Author: Charlottesville Tomorrow

Thursday afternoon at the Crescent Halls apartments, Democrat Holly Edwards announced her bid for a seat on the Charlottesville City Council. Holly Edwards is a nurse and sixteen-year resident of the City. She said her professional and volunteer experience in the community, working with residents one on one to connect them with resources and essential services, has prepared her to work at the next level setting policy as a City Councilor. She is currently the Program Coordinator of the Public Housing Association of Residents. [Read more on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s blog] [Watch the YouTube video]

Yesterday morning in front of City Hall, Democrat Satyendra Huja announced his bid for a seat on Charlottesville City Council. A thirty-three year resident of the City, Mr. Huja used his announcement to focus on his priorities for City Council and not his long resume of service as a City employee. Huja is best know for his work as long-time Director of Planning and Community Development and as an early advocate for the creation of Charlottesville’s pedestrian Downtown Mall in 1976. Since his retirement from the City three years ago, Huja has been a community planning consultant.
[Read more on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s blog] [Watch the YouTube video]

This morning in front of City Hall, Democrat Linda Seaman announced her bid for a seat on the Charlottesville City Council. Seaman, a thirty-three year resident of the City, emphasized her past experience as a City School Board member, as the former Executive Director of the Charlottesville Area School Business Alliance (CASBA), and said she would bring a focus on cooperation with Albemarle County as she seeks regional approaches to community challenges. Ms. Seaman currently serves as a member of the board of the Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together (also known as IMPACT), which has been lobbying local leaders on affordable living choices and public transportation issues. [Read more on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s blog] [Watch the YouTube video]

On April 4, 2007, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors unanimously referred the Biscuit Run project back to the Planning Commission, the body which had unanimously rejected it the week before. They did so at the request of the developer who had expressed a preference for responding to the outstanding questions identified by staff and the Planning Commission before the project is considered by the Board. The Planning Commission is expecting a complete revised application and a tentative work session date has been set for May 22nd. Charlottesville Tomorrow has produced a 25 minute recording of the Board’s discussion of the Biscuit Run rezoning. [Read more on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s blog]

On Friday March 2, 2007, Albemarle County Executive Bob Tucker unveiled his recommended County budget for fiscal year 2008. The total operating and capital budget is over $315 million dollars. The proposed operating budget alone is $266.1 million, representing a 6.7% increase over the prior fiscal year. The budget is based on maintaining the 2006 property tax rate of $0.74 cents per $100 of assessed value. Local taxpayers saw annual property assessments increase on average 14.9% last year (almost 30% over two years). Assessments are projected to increase 11.5% next year and 5.2% on average in each of the four years after that. [Read more on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s blog]

On February 27, 2007, the Albemarle County Planning Commission held a work session to receive an update on the Places29 master planning project. When complete, the Places29 master plan will provide a twenty-year vision for the Route 29 North corridor detailing the development, transportation, and public facilities desired by the community. The commissioners received the recently completed draft plan which has been under development since the first public workshops were held in May 2005. The Places29 Master Plan is scheduled to be adopted by the Board of Supervisors in late 2007. [Read more on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s blog]

City wants Biscuit Run to pay for roads; Supervisors suggest City’s revenue sharing income and economic development dollars could be re-allocated to transportation

On February 21, 2007, the Policy Board of the Metropolitan Planning Organization held their monthly meeting. In responses to matters from the public and under other business, the Board held two significant discussions on the proposed Biscuit Run rezoning in Albemarle County. [Read more on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s blog]

On February 15, 2007, there was a quarterly meeting of the Planning and Coordination Council (PACC) which has representation from the University of Virginia, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, and Charlottesville City Council. The Council received an update on development and transportation issues in what is known as Area B. The September 2004 Southern Urban Area B Study identified road interconnections that could be built to enlarge the grid of streets serving the area around the Fontaine Research Park, the University’s Stadium Road area, the Fry’s Spring neighborhood in the City, and County developments along Old Lynchburg Road and Sunset Avenue. [Read more on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s blog]

In their meeting Thursday evening, the Charlottesville Planning Commission directed staff to prepare written guidelines strongly discouraging any communications between the Commissioners and developers or citizens with a position on a matter before the Commission. A motion to eliminate those communications entirely was considered then withdrawn. If approved, the City Planning Commission would adopt a style in sharp contrast to their neighbors in Albemarle County where these informal meetings with concerned citizens and developers are common practice. [Read more on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s blog]

On February 7, 2007, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors received an update on an initiative to foster environmentally friendly or Guv,!E”greenGuv,!Vkj building approaches and actions that could be taken to better support the sustainability goals in the Comprehensive Plan. The Supervisors reached consensus that future County buildings should, pending review of budgetary impacts, be green buildings and pursue a LEED certification. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and represents the efforts of a coalition including the US Green Building Council to establish a nationwide standard for constructing Guv,!E”greenGuv,!Vkj buildings. The new library in Crozet is expected to be the next County building designed with this approach. [Read more on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s blog]