The Free Enterprise Forum has published online its Forum Watch for December. This is an excellent resource for educating yourself about the goings-on in public policy, growth, etc in the region.
Browsing Category Politics
Where is Albemarle Growing?
From Brian Wheeler’s SchoolMatters: Where is Albemarle Growing?:I recently updated my analysis of the Albemarle County building reports from the past two years which document each quarter where new building permits are being issued in the County. These do not reflect newly approved developments (e.g. Old Trail Village), but rather homes in developments previously approved where a building permit has now been issued.The report includes all types of housing, but my analysis is limited to single family detached homes, as those are a leading indicator of future enrollment growth for Albemarle County Schools.Brian has done an excellent job and service by providing the actual data that should be used when considering redistricting in Albemarle County. Determining where the growth will be is a difficult task. From one of Brian’s previous posts: If you look at the list of proposed and current housing developments used by the Redistricting Committee and Dr. Castner in isolation, you can easily conclude about 50% of the development is coming up Route 29 North. However, this report does not include Old Trail Village or Wickham Pond (two developments in Crozet submitted after the committee started its work). It also does not include the proposed development at the Breeden Farm (south of I-64 near Mill Creek and 5th Street). The Breeden Farm alone could be larger than all of the growth projected for Crozet (i.e. there could be housing for more than 12,000 people, the number projected for Crozet)…. Maintaining relatively small class sizes and efficient feeder patterns should be priorities. Using accurate, up to date data should be too.
From the “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” department
From the Wall Street Journal today (link good for 7 days):The Sierra Club is well-known for trying to stop big real-estate-development projects. But in a move that could help it gain new allies, the nation’s best-known environmental group is starting to go to bat for some builders….”We are trying to be supportive of developers who are doing the right thing,” said Eric Olson, Washington-based director of the Sierra Club’s Healthy Communities Campaign. “We’re also recognizing that you can’t just be against things all the time. You have to be for things.”It seems that the Sierra Club has realized that by consistently advocating against development, they may have lost credibility as market leaders. By positioning themselves as positive advocates for good growth, they will be able to gain more partners and thereby strengthen their collective voice. Make no mistake – politics played a factor:The Sierra Club also could gain politically by this move because builders are well-connected in Washington, as well as at the local level in many communities. There will always be groups that consistently oppose growth; they have their place too…. I would be curious about what position the local Sierra Club takes on this.
Restrained growth on the horizon?
Fluvanna (from the DP):'”It’s a generational shift” … “It became apparent during this last campaign at [Lake Monticello] that there are more and more young people living at the lake,” Moss continued.”It’s a reflection really of the changing demographics, not just in Fluvanna County but at the lake.”Greene (courtesy of The HooK):”Morris cites land use and rising property taxes– particularly as they affect seniors– as the issues that spurred her to run. … “I think it boiled down to land use. He was Planning Commission chairman, and some of their decisions could be perceived as developer friendly,” Catalano says.”We don’t like pushy in Greene County,” he adds. “The perception was that the Planning Commission was trying to push an agenda in the county.”One aspect of politics that continually vexes me is the consistent dishonesty, or even perceived dishonesty, of politicians. If the following is true (and I believe it to be), how can we expect different from our elected officials?Grant concedes that his name recognition and longtime resident status may not have helped. “Maybe they hate my guts and don’t want to tell me,” he says.
Growth and the County’s credibility
From Jessica Kitchin’s story in the DP:The meeting was intended to be an information session for those who live in the Village of Rivanna – one of Albemarle County’s five growth areas and the only designated village in the county. County spokeswoman Lee Catlin, Planning Director Wayne Cilimberg, Planner Elaine Echols and Community Development Director Mark Graham all spoke to those in attendance about the planning process and what is expected to come.In light of last week’s quiet revelation that the County may have mismanaged the Crozet Master Plan, The supervisors asked county staff to look into whether the Old Trail Village development in Crozet includes significantly higher densities than those included in the Crozet Master Plan. (bolding mine)“If there is substantially more density, perhaps we can look [to cut back growth] in other areas of Crozet,†Rooker said.”If the above is an accurate, and Tom Loach is correct when he says on CvilleTomorrow’s blog:The question of a huge difference between what was in the Crozet Master Plan and what was before the BOS for rezoing (a 103% increase by my calculations in housing units and 78% increase in commercial development) was raised as early as the Planning Commission by members of the community…. It’s just that no one in the County bothered to look at the data or if they did, it didn’t seem to matter.My question is this – What credibility does the County government have left?
Albemarle BoS race, etc.
A short post this morning on the Albemarle BoS race – Christian Schoenwald lost resoundingly to the formidable incumbent Dennis Rooker in the Jack Jouett District despite running a good race. David Slutzky defeated a strong opponent in Gary Grant and Dr. Jakubowski in the Rio District. You may recall that the Charlottesville Association of Realtors (CAAR) endorsed both Schoenwald and Slutzky…. David Slutzky is the most qualified candidate for the job, and I believe that Albemarle will benefit from his years of experience and his vast wealth of knowledge.