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Let’s be clear. You don’t really have any influence on what the five members of City Council and the six members of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors will talk about, but 21st century democracy is all about keeping up the pretense. I’ve spent my career trying to tell people what’s going on and what’s coming up and that includes this weekly blurb of local meetings for r/Charlottesville.

JOINT MEETING 
Albemarle and Charlottesville are two different political entities as cities and counties are entirely separate from each other. That can make regional governance tricky as resentments can linger for years. Council and the Board of Supervisors will meet on Tuesday to talk about regional transit, homelessness interventions, and the role of the secretive Land Use and Environmental Planning Committee.  But I for one would love to know what you would like to be the topics of a joint meeting.  (read more about the meeting)

CITY TRASH SERVICE 
Virginia allows for elected officials to get briefings and be supplied with information about upcoming policy changes in what’s known as “two by two” meetings that evade the spirit of open meeting rules. The five members of City Council know that the Public Works Department wants to bring trash pick-up in-house because they’ve talked about it at those private meetings. City staff claim that it will cost $2 million in the first year, including $1.3 million to buy five new trash trucks. The job of an elected official is to ask questions. One of mine is why none of this was factored in the recent regional solid waste plan. If Council approves, we’ll have city trash trucks before Sunday bus service. (learn more about the idea)

TAX REBATES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
One tool to subsidize the end-user’s cost of housing is to give developers the additional tax revenue that will come from having more “improvements” on a property over a 30-year period. City Council will be asked to agree to pursue performance agreements for two Piedmont Housing Alliance projects on Park Street as well as some of 133 units in the conversion of the Holiday Inn on Emmet Street to an apartment building. Over time, how will the proliferation of the city’s ability to provide revenue for schools, streets, transit, and other items required of a growing community? (read more about Council’s meeting)

LOUISA GROWTH MANAGEMENT
Louisa County is one of the fastest growing localities in Virginia and steps are being taken to review land use policy. A lot of ideas are being put out there but Supervisors have resisted an idea to increase the minimum lot size out of a concern that will encourage outsiders to purchase land for countryside mansions. But the county is going to form a new committee of three Supervisors and three Planning Commissioners to further evaluate ideas. Meanwhile, there is a record amount of parcels going into Agricultural-Forestal Districts. (learn more)

NELSON SUPERVISORS PONDER FUTURE OF LARKIN PROPERTIES
In recent years, Nelson County has purchased over 1,000 acres south of Lovingston off of U.S. 29 for various purposes. On Wednesday, the Board of Supervisors will have a “continued meeting” to discuss the future of both the east and western sides. I really hope a reporter is in the room to hold elected officials accountable for what happens. (learn more)

And I wish I had the business skills to take my desire to report on the region into a way to train people to be the journalists of the future. Local television news is likely next to disappear. I lament the direction and some days I despair no one is coming to replace me. Until then, I’ll work seven days a week to be as vigilant as I can.

Yes. The answer is yes. I dislike questions in headlines but I’ll test the effectiveness to see if that brought anyone new in who has never yet seen this weekly summaries of what’s coming up in local and regional government. I’m an independent journalist who does this work to try to give people who want to pay attention a way to do so. This list for r/Charlottesville is a summary of a much longer entry I published today. 

COUNCIL TO GET UPDATE ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN
Who here remembers the Cville Plans Together initiative? That was the four-year planning process that led to an affordable housing plan, a new Comprehensive Plan, and a new Development Code intended to increase the number of residential units across the city. But the housing plan called for a commitment to spend at least $10 million a year in the category for ten years. After five years, the total spent is at least $65.8 million. Where has it gone? Who is getting the benefits? Council will have a work session on Tuesday. (learn more in the newsletter)

FLUVANNA PC TO CONSIDER ENTRANCE CORRIDOR OVERLAY
Fluvanna County is currently updating its Comprehensive Plan with a theme of increasing protection against commercial development. One tool would be the creation of an overlay district on major roads to designate them as entrance corridors. This would permit design review similar to processes that Albemarle and Charlottesville has in place. This happens Tuesday. (learn more)

CROZET CATALYSTS
The Crozet Master Plan was last updated by the Board of Supervisors in October 2021. This version includes a list of various projects intended to serve as ways to encourage other activity nearby. Such catalysts include the completion of Eastern Avenue which is now financed. The Crozet Community Advisory Committee will likely get an update at their meeting on Wednesday where there will be a discussion of that and other items on the list. (learn more)

Other items:

• City Council will also hold three public hearings Tuesday related to the city’s use of Community Development Block Grant including amending the year’s existing program for $55,000 for a storefront at the BEACON Kitchen and $25,000 for an accessibility plan for IX Arts Foundation. (learn more)
• Louisa Supervisors will have a public hearing Tuesday on changes to the transient lodging tax. (learn more)
• The Albemarle Planning Commission will hold a public hearing for a rezoning for property that includes the Airport Acres subdivision off of Airport Road. (learn more)

Here for questions if there are any.

