Growth in northern Albemarle

When the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning for the North Pointe development in August 2006, there was to be no more than 893 dwelling units.  This year, the Great Eastern Management Company will be asked to revisit the rezoning to add 550 new homes on land currently approved for commercial development.  “Commercial […]

Give and take

Three local organizations have joined forces to tackle food insecurity in our community. Visible Records, Common Field Community Garden, and Plenty recently launched Charlottesville’s Little Free Fridge, which provides 24/7 access to foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, canned goods, dairy products, and prepackaged Plenty meals. According to reports from Feeding America, food insecurity […]

In brief

Slam-dunk summer Sky-high temps didn’t deter area basketball players and fans, who braved the heat for the Tonsler League All-Star Weekend August 12 and 13. On Saturday, the self-described “#1 Premier Summer Basketball League in Virginia” hosted three-point and dunk contests and an all-star game. They cranked the heat up even higher on the “concrete […]

Stopping short

With the start of a new school year just days away, hundreds of students in Charlottesville City and Albemarle County Public Schools will be without bus seats on August 23, the first day of school.   For CCS students, the transportation situation largely mirrors last year’s, with the same walk zones and creative solutions like […]

Taking stock 

At press time, we’re still waiting for the final details of how Charlottesville’s future zoning rules will enable construction of more dwelling units on every single lot across the city. A public hearing and vote on the development code is expected before the end of the year. In the meantime, larger projects on larger plots […]

The forest for the trees

Rod Walker has always loved the natural world. Throughout his career as an IT consultant, the avid hunter and fisherman owned forested land where he and his family could get away for a quieter life, if only for a weekend. But now retired to a western Albemarle County farm, his quiet life has inspired a […]

It all falls down (again)

Four pieces of the Berlin Wall that called UVA home for nine years were removed last week. The concrete slabs were loaned to the university by Robert and MeiLi Hefner to commemorate the 1989 fall of the wall. A spray-painted mural, titled “Kings of Freedom, by graffiti artist Dennis Kaun adorns the sides that once […]

Respect the neighbors

After a tense community meeting this July, Stony Point Development Group President Chris Henry has temporarily paused plans to meet with the Charlottesville Planning Commission about phase 3 of the Dairy Market expansion. The proposed project would encroach on the location of several local businesses, bring in new high-rise apartments, and triple the size of […]

In brief

Shaping up On August 5, the Southwood community celebrated the dedication of Village 1, the first section of  the resident-led redevelopment effort. Charlottesville residents showed up in droves on a sweltering Saturday for the dedication ceremony, which highlighted those moving into the mixed-income village. Speakers included community development and nonprofit leaders, and local celebrities. Speeches […]

Wordplay

The new browser-based game Initial Instinct hinges on a simple and elegant premise: Assign famous names to two random letters and rack up points under a time limit. Though the game is perfectly suited to an internet-connected smartphone, the idea for Initial Instinct actually dates back to designer David Levinson Wilk’s high school days. The […]