Colin writes: Last year’s story was We’re #12! We’re #12!, but this year’s ranking of Best Places for Business and Career by Forbes and the Milken Institute has Charlottesville coming in at 30 in the smaller metro category (metro population rankings between 201 and 296 in the country). Take a look at the individual score card and you’ll see that high tech growth and “job momentum” are leading the slide.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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High tech growth? Thats bullshit. The local tech sector has imploded. There are laid off geeks slingin’ pizzas all over town.
Wow – Schilling hasn’t even taken office yet and we’re already circling the drain!
Ummm…according to the survey, our high tech job growth is NEGATIVE (-5.7%). I’m not sure what you’re considering bullshit.
High tech growth is represented by a number of categories in the ranking. Cville’s poor performance in these categories contributes to the slide in ranking. That was the point of the original post.
Yes, now we’re sure to lose our triple A bond rating that Blake takes credit for.
If this keeps up maybe be able to afford a house downtown!
Forgot the words “regular people” will be able to afford
nope, private job growth has almost nothing to do with a public entity’s general bond rating. The exception would be a single company town but I see little chance of UVA moving out anytime soon;).
Public bond ratings are about cash flow and level of debts and the ability(ease) to payback said debt. The city is also helped by the 6.2 million in transfer payments from Albemarle county.
Oh good, because God knows that we’re desperate for more people to flock to Charlottesville from all over the country.
I don’t think that there’s quite enough development in the county yet- there are still a few family farms left and you can even find some trees here and there.
But fortunately, we’ve got Forbes to herd in more out-of-towners to build their tasteless McMansions with 10 acre lawns. You know- the people who move here from New York or wherever and immediately set about transforming the landscape into the same suburban nightmare they claim to have escaped?
Face it folks- these ‘Best Places’ ranking that we get from various magazines every year are far more curse than blessing. More publicicty means more development. And when, may I ask, is development done? There is no such thing as ‘just a little bit more.’ They will keep bulldozing and building until the whole place is ruined and every dollar has been squeezed out. Then the developers will look for the next fresh top-ten city to ruin.
My message to those who have stumbled across this site while ‘checking out’ C-ville; do us a favor. If you want to move here, buy a house instead of building one. Don’t bulldoze trees to sate your suburban fetish for lawns. Don’t move into a rural area and complain about being stuck behind a tractor on your way to work or hearing gunfire in hunting season. Don’t purchase a fleet of SUVs that clog our streets which were built for small town traffic. Don’t be another dead-weight spectator.
Now that the 29 Bypass has been put off indefinitely, let’s put off the Meadowcreek Parkway indefinitely too.
What do the proponents of this road know about traffic congestion and road-building that invalidates the experience of scores of communities across the nation: more roads lead to more traffic, and more congestion.
For some stats on this check out the Surface Transportation Policy Project at http://www.transact.org, the Reports & Resources link, and the article, “Why are the Roads So Congested?”
In terms of the Meadowcreek Parkway, we need to bring more people into the City, not more vehicles. So instead of spending money on more roads, we should be spending money on an improved transit system, esp. bus rapid transit or light rail.
When one mentions light rail to some people, the response is something to the effect that we don’t have enough people to afford it. Well, if we were to start building a light rail system now, or at least planning a route for it and acquiring right-of-way, we’d be prepared when there are enough people.
Or here’s a radical thought: think ahead, start building as soon as we can, and when there are enough people we won’t have to wait 5 – 10 years for the needed mass transit system. The Interstate Highway System was not built overnight; it was done in sections, or segments, and after 30 or 40 years we have a rather complete, nation-wide system. We could do a similar thing in Charlottesville with a light rail system. Start small, perhaps with a couple of miles, and slowly expand as funds allow. Or develop a bus rapid transit system, which I think is less costly up front, and with most of the benefits of light rail.
If we stop building roads, in the short term the traffic will get worse. But if at the same time we work on an improved system for moving people (rather than mostly single-occupancy vehicles), in the long term we’ll be better off.
We could do a lot worse than become known as one of the nice-places-to-live-in-the-U.S.-cities where the car is not king, and if you come here, you’re going to be able to get around easily without one.
To me, this is a vision worth working for.
If we do not chop up McIntire Park for the Meadowcreek Parkway, I doubt that 100 years from now residents of this area will say, “I wish they’d cut up this park for a highway.”
The City likes to call us a World Class City.
But with every major road we add to this area, the more lower class we become.
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