How does anyone know what’s happening in local and regional government? All I know is I wake up every day and do what I can to write up as much as I can for anyone interested in reading. Sundays are Week Ahead days and the following is a slimmed down version for r/Charlottesville. Please ask questions and let me know which ones you think need a follow-up story.

GOVERNMENT IN TECH?
In the last year or so, Charlottesville withdrew from the use of Flock surveillance cameras to track suspects. The city also promoted a third-party vendor installing  surveillance to power access to downtown parking garages. City Council will get a briefing on how local government uses technology in the 2nd quarter of the 21st century at their 4 p.m. work session. They’ll also review the regional solid waste plan. (learn more)

COUNCIL TO VOTE ON $3 million FOR SALVATION ARMY
There are only two action items on Council’s evening agenda beginning after 6:30 p.m. One is a public hearing on the vacation of a city-owned easement that’s between two proposed developments on Palatine Avenue in the Belmont neighborhood. This provides an interesting glimpse into how projects move forward now. The second is not a public hearing but I suspect there will be opinions expressed at public comment about a proposal to use $3 million from a larger allocation of state government on the expansion of the Salvation Army’s high-barrier shelter on Ridge Street. The rest of the $4 million will be reserved for additional transitional housing opportunities. (learn more)

ALBEMARLE SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC RETREAT 
If this were ten years ago or so, I’d likely definitely be in attendance at tomorrow’s Albemarle Board of Supervisors retreat that will be held at the Virginia Guesthouse. These retreats are not live-streamed so you have to be there to get details. The first half of the day will be spent reviewing how the six elected officials work with staff, including results of interviews conducted by the facilitators. The second half will be on financial planning and the next strategic plan. While this might sound boring, these details are what will direct future spending in a county actively pursuing major economic development deals. I so wish I had the resources to pay someone to attend this meeting. (learn more)

BAR TO REVIEW FIVE STORY BUILDING PROPOSED FOR PARKING LOT
Owners of property in the Downtown North corridor are entitled to a lot of height and density by-right under the city’s 2024 zoning code. Many of the properties in that zoning district are also under the jurisdiction of the Board of Architectural Review who are still working out the extent of their power under the new rules. The owners of 915 East High Street, the former Martha Jefferson Hospital, have proposed a five-story mixed use development on the parking lot with 192 residential units. This will need a certificate of appropriateness. That application was deemed incomplete by the city, so the BAR will have a second preliminary conversation on Tuesday. (learn more)

TWO FUNDING REQUESTS BEFORE ALBEMARLE EDA
I dream of having the capacity to hire reporters to cover beats. A major one I believe is undercovered is economic development as Albemarle County forges ahead with Rivanna Futures. There’s also a new economic development strategic plan which provides a justification for the Economic Development Authority to consider funding “catalyst projects.” The EDA meets Tuesday and takes up requests for $50,000 in a grant request from CvilleBioHub to implement the results of a workforce development study to see what AstraZeneca and Afton Scientific and the rest of the life sciences sector need from employees. The second is a request from the New Hill Development Corporation for a $400,000 bridge loan to help cover the costs of establishing a retail and dining space at their kitchen on Carlton Drive. The intent would be to pay it back in a year. (learn more)

There is more in the newsletter which enterprising minds can find with a few clicks. I am an independent journalist who does this first out of a deep conviction that people should know the details of what’s happening. I do make my living off of this work, but the major intent of sharing here is to hopefully get someone to learn something they needed to learn. I think this does happen from time to time.

Though over 30 years have passed since I was last in any kind of public school, I’m still tied to the academic calendar. So are government bodies which are past their vacation periods. That means more to review in a newsletter I write about upcoming meetings and then create blurbs written for the people of /Charlottesville. Please ask questions and links are provided with more information.

HOMELESS SERVICES UPDATES
Charlottesville City Council’s meeting on Monday will be book-ended by items related to homeless services. Let’s start at the end when there will be a resolution to use $4 million from previous surpluses for “homeless intervention services to include emergency sheltering and direct to housing supports.” This is most likely related to the forthcoming deadline for encampments to be broken up by September 1. Earlier in the day they’ll hold a work session with an update on homeless services. Details are scant but I’ll have a story out on Tuesday morning. (learn more)

HOLLYMEAD AREA PLANNING
To follow planning in Albemarle County requires a bit of a back story going back to the late 70’s when a Comprehensive Plan called for a downzoning coupled with a concentration of density in growth areas. That framework was renewed again last October and one item on the Community Development Department’s work plan is to develop “Activity Center Plans” to increase density in key areas. Staff recommend the Hollymead area as the first place given rapid growth expected there due to Rivanna Futures and expansion of North Fork Discovery Park. Supervisors will weigh in Wednesday. (learn more)

HOUSING ALBEMARLE UPDATE
At the same meeting, Albemarle Supervisors will get an update on the housing policy adopted in July 2021. There were a lot of recommendations made in the form of objectives and strategies and this will provide a good jumping on point for anyone who wants to track progress and policy. (staff report for this item)

