Though Jim Ryan is no longer the president of the University of Virginia, planning work continues on three affordable housing projects called for under one of his community initiatives. In March 2020, Ryan announced that, over the next decade, UVA would build between 1,000 and 1,500 units to help increase its housing supply. After a […]
It’s a big week for money in Charlottesville, with City Council appropriating more than $1 million, and the school district’s draft budget totaling almost $130 million. At its February 2 meeting, City Council focused on funds in the current budget rather than FY27, making two major appropriations to Piedmont Housing Alliance initiatives. The largest allocation, […]
Four years after turning down millions in state funding to reconfigure one of Charlottesville’s most urban intersections, the city will try again with a version that would restrict the flow of traffic on three blocks of Water Street. “Converting Water Street to a one-way simplifies the signal timing at the West Main and Ridge [streets] […]
Since the University of Virginia held its first classes in 1825, West Main Street has served as an important thoroughfare between town and gown. The buildings and structures constructed along the major roadway between the two spaces since then reflect the changing economies as both Charlottesville and UVA grew. But in the absence of solid […]
In its efforts to increase and preserve Charlottesville’s affordable housing, City Council took a first look at several requests on January 20 before its scheduled approval votes on February 2. One request asks for a note guaranteeing $3.77 million for a partnership between the Piedmont Housing Alliance and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville to […]
With the Virginia legislature and governor teed up, City of Promise Executive Director Price Thomas says now is the time to take “big swings” in public education. Founded in 2010, the Charlottesville nonprofit aims to tackle generational poverty by improving education outcomes through social interventions. Charlottesville students spend more than four times as many hours […]
As one of her first acts in office, Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed an executive order to create a task force to recommend ways to reduce barriers to building houses. “Slow permitting, outdated zoning, labor shortages, and paper-based processes are driving up costs and delaying housing across the Commonwealth,” reads the order to create the Commission […]
Charlottesville has updated and expanded last year’s voucher program to help city residents afford battery-powered e-bikes. Every quarter, the city will give away 12 vouchers in each of three tiers: $500 for any applicant (Tier 1); $1,000 for people earning less than or equal to 80 percent of the area median income (Tier 2); and […]
When Charlottesville City Council adopted a new zoning code in late 2023, it wanted to help developers make it easier to build new places to live. The city’s Department of Neighborhood Development Services is moving forward with changes designed to further that goal. “We’re jumping into 2026 with lessons learned, and to try to move […]
Organizers with the United Campus Workers of Virginia met at the state capitol in Richmond January 16, calling on the General Assembly to support two bills that would restore collective bargaining rights for state employees. “We had some really good conversations, both with allies that we’ve been working with for a long time, and then […]