Charlottesville City Council to get updates on food equity, parks planning

The Charlottesville City Council begins each regular meeting with a work session at 4 p.m. that takes place in City Council Chambers. If you want to know if anything will be added to the agenda or removed, the very beginning is what you want to watch. (meeting overview) (meeting info)

There are two topics at this work session with the first being food equity. 

“The Charlottesville Food Equity Initiative (FEI) brings together public, private, and non-profit partners working in unique and complementary ways to build a healthy and just community food system for all Charlottesville residents,” reads the staff report for the annual report for FY2024.

Council adopted a resolution calling for food equity in 2018. Since then, a group called Cultivate Charlottesville has become the nonprofit that leads efforts to “improve access to and quality of nutritious and affordable foods, addressing food equity barriers.” 

The annual report also sets up what Cultivate Charlottesville wants Council to do in the current fiscal year such as reserving land in Booker T. Washington Park for the Urban Agricultural Collective to have space to grow food. That decision will be made as part of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan process which Council will discuss second, but the report describes the current situation of the Power to Grow initiative as being in a “holding pattern” until the beginning of 2025. (read the report)

The report notes the pending closure of the Local Food Hub as well as the demise of the PB&J Fund. Charlottesville Tomorrow profiled the latter in November 2014. The website for the other is no longer functional. What happened? 

“The integral roles both nonprofits have played in the local food system cannot be overstated and their absence invites us to adapt to changes informed by need, resources, and capacity,” the annual report continues. 

That means Cultivate Charlottesville will ask Council to extend direct funding for the initiative beyond a three year agreement. Council provided $155,000 in both FY23 and FY24, but increased the amount to $190,000 for FY25. 

(See also: Council indicates support for Food Equity Initiative but funding decisions to come later, November 2, 2021)

Next up will be the update on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. There will also be a meeting dedicated to the plan’s finding on Tuesday. 

“The purpose of the Master Plan is to guide the department for the next 10 years and provide strategic direction and vision to meet current and emerging public needs, as well as remain the primary steward of the significant natural, cultural, and historic resources,” reads the memo for this topic. 

There is a 36-slide presentation to Council with what PROS Consulting has found during the work. That includes the results of a survey that 392 households filled out. (view the presentation)

• 94 percent of respondents have visited a city park 
• 44 percent said physical conditions in parks are “very good” and 35 percent said they are “good” with 11 percent saying they are “excellent” and one percent saying they are in “poor” shape
• 31 percent of respondents had participated in a parks program in the past year
• The top priorities for investment appears to be for more trails, more parks, and access to the Rivanna River
• Disc golf, lighted sports fields, and a cricket field are among the lowest rated priorities
• Question 18 asked directly what level of additional property tax increase should be dedicated to parks

There are also specific recommendations for Tonