When the COVID-19 pandemic hit just over five years ago, child-care providers struggled to find ways to stay open amidst social distancing rules. Congregation Beth Israel “pivoted to a forest school model, embracing outdoor learning to keep our doors open for families,” said Jill Abbey-Clark, the director of what CBI calls its Forest School. To […]
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit just over five years ago, child-care providers struggled to find ways to stay open amidst social distancing rules. Congregation Beth Israel “pivoted to a forest school model, embracing outdoor learning to keep our doors open for families,” said Jill Abbey-Clark, the director of what CBI calls its Forest School. To […]
The development of housing reserved for people with low incomes can take a long time, given shifting timelines of residents’ availability. That has twice been the case for SupportWorks Housing (formerly Virginia Supportive Housing), a Richmond-based nonprofit that steered the 60-unit Crossings at Fourth & Preston in Charlottesville through a complex process that involved a […]
In one of Charlottesville’s warmest neighborhoods, John Hunter’s yard feels like a cool oasis. An array of waist-high shrubs and groundcover fills the property, while a billowy corkscrew willow, a hardy black walnut, and several juvenile trees cast shade over the space. Come summer, the plants go a long way toward helping Hunter and his […]
The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors adopted a $644 million FY26 budget on May 7. The budget is balanced with a 4-cent increase to the real property tax rate, and a restoration of the pre-pandemic personal property tax rate. New rates go into effect on July 1, for an overall real property tax rate of […]
Charlottesville has seen many periods of growth since its founding in 1762, and new development rules adopted in late 2023 point the way to a more dense future. Along the way, city leaders have made decisions about whether some buildings should be preserved, assigning the Board of Architectural Review—the governing body that makes such decisions—a […]
The U.S. Department of Education rescinded its recommendation that Charlottesville City Schools acquire the site of the former Federal Executive Institute. In a May 9 email to CCS, the DOE said it will instead recommend the U.S. General Services Administration move forward with the University of Virginia’s bid for the property. “Upon further review of […]
The Commonwealth of Virginia purchased nearly 1,200 acres of land at Biscuit Run in late 2009 in order to create a new state park, but funding to build the various components did not materialize. In 2018, Albemarle County entered into a 99-year lease with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation to open the space […]
When an investment firm purchased the former Cavalier Crossing apartment complex on Fifth Street Extended last year, affordable housing advocates were horrified that the intent was to convert the 144 existing units to market rate. Now Bonaventure has filed plans with Albemarle to rezone the property to allow construction of 165 new units and comply […]
It’s primary season in Virginia, and here’s what is—and notably isn’t—on the ballot June 17. Virginia and New Jersey’s off-year elections are historically treated as bellwethers, taking the temperature of public opinion one year after presidential elections. Despite the hoopla, there’s no gubernatorial primary in Virginia this June, with Abigail Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Winsome […]
The Charlottesville City School Board has officially rezoned its elementary schools for the first time in more than 50 years. While the months-long process was the source of heated debate earlier this year, the new school zones were adopted unanimously at the May 1 board meeting. Neighborhoods affected by the redistricting include the area west […]