The Meadowcreek Parkway Might Be Completed

in Albemarle Charlottesville Growth Politics Transportation on

Councilors voted 3-2 — with Mayor Dave Norris and Councilor Holly Edwards opposed — to allowActing City Manager Maurice Jones to endorse the project’s draft memorandum of agreement, which lists the measures the city will take to lessen the negative consequences of building the two-lane road through one of Charlottesville’s largest parks. The proposed measures outlined in the memorandum are to establish two rain gardens that exclusively use native plants; have a landscape plan to integrate the city’s portion of the parkway into the setting’s existing natural features and minimize its influence on McIntire Park; install signage prohibiting truck traffic and posting a speed limit of 35 mph; complete photographic documentation of the eastern side of the park; and complete historical documentation of the McIntire Golf Course.

…I still wonder – if we were designing a transportation solution today rather than trying to implement a 40-year-plus plan , would we create the Meadowcreek Parkway?

… The relationship between the City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle is akin to that of divorced parents who really kind of hate each other but are able to keep it together justenough to keep the kids fed.

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Gone Droid – A Step in the Evolution

in Technology on

Following up on my “What’s next in Real Estate Technology” series … I do miss my blackberry, but ... It’s been five days since I switched and while I miss the simplicity of my Blackberry – it does email and phone calls extremely well – So far I’m happy that I decided to buy the Droid Pro .

…I do a lot of mobile uploads, and the 5 meg camera, while not the 8 meg on the Droid X, is better than the 2 meg on my BB. Qik – I’m going to be testing this soon. (more on this later) Skype is a bit better on the Android, I think. … I know this – visitors to RealCentralVA.com are using mobile devices* – and I’d like to encourage more. 🙂 1 – iPhone 2 – iPad 3 – Android 4 – Blackberry 5 – iPod 6 – Samsung * They’re so much more than phones.

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Come to Siips Tonight for the Workforce Housing Fundraiser and Broker Bartender Night

in Affordability Off-topic on

Come to Siips Wine and Champagne Bar and Bistro on Thursday, November 11, 2010 from 5:30 – 8:00 PM for a charity bartender event benefiting the Workforce Housing Fund of Charlottesville.

…The CAAR Work Force Housing Fund (WFHF) was created in 2004 to address the need for affordable housing in local communities. The WFHF aids teachers, nurses, police officers, and fire fighters by providing financial assistance with the purchase of their homes. Siips is located at 212 East Main Street in Charlottesville, VA on the Historic Downtown Mall, directly across from the Paramount Theater.

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Charlottesville and Albemarle’s Places 29 – Same Old, Same Old

in Growth Politics on

I stand by what I said in June of this year : Places 29 , Albemarle County’s plan for the 29 North Corridor is in its fifth year (at least) and public outreach meetings continue. Candidly, i suspect that this plan will continue to be yet another exercise is the County and county business leaders publicly demonstrating that their best interests are served by continuing the planning process while those citizens to actually drive 29 continue to lament the interminable planning and delays of the aforementioned “leaders.”

…What I mean by this is that some parts of the city and county are becoming relatively ignorant of each other, as the residents don’t need to leave their respective worlds. As each neighborhood develops continues to evolve and develop and re-develop its own identity, residents may become more involved hyper-locally but less-so in the greater Charlottesville area.

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