Sean Tubbs

Both Albemarle and Charlottesville have pledged to be fossil fuel free by 2050. But how will the county balance a need to allow for more electricity through solar fields with a long tradition of preserving rural land?  “A good rule of thumb is … generally seven to 10 acres per megawatt, in terms of a […]

A divisive battle continues over Charlottesville’s next set of rules for where buildings can go, and how many housing units are allowed within them.   City Council and the Planning Commission are expected to hold public hearings later this year to conclude a public process to increase both the number of homes and the number […]

At the recent Rivanna River Fest held on privately owned open space that meanders with the waterway, several organizations staffed booths to promote their activities to passersby.   However, two affiliated groups seeking to prevent the development of a 245-unit apartment complex on that property had their own table set up just outside the boundary […]

Should Albemarle County supervisors pay a single landowner $58 million for 462 acres of land to help preserve the future of the area’s growing intelligence community? That’s the question for a June 21 public hearing.   “We know this project is a generational investment in our community’s vibrancy,” says J.T. Newberry, Albemarle’s interim director of […]

Voting in this year’s Democratic primary has already begun, but the five candidates seeking three nominations for Charlottesville City Council will continue to answer questions at forums between now and primary day, June 20.   That was the case at a May 17 forum put on by the Greenbrier Neighborhood Association, which featured many questions […]

The City of Charlottesville is in the process of purchasing property to build a 1,700-foot shared-use path on Barracks Road from Emmet Street to Buckingham Road. That’s about halfway up the hill, and drew questions from one long-time observer of local government.   “What are we thinking?” says Rugby Road resident John Pfaltz. “It’s too […]

An organization that seeks to foster appreciation for older buildings in the hopes of preserving them for the future now owns a significant Woolen Mills landmark.     “The 1887 Woolen Mills chapel is one of the earliest still surviving historic houses of worship in the city,” says Genevieve Keller, president of Preservation Piedmont, which […]

There are many reasons why Charlottesville is amending its zoning code, but a major one is to provide protections to halt, or slow, displacement of Black residents. Yet some are concerned that a plan that increases density will not have the intended effect.    “If you’re saying you are wanting to help a group of […]

For several years, a burned-out husk of a 20th-century motel has remained standing at 140 Emmet St., near one of the main entrances to the University of Virginia. Now, the structure is set to come down.    After a May 2017 fire destroyed the Excel Inn, where Martin Luther King Jr. stayed during his 1963 […]