Smart growth raises housing prices?
Our region ought to learn from other regions' mistakes ... Thanks to the Washington Times: Economists increasingly are concluding that the shortage of affordable housing in Washington and other major U.S. cities on the East and West coasts is a result more of man-made restrictions…
How can we pay for transportation needs?
The Washington Post has an article discussing how localities are preparing for the real estate market downturn: At the same time, officials increasingly are looking at what would happen if the housing market flattens so significantly that it no longer provides enough tax money to…
Growth, roads and APF’s
What happens when the Commonwealth does distribute some of its budget surplus and the County remains firm in their anti-growth strategy? The DP notes that: If state officials allow localities to pass adequate public facilities ordinances, as they're known, local governments could reject developments based…
Albemarle Place is coming
Albemarle Place ... it is almost upon us. I have been writing about this for a little while now, and it's almost here. I saw a note on cvillenews that their site has been updated ... it certainly is enlightening. Make no mistake; this project…
Albemarle County BoS meeting … growth issues come to a head
If you are concerned, curious or just feel ignorant about where the Albemarle County growth process/issue, take 30 minutes to listen to this podcast provided by Charlottesville Tomorrow. I have attributed the quotations to the appropriate Supervisors and have indicated my uncertainty where necessary. One…
Land use, APFs and the public good
There is a good discussion over at the Road to Ruin about this article in the DP that highlights the conflict, yet necessary relationship between private developers and the public good/public infrastructure. Note also Bacon's Rebellion's discussion about the recent forum held by the State's…
Rivanna Village public forum
This is a good idea. From Jessica Kitchin's story this morning in the DP: On Tuesday, the 88-acre development will be the focus of a town hall meeting in the designated-growth area that surrounds it. "The residents of the Village of Rivanna will have NO…
December Forum Watch is out
The Free Enterprise Forum has published online its Forum Watch for December. This is an excellent resource for educating yourself about the goings-on in public policy, growth, etc in the region.
Where is Albemarle Growing?
All over. From Brian Wheeler's SchoolMatters: Where is Albemarle Growing?: I recently updated my analysis of the Albemarle County building reports from the past two years which document each quarter where new building permits are being issued in the County. These do not reflect newly…
Another take on Growth in Central Virginia
Virginia Business Magazine has an excellent article this month focusing on the challenges (and successes) faced by the Central Virginia region - specifically the housing market, the economy, relatively high cost of living. One thing is clear from the article - Charlottesville's reach extends far…