PLEASANT GROVE WELLS
Many who live in Albemarle and Charlottesville say they’re not interested in reading about outlying counties, but I pay attention because I wonder about the impact of what might seem like small decisions. On Wednesday, the Fluvanna Board of Supervisors will discuss a plan to spend over $400,000 to test for suitability of wells to provide water for Pleasant Grove Park as well as other county properties. How much yield would there be? Would it be enough to support more dense development? (link to staff report)

SOLID WASTE PLAN DRAFT AT REGIONAL BODY
What happens to all of the things we throw away when we are done with them? Where does all of the solid waste go? One of the tasks that the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission has taken on is the responsibility to create a solid waste management plan required by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. There’s a survey, too. (learn more)

CAFO INFO
One of the topics to follow in the coming weeks and months will be the county’s study of a potential ordinance to regulate concentrated animal feed operations, or CAFO’s. Here’s some background in a C-Ville Weekly article I wrote. Supervisors will formally direct staff to do that work on Wednesday and the Natural Heritage Committee will discuss the idea on Thursday. That group is charged with overseeing efforts to protect biodiversity. Maybe you would be interested in attending? (info if you do) 

I am well aware there are a lot of words here. I am well aware that lengthy descriptions are less popular than shorter ones intended to provoke controversy and reaction. I want to provoke thought by trying to build a community conversation, one story at a time. Up to you all what you want to say.

Are these the dog days of summer? Do people use that phrase? Either way, this is a fairly technical week in local government and there may be people who are inclined to know such things. I’m one inclined to write them so each week I do a long version for a newsletter and then a set of blurbs for r/Charlottesville. Please ask questions! 

GREENE SUPERVISORS TO LIMIT COMMENT
On July 14, 2026, over two dozen people spoke at the Greene County Board of Supervisors public comment period to make a comment on the Greene County Sheriff’s Office’s participation in federal immigration enforcement efforts. Many of them were not from the county. On July 28, Supervisors will consider changing their rules to only allow Greene residents to speak during the general comment period. Meetings would also automatically conclude at 9:30 p.m. unless Supervisors agree to extend the rules. (learn more)

CHARLOTTESVILLE DEVELOPMENT CODE CLEAN-UP
One of the biggest stories in Charlottesville will continue to be mounting anger over a zoning code adopted in December 2023 that changed the rules for what could get built and where. This was part of a very long process called Cville Plans Together that many may not have known about. For months, some have been asking for big changes to the zoning to limit development in some areas and to eliminate a provision for “student housing” that does not have to build on-site affordable units. So far, Council hasn’t moved that forward but a process of minor changes is running on a one-year cycle. These minor changes are intended to streamline the process and involve concepts such as active-depth and stepbacks. These are concepts hard to explain to people but I hope to write a story-up on this anyway. (learn more)

ALBEMARLE ZONING DISCUSSION
Details about land use policy are not widely-known and so communicating upcoming changes can be difficult. Albemarle County is in the midst of a “zoning modernization” intended to help implement some of the policies in the recently updated Comprehensive Plan. What is known as AC44 calls for renewed efforts to increase residential density in the growth areas and to implement efforts to increase economic development. On Tuesday, the Albemarle Planning Commission will have a work session on overlay districts and something called the “use matrix.” The latter sets out what sorts of things can happen where, something dependent on other definitions. I enjoy writing about this stuff. (learn more)

RIVANNA FUTURES REQUEST GOES BEFORE ALBEMARLE PC
Albemarle County continues to move forward to get its Rivanna Futures business park ready for AstraZeneca and other future tenants to move in. They are the applicant for a rezoning to allow disturbance of a half-acre of steep slopes in the project. That goes before the Albemarle Planning Commission on Tuesday for a public hearing. (learn more)

Other things: 

• The five remaining members of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners meets Monday to elect new officers and discuss the minimum rent. (learn more)
• Greene County is hosting a design public hearing for a connector road in the Ruckersville area. (learn more)

Again, please ask questions. I may not have the answers and I certainly don't take positions on most things. I do sort of rely on transparency to do my work, though.

This week is not one of the busiest in terms of meetings of local government but this post exists to tell readers of r/Charlottesville what’s coming up. Links within go to various sources. 

CHARLOTTESVILLE TRANSPORTATION UPDATE 
Charlottesville has had a hard time delivering on transportation infrastructure over the years despite getting a lot of funding. City officials have made a lot of strides toward putting better internal systems in place but there appear to still be hiccups. There will be a work session Monday afternoon on many transportation projects. The city’s website for updates has not been updated since November. (read more in the newsletter) 

SCHOOL CAMERA REVENUE ALLOCATION
Last October, an ordinance kicked in that allowed for cameras to record vehicles in school zones to spot for speeding violations. On Monday, Council will be asked to allocate $320,000 in revenue from those violations. However, it appears from the staff report that that’s not enough to cover the cost of paying a third-party to operate the cameras. I will admit I only gave this one a once-over but I really hope a reporter with more capacity than me can dig into this a bit more. (staff report) 

