revival, French and country homes, many with front porches that residents say makes their neighborhoods more close-knit.Hmmm.  Not building cookie-cutter homes, putting at least some consideration into creative design?  Not an entirely bad idea, in my opinion.  Other builders are incorporating town-planning elements of TNDs in otherwise conventional tracts.  More cities across the nation are starting to require these kinds of urban designs, as part of a general movement called “smart growth” to corral sprawl.It may not seem like it sometimes, but we are not the only ones struggling with growth.

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6,000 more homes?

in Albemarle Charlottesville Growth on

Potentially, if Biscuit Run and North Pointe are built out.  Charlottesville Tomorrow has an excellent round-up of last night’s sessions.The DP has a good summary here….  North Pointe as that:Approximately 10 percent of North Pointe’s housing would be designated affordable, which means each unit must cost no more than $190,000.  There would also be “not a lot of” workforce housing costing around $238,000, Chuck Rotgin of Great Eastern said.I’ll believe it when I see it.The WP has an interesting article on affordable housing efforts in Prince William County, and the seemingly disingenuous efforts to roadblock those efforts.But Supervisor Maureen S.  Caddigan (R-Dumfries) said she was not ready to endorse the project in part because it could be broadened to include low-income residents.  Also, she said, most of the units would be built in her eastern Prince William district, an area that she said lacks schools and other services to accommodate additional housing….Caddigan also questioned the motive of the group, saying that Greater Prince William Community Development Center was trying to latch on to workforce housing as a way to win public funds for low- and moderate-income housing.”Workforce housing is what we bought into, but now, it’s faith-based,” she said.Under the proposal, county workers would get the first chance to buy or rent units.  “The idea is to give the teachers, the firefighters, the public safety employees first crack at this housing,” said Regina Perrin, chief executive of MeetingHouse Corp., a nonprofit group that has worked on creating the development center with Prince William area churches.  “If the county doesn’t fund us, we can’t guarantee that.”Those bastards.

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Regulation, housing prices, affordability …

in Affordability General Real Estate Growth on

Whew.  One of the best parts of the New York Times’ real estate magazine is online.  When reading a long story online, a great annoyance is clicking through to the next page (in this case, seven!)  of the article.  The whizzes at the NYT heard my silent groans and installed a nice feature.  In addition to the “printer friendly” option, they have a “single page” option.  So simple, and so appreciated.  Thank you.

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Albemarle Place update & podcast

in Albemarle Growth Podcast on

Charlottesville Tomorrow has a podcast of Dennis Rooker’s appearance on WINA’s Charlottesville Live morning program.  I hope that there is enough traffic and comments to encourage WINA to podcast their shows, both their morning show and their new afternoon show with Coy Barefoot.  I expect that the afternoon show is probably very good, but I have not been able to listen yet.

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