Expanding our horizons
If nothing else, hopefully this proposed road will broaden the typically myopic Charlottesville/Albemarle discussion of transportation. From today's DP - Recently retired Del. Mitchell Van Yahres and two other prominent Charlottesville residents are promoting an environmentally friendly parkway to parallel U.S. 29 to the west.…
Grassroots and Charlottesville
Blogs seem to be the latest and most efficient means by which to effect change from a grassroots level. The number of people I have met recently who are either blog or read and are influenced by blogs increases almost on a daily basis. The…
Transportation/Infrastructure news
This week, Messrs. Kaine, Kilgore and Potts, candidates for Governor, visited Charlottesville. Transportation issues remain one of my most important issues, because (selfishly) I am directly affected every day and this is ultimately a quality of life issue for my clients, thereby once again directly…
Urban Flight
The Road to Ruin is now almost a required daily reading for me. This post titled "The Fear Factor in America's Growing Exurbs," highlights this, citing a NYTimes article. The growth that we are seeing is not isolated to the Central Virginia region; it may…
Wakeup Call: Does Charlottesville have enough water?
I have not yet listened to this Podcast (as my cable at home was down all night and afternoon), but the subtitle seems great in that it references "Central Virginia" rather than the myopic "Charlottesville" Listen to it at Charlottesville Podcasting Network. Our current and…
Green Parade of Homes
Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out the EarthCraft House Parade of Homes. From their release - Sensibly Built for the Environment An innovative new green building program that works with home builders to construct resource and energy efficient homes that lessen the…
Transportation and the Governor’s race
Bacon's Rebellion posted this excellent link to a Q & A with Tim Kaine, candidate for Governer this fall. His ideas for linking transportation and land use planning show that, at the very least, he is thinking about transportation issues. Will all the talk online…
No bubble?
Bacon's Rebellion: Housing Bubble Watch: Land developers say that the need to comply with environmental requirements, zoning laws, and delays in putting the necessary infrastructure in place - roads, water, electricity and sewer lines - limits residential lot development and thus the number of area…
NIMBYs unite.
How prevalent is this opinion? From a letter to the editor in today's C-Ville - This letter is to the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority [“So simple, it just might work,” The Week, August 2]. I could have saved the $1.1 million you paid to…
Water may be coming soon
The RWSA is currently acting on plans to build a pipeline from the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir, just north of Charlottesville, to the Ragged Mountain Reservoir southwest of the city. So far, the idea has received applause from RWSA engineers as well as government regulators.…