WINE INDUSTRY PRUNING
Let’s pretend for a moment this entire set of blurbs is to encourage any of the writers out there to dig in to just writing about this place. Most of my work comes from covering meetings, but if I had money to pay reporters I would love to know more about the wine industry. A good place to start would be with a request from the Monticello Wine Trail to the Albemarle Economic Development Authority for $20,000 to help pay for a class on pruning techniques to help after a brutal frost this year. (staff report)

WHAT IS A CATALYST PROJECT? 
Leaders in Albemarle County resisted economic development for many years with leaders from the 70’s to the 00’s mostly in agreement in the belief that attracting more business to the area would attract more people. That began to change in 2010 and Albemarle government is leading the way. The Albemarle County Economic Development Authority will meet Tuesday and continue a discussion about ways to move forward. (more in the newsletter)

Comments and questions always welcome. The intent of all of my work is to ask questions. The only answer I know is 42 and that doesn't seem to do much but promote further inquiry. Or perhaps that is the point?

I sometimes wonder if I could move somewhere else and somehow figure out how to get paid to write about what local governments do. I’ve been doing it here for over 20 years now and I want to see how all the stories turn out. A lot happens this week, and I pull some blurbs together for r/Charlottesville so people who want to get more aware have a place to start. Please ask questions.

REFERENDUM MADNESS
I keep track of six localities. So far Fluvanna has initiated the process to petition the Circuit Court to put a referendum on the ballot this November asking voters to approve a one-percent sales tax increase. Louisa Supervisors didn’t want to discuss the matter and removed a scheduled item from their agenda last week. Charlottesville City Council talked about the financing last Wednesday. This week, the topic will come up in meetings of elected officials in Albemarle, Nelson, and Greene. (more in the newsletter)

WINTERGREEN SEWER ISSUES HAVE EXPENSIVE FIX
For two ski seasons in a row, the wastewater treatment at Wintergreen failed,  during peak attendance at the mountain resort community. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has issued a consent order laying out a list of corrective actions including making sure the problem doesn’t happen again by having a back-up system in place if the system isn’t fixed in time. That’s going to cost at least $4.1 million and the Nelson County Service Authority doesn’t have that kind of money or a revenue stream. So, Nelson Supervisors are going to loan money to the NCSA. How will that affect other projects Nelson has lined up such as the purchase of a 683 acre tract of land near Lovingston? (learn more about the Board of Supervisors meeting)

ALBEMARLE HUMAN SERVICES NEEDS ASSESSMENT
For most of my time as a reporter, I’ve covered land use and transportation issues. I’m still catching up with the role government plays in helping people who need it. For instance, I’m very curious to know who has ultimate responsibility over the unhoused. Missing from my stories about recent issues is the role that Region 10 is playing in the current encampment situation. To expand my knowledge I am going to write a long summary of a needs assessment for Human Services that Albemarle Supervisors will get on Wednesday. (learn more about the Albemarle Board of Supervisors meeting)

Smaller things: 

• Nelson County Supervisors will get together with the Planning Commission to take a look at the draft zoning and subdivision ordinance before it goes to public hearing later this summer. (learn more)
• Looks like some of the first units in a rezoning in Village of Rivanna approved in 2007 are finally coming online. (learn more)
• Two interesting topics at the Places29-Hydraulic Community Advisory Committee come up Monday if you like private philanthropy in parks fundraising as well as a demonstration of how long it takes to build sidewalks. (learn more)

That’ll do, pig.

I took last week off from writing these blurbs for r/Charlottesville because there wasn’t too much happening. We’re still in a lull, but there’s always something happening and I slim this down from a longer newsletter I write. Fewer blurbs this week but please ask questions to get a conversation going.

SALES TAX REFERENDUM SEASON BEGINS
For years, only a handful of localities in Virginia have had the ability to hold a referendum to see if voters will support a sales tax increase to support school construction. Legislation to extend that to all failed to make it out of a divided General Assembly in 2022 and again in 2023. Democrats took both chambers that year and the last governor, a Republican, vetoed the legislation. Permission has been granted through the budget process and now we’ll see what localities give it a shot. Locally, Fluvanna Supervisors began the process of asking the Circuit Court on July 1. Louisa will take the matter up on Monday. (learn more)

CHARLOTTESVILLE SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION
The finishing touches are being made to Charlottesville Middle School, a $92 million project that saw the renovation of Buford Middle School into an expanded facility that can accommodate 6th grade. That’s just the beginning of a series of additional projects such as a new early learning center and renovations of the high school. If Charlottesville voters approve the referendum, that will be $15 million in revenue for school construction. WIll that free up spending for other projects? Lower tax rates? (learn more)

LOUISA ZONING CHANGE FOR SHELTERS
Technically the zoning code in Louisa County is called Land Development Regulations. About a year and a half ago I wrote a story for C-Ville Weekly about efforts to change them to allow churches and other places to house people without homes to stay overnight in cold weather. Last August, the Planning Commission recommended changes to create a “humanitarian shelter” use. Louisa Supervisors will take that up on Monday. 

