Public space

As the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Downtown Mall approaches in 2026, the city of Charlottesville is looking to make some improvements. The Downtown Mall Action Plan presented to city council outlines stakeholders’ priorities and suggested next steps, with a focus on the Mall as a public space. “The goal was not to […]

Filling in 

Details are now known for the first of three UVA-initiated projects to build between 1,000 and 1,500 affordable housing units in the community.  “This is a project being pursued by the University’s real estate foundation at the northeast corner of 10th Street and Wertland,” says Jeffrey Werner, the city’s preservation planner. “There are some opportunities […]

In brief

Trump says Good bad Former president Donald Trump weighed in on the heated primary between Rep. Bob Good and state Sen. John McGuire, formally endorsing McGuire in a Truth Social post on May 28. “Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA. He turned his back on our incredible movement, and was […]

The art of the place

A chilly March night, and the indoor space seems to be unheated. It’s not designed to be comfortable; it’s an industrial building in Harrisonburg repurposed as a climbing gym that also hosts music, and it has a concrete floor, a loft reached by a ladder missing a rung, and odd couches and crates. People bob […]

Back to worship 

A Christian church with locations in Louisa County, Pantops Mountain, and Waynesboro has purchased a key site in downtown Charlottesville for a new campus.  Point Church paid $1.3 million for 105 Ridge St., a structure originally built in the late 19th century for the Mount Zion Baptist Church. The property had previously been listed at […]

In brief

Graduation procession A group of pro-Palestine students walked out of the University of Virginia graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 18. Hundreds of graduates have recently walked out of commencement ceremonies across the country. “NO COMMENCEMENT WITHOUT DIVESTMENT,” shared @uvaencampmentforgaza on Instagram. The post highlights banners displayed by protesters, reading “BLOOD ON UVA’S HANDS” and “DISCLOSE […]

Budging the budget

After months of debate, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a compromise budget passed by the state legislature during a special session on May 13. The new budget passed with broad bipartisan support, with vote totals coming in at 94-6 in the House of Delegates and 39-1 in the state Senate. Most of Democrats’ priorities from the […]

Open and shut

More than four years after closing its doors due to COVID-19, Region Ten’s Women’s Center still has not reopened. While the community service board cites staffing difficulties, concerned members of Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together (IMPACT) are frustrated with the lack of progress in reopening the facility. Opened in 2018, the Women’s Center […]

Neighborhood remodel?

Twenty-three years ago this week, Albemarle Supervisors officially adopted a policy called the Neighborhood Model to encourage construction of a more urban fabric in the county’s designated growth areas.    “We were proud of the tremendous efforts put into developing the Neighborhood Model by a committee of local residents and staff,” says Sally Thomas, who […]

Path for improvement

With the missing medians, peeled-up pavement, and barrage of cones, it’s hard to miss the construction on Hydraulic Road and U.S. 29. But Virginia Department of Transportation Project Manager Will Stowe says there’s a method to the madness. Construction along the busy corridor started earlier this year and has mostly consisted of right-of-way acquisitions up […]