Report: Housing Situation Sucks

Published by Waldo Jaquith on January 19, 2007 in Development. 34 Comments

A comprehensive study of the availability of housing that’s affordable to residents shows that it’s a bad situation and it’s getting worse, Brian McNeill reports in today’s Daily Progress. Given the number of families earning less than $28,500/year, we’re short 4,200 housing units. Who makes $28,500/year? Everybody in the top five most common jobs here: cashiers, restaurant workers and retail employees. They also found that public employees (police, fire, teachers) have to live farther and farther away from Charlottesville in order to pay for housing, leading to more traffic, more need for childcare, and more pollution.

The study was commissioned by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and conducted by the Virginia Center for Housing Research. The TJPDC tells me that they won’t have the study available electronically until next week, so I’m afraid I can’t point you to a copy of it.

01/24 Update: The report is now available (2.2MB PDF).

Our Mall Fountains Have Strayed

Published by Waldo Jaquith on January 19, 2007 in General News. 13 Comments

In this week’s Hook, David McNair takes a look at the four fountains on the Downtown Mall (Miller’s, Central Place, Sal’s, Nook) and, look at Downtown Mall designer Lawrence Halprin’s original vision, finds them wanting. Halprin’s vision was for them to be interactive. There’s a reason why the Central Place fountain is wide, shallow, and has steps leading down into it: people are supposed to be able to walk into it. Instead, it’s surrounded by chain. The three smaller fountains are inaccessible to the public during the warm portion of the year, because the space around them is leased to restaurants for cafés. Everybody McNair talks to agrees that it’s time to make the fountains accessible again and restore Halprin’s plan.

(Via David’s blog)

Judicial Candidates Hold Forum; Camblos Stacks the Deck

Published by Waldo Jaquith on January 17, 2007 in Law and Justice and Politics. 16 Comments

All seven people seeking to be named as the replacement for Judge Paul Peatross attended a forum held last night by Del. Rob Bell. (NBC 29, CBS 19, DP) Bell did not attend his forum, and he likewise missed the bar association’s forum. Only two of those candidates were recommended by the bar — Judge Robert Downer and prosecutor Cheryl Higgins — but the General Assembly is functionally free to pick anybody that they want. The purpose of the forum was to have a committee of five people, selected by Del. Bell, quiz the applicants and render their verdict on who would make the best candidate. The only un-endorsements from the audience were from people speaking out against Albemarle Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Camblos. The positive comments were largely in favor of Judge Downer and Camblos. Though, as it turns out, Camblos’ praise was a setup.

One reporter tells me that, after talking with some of the speakers and all of the judicial candidates, he caught Jim Camblos stacking the deck. All of the other candidates respected process, while it turns out that Camblos convinced five people to attend the forum to stand up and speak in support of him. That kind of thing is, unfortunately, par for the course for Camblos.

Judge Peatross’ retirement takes effect at the end of this month, so the General Assembly will need to take this up in the next couple of weeks.

Council to Reconsider Precinct Boundaries

Published by Waldo Jaquith on January 17, 2007 in Politics. 13 Comments

I heard on WINA that City Council intends to look at the boundaries that define each of the eight voting precincts in the city. They’re going to establish an advisory panel to examine the existing boundaries and look at how they could be improved. If I recall correctly, the boundaries were established long, long ago, when the city was physically smaller. As the city grew, annexing land from the county, the precincts were expanded out to encompass the new area. At this point they’re functionally arbitrary, and badly in need of reconsideration. Any changes will have to be approved by the Department of Justice, to make sure that they’ve been established fairly. Good on Council for taking this step.

Hey, remember that election study that was released two years ago? An elected mayor? Instant runoff voting? Whatever happened to that?

Mallek Seeking White Hall BoS Seat

Published by Waldo Jaquith on January 12, 2007 in Politics. 34 Comments

Earlysville resident Ann Mallek is running for Board of Supervisors, Charlottesville Tomorrow reports. Though she hasn’t made her formal announcement yet, she confirmed her intention to unset freshman White Hall district supervisor David Wyant at last night’s Crozet Community Association meeting. Mallek is the first new candidate to announce for this November BoS elections. Rivanna representative Ken Boyd and Scottsville representative Lindsay Dorrier’s seats are also up this year.

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