Two smaller things:

• The Charlottesville Tree Commission will get an update Tuesday on construction of a pending development in Fry’s Spring even though they have no say on the matter. (learn more)
• The Louisa Planning Commission will continue discussing ways to slow residential growth at a work session on Thursday. (learn more)

Please ask questions. I can answer procedural stuff and do this work to share information. I want to know what people are thinking.

How do people find out more about what's happening at their local government meetings? A role of journalism is to provide a weekly guide of what’s coming up and that’s what I do each week both in a very-long newsletter and then again in a series of blurbs written for r/Charlottesville intended to whet your appetite. 

CHARLOTTESVILLE CLIMATE UPDATE
Charlottesville City Council will learn Monday that greenhouse gas emissions were up slightly in the latest inventory. Albemarle Supervisors had a similar presentation in May as I reported. Both have a goal to reduce emissions they control by 45 percent of 2011 levels by 2030. Then carbon neutral by 2050. There is a lot of activity happening. You can learn a lot from primary sources. (learn more in the newsletter)

WEST MAIN INTERSECTION CHANGES?
Charlottesville has received many Smart Scale awards over the past ten years but has yet to break ground any of them. VDOT asked them to stop applying for a while while they got their house in order. One story I wrote and then another a bit later. Though technically still deficient, VDOT has allowed the first application in years and its to reconfigure the intersection of West Main to make some of the movements one-way and to give more prominence to cyclists and pedestrians. (learn more in the staff report)

5th STREET / I-64 INTERCHANGE TOPS PRIORITY LIST
Albemarle will also endorse Smart Scale applications. Unlike Charlottesville, Albemarle has been able to complete several projects in part because VDOT handles most of the work to get right-of-way purchased, utilities relocated. Earlier this month, Albemarle Supervisors endorsed a priority list for both vehicular projects and bike/pedestrian projects. The top project on the former is conversion of I64/Fifth Street exit into a diverging diamond. It’s also one of the Smart Scale applications. (learn more in the newsletter)

ALBEMARLE FUND HOUSING FOR COUNTY EMPLOYEES?
One of the biggest public campaigns during the most recent budget adoption in Albemarle was a push for more funding for the Albemarle Housing Investment Fund. Many wanted it Supervisors to provide $10 million a year and negotiations between Supervisors got it up to $7 million. But did they envision a program for county-employees to get assistance with housing? There’s some funds leftover from FY2026 and the recommendation is to fund a five-year pilot for down payment and rental assistance. (learn more in the newsletter)

EIGHT STORY BUILDING ON WEST MAIN GOES BEFORE BAR
The idea of the new Development Code in Charlottesville was to make it more predictable for builders to proceed with projects, but that’s not really turned out to be the case for many. Part of my mission is to write about how it all works out. That includes a proposed student housing building on West Main Street right next to the Standard (now Yugo Crestline). This time last year, LV Collective proposed an 11 story building. After a campaign from Westhaven advocates, the project is now down to 8 stories. The Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review has an official look on Tuesday. (learn more in the newsletter)

Perhaps you have questions about these things. I am always interested in responding as best I can. My hope is to get more people talking about these items as they affect the future of the community. My reporting seeks to document what I can and hopefully provide more people with a way in to how government works. 

Ask questions!

For the 20 years or so, I’ve been paying attention to the nuts and bolts of development issues around Charlottesville. It can take a long time for things to get done, and one of the hopes I have for local journalism is to get information to people. I spend every Sunday reviewing meeting agendas and write a ridiculously long newsletter. Then I do this tighter version for r/Charlottesville in the hopes you’ll ask questions! 

ALBEMARLE PC TO WEIGH IN ON GROWTH AREA FOCUS SPOTS
For 45 years, Albemarle has had rules in place that concentrate density in about five percent of the county’s 726 square miles. The latest Comprehensive Plan acknowledged that the locality’s ability to provide infrastructure for 50 “activity centers” is limited and so the number was reduced to about 22. Another change in the AC44 update is to do “activity center plans” but there are only enough resources to do one a year in the next three years. County staff recommend Rio/29, Hollymead area, and South Pantops as the targets. What will the Planning Commission say? What do you say? (learn more)

WATER / SEWER CAPACITY IN NORTHERN ALBEMARLE
Is Albemarle County prepared for the arrival of AstraZeneca in 2030? What about the residential boom that appears to be forming in the Hollymead Town Center Area? The Architectural Review Board on Monday will review a plan to build two above-ground water storage tanks in Hollymead. While this project is planned, this is now being accelerated due to “recent commercial development plans for the northern service area.” The AstraZeneca is going to wind through many more public policy discussions in the coming years. (learn more)

POWER AMENDMENT FOR FLUVANNA COMP PLAN 
The politics of energy generation and transmission are fueling the current political season in Virginia. The impasse over the state budget is over whether a tax credit for data centers should be ended. Meanwhile, localities in the path of the ValleyLink Transmission Line are doing what they can to try to stop it. Louisa County added language to their Comprehensive Plan to add a policy, and Fluvanna County are considering the same thing. First step is the Planning Commission on Tuesday. (learn more)

Other issues: 

• Louisa County is one of the fastest growing communities in Virginia and that’s become a concern for the Board of Supervisors. They directed the Planning Commission to find ways to slow the growth. (learn more)
• Would the Charlottesville Economic Development Authority have an easier time of telling the story of entrepreneurship if they televised their meetings? Read this blurb and tell me what you think.

