Charlottesville City Council has asked the University of Virginia to cease the development of the Ivy Road parking garage until a meeting of the Planning and Coordination Council on Thursday. The garage is slated for construction beginning in July, and the plans were just announced in March, leaving opponents scrambling to mount protests. Council’s demand puts both them and UVa in an awkward position: if UVa backs down, they look weak, but if they don’t, they disrespect the city. (For more details on that dynamic, see John Borgmeyer’s story from last week’s C-Ville.) Eric Swensen has the story about these latest developments in today’s Progress.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Monthly Archive for May, 2002
Page 5 of 9
In a letter to the Democrats for Change mailing list yesterday, former City Council candidate Alexandria Searls described extensively the circumstances behind her loss to Republican Rob Schilling. In the extensive essay, she compliments Schilling for running “an excellent, aggressive and focused campaign,” calls for a reorganization of the party, and criticizes herself, the party and the press for her loss. You can read her letter, of course, or read Jake Mooney’s article about it in today’s Progress.
fiveh writes: The Buildings & Grounds [Committee] of the BOV approved the design schematics for the new basketball arena in their meeting today. Looks like it will be a 15,000-seat horseshoe design, and it will be located across the street from U-Hall. Of course, all this was really decided months ago. Target completion date for the arena, parking garages (the embattled Ivy Road garage, plus an additional two on the site), and 29/250 Bypass connector road is May 2006.
Last night’s hearing regarding the expansion of the east end of the Downtown Mall didn’t go particularly well. Resident after resident stood up and voiced concern over a variety of aspects of the plan, with few speaking in favor of it, some of whom were obviously angry with how the city has handled the proposal. With $6M in federal grant money as funding, the rather-ambitious plans struck many attendees as preposterously grand for a bus transfer station. The steering committee will vote on the plans this afternoon, and it is likely that they will approve it. Jake Mooney has the story in today’s Progress.
dsewell writes: Today’s (5/9) Daily Progress has a story about the arrest of three UVa students, Pi Kappa Alpha members, on felony charges of manufacturing bombs. They had planted two chemical bombs in mailboxes on Bruce Ave. and Rugby Place. The explosions caused damage but no injuries. Ah yes, just good ol’ frat boy fun. (Why is it I can’t think ‘fraternity’ without hearing Kurtz from The Heart of Darkness saying ‘Exterminate all the brutes’?)
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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