Virginia Railway Express may be coming to C’Ville …Charlottesville Podcasting Network has another outstanding and decidedly pertinent story – Charlottesville Citizens for Better Rail Alternatives … held its first organizational meeting last week at the Downtown Visitors’ Center, and consisted of a public presentation by Meredith Richards, former city councilwoman and candidate for Congress…. C-Ville and the HooK have been all over this story for the past few months -The two points of view – Pro – The Washington commute on the proposed Virginia Railway Express would take two-and-a-half hours each way, so unless the invading hordes are willing to commute five hours each day for their jobs, the “bedroom community†scenario is not likely. But by providing reliable daily passenger train service to D.C., the VRE would take hundreds of cars off the road every day, easing our congested traffic on 29 and putting significantly less toxic emissions in the air per passenger than the same trip by car— (from a letter to the Editor in C-Ville)Con – As one who fled the wretched excesses of Northern Virginia (too many people, too many strip malls, too much traffic, too many townhouses) for the sanctity of Albemarle County, I am greatly frightened to see that there are those within our wonderful community who are working hard to destroy this place in the name of progress, or under the dubious umbrella of pollution emissions controls.
Browsing Category Regional
To sell or not to sell?
such as sweeping and cleaning cobwebs from corners.There are a lot of corollaries between our local market and the Northern VA market, not least the amount of young professionals and their transience. Seeing a quote such as this – For sellers in the nation’s hottest housing markets, the thought that the peak may have passed is sobering. In the suburban Washington, D.C., market, the number of contracts for single-family homes fell 8.9% in July from the year before. Brokers who used to oversee bidding wars of houses that hadn’t had a makeover in decades are now pushing sellers to fix up their places to sell faster.lend credence to my belief that the market is shifting a bit, and not only due to the cyclical nature of the market (due in large part to the school calendar).
Charlottesville area Market update/bubble?
Prevailing wisdom says that one of the major indicators of a bursting real estate bubble is an increase in the number of homes on the market. Using the local MLS, I pulled together the number of homes that were Active, Contingent or Pending in 2004 versus 2005. There are two snapshots – one for January through September and one for April through August…. In short, there were significantly more properties on the market in Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna and Greene in the “Spring Market” of 2005 versus 2004.
Transportation Progress?
From today’s DP – With Old Trail coming, we should make sure that the roads in Crozet are usable,†Supervisor Sally H…. Wyant, whose White Hall district includes Crozet, said his mindset on road improvements has changed.“I’m almost at the point now where the roads are not what I think we should have an emphasis on, but it should be sidewalks and bike trails and maybe mass transit,†Wyant said…. My feeling is that mass transit may not be in the cards for three years, five years, ten years, maybe even twenty-five years; but I think that it must be considered when looking at the regional transportation needs. I hope that the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation folks see this and use it as a stepping stone to further this discussion.
Southern Pines development in Fluvanna
While it was clear that the Fluvanna County Planning Commission was unhappy with Barry Meade’s proposed Southern Pines development, some members felt they did not have the necessary legal grounds to reject it…. 630 (Mountain Laurel Road) in the Columbia district.Speakers cited concerns about a dwindling water supply, displaced wildlife, increased traffic, overcrowded schools, overburdened emergency services, and lack of infrastructure. Some castigated the commission for penning a set of zoning ordinances they viewed as “disastrous.â€And then the Developer’s attorney speaks – “We appreciate the citizen input,†said Boyd, but reiterated that Southern Pines is a by right development. “We are fully confident that we have addressed the ordinances’ requirements.â€She told the commissioners that Meade was trying to create a neighborhood that anyone would be happy to live in. While the homeowners association would not own the open space, the landowner would continue to grow and harvest trees and would grant homeowners an easement around the houses that could contain walking trails.By right is one thing; but should developers be held responsible for providing the necessary infrastructure that will enable their developments and the surrounding community, will be sustainable?
We’re Number 52!
We are the 52nd highest-ranked Metropolitan Statistical Area in the nation, with regard to percent change in house prices (they’ve gone up). The PDF is at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight’s site. The statistics are pretty amazing. Over a 5 year period, housing prices have increased almost 70%!
Forum Watch is out.
IN THIS ISSUE: Important Dates Zoning Issues Master PlanningWater Supply Transportation Policy Other Land Use Editorial Important Dates September 14 – Local Governmental Forum Chamber of Commerce see www.cvillechamber.comSeptember 14 – Albemarle County BOS work session – Overlot grading 6:00 pm ACOBSeptember 20 – TJPED Economic Development Symposium http://www.tjped.com/ 9:00 am PVCCSeptember 20 – Albemarle Planning Commission Hearing Lighting Zoning Text Amendment 6:00 pm ACOBSeptember 21 – Fluvanna BOS meeting development work session 7:00 pm FCGC ACOB – Albemarle County Office Building CCH- Charlottesville City HallGCAB – Greene County Administration BuildingFCGC – Fluvanna County Government CenterPVCC – Piedmont Virginia Community College Return to Top Transportation Policy Meadowcreek Parkway – The efforts to generate federal dollars in support of a Meadowcreek Parkway interchange were successful to the tune of $27 million dollars…. Story and map see http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP/MGArticle/CDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784482548 Return to Top Zoning Issues Albemarle County Neighborhood Model Zoning Text Amendment – The previous iteration of the ZTA is now available online at http://www.albemarle.org/department.asp?department=planning&relpage=5236 Albemarle County staff held a focused discussion on March 31st 2004 to discuss the changes to the zoning with members of the development, building, real estate and community at large…. A map of the study area can be found here http://www.albemarle.org/upload/images/Forms_Center/Departments/Board_of_Supervisors/Forms/Agenda/2005Files/20050504/Northerndevelopmentattachb.pdfReturn to TopOther Land UseAlbemarle County Mountain Overlay Committee – This committee is now idle waiting for staff to draft proposed language for a Mountain Overlay District (MOD) Ordinance…. For additional details on their current deliberations, please contact neil@freeenterpriseforum.org .Albemarle County Lighting Zoning Text Amendment The Free Enterprise Forum has submitted a zoning text amendment to ask Albemarle County to reconsider it’s prohibition of spilled light on pedestrian walkways and right of ways.