 

I am well aware that culturally there is an aversion to paying attention to local government, an aversion shared by many editors I’ve worked with in the past.

Most of those jobs no longer exist anymore. I work seven days a week to share information with people who want to see the world through the lens of public policy.  After all, your lives are affected whether you pay attention or not. I'm here to help you with questions as we all go through this weird ever-shifting kaleidoscope.

How do people get their information about what’s coming up in local and regional government? Several years ago I started a newsletter to provide stories and every Sunday I write up a long summary of what’s happening because I believe as many people as possible should be informed about what’s coming up. Then I do a version for r/Charlottesville in the hopes of launching conversations and getting more people involved. Democracy needs participation at all levels. I am a one-person information outlet determined to spread the word. 

CHARLOTTESVILLE WATER/SEWER INCREASES
Do you know where your water comes from and do you know where your wastewater goes? If you live in the rural area, you are very close to the source and the destination. If you live in Albemarle’s urban areas or in Charlottesville, you’re paying rates that include the cost of building capacity and maintaining what is in place. City Council has a public hearing Monday night on a proposed increase to both rates and monthly service fees.  The average rate payer will see their water increase 15.61 percent and their wastewater rate increase 8.45 percent. A reason for the increase is to pay for capital projects being undertaken by the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority. (learn more in the newsletter)

169 PROJECTS ON ALBEMARLE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION LIST
Who decides what transportation projects end up getting built? That’s one of the questions that made me want to get into journalism in the first place. The answers depend on when you’re asking. On Wednesday, the Board of Supervisors will be presented with Albemarle staff’s list of 169 transportation projects as well as the reasoning and status of each one. This is a good point to jump on if you have a particular one you would like to see advance. This list is being presented as the county begins creation of a new Multimodal Transportation Plan as one of the big AC44 Comprehensive plan initiatives. (learn more at Information Charlottesville)

DARDEN TOWE PROJECTS
A lot has been happening at Darden Towe Memorial Park. Free Bridge Lane is now a permanent car-free promenade. The tennis courts are now pickleball only courts. New ADA-compliant restrooms are coming to a picnic shelter. A project to improve irrigation for the grass athletic fields is ahead of schedule. The city and the county co-own the 113-acre park and a joint governing committee will meet on Tuesday to get updates. (learn more at Information Charlottesville)

Just three blurbs today. If you want more, you can find the newsletter. Or just ask!

Please do ask questions. I’m here to point you in the direction of information and not to tell you how to interpret the information. I trust you can do that for yourself. 

This time around I’m in Pennsylvania for family stuff and I’m a bit distracted due to being away. There are also appear to be an inordinate amount of stories I need to write, and I can get back to that as soon as I come up with a highlight reel of upcoming meetings in local government for r/Charlottesville. More commentary after these blurbs:

NEW DESIGN FOR WEST MAIN BUILDING
A major theme of the city’s “new” zoning code was to eliminate the role that City Council plays in determining height and density. This has not proved to be a popular idea as groups like the Fifeville Neighborhood Association and the Public Housing Association of Residents have led campaigns against a seven story building in Fifeville and an 11 story building on West Main Street. A new version of the latter goes before the Board of Architectural Review on Tuesday and three floors have been removed. Will that satisfy concerns about the project’s effect on Westhaven? (read more in the newsletter)

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CATALYSTS
One thing I note from social media is that many people have no idea of the role that economic development can play in shaping a community. Much of the building activity at the moment in Albemarle is in the area around Hollymead. The plan is for AstraZeneca’s factories to be up and running in 2030. That’s the biggest fish Albemarle County’s Office of Economic Development has landed so far, and the promise is 600 jobs. They’re not done yet, and want to do more. On Tuesday they’ll discuss “catalyst projects” but there’s no material available in advance. How important is knowing this information to you? (learn more)

FULL COURT PRESS IN CROZET FOR AN 18-UNIT DEVELOPMENT
In 2004, Albemarle County Supervisors adopted a master plan for Crozet. The idea was to recognize that the non-incorporated place could be one of the places where Albemarle County might locate density. Since then, development has occurred, but many residents believe the county has not held up on its promise of providing infrastructure. That makes every rezoning application a proxy discussion on that notion. A new version of an 18-unit community called Windy Knoll will go before the Planning Commission on May 26. The Crozet Community Association (not the Crozet CAC) will have a special meeting on Wednesday to discuss this. Meanwhile, a single rezoning at Hollymead Town Center could add as many as 2,400 units. 

