The deadline for voter registration to be qualified to vote in this November’s election is Tuesday October 11th. If you want your voice heard, vote.
Date Archives October 2005
Mold, bubble, energy prices and Zipcars!
What will CNBC and BusinessWeek cover if the market only shifts and doesn’t “burst”?Is the price of your house about to plummet? There’s no one foolproof indicator of a local housing bubble, so the best approach is to evaluate the situation from many angles. It’s important to gauge such factors as construction permit issuance, local incomes, job growth, and rental rates to determine if you’re living in a danger zone…. Caulk will help lower your energy bills.With heating prices expected to soar over the next few months, homeowners are starting to take a newfound interest in the unfashionable minutiae of caulking, insulation and tankless water heaters.Good resources here as well.
Saving energy and telecommuting
“We currently waste about half of the energy we use in this country, so the potential is quite enormous,”This from the president of the Alliance to Save Energy in a story in the RealEstateJournal. Here are some ways to save energy.I think that the rising energy costs are going to effect how we live in many ways, not least how we settle, work and develop our areas. Developments and work environments may be closer together, mass transit may become more prevalent …… one can hope!Find the time to read this article.
Local Politics and CAAR’s endorsements
I happen to be the Chair of our Government Affairs committee and was impressed with the candidates and our process.This election is an opportunity for our organization (~1200 strong) to speak with one voice that we want our County to grow wisely and efficiently…. Three candidates running for election to the House of Delegates (Robert Bell and Steve Koleszar from the 58th district, David Toscano representing the 57th District) and five candidates for the Board of Supervisors (Christian Shoenewald and Dennis Rooker running in the Jack Jouett District and David Slutsky, Gary Grant and Tom Jakubowski running in the Rio District) were present and answered questions generated by the public…. He believes development should be directed into the growth areas and that the county needs to provide more specific instruction to developers regarding the Neighborhood Model…. Schoenewald: The community is not served by expansion of the designated growth areas at this time, need to create side corridors, would favor a western bypass, especially now since there is so much development in Crozet.
Eminent domain roundup
Wow.On May 24, the five-member township committee voted unanimously to authorize the municipality to seize Segal’s land through eminent domain and name its own developer.”They want to steal my land,” Segal said…. Centex, a nationally known developer with projects in Middlesex, Morris and Monmouth counties, would then build 100 townhouses on Segal’s property….Florio and Capodice [the mayor and deputy mayor] said they preferred AMJM because it is a local company.”I’ve never heard of Centex,” Capodice said…. If this is not the impetus one needs to get involved in politics, I don’t know what else would provide that motivation.And here is another perspective on eminent domain.A NYTimes eminent domain article showing the merits of eminent domain in some occasions – With local government officials throughout the nation struggling to defend themselves against the storm of criticism unleashed by the Kelo decision, the International Economic Development Council, a professional group based in Washington, cites the Best Buy headquarters to illustrate why eminent domain is sometimes a crucial tool in combating urban decay and sprawl.A WSJ eminent domain article showing the same merits – when was the last time the NYTimes and WSJ had such similar stories?Situations such as this, rather than those in which people are pushed out of their homes, make up a large percentage of cases in which St…. Louis if the Supreme Court hadn’t upheld eminent-domain rules in its Kelo v. New London decision, Ms. Geisman adds.
Reading today
Regardless, here are a few of what I was reading today.PROPONENTS OF limitless growth in Loudoun County keep inventing new ways to railroad their designs into law. (WashingtonPost) The similarities between Loudon and Central Va are frightening sometimes.A NYTimes eminent domain article showing the merits of eminent domain in some occasions – With local government officials throughout the nation struggling to defend themselves against the storm of criticism unleashed by the Kelo decision, the International Economic Development Council, a professional group based in Washington, cites the Best Buy headquarters to illustrate why eminent domain is sometimes a crucial tool in combating urban decay and sprawl.Another WSJ eminent domain article showing the merits – Situations such as this, rather than those in which people are pushed out of their homes, make up a large percentage of cases in which St…. Louis if the Supreme Court hadn’t upheld eminent-domain rules in its Kelo v. New London decision, Ms. Geisman adds.Study it again!The Albemarle supervisors will join Charlottesville in sharing the cost of a road study…. prior studies show 40% of the Pantops traffic coming into and leaving Charlottesville uses East High Street.Well, golly, that makes sense …
New listing in Western Albemarle
I just put this property on the market in the Highlands. Two bedrooms, two baths … $205,000. Google map of the location.Call or email me for more.