Amid all of the debate over growth in Albemarle and the surrounding counties, Charlottesville’s growth rate and capacity are often ignored. With 3,900 people per square mile, Charlottesville is one of the least-sprawled areas in the state. With the city’s boundaries having been locked at 10 square miles, municipal growth can only go one way — up. In Saturday’s Progress, Liz Nelson took an extensive look at where we are, where we’re going, and what needs to happen (tax rates, transportation, cost of living, etc.) in order to get there.
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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Archive for Sideblog »
I quote the article:
Charlottesville is full enough, some say. “I think it’s time to just stop them from coming in,” said Bettie Black, who was born in Charlottesville in 1929
I wonder how she (and many others around c’ville who say similar things) plans to do this? I’m amazed at the number of people who want to freeze-dry their neighborhoods. Instead of being upset about change, how about finding a way to engage the change in an interesting way?
According to a 2002 housing report by UVa urban planning professor William H. Lucy, 12 percent of city families live in poverty, compared with Albemarle County’s 4.2 percent.
Poverty and cities go hand in hand. I’m curious if this figure is large or not. The article didn’t give any baseline from which to compare.
“If more and more cars get out on the road there, I think alternatives to that are going to become more attractive to people,” said Charles Petty, acting transit manager for CTS. “People might want to just sit and read the newspaper and ride to work rather than sit in the car and inch along.” CTS provided 1.24 million rides last year, Petty said.
When I lived in DC I rode the bus often and rode my bike back and forth to work. Although I am able to commute by bike in town, I disagree with the claim that traffic is bad in Charlottesville. I frequently zip around town and marvel at how simple it is to get places and find good parking.
"Charlottesville is full enough, some say. "I think it’s time to just stop them from coming in," said Bettie Black, who was born in Charlottesville in 1929
I wonder how she (and many others around c’ville who say similar things) plans to do this? I’m amazed at the number of people who want to freeze-dry their neighborhoods. Instead of being upset about change, how about finding a way to engage the change in an interesting way?"
I don’t think a lot of people think this way about cities in general. Suburban areas, yes. Cities, no. I think Ms. Nelson needed a devil’s advocate viewpoint for her article and she just plucked any old person off the street, which is fine for Joe Schmoe’s POV, but this lady she quoted sounds like she has never looked into how communities grow, ie. she isn’t very educated in that area.
"When I lived in DC I rode the bus often and rode my bike back and forth to work. Although I am able to commute by bike in town, I disagree with the claim that traffic is bad in Charlottesville. I frequently zip around town and marvel at how simple it is to get places and find good parking."
My questions is, why wait until we reach critical mass on the highways and streets before we start planning and encouraging more aggressively mass transit?. Sure, compared to D.C. anywhere you go it will seem like you can just "zip around."
My questions is, why wait until we reach critical mass on the highways and streets before we start planning and encouraging more aggressively mass transit?. Sure, compared to D.C. anywhere you go it will seem like you can just “zip around.”
I guess the only response I can give reflects my pessimism about public transportation. Although I’m cool with using it, the commuting public regards public transportation as something that poor people use and they don’t want to be associated with it. Even though it is affordable people would rather pay more to operate a car so they don’t “feel” poor. This is a big psychological barrier that the automotive industry has carefully constructed. I’m all for promoting public transportation, but in the end the majority who use it are the ones who have little choice otherwise.
I think Ms. Nelson needed a devil’s advocate viewpoint for her article and she just plucked any old person off the street, which is fine for Joe Schmoe’s POV, but this lady she quoted sounds like she has never looked into how communities grow, ie. she isn’t very educated in that area.
Yes. A dialogue:
Editor: Liz, as an anti-intellectual buffoon who’s terrified of my robber-baron bosses, I believe we need some balance in this story. And by “balance,” I mean a token quote from every loon with a counter-productive or nonsensical idea we can find.
Nelson: OK. [Heads to K-Mart, looks for crazy old lady likely to have “dissenting view,” summarizes topic of article in small words, waits for ill-informed prattle, takes notes.]
Fin.
Instead of K-Mart, I was thinking it was probably Roses, by yeah, I was envisioning something like that…
Just a guess, of course, but an educated one.
Thanks to me and one editor who gave me the assignment, all of Central Virginia found out what people roaming the streets of Charlottesville just before deadline thought about the 2000 presidential election.
Owing to my tastes in particular, the thoughts and opinions of hot sorority girls on the Corner were particularly well represented.
When I first moved to C’ville in 1988, there was a woman living on Park Street who thought the tax assessments was horrible (1988 assessments). I often wondered what happened to her as the assessments increased. I think we’ve found her….
As for the bus system, when you have to plan your trip in terms of hours, it is not very effective to ride the bus. Several years ago, I looked at the bus schedule and realized that the only people who could get anywhere on CTS to UVa lived off Park Street. That route had the only convenient time for getting to and from work without having to either come in an hour early and/or be an hour late (for the morning shift). The evening shift was about the same: either you could leave an hour early or stay an extra hour at work in order to ride. It might have changed but that’s my perception of CTS. It has improved with the free ride — I see a number of people riding it who are not UVa students. And, it offers service in the evening (remember how it shut down around 6 p.m.?) and on weekends now? So it is an improvement…still, if they are trying to get people to come in to UVa or other big job sites like State Farm, there’s definitely room for improvement and/or good PR.
Ragnar, I used to ride public transit in DC too and it was great. In Richmond, I could catch a bus from downtown really quickly as there was a bus going in my direction every 15 minutes. So there is a big difference between those systems and C’ville. I’d really consider it if I didn’t have to plan for it like I was going to the far side of the moon instead of just going across town. I really did enjoy riding the buses/metro.
BTW, does anyone ever use the Big Blue Bus or is that even around? *Big Blue Bus was some sort of transit from as far as Ruckersville to downtown C’ville/UVa. It might have merged in with Jaunt for all I know now about it.
Now the jig is up, JMZ! With the information you provided, people will be able to discover your true identity by looking up this election story using the DP’s extensive online archives…oh wait, forget I said anything.
Ha! I tried to actually read the growing-up story just now, so that I could develop a real, informed opinion on it, but the paper’s web site has run it all together into one very long paragraph. Oh, well.
Nice job, techies! Thanks for not going nuts and shooting anyone yet! Maybe one day you’ll make it so that the site actually serves some purpose!
PS — I’m sure it’s a good story, and it’s certainly good that the city staff is writing about these things instead of the puppy dogs and ice cream crap that’s become all too common. Oh, and earlier, I was making fun of the paper’s *managing* editor. Some of this site’s denser readers may have been confused about that.
PPS — When you’re all finished reading The Power Broker, get Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities. In fact, go buy it now.