Charlottesville City Council to consider appeal of PC ruling of 0 East High Street

The five member Charlottesville City Council meets at 4 p.m. for a work session followed by a regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Both are in City Council Chambers. (meeting overview)

In just over six months, Charlottesville City Council will adopt a new budget for fiscal year 2025. The development process begins with a kickoff at the work session. This will include a review of the Office of the City Manager, the Office of Economic Development, and Office of the City Attorney and the City Council Clerk. (overview) (OED overview)

The regular meeting begins with two proclamations. One is for Digital Inclusion Week and the other is to mark October 8 through October 14 as Fire Prevention Week. A theme for the latter is “Cooking safety starts with YOU!”

“Since January 1, 2023, the Charlottesville Fire Department (CFD) has extinguished over 60 building fires and more than 70 kitchen fires contained to the stove or container,” reads the resolution. 

One item on the consent agenda is worth noting. Council will hold the first of two readings of appropriation of $800,000 for a Transportation Alternative Program grant for a pedestrian bridge over Meadow Creek as called for in the 2013 Meadow Creek Valley Master Plan. 

“This project will construct ADA-accessible stone dust paths from Greenbrier Park up Meadow Creek to behind the Pepsi Plant and up to the Virginia Institute of Autism at Greenbrier Drive near Hillsdale Drive,” reads the staff report.

There are two land use items. 

• Council will consider a special use permit and a critical slopes waiver for an eight-story building at 1709 Jefferson Park Avenue. The Planning Commission recommended approval in September and you can read my story for more details. (SUP staff report) 
• Council will be asked to review an appeal of the Planning Commission’s September 12, 2023 codification of a resolution that some of the public facilities that would be built as part of the 0 East High Street project are not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. For details, read a story I wrote from their recent vote. (staff report)

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