Monthly Archives: October 2018

PACC-Tech briefed on Fontaine plans

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The Three Party Agreement calls upon the three entities to cooperate on planning in areas of mutual interest. According to the document, Area B land is that which “lies at the boundaries of or between the University and either the City or the County and on which the activities of any or all three of the parties might have an effect.”

Since 1986, elected and appointed officials have met quarterly as part of an entity known as the Planning and Coordination Council.

“Area B will be designated a ‘study area’,” the document states. “The City, County and  University will work with each other to try to develop a master plan for the study area perhaps by  beginning with its most critical parts. The intent is that the results of the cooperative study will be made a part of the Comprehensive Plan of each body.”

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An October update on the “Cultural Landscape Report”

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For several years, many in the historic preservation  community have sought a study of Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall that would review its past as a way of preparing for its future.

At the October 11, 2018 meeting of the PLACE Design Task Force, the first topic was related to an update on the “Cultural Landscape Study” from Jeff Werner, the city’s historic preservation planner.  City Council approved $50,000 in the current budget for such a study, which PLACE has been calling for for a while.

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Ivy Talks: John Cannon on the Endangered Species Act

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There are 89 species in Virginia that are protected by the landmark Endangered Species Act, a law passed by the United States Congress in 1973. In 2018, the law is under attack from many who say its scope is overreaching. Efforts to roll it back are being made at the judicial, executive and legislative level.

John Cannon, the director of the Environmental Land Use and Law Program at the University of Virginia Law School, explained the various threats to the act in a 75 minute talk at the Ivy Creek Natural Area

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as part of their Ivy Talks series.

Albemarle to consider investing $325,000 for Piedmont Housing to redevelop Park’s Edge

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The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors will support the Piedmont Housing Alliance in its efforts to to purchase the 96-unit Park’s Edge apartment complex on Whitewood Road.

“One important aspect of affordable housing is preserving what we already have,” said Ron White, the county’s chief of housing.

Park’s Edge is on Whitewood Boulevard, part of a transportation corridor that links Albemarle High School with U.S. 29 via Greenbrier Drive.

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Climate change ranked as top strategic goal for Albemarle Supervisors

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At their meeting on October 3, 2018, the six members of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors learned that their top strategic initiative for the upcoming fiscal year is to “develop and implement Phase 1 of the Climate Action Plan.”

In September, supervisors were asked at a work session to score their budgetary priorities related to the strategic plan, a document used by county staff to help develop future budgets. Each elected official was given nine dots with descending levels of weight and told to rank 12 possibilities.

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Listen to the Rivanna River Renaissance Conference

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On September 29, The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission held the latest in a series of conferences about the Rivanna River, a 42.1 point mile tributary of the James River that flows from the mountains of Albemarle and Greene Counties through to the confluence in Fluvanna County.

The river also serves as the border between Albemarle and Charlottesville, and officials on both sides have been seeking ways to take advantage of what an urban waterway can offer to an urban community as well as planning for ways to ensure the natural resource isn’t abused.