Will Charlottesville Aggressively Target Mixed-Use Redevelopment?

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Jim Duncan

If they take this statement to heart, we’ll have a more dense and more walkable/bikeable/liveable City in the next 10-20 years.

“By maintaining over 40 acres of cracked asphalt along a growth corridor such as Preston Avenue, we essentially … had five times less revenue produced from that corridor,” Galvin noted. “There is a price to pay for not redeveloping aggressively.”

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  • Bill

    I have done some City development and my experience is that “revenue” is the last thing that city neighborhood development staff and Planning Commissioners care about. The number one priority seems to be making sure that neighbors are comfortable with the proposal. (Speaking of Preston, remember when Huja proposed redesigning the intersection of 10th/Preston/Grady to create some buildable land? The neighbors freaked and the idea died).

    • http://www.realcentralva.com Jim Duncan

      I think it’s a balance between doing what’s right for the neighbors and for the community. And having the will and intestinal fortitude on the City’s part to make things happen when they should. Neighbors should have a voice, but not necessarily the voice.

      And yeah – I remember when Preston was supposed to be a better entrance corridor. I think that’s as far as that idea will ever go.

      • Stormy

        NDS will certainly bend over backwards for developers to allow them to fully utilize the zoning already in place, even if it inconveniences neighbors who are uniformly opposed. I’ve seen that firsthand in my backyard.

        Tangentially related, why is Preston Avenue an entrance corridor? Where’s the border with Alb. Co. that makes this an entrance?

      • Stormy

        NDS will certainly bend over backwards for developers to allow them to fully utilize the zoning already in place, even if it inconveniences neighbors who are uniformly opposed. I’ve seen that firsthand in my backyard.

        Tangentially related, why is Preston Avenue an entrance corridor? Where’s the border with Alb. Co. that makes this an entrance?

        • http://www.realcentralva.com Jim Duncan

          It’s an interesting balance between neighbors and developers, that’s for sure. I’d also say for most residents (you not included) things come as a surprise … as in, they don’t pay attention or go to City Council or Planning Commission meetings, so by the time they figure it out a new development is coming, a new development has been approved.