Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith

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Bus Rapid Transit Would Cost $100M+

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 18, 2008 in Taxes and Transportation. 63 Comments

The proposed city/county bus rapid transit system would cost over $100M, Seth Rosen writes in today’s Daily Progress. Both municipalities have agreed to petition the General Assembly for permission to create a joint transit authority, but there’s not much agreement how that will manifest itself. The most expensive option is to create bus-only lanes along 29 N, allowing mass transit to become a faster means of commuting than driving.

This seems to be a lot like the “need” for an larger, $19M sewer line running up 29 N. If we intend to continue our rate of growth then, yes, these things do qualify as needs. But if we look at the costs of a new lane, new buses, a new sewer pipe, a new fire station, new schools, etc., and decide that it’s too much, then we’re obligated to limit our growth accordingly and live within our means.

Waynesboro to Get a Minor League Team?

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 16, 2008 in Sports. 9 Comments

Camden Yards

An investor is in talks with the Red Sox and Waynesboro about establishing a minor league team there, Jimmy LaRoue reports for the News Virginian. Jim Morris is looking to plunk down $20M on a 4,000 seat stadium, but he’s looking for W’boro to chip in some money to make it happen. Though this island of Red Sox nation would certainly love it if the Sox did establish a team here, there’s more than enough cause to think that it ain’t gonna happen. But that doesn’t mean that an independent franchise couldn’t be persuaded to open up a location in our area.

(Via Jim Duncan)

Downtown Store Raided by Feds

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 13, 2008 in Crime. 24 Comments

The Sexshuns clothing store on the Downtown Mall was raided by federal agents this afternoon, Rob Seal writes in the Progress. Proprietor Reynold George Samuels Jr. is accused of running a crime ring, distributing marijuana, crack, cocaine, and pirated DVDs. Samuels is already a convicted felon, so his ownership of firearms isn’t going to help him, either.

You can get away with selling crack these days, but get caught pirating DVDs and you’re screwed.

Citizen Group Opposes Reservoir Plan

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 12, 2008 in Development and General News. 26 Comments

Jeremy Borden wrote about objections folks are raising to the planned reservoir enlargement last week, and the organization that’s opposing it. Citizens for a Sustainable Water Plan are against the $142M plan to embiggen the Ragged Mountain Reservoir by 180 acres and fill it with a pipeline from the Rivanna Reservoir. Their proposal is to, instead, dredge the South Fork of the Rivanna Reservoir. But dredging was considered and rejected as an option by the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, who didn’t like its unpredictable cost ($127M-$145M) and questionable results.

All of this is a result of the nasty 2002 drought, which everybody would like to avoid. An undercurrent of the reservoir discussions is growth — population growth puts significantly more pressure on our limited water resources, and some folks figure that we if we just don’t expand the reservoir, that’ll prevent the population from expanding much more. On the other side there are people whose livelihoods depend on uninterrupted growth, who want to see the reservoirs expanded to make it possible for new construction to continue. I don’t mean to say that many people fall into these camps, only that this is an unspoken part of this debate that color the views of some opinion makers.

Legislator Proposes Eliminating Proffers

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 12, 2008 in Development and Law and Justice. 5 Comments

Legislation before the General Assembly would force us taxpayers to pay for new developments, Scott Weaver explains in C-Ville Weekly. SB768, proposed by Sen. John Watkins (R-Midlothian), would eliminate proffers entirely, replacing them with straight-up impact fees. Under this system, the $41M in proffers for Biscuit Run would have been just $25M, leaving Albemarle citizens holding even more of the bag than we are now. (If I may mangle a metaphor.) Incidentally, Sen. Watkins has received more contributions from developers than any other business sector, $155k and counting. The bill has passed committee, and is likely to pass the Senate shortly, from which it will pass over to the House for approval.

Incidentally, a pair of those links are to Richmond Sunlight, a site that I run about the General Assembly. Since the legislature is in session right now, as they will be for the next month, every bit of my spare time is spent on Richmond Sunlight. If y’all are feeling ignored here lately, that’s why.

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