Posts tagged Politics

A (Congressionally Mandated) Faster Short Sale Decision on the Horizon?

in General Real Estate Politics on

For context, in the Charlottesville MSA – Charlottesville, Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson, right now, there are 2513 active residential listings. 72 are marked as Short Sales.

…‘(4) SHORT SALE- The term ‘short sale’ means the sale of the dwelling or residential real property that is subject to the mortgage, deed or trust, or other security interest that secures a residential mortgage loan that–
… ‘(B) requires authorization by the securitization vehicle or other investment vehicle or holder of the mortgage loan, or the servicer acting on behalf of such a vehicle or holder.’.

…(b) Applicability- The amendment made by subsection (a) of this section shall apply to any written request for a short sale made after the date of the enactment of this Act.

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UVA is Getting Bigger – And We All Get a Clue

in Albemarle Charlottesville Politics Transportation UVa on

The University of Virginia Foundation has been given the greenlight to expand its research park on Fontaine Avenue.

…To get a feel for where UVA’s growth is going, spend some time perusing their 2008 Grounds Plan . The best sentence in the Charlottesville Tomorrow story succinctly pinpoints why the Charlottesville-Albemarle region chooses not to build roads .

…The most recent rezoning does not answer conclusively the future of the proposed Sunset-Fontaine Connector but does offer clues to how parts of it might be funded.

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Funding and Intent Are Two Different Things

in Albemarle Charlottesville Politics Transportation on

Two clichés come to mind: – where there’s a will, there’s a way – perfection is the enemy of progress People move to the Charlottesville-Albemarle region because we don’t have Northern Virginia traffic and congestion; it’s one of the reasons Charlottesville is one of the 10 most livable college towns . … The transportation section of Albemarle County’s Places29 Master Plan has been slimmed down to include only projects that have a reasonable chance of being constructed within its first five years. … I don’t know whether I’ve ever seen the business community campaigning against growth while the Piedmont Environmental Council and Southern Environmental Law Center are campaigning for growth : Carter Myers, a former member of the Commonwealth Transportation Board who owns several car dealerships on U.S. 29, said grade-separated interchanges would threaten Albemarle County’s bottom line. … But Jeff Werner of the Piedmont Environmental Council said the interchanges would provide a way for motorists to cross U.S. 29 without stopping, a necessary step in alleviating traffic congestion.

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Can Crozet have Three Centers?

in Albemarle Growth Politics on

Downtown Crozet needs to do something to combat the challenges put forth by: – The 250 West Corridor – Anytime Fitness, Harris Teeter, medical and dental offices, restaurants, office space … residential housing … – Old Trail Village – ACAC Fitness, Trailside Coffee, restaurants, Augusta Medical facility, Advanced Center for Physical Therapy (awesome place – they helped me rehab my ankle after a soccer injury) … residential housing in Old Trail Village .

…A group that oversees planning in Crozet has endorsed a new concept to redevelop a lumber yard on the Square into a walkable and livable community similar to Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. 


…“This is a very small scale, a version of that, but what it does create is the ability to have a gathering space and some place where people love to go [in] Crozet.” 
… “From [research and development] business to office space, restaurants, retail [and] some housing,” Roell said, “it will provide a variety of opportunities for people to locate their businesses, live, work, play and entertain each other.”

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Blast From the Past – Why Charlottesville and Albemarle Can’t Build Roads

in Albemarle Charlottesville Politics Transportation on

Browsing through the archives, I found this comment , which could have been written fifteen years ago, four years ago or this morning:

My biggest issues with the county and city are the relentless studies and meetings to conclude what an average driver in Charlottesville could tell you. I mean I understand the point of a few studies to make sure money is being spent right, but for god sakes at some point you need to start laying pavement. … Now the county is spending tons of money on studies to figure out if 29 needs to be widened to Greene and if 250 needs to be widened to Fluvanna.

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Friday Chart – Who’s Donating Political Money in Albemarle and Charlottesville?

in Friday Politics on

A slightly different Friday Chart , as election season is heating up. Voting of Albemarle County One of the questions I get from buyers moving to the area is, “What are the politics like around here?” … As of yet, political leaning is not yet a protected class, so I start with this analogy – The City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle are sort of like estranged parents who keep it together just enough so that the kids (in this case, residents) survive. … Luckily, we can do that – Find out who is giving how much and to whom at VPAP . … (I wonder how much good could be done with $2.3 million ) Top political donors in Albemarle County .

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Updating Charlottesville’s Bicycle Transportation Plan

in Politics Transportation on

Good stuff in the C-Ville this week about the City of Charlottesville’s bicycle plan. … Without a comprehensive plan that brings together the three players – Charlottesville, Albemarle and UVA, we’ll continue to have bike lanes that start, stop, start again … or don’t exist at all. A bike lane to NGIC and DIA would be nice. … Charlottesville did win a bronze designation as a “Bicycle Friendly Community” in 2008 .

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