If we paid for how many miles we drove?…Â early next year, six other states will begin testing a new fund-raising mechanism: charging motorists for the number of miles they drive instead of the amount of gasoline they consume.1) Commissions would rise2) There would be a greater transparency in real estate fees3) There may be fewer Realtors4) More buyers would drive themselves, and the Realtors would be riding shotgun.5) More Realtors would drive hybrids and their market areas would be smaller.
Browsing Category Transportation
Pulled from the comments of one of last week’s stories – Albemarle growth and appreciation
After a closer look at the VAR’s July numbers, it seems that “median price†is really not at all indicative of market trends, which seem poor and getting worse with each passing month in this area.Consider, average days on the market of 86 marked an increase of nearly 50% from the same month in 2006 and 10% from June ‘07…. Dumping massive supply into a rapidly declining market doesn’t seem to make much economic sense.And from Luke:As a real estate amateur and an intelligence professional, I know one thing for certain, the Defense Intelligence Agency is moving a sizable portion of its operations to Charlottesville, creating a significant number of high-paying jobs and likely keeping prices inflated as they have been over the past few years, so I have no fear in buying a house right now, in fact I’m building one…. In short, the Dillon rule does indeed hinder our ability to manage growth, but the county is not without tools to address these issues.For that matter, Governor Kane [sic] has mentioned a willingness to work with local governments to give them more tools to address the issue of sprawl…. If we’re going to grow (and we seem to be) we should grow in the right areas, and we should grow in a smart manner – with infrastructure as well as houses.As noted on Brian Wheeler’s site last month:For the SFD permits detailed above (last 12 months), 61.4% were in rural areas and 20.25% were in the Crozet designated growth area …
A new urbanist design that facilitates social drinking – brilliant.
From Fermentium:Standard suburban design, with housing separated from retail and office uses, forces people to drive for their every need, no matter how small. One glass of wine in a nice establishment involves a minimum 10 minute car ride in most of suburbia, and any more to drink requires the presence of a designated driver. But things are changing, a neighborhood planning movement called new urbanism is creating communities all across the U.S. with design features that reduce the risk of drunk driving, so you can live in the suburbs and drink your beer too!Via Boing Boing.The true test in the Charlottesville market – will Old Trail, Belvedere, Biscuit Run successfully incorporate these concepts? How about a wine/coffee store/bar as one of the central points of the development?
And you wonder why transit hasn’t gained traction in the Charlottesville area?
From WINA:CTS buses are idle for the rest of the Labor Day weekendThose who normally rely on Charlottesville Transit Service to get around the city and Albemarle’s urban ring will need to make other arrangements between now and Tuesday morning. CTS Spokeswoman Tamika Harris says the buses and trolleys will be idle Sunday and Monday in honor of Labor Day. CTS will be running its regular routes shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday.And from today’s Daily Progress:Halfway through her journey, Mary rested her head against the bus window, stared at the cars whizzing by on U.S. 29 and sighed.It had been nearly three hours since she left her house off Preston Avenue, and an equal amount of time would pass before she returned home.All this for two measly errands – a doctor’s appointment and a trip to Rio Hill shopping center…. An entire day spent navigating Charlottesville’s public transportation system.
CharlAlbemarle’s infrastructure problems summed up in one quote
“Both Charlottesville and Albemarle have dedicated $250,000 for an Eastern Connector location study and a committee has been meeting regularly to discuss the road.” From today’s DP.
Putting Charlottesville traffic in perspective
Our versions of what ‘bad’ are surely differ, but I’m sure if you look at any traffic survey of worst traffic cities, Charlottesville won’t even come close to registering on the list.One of the appealing things about the Charlottesville area has been the relatively high quality of life…. Is our region marketing the lifestyle of “Charlottesville” from seven to ten to fifteen years ago, when one could go from one end of town to the other in ten minutes, or the lifestyle of today, when that same trip takes thirty minutes?… Within our region, we are becoming more and more segmented – 29 North (North), Pantops (East), Crozet (West) and 29 South – and the desire for self-sufficiency and sustainable businesses within these regions is growing (fodder for another story). Just as we market the characters in neighborhoods in addition to the actual house, the question is – when marketing homes for sale in the Charlottesville area, which lifestyle are we marketing?
Albemarle Place delayed at least a year
… I am told by a little birdie.