ALBEMARLE HOUSING INVESTMENT FUND CHANGES
Albemarle County’s budget for FY2027 designated $7 million for the Albemarle Housing Investment Fund, a pool of money intended to provide additional funding to nonprofit developers as they work on various projects. Various advocates have pushed for $10 million, but some of the Supervisors have expressed an interest in revising the process while that discussion continues. On Wednesday they’ll discuss changes to the process such as moving up the timeline so it comes closer to the process to secure low-income housing tax credits. (learn more)

LOTS HAPPENING AT COUNCIL MEETING MONDAY 
The Police Civilian Oversight Board wants to change the body’s charge and wants Council’s input. City staff recommends no changes to the homestay ordinance. There’s a plan to put solar on top of Charlottesville Middle School. The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center wants to place new artwork made from the former Robert E. Lee statue in city parks. How many stories will be written? (read more in the newsletter)

Is this worth doing? Are we at a point where my journalistic ideology is hopelessly outdated? I don’t know. How long have I done this? I continue to believe that details are crucial to the future but I believe the audience of people interested dwindles with every passing week. The die was cast ages ago, my friends. It depends on all of us to ask for a re-roll. The game must continue to be played. Never give up.

I write today’s edition from Roanoke where the founder of an independent publication recently sold to a third-party. And then everyone got fired. There’s a big story to tell there.

But my self-appointed job is to write blurbs about what’s happening in the Charlottesville area and now glad I resisted that weird offer I got about six months ago to sell. I believe people want to know what's happening, so I try to do my best. After all, I learned it in Roanoke first.

Anyway, those blurbs for r/Charlottesville:

NEW IPP FOR CHARLOTTESVILLE?
In the last couple of years, the City Council and the Board of Architectural Review agreed to undo historic protections for property on Stadium Road to make way for the 12-story building known as the Verve. On Tuesday, the Charlottesville Planning Commission will be asked to give a recommendation for a request to grant those same historic protections for a property in 10th and Page. (learn more)

BOTANICAL GARDEN REQUEST
I confess this blurb is more of a request for more information about the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont’s application for a special exception related to critical slopes for their build-out. The Charlottesville Planning Commission will discuss that, too, but I’m interested to know how the garden is coming together. (same link to the CPLAN summary)

ALBEMARLE ZONING MODERNIZATION
My view is that the average person should know when the rules about the what, where, where, and why you can build are changing. Details that may seem obscure end up being incredibly important. I was able to cover the development of Charlottesville’s new development code, but suspect I won’t be able to do the same for Albemarle. I am hopeful others will, though, because the new Comprehensive Plan has suggested some changes will occur to promote new uses here and there. But what? Where? When? Who? Why? To what extent? (learn more) 

BOOSTING RESIDENTIAL IN FLUVANNA VILLAGES
One very bold question to ask of the future is: Where is everyone going to live? While Fluvanna County seeks to limit residential development in their rural areas, there are at least two areas where planners and elected officials may wish to adjust the rules to allow more density. On Tuesday, the Planning Commission will get a draft look at some ideas for both Columbia and Fork Union. Looks like this is the work of a UVA student group. Interesting ideas. (learn more)

STATE OF HOMELESSNESS REDUX REDUX 
Charlottesville City Council has had a lot of work sessions this year. I dream of a world where there are enough reporters to describe what they are told, and what their reactions are. After all, elected officials play an important role in directing what actually happens. But Council keeps having more work sessions, and I so want every single one to be written up by someone. Any UVA student group want to help take that on? (learn more)

One-liners:

• Albemarle will hold a community meeting for a proposal to redesign Charlotte Humphris park on Monday (learn more)
• Greene County Supervisors will adopt a policy to count school surplus funds as a revenue source for general government, an indication of what the county administrator says reflect a need for austerity (learn more)
• Nelson County Supervisors have a lot of stuff you might be interested in (learn more)
• Louisa County’s Planning Commission will be asked to make a recommendation on at least two policies to signal a desire for local control over land use policy related to electric transmission lines (learn more)

For anyone who made it this far - I took the train from Charlottesville to Roanoke today and it is a game changer. I'm so happy being here right now, in a place I've not spent an over night since August of 2002.

May all of us have the opportunity to revisit places where we were before, and reflect on who we might become.

I almost decided to write something else this week because I thought this would make a better longer story. I'm curious to know your thoughts about this area. I want to write more stories like this.

But I want to know if you've been on top of the bridge yet?

Every week there’s something coming up at meetings of local and regional government and I do what I can to write up what’s on offer. I write a long newsletter and then I do a condensed blurbs for the good people of r/Charlottesville. Please ask questions and share with others. 

SHELTER UPDATE
How much will it cost to upfit an office building at 2000 Holiday Drive to serve as a low-barrier homeless shelter? Charlottesville paid $6.2 million to but about four acres along the U.S. 250 bypass. In late March, City Council got a preliminary cost of about $8.6 million to run 80 beds with no definitive ask of the city yet. The elected officials will get an update at a work session Monday at 4 p.m. (learn more)

COUNCIL TO HEAR APPEAL OF BAR’S MARK DENIAL
A key feature of Charlottesville’s “new” zoning code adopted in December 2023 was to take away the role that the City Council plays in determining where height and density would go in a growing city. That was a key thrust of the Cville Plans Together initiative which came up with an affordable housing plan, a Comprehensive Plan, and a zoning code. That resulted in land along the railroad track in Fifeville being zoned to allow for a seven-story building student housing there. Plans for the Mark were filed last summer and opposition has been fierce Turns out there are levers for people to express their views and fight development through persuasion. Council has a role to play anyway on Monday night and I’m out of space to describe the specifics. (details here)

ALBEMARLE SUPERVISOR SUMMARY
Albemarle County has a population more than twice the size of the City of Charlottesville. I’ve written about its land use policies and budget but in certain weeks that the focus is on Charlottesville I don’t go into nearly as much detail. On Wednesday, the six Supervisors will learn about a plan to open up the Comprehensive Plan amendment process, how Climate Action implementation is going, and will hold a lot of public hearings including a rezoning for 153 units at 600 Rio Road. I really hope me or someone else writes up some of those stories so the rest of you can know what happened. (more on the meeting)

Smaller items:

• Charlottesville City Council will be asked Monday to move around money to cover potential cost over-runs for the current replacement of roadway for the Downtown Mall crossings (learn more)
• Albemarle’s Architectural Review Board will take up two projects including a Sheetz proposed at the site of a closed Red Lobster franchise at Fashion Square Mall (learn more)
• In Culpeper, the Commonwealth Transportation Board will hold a public hearing on the next Six-Year Improvement Plan and there are three projects in Albemarle/Charlottesville that will get funding. (learn more)

I could probably write more but I’ve been at it for almost twelve hours today. I love what I do and the more people who read, the more I want to work. That includes responding to comments.

I’ll note engagement here and in the newsletter is down of late and I understand that.

There’s a lot going in the world and there’s a lot more uncertainty than I can remember in my years. For me, I find doing the work to be grounding because I love where I live and I want it to be better than it was when I first showed up back in 2002.

I’ve been writing about this community for over 20 years now and these days I can’t tell if my continued reporting is due to inertia, a sense of duty, or an Olympian curse.

Either way, every Sunday I write a newsletter previewing upcoming meetings and provide context so anyone can begin the process of getting involved. This summary written for r/Charlottesville is intended to whet your appetite for the joy of civics. This is not intended for doom-scrolling. I want you to have hope.

WHITHER THE FUTURE OF OUTLYING BUDGETS
Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville have both adopted budgets for FY2027, but there’s still work to be done in Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. Each locality has a different political philosophy. The two more urban communities now have elected bodies that are much more comfortable with spending whatever money comes in to provide services. The others are more cautious and are more likely to adjust real property tax rates when assessments increase. Will that maintain over time?

• On Monday, Nelson County Supervisors will have to pick a new real property rate because there have been more challenges to 2026 assessments than expected. 
• Louisa County is now one of Virginia’s fastest-growing counties and over time may become more like Albemarle and Charlottesville but on Monday will adopt a FY2027 budget based on the same real property tax rate of $0.72 per $100 of assessed value. 
• Greene County Supervisors will have a public hearing Tuesday on a budget with a real property tax rate also at $0.72 per $100 of assessed value.

 

CRHA MEETING
In the last few years, the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners has presided over renovation of Crescent Halls as well as the entity’s first new subsidized units in a generation at South First Street. Charlottesville City Council has approved millions to help with financing and millions more will be expected in the future. CRHA is a public entity and well worth attention as new places to live come out of the ground. But is anyone paying attention? Here’s a place to start. 

STONY POINT ROAD CROSSWALK
I try my best to keep track of new infrastructure coming to the area and I’m always happy to be surprised. Last week I learned of a crosswalk planned for Route 20 at Riverside Village. That’s one of the best examples of mixed-use development in Albemarle County. As I type this, I’m uncertain about the funding source for this project, but the Pantops Community Advisory Committee will get a briefing on it Monday night at their April meeting. Learn more about this meeting here. 

FLUVANNA COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SEEKS TO PRESERVE RURAL AREA
Imagine this place in 30 years. What’s it going to be like? Where will people live? The answer to that question will be influenced by the Comprehensive Plans adopted by each individual locality. Fluvanna County is currently updating their document two years after the last revision. On Tuesday the Planning Commission will take a look at the first new sections of the draft which contain a lot of goals and strategies to restrict growth. Learn more in this brief summary. 

MOBILE HOME PARK EXPANSION IN RURAL ALBEMARLE
Since the late 1970’s, Albemarle’s Comprehensive Plan has set up a dynamic where dense residential development is intended to be within growth areas under the scope of a master plan. On Tuesday, the Albemarle Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on an attempt to rezone a mobile home park just over the line of the Crozet Master Plan to add 49 additional units. Get more information.

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I feel a bit of a Cassandra at times seeing where things might be going but aware that 2026 is a time when the minutiae of local government barely registers on the importance scale of the entire populace as a whole. How many people pay attention? One percent? Three percent? I do this work out of a hope that if I observe these things, other people might as well. And maybe that’s how I avoid my liver getting picked out by vultures.