Remember Albemarle Place, the very model of new urbanist mixed-used development? Well, now it’s “Stonefield” (blech), and it’s just a shopping center. Charlottesville: “the “Napa of the East Coast”. #
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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Dave McNair writes: “Development officials said that Stonefield is expected to create 1,700 construction jobs.” I’ve seen that quoted in a few places now. What I don’t know about construction is a lot, but…1,700? Really? There are 1,700 people who are not currently employed who are going to be employed in the field of construction, and that is a result of the need for one thousand, seven hundred people working to build this one shopping center? Are some of these jobs really something that will last, say, a week? Are some of these jobs really just a series of one-week jobs that will be done by one person, but are counted as ten “jobs”? Or will this really, truly employ 1,700 people for months and months?
“Are some of these jobs really just a series of one-week jobs that will be done by one person, but are counted as ten “jobs”?”
I kind of fear this is the case. One way these jobs sometimes get counted is if there are multiple buildings, they hire someone to do something (say, dig a foundation). That’s 1 job. Yes it goes away after they’re done digging, but it counts. Then they hire the same guy to dig the foundation of the building on the other side of the lot. That’s another job. And so on. So really, it could be only a few hundred people getting work (but being counted more than once).
I don’t know if that’s what’s happening here, but there is the possibility. I don’t work in construction, so it’s possible these 1,700 jobs are different than I described. But really, how ever many jobs will be a welcome relief for a lot of people. Hopefully they will hire local first.
I resent having my hometown compared to a cabbage.
Speaking of jobs:
http://www.nbc29.com/story/14669119/northrop-grumman-layoffs-announced
:-(
A lot will depend on whether the General Contractor is a local firm, or from out of town.
Local
According to their press release earlier this year, Faulconer (local) is the sitework GC. Not sure who they’ve hired as the actual construction GC.