The forum this evening was attended by only about twenty people, due in large part to the high school football games that were rescheduled from Friday to today.Dennis Rooker and Christian Schoenwald disagreed on many aspects of how Albemarle is and will grow…. First and foremost, Dennis Rooker stated that the Old Trail development in Crozet is an almost perfect model of how a new urbanist development should look…. Are they really going to sell so many homes almost 50% current market value? What kind of kooky deed restrictions are they going to have?Cvillepodcast should have the forum posted later this evening or tomorrow morning.
Browsing Category Growth
Places29 planning continues
From yesterday’s DP article by Jessica Kitchin – A look at old maps of the U.S. 29 corridor north of Charlottesville underscores the amount of development it has undergone in recent years. What was secluded in the 1980s has become a bustling assortment of stoplights, strip malls and parking lots.That urbanization and an intensive effort to better plan the developing areas of the county have led local officials to focus on the often-derided highway.Better late than never. The Places29 project continues in the same vein as the Crozet Master Plan and the equally belated Pantops Master Plan. From the same article – “The Places29 study is really a flagship model for a comprehensive approach that incorporates transportation and land-use issues,†said Harrison Rue, executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.
Greene and Fluvanna news
I try to stay regionally involved and up to date; it is very difficult to do.
Reading today
Regardless, here are a few of what I was reading today.PROPONENTS OF limitless growth in Loudoun County keep inventing new ways to railroad their designs into law. (WashingtonPost) The similarities between Loudon and Central Va are frightening sometimes.A NYTimes eminent domain article showing the merits of eminent domain in some occasions – With local government officials throughout the nation struggling to defend themselves against the storm of criticism unleashed by the Kelo decision, the International Economic Development Council, a professional group based in Washington, cites the Best Buy headquarters to illustrate why eminent domain is sometimes a crucial tool in combating urban decay and sprawl.Another WSJ eminent domain article showing the merits – Situations such as this, rather than those in which people are pushed out of their homes, make up a large percentage of cases in which St…. Louis if the Supreme Court hadn’t upheld eminent-domain rules in its Kelo v. New London decision, Ms. Geisman adds.Study it again!The Albemarle supervisors will join Charlottesville in sharing the cost of a road study…. prior studies show 40% of the Pantops traffic coming into and leaving Charlottesville uses East High Street.Well, golly, that makes sense …
Albemarle County BOS elections
Tonight marks the first of several candidate forums highlighting the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors elections…. In no particular order, but under the sub-heading of Growth: Affordable Housing, the environmental impact of growth, infrastructure, planning and development, water, jobs and last but not least, taxes.Make no mistake, this is an opportunity to change the direction of our County in a positive way; the status quo is not always the best direction. I encourage all to educate themselves, attend the candidate forums if possible, listen to any available podcasts …… One of the primary complaints that I hear from the public is that they hear about changes in the County only after they have been voted on. Speak up now.
Growth, politics and the market (morning reading)
Tom McCrystal has a nice post.Conserve energy.The NYTimes causes a stir this morning with a report on the housing market.Greene faces its future with their Board of Supervisors elections.Development issues in Louisa and Fluvanna.Everything in this region always comes down to money, politics and growth.