For most of us, outdoor lighting is something we tend to only notice when it’s not there. But for astronomers, outdoor lighting done badly can be the bane of observational research, casting its glare into the atmosphere and sullying the nighttime view of the stars. At the County Planning Commission (www.albemarle.org) meeting on February 20, […]
“I would assume you’ve done some projections of expected employment over the next five to 10 years,” said County Supervisor Dennis Rooker towards the end of the quarterly three party meeting between representatives from the City, the County and UVA on February 15. The answer: We’re working on it. But UVA officials didn’t quantify anything. […]
Correction appended A few months ago, the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority (CRHA) (www.charlottesville.org) emerged from “troubled” status. But December 28, it found out its budget for 376 units of public housing has been slashed by $220,000, thanks to nationwide cuts at the federal level. “It’s bad timing,” says Noah Schwartz, CRHA executive director. “We […]
UVA President John T. Casteen III gave his yearly State of the University speech last week to a crowd gathered in Old Cabell Hall on February 7. Here is the abridged version (with apologies to the original author). UVA President John Casteen hit many of the same points he’s hit in the past State of […]
February might not be a time for many UVA sports fans (www.virginiasports.com) to think about football: The men’s basketball team is hovering near the top of the ACC standings; the baseball team is ranked in the Top 10 in preseason polls; and the No. 1 lacrosse team is getting set to defend its national title. […]
Albemarle County (www.albemarle.org) recently released its 2006 building report that shows 575 new building permits were issued in 2006. The results are the lowest number for residential construction since 1995, when 569 building permits were issued. Nine Year Comparison of New Albemarle Residential Dwelling Units The 2006 numbers are down 44 percent from 2005. Those […]
Both City and County governments have been working on adding new tools to allow them to address two hot-button issues: adding affordable housing and substracting rural development. Several City leaders have been pushing for an ordinance that would give developers increased density in exchange for affordable housing; in the County, Supervisor David Slutzky has championed […]
This time of year, the item dominating the agendas for local school boards (www.ccs.K12.va.us; www.k12.albemarle.org) tends to be the annual budget funding request. After the school board wrangles over their priorities, it forwards the request to local government, which has final say. Contentious issues in the County have included the ol’ “living wage” issue: Some […]
Charlottesville’s ties to its sister cities will soon grow more, um, concrete. The image above is a rendering for a “sister city” sculpture, designed by former director of strategic planning, Satyendra Huja. It already has the approval of the Board of Architectural Review and now awaits word from City Council (www.charlottesville.org). The current plan is […]
In the mid-winter night in coastal South Carolina, on an island just north of Hilton Head’s luxury and just south of Beaufort’s history, a bus pulls up under a floodlight that is casting a ghostly pallor in front of the steel doors of a homely and institutional brick building.