County poised to O.K. public sewer, water expansion at Monticello

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors last week signaled its approval of a request to connect Monticello to public sewer lines and expand its access to public water, despite county staff’s recommendations against the new infrastructure. The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the private organization that owns and operates the UNESCO World Heritage site and in 2011 […]

With Dems ruling Albemarle, can the Western Bypass be rolled back?

A week after Democrats swept the Albemarle County Supervisors election, focus on the Western Bypass is heating up yet again. In the weeks before the election, a group called the Charlottesville Bypass Truth Coalition stirred controversy by running anti-Bypass ads that pushed for the defeat of Republican Bypass supporters Duane Snow and Rodney Thomas.  Some […]

Developer Dewberry fires back over city’s demands to secure former Landmark site

Seven stories above the “Coming summer 2009” sign that’s still plastered above a boarded-up ground floor entryway of what was to be the Landmark Hotel, a splash of colorful graffiti blooms across a bare concrete ceiling. It’s not the only street art to grace the unfinished building that looms over Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. Somebody’s tagged the inside of […]

Ix fix: Downtown property gets a drive-through makeover

That “dead end” sign posted at the Second Street SE entrance to the Ix building off Elliott Avenue? Ignore it and come on through! The 17-acre commercial property two blocks south of the Downtown Mall, bordered by Elliott and Monticello avenues, is now an owner-sanctioned shortcut that can help Mall-bound Downtown drivers avoid rush hour […]

Proposed Trump golf course runs afoul of conservation easement

Like my golf game, the proposed golf course that Eric Trump envisions for Albemarle County may never materialize. While Trump purchased the land encompassing the former estate of Patricia Kluge, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) holds a conservation easement on nearly 217 acres. After more than two years of correspondence between the VOF and Trump […]

County candidates agree stormwater is a green priority

At a forum sponsored last week by 15 local environmental organizations, the eight candidates vying for four empty seats on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors fielded questions about their environmental priorities. While candidates’ party affiliations were evident as they talked about global issues like climate change, when it came to local topics, they mostly […]

Dredging plan called into question after contractor pulls out of project

It’s been three years since the Charlottesville City Council and Albemarle County Service Authority agreed on a plan to build the Ragged Mountain Dam and dredge the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir. Construction of the dam is well underway, but a scrapped contract has stalled the dredging project, and officials now say it may be time […]

As HUD funds dry up, housing organizations compete for money

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program, two grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), are drops in the bucket when it comes to the city’s housing budget. But like other federal funds, they’re drying up at a time when the city’s affordable housing crisis is a […]

New executive director at The Bridge PAI eyes community crossover

The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative spent the winter months like a hibernating brick beast. The gallery doors were often locked during business hours, and weeks passed with its walls bare and white. The gallery, meeting place, and event space Charlottesville residents have come to rely on for raucous revels, avant-garde film screenings, sonic experiments, and […]