Rooker calls a win-win situation for the developer and community.“It’s a great example of how someone has developed the neighborhood model and also been commercially successful,†Rooker said…. The changes have been coming for several years; this project serves to completely destroy any hope that that sleepiness will remain.As a Realtor, ostensibly change and growth is good…. Old Trail Village, a proposed development to include about 2,000 housing units on 257 acres, would change the nature of Crozet, clog its roads and threaten its downtown, residents of the area told the Albemarle County Planning Commission on Tuesday. This is news to some people?Crozet residents objecting to the plan said it would lead to new housing before needed road, sidewalk and school improvements are provided and would harm the vitality of the downtown.
Browsing Category Regional
Meadowcreek finds money
Sen. John Warner has helped the Meadowcreek Parkway see the light of day. Make no mistake – this is huge.Warner said he decided to earmark the federal transportation dollars available to him as a senior senator to pay for a grade-separated interchange at the U.S. 250 Bypass, McIntire Road and the southern end of the parkway that has been planned for more than 30 years. The 2-mile parkway would extend from East Rio Road to Melbourne Road, wind through the east edge of McIntire Park and end at the U.S. 250 Bypass“It doesn’t have a damn thing to do with politics or anything like that. It’s just an old [former University of Virginia law] student’s expression of gratefulness to the community,†Warner said in a telephone interview.This quote irritates me a bit as it is our money he is talking about.
Water may be coming soon
We are getting closer to a possible resolution to our water infrastructure woes. WINA reports that The Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority has been considering four options; one is the favorite, one is still in the running, and the remaining two are running at the back of the pack. Authority Director Tom Frederick says a final choice will be sent to regulators in February, 2006.The saga continues. It will be interesting to see just how much actual input we have with the federal regulators.
Alternative transportation poll
The Daily Progress has a poll asking “Do you think Charlottesville needs more alternative transportation options?”When I answered the poll question this morning, 80% (178 votes) had answered yes…. Not really.If I could figure out how to do a poll on this site, and I had the traffic to give a decent, non-scientific response, I would ask – –Do you think the Central Virginia region needs more alternative transportation options? –If yes, would you be willing to pay an additional $5 per day/more in a localized gas tax/higher consumption tax of some form in order to pay for these improvements?–If yes, would you be in favor of the local governments possibly taking property from private landowners so that they can build these improvements? (this would be an example of the right kind of eminent domain!)–If no, are you happy with the current amount of traffic/infrastructure in our region?We have to realize that the transportation issues we are all facing impact us all from a property value aspect as well as a basic quality of life aspect.
Alternative transportation from a CVille-centric POV
It sounds expensive, she admitted, but added that when the price is compared with the cost of other transportation projects, it’s relatively low.She pointed to the Hillsdale Drive Extension, a one-mile road that will connect Hydraulic Road to Hillsdale at its existing terminus at Greenbrier Drive and cost between $17 million and $27 million. A design study is underway, and a build date has not been set.The Meadowcreek Parkway, running about two miles, is currently estimated to cost at least $50 million if it’s built with a grade-separated interchange at the U.S. 250 Bypass.Some form of mass transit that is fiscally viable and efficient for moving people is a laudable goal…. Continually focusing on the challenges that the City faces serves only to reinforce the myopic view that the City is the only important entity in the region. Many (most) of the people who work in the City cannot afford to live in the City so they have to drive to get to work!
Region’s home sales continue at blistering pace
Indeed, despite some predictions of a coming slowdown, home sales in the Charlottesville area continued at a fierce pace in the just-ended second quarter of 2005, exceeding the numbers for the same period of 2004.“We continue to see a great real estate market,†said Dave Phillips, CEO of the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors. “All looks bright and rosy.â€According to the association’s data, 1,300 homes were sold in the Charlottesville market area during the second quarter of the year, up nearly 5 percent from the second quarter of 2004…. Discount brokers that do not put their properties in the MLS as well as FSBOs comprise perhaps 10% of the market -this is a fairly substantial percentage, and these homes tend to sell for significantly less than if they were marketed as broadly as possible. (Source: Realtor.org.)Either way you look at the data, housing prices continue to rise due to the massive influx of people from other areas of the country and world.
Outstanding commentary on possible bubble
Unfortunately, it’s not a podcast, but oh well.Some key quotes – “Five years after the boom, anyone waiting for a real estate crash is still waiting.” “I have never seen a family buy a home they knew they couldn’t afford just because they thought the price would go up.””The second thing the bubbleologists don’t understand is land…. (bolding mine)”The truth hated most on the street- invest in a home and even if you are wrong about prices, you get to live in it…. Available land is scarce, and there are more people who want to buy than want (or can afford to) sell.