Date Archives November 2007

Proffers, timing, smart growth and questions

in Albemarle Growth Politics on

Take the time to read it if you’re interested in growth issues in Virginia.Tuesday brought a significant shift in the political makeup in Albemarle County.  It will, however, take a long time for some of those impacts to be felt for many reasons, not least the fact that there are currently several thousand homes in the pipeline to be built (anywhere from 8,000 to 13,000, depending on which numbers one uses).  These have already been approved and are not subject to the new cash proffer policy on new homes….  (If I didn’t know what I was looking for, I might never have been able to find this document)As has been noted elsewhere, the Board of Supervisors is now faced with a possible 4-2 split on many issues that will define the future, near and long-term, of Albemarle County.Will we spend more money on transit?What will happen to our property taxes?How will our symbiotic relationship with the City of Charlottesville be affected?If property rights are affected, what will happen to real estate values?These are questions that will be be answered only over time.

Read More

Stability in College Towns

in Albemarle Charlottesville Growth UVa on

Thanks to an alert reader for sending this story my way – College Towns Escape the PainAs the inner cities, along with much of Florida and the interior of California, face the prospect of a foreclosure meltdown, American college towns appear to be islands of stability….It could be all of that and more, say economists and academics.  But ultimately, what the cities on the list have in larger measure than much of the rest of the country is stability, in both their housing and job markets….Contributing to reasonable home prices is the fact that many places on the list are economic oases, surrounded by areas where jobs are dwindling, which helps depress housing demand.  Yet the college towns themselves are thriving: The peak years for American births since the baby boom were 1989 to 1993, and college enrollments are swelling as never before.  Many communities on the list also have big medical centers or flourishing research operations.Take a look at some of the historical data on UVA construction – and then look at their Master Plan.

Read More

Best line of the day

in Albemarle Charlottesville Green on

– from today’s C-Ville….Unfortunately there’s more to the story.What a shame that this is one of the reasons that the Montessori School’s design was denied:”…How energy efficient a building is isn’t in our (the ARB) criteria.  It’s unfortunate, but we’ve been charged by the supervisors to deal with the aesthetics of the entrance corridor.”Why not make the entrance reflect Charlottesville’s greener values?  Note to those not familiar with the area – Pantops is an entrance corridor to the Charlottesville area, highlighting the boundaries between the City of Charlottesville and the surrounding County of Albemarle….  For example, this is from one of the County’s public hearings on their Green Building and Sustainability initiatives:As the Comprehensive Plan is a guide, staff believes this language will work to further establish the County’s commitment to green building and identify priorities in the context of long-range planning and community development.Why not LEED the way and show visitors that our area embraces and support green buildings and green lifestyles?

Read More

What happens after the baby boomers? Take Two

in General Real Estate on

I noted it here a little while ago. The CharlAlbemarle area has very little housing that is suitable (mostly single-level living, Universal Design, (and here) conveniently located near efficient public transport) for the 55+ crowd.  One of the only single-family developments (condos excluded) designed for retiring baby boomers is at least 20 minutes north of the City – with no public transportation at all.All housing has a life-cycle….  While the houses may not suit today’s lifestyles – open floorplans and kitchens, master suites, at least 2300 finished square feet – they have that other major criterion – Location.What will the landscape look like in thirty or forty years when these now new developments (I am reluctant to call some of these new incarnations “neighborhoods” just yet) start to experience their own turnover?…  This seems to me to be two incompatible trends poised to collide at some point.Lonnie commented on Cvillenews:As an unrelated thread, I’d love to see someone start asking what will happen to our area when all these retired Baby-boomers either die or can’t maintain these large homes as they age?

Read More