* 
Virginia’s 5th District is huge, and this election is not fully representative of all of the Charlottesville MSA, but it’s a “good enough” snapshot. (at least for these purposes). Sure, the results are unofficial, but thanks to Virginia’s State Board of Elections, we can see tonight’s election results. … You couldn’t even muster 50% turnout. 
Albemarle County – More Balanced than Charlottesville City 
Greene County – More Republican than Charlottesville City or Albemarle County. 
Fluvanna County 
Nelson County – the best percentage turnout! 
* I made a long, insightful comment on Facebook months ago, and, because of the Facebook way, can’t find the comment for the life of me.
Posts tagged Politics
C-Ville and The HooK Investigate Biscuit Run
But the Biscuit Run acquisition process, from start to finish, was a hasty affair that involved no public input and a network of businessmen and politicians with close ties. No one who negotiated the deal could control how much taxpayers paid—the decision is left to a few unelected bureaucrats in the state tax department.
…It is about something far more prosaic, and possibly more disturbing—how influential people align their interests and justify their actions by saying they did it for you and me. For background on Biscuit Run, do as I do and turn to the RealCentralVA.com archives and, better yet, Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Biscuit Run archives .
Charlottesville and Albemarle Need to Stabilize Population?
ASAP says their research at this point is still insufficient to identify a specific optimal population for the community. However, faced with a limited supply of natural resources, Marshall said housing is the key piece of community infrastructure that needs to be limited to reduce demand.
I’m sure that Fluvanna, Greene, Nelson, Louisa and the other surrounding counties would love to have Charlottesville/Albemarle place caps on housing starts. … CharlAlbemarle would then have traffic coming into the urban ring without the benefit of property taxes (which don’t cover the cost of housing). – How does one define “optimum population” and what are the consequences for exceeding said optimum population ? – Maybe we could also institute congestion pricing as they have in London (really not a bad idea) instead of a moat. – Would we restrict services to residents if they weren’t in the urban ring and didn’t pay a fire or rescue fee ?
Bike Paths Increase Property Values?
Proximity to transit may increase property values . (From 2005 ) Walkability increases property values and livability . And now, studies have shown that real estate property values increase with proximity to bicycle paths. People enjoy living close to bike paths and are willing to pay more for an otherwise comparable house to be closer to one . (h/t BHG ) In short, proximity to functional, viable, affordable, multi-modal infrastructure increases property values.
Dredge? Dig? Drig? Charlottesville and Albemarle Need a Water Plan
I could make at least two arguments: 1 – The City Council has once again demonstrated their collective inability to stick to a plan that was hammered out over many years and was a good plan. 2 – Congratulations to City Council for being flexible, relatively nimble and for listening to the people This much is known – we need water, and it’s not an infinite supply and Charlottesville and Albemarle aren’t alone – Fluvanna and Louisa have been talking about water for some time .. … And the dam supporters had some pretty big guns: the Chamber of Commerce, the aforementioned former Supervisor, the League of Women Voters, and the Nature Conservancy, the enviro-group credited with devising the dam/pipeline plan. … Charlottesville Tomorrow : Charlottesville City Council has unanimously approved a revised community water supply plan proposal that emphasizes phased construction of a new or refurbished Ragged Mountain Dam (with an initial water level height increase of 13 feet and a larger foundation that would support up to a 42 foot increase in water level), extensive and ongoing dredging of the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir, a new pipeline connecting Ragged Mountain to South Fork, and aggressive water conservation efforts.
Transportation Costs and Housing Affordability
If Walkscore put walkability on the real estate map (it’s getting better all the time, by the way), the new online tool Abogo might do the same for transportation affordability. … Seeing this number in black and white may help diffuse the old drive-til-you-qualify myth – that you can find more house for the money the further from the city you move. Living in lower densities may pose less up-front costs per square foot, but the ongoing cost of getting to where you need to go on a regular basis is real and likely much higher. … The numbers look high to me , and my transportation numbers are going to be higher than the average user (I do drive pretty much for a living).