Monthly Archives: December 2022

Council to hold work session on voting precinct changes

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Charlottesville does not elect its five Councilors by wards. Two of the current Councilors even live on the same street.  

But the city does have more than 32,000 registered voters split among nine precincts. The Charlottesville Electoral Board is suggesting moving two of them to new locations.

That “reprecincting” proposal is the subject of a Charlottesville City Council work session at 4 p.m. today. (meeting info)

“This will be discussion only,” reads the staff report from Registrar Taylor Yowell. “A public hearing and ordinance will be considered at a later date.”

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Charlottesville zoning updates: Get ready for a busy 2023

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The Charlottesville Planning Commission will not meet on December 27 for a work session, but the Deputy Director of Neighborhood Development Services wants them to be ready for a busy start to 2023. 

“Please get geared up because we are set for the first four fourth Tuesday which is our regular date for work sessions related to zoning ordinance related activities,” said Missy Creasy. 

More details about the zoning ordinance rewrite from NDS Director James Freas. 

“So we are now looking at releasing the draft zoning ordinance itself in three chunks, three modules,” Freas said. “The first of those will arrive during the week of January 30 through February 3 and that one is going to be detailed information on the zoning districts that will include the zoning map, use table, and all of the district standards. So the measurements, the rules, the height, lot coverage, lot size, all of those things that we associate with each of the districts.” 

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Charlottesville Planning Commission pre-discuss capital improvement program at pre-meeting

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For much of the next couple of weeks, you’re going to read and hear a lot from meetings I’ve not yet been able to get to. That begins right now with the first of several reports from the December 13, 2022 meeting of the Planning Commission. 

The official start to the meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. and that’s what the calendar entry on the city’s website says. But the Commission starts a pre-meeting at 5 p.m. at which official business is discussed. 

One of the items on the regular agenda was the draft capital improvement program. Chair Lyle Solla-Yates took the opportunity during the pre-meeting to ask a broad question.

“We have a lot of I think important projects that are not recommended for funding in this [Capital Improvement Program],” Solla-Yates said. “I suspect they are important and we need them. I would like to have a better understanding from staff about how difficult this is to not fund them. How much pain are we in for?” 

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City manager report: CAT service to Center slated to start in May 2023

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Tonight the Charlottesville City Council will meet for the final time of 2022 and with that event will come the final monthtly report from interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers. Often these items are discussed at the meeting, but sometimes they are not. So, here are some of the highlights:

  • There are a few more days to fill out the National Community Survey if you live in Charlottesville. The input will be used to inform the strategic plan that will soon get underway. (link to survey) (story)
  • A new person has begun work as a grants analyst to manage funds that flow from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Anthony Warn’s position is within in the Office of Community Solutions. The position of housing manager has not been filled. That person will ensure that the city’s affordability provisions are actually being met. 
  • Charlottesville Area Transit is seeking ways to move forward with route changes, or at least expansion of service to the Center at Belvedere on Route 11. In a follow-up, CAT Director Garland Williams said service would begin in May 2023. However, other routes that went through a public process in 2021 will be delayed until later on in 2023.  
  • Charlottesville Area Transit also continues to get ready to provide microtransit service in Albemarle County. Williams said that service will launch in late summer or early fall.
  • Staff is also working to expand the bus stop at Midway Manor which will a require an easement from the property owner. 
  • The city is ready to take possession of plastic bags to provide eligible households with enough in advance of the plastic bag tax that goes into effect on January 1, 2023. Are people ready for this to occur?
  • Work on the city’s economic development strategic plan will begin soon. The city has announced that Resonance has been hired do the work with completion in the summer.  I had posted about the award on November 21, 2022. 
  • Outgoing interim Police Chief Tito Durrette has ordered a State of the Department to be ready by the time Michael Kochis takes over as police chief.

    “The audit’s goal is to provide stability within the organization ensuring an orderly and efficient transition of command. Some of the tasks that will be accomplished include conducting inventories of the property and evidence room; all firearms (including ammunition) and less-lethal weapons in our possession; the quartermaster’s space; our motorized and bicycle fleet; our communications and electronic systems, including all phones, radios, computers, and audio/video surveillance equipment; all badges and sworn credentials; and of all other fixed assets that are within the main facility and any of our offsite offices.” 
  • Twenty percent of city employees participating in a phishing email campaign failed according to a report from the Department of Information Technology. 
  • The Route 250 bypass fire-station is perhaps $1 million over estimate even after value-engineering. 
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