There were a lot of similarities between Albemarle County’s citizen survey last year and Charlottesville Tomorrow’s survey last month, but there were some differences, too. There was a lot of overlap in the questions about growth and rural protection, and that’s where some results deviated. In response to that, UVa’s Center for Survey Research, who ran the county’s survey, put together an explanation of why the results differed (PDF), which the county made public in an e-mail announcement today. It’s actually a pretty interesting read, with the differences in the questions and the survey methodologies appearing to explain the contrasts.
cvillenews.com
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
In this week’s Hook, Lisa Provence has a lengthy profile of Jim Camblos and the criticism that has been heaped upon him in the past few years. Provence talked to me for the piece, since I’ve never been shy about criticizing the Albemarle County commonwealth’s attorney, and some of my quotes are sprinkled throughout the article to create a sort of back and forth between me and Camblos.
When asked about his most serious screwup — Cambos’ refusal to so much as issue a traffic ticket to woman who killed a woman and her grandchildren while driving on on 29 — he doesn’t even attempt to defend himself, simply refusing to discuss it. On other matters, Camblos complains that his critics are “people who don’t know all the facts,” which either means a) that all local media outlets have conspired against Camblos to refuse to provide the public with “all the facts” or b) that Camblos is refusing to provide the facts. What with his refusal to, y’know, provide the facts when asked for them by Provence, this isn’t a real tough nut to crack.
Bizarrely, Camblos claims that anybody who criticizes him either doesn’t live in Albemarle or is part of “certain segment of the media.” I can’t claim to be particularly surprised: this is the same man who once brought charges against a child in part because he was born on Hitler’s birthday. Reality’s not his strong suit.
Defending him, his coworkers point out that Camblos loves puppies, rainbows, and long walks on the beach. Camblos insists that he’s all about “respect, compassion, and dignity,” which contrasts sharply with the mug he’s photographed drinking out of, emblazoned with these words: “Reduce defense spending–plead guilty.”
After seeing yet another story about how Crozet residents don’t want to be the county’s growth dumping ground, I have to ask: Why doesn’t Crozet take their destiny into their own hands and incorporate as a town? It would require an act of the General Assembly, but I suspect that Sen. Emmett Hanger or Del. Steve Landes would be willing to introduce that bill. It would be interesting to hear what the two candidates for the White Hall district — incumbent Republican David Wyant and Democratic challenger Ann Huckle Mallek — each think about Crozet taking their destiny into their own hands.
As all developments inevitably are, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved both the Biscuit Run and Hollymead developments during last night’s meeting.
Biscuit Run’s 3,100 housing units will go in just south of town, courtesy of developer Hunter Craig, bringing many thousands of new residents to the area. Accompanying the development is $41.1M in proffers, as per the county’s policies, which will not even begin to cover what we’ll all pay in taxes to cover Biscuit Run, which the county estimates will run us $222M. Had the county not rezoned the land, its developers would have been limited to less than 1,400 houses. It will be the largest housing development in county history.
And then there’s Hollymead, the expansion of the existing “Hollymead Town Center.” That’s 1,200 housing units and 278,000 square feet of commercial space. The developer wouldn’t provide a proffer for improvements to damage they’ve done to a nearby lake, but based only on the guy’s attorney saying they’d figure something out, Supervisor Dennis Rooker voted for it anyway, saying that he “take[s] him to be a man of his word.” Supervisor Lindsay Dorrier voted for it, too, despite telling Charlottesville Tomorrow earlier this week that it lacked the infrastructure necessary to make it good for the county.
Our taxes going up to pay for rich folks to move here from New Jersey in 3…2…1…
On the heels their interviews with BoS candidates, Charlottesville Tomorrow has interviews with all five candidates for City Council, focusing on the topic of growth. A timestamped list of topics addressed is provided for every interview, making it easy to find candidates’ responses on matters of your interest. Those interviews can be listened to individually (listed in order of publication): Satyendra Huja (D), Barbara Haskins (I), Holly Edwards (D), David Brown (D), and Peter Kleeman (I).
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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