Unsurprisingly, Charlottesville’s City Council is expressing concerns about the size and scale of the just-opened Flats at West Village. The thing is huge (particularly from the back).
I’m curious to see how quickly the place gets leased out.
Browsing Category Growth
Fry’s Springs Downzoning Proposed Again
The perils of zoning rear their heads in Fry’s Springs.
The Charlottesville City Council has agreed to consider a request from the Fry’s Spring Neighborhood Association to study rezoning of three streets.
“Essentially, they are asking for the properties on Stribling, Crestmont and Shamrock to be downzoned,†said Jim Tolbert, director of the city’s Neighborhood Development Services.
Specifically, the neighborhood association has been asking for the city to change the zoning on all properties classified as R-2 to R-1S. Properties in R-2 can have up to two families, whereas R-1S allows only one. Accessory apartments could still exist, but only if the property owner lives on site.
In all, there are 213 properties in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood with R-2 zoning.
This is an interesting development, so to speak. On one hand, what’s the harm in having the conversation about downzoning (besides staff time and resources)? The harm is that by contemplating downzoning, the City is discussing changing the property rights of owners.
R-2 and R-1S zoning presumably provide affordable housing options, and by eliminating this zoning the City would presumably be eliminating some affordable housing options … but with all the apartments coming to West Main Street, maybe the City is ok with this.
Curious – do off-site owners have lesser rights than owner-occupants?
“Councilor Dede Smith, a Fry’s Spring resident, said that half of those owners do not live in Charlottesville.”
If you’re curious to see the City of Charlottesville’s zoning map, start here (the West Main study that’s there is interesting, too).
Changing the Proffer System in Albemarle County
I can’t argue with any of this.
I’d say that there has to be a balance between new homes paying their way and existing homes paying their way.
A Stark Look at Urban Planning in Charlottesville and Albemarle
What do most people think about when they think about “Charlottesville”? The Downtown Mall? It’s in the City. Monticello? That’s in the County. So’s the Rotunda. And John Paul Jones Arena. Know what doesn’t get…
Downtown Charlottesville Redevelopment Planned
Growth within Charlottesville City limits is going to get even more dense in the future, and not just along West Main Street.
It’s long been said that the area south of the Downtown Mall is some of the best real estate in the City of Charlottesville.
It’s a big plan. Bold, edgy and, in my opinion will likely result in something sometime that will look a little bit like the proposed plan. In true Charlottesville fashion,
“It’s a conceptual study, and one of the things we recommend as an immediate next step is additional study,†Pierce-McManamon responded.
This is the sort of thing that anybody thinking about buying or renting anywhere near the City of Charlottesville should at least know about, if not know. Everything will be touched by this plan – by its implementation and by the conversation about the possibility of the implementation. Thoughts of “what if” will impact property values and buyers’ decisions.
This proposal touches on everything – the economy, transportation, infrastructure, affordable housing (Friendship Court would be gone), jobs, the real estate market – everything. Keep in mind that this is a visionary plan. So far as I can discern, there is no developer in the wings pushing for this plan.
You may want to spend some time reading the linked documents – 300 plus pages – at Charlottesville Tomorrow. The historical section that breaks down the development history of downtown Charlottesville is particularly interesting.
By 1990, connectivity in the area had decreased dramatically. Although new buildings began to spring up along Garrett Street in the 1980s, the super-blocks remained. New development occurred in a piece-meal fashion, without a large-scale employer taking the place of the previous industries which had closed.
There is likely to be more discussion at cvillenews.
Do You Know What You Don’t Know about County Public Meetings?
What happens in public hearings affects darn near everyone.
So much happens in Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meetings that the public doesn’t find out about – and then get up in arms about, or support – until it (whatever it is) is too far along to change.
I try my best to follow what happens in these meetings as I think it’s part of my job to know more than my clients – whether buyers or sellers. I need to know what might be happening over there that might impact their quality of life, traffic congestion, shopping options, potential resale competition, growth and human settlement patterns, property taxes – you name it, it’s covered at local public meetings.
For example, the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting is chock full of stuff that will affect people’s lives and property values, and these public hearings are all over the County – Barracks Road, 29 North, Pantops, Crozet …
Public Hearings (links go to PDFs):
• ACSA-2013-0002. Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc
• ZMA-2012-00003. Out of Bounds
• ZMA-2012-00004. Avon Park II
• ZMA-2013-00001. The Lofts at Meadowcreek
• ZMA-2012-0005. Hollymead Town Center (A-1)
• ZMA-2013-0007. North Pointe Amendment
• ZMA-2013-0002. Pantops Corner
• SP-2013-000015. Mahone Family
• ZTA-2013-00006. Residential and Industrial Uses in Downtown Crozet Zoning District (“DCD”)
If you’re interested in following these public meetings, two of the more prolific tweeters of public meetings are Neil Williamson of the Free Enterprise Forum and Sean Tubbs of Charlottesville Tomorrow.
To be equitable, I looked for the Charlottesville City Council’s agenda but it has not yet been posted. (actually it’s postponed, per C-Ville)
A Big Shift in Albemarle County’s Board of Supervisors
A lot of money was raised and spent in these elections.
The Albemarle County elections last night brought about a resounding change on the Albemarle County Supervisors. Gone are Rodney Thomas and Duane Snow; in are Brad Sheffield and Liz Palmer. For what it’s worth, the Democrats won and the Republicans lost.
Looking at the races through the lens of VPAP data, I saw this in a Facebook conversation:
So which Supervisors are beholden to real estate development groups? Here are some of the top donations by industry… Notice a pattern?
Duane Snow, $17,800 Real Estate/Construction
Liz Palmer, $26,043 Miscellaneous
Rodney Thomas, $12,300 Real Estate/Construction
Brad Sheffield, $17,386 Miscellaneous
It’s hard to argue with money. Seemingly more than the ballot box, money matters.
Local elections matter. The localities vote on growth management strategies, property tax rates, the ways in which the emergency services operate and cooperate (or not) and notably transportation and infrastructure improvements. And yesterday, about 13,000 people in Albemarle County helped decide the near (and long) term future of Albemarle County.
J. Reynolds Hutchins at the DP says:
Palmer, Sheffield and McKeel ran campaigns hinged on the county’s growing transportation problems and angst over the Western Bypass of U.S. 29.
Whether the Western Bypass gets built will be an interesting (continued) debate. Will they build it? Will they shut it down? Will they study it more? Will they extend it so it’s a more logical and functional road?
The County needs infrastructure improvements … let’s see how the new Board chooses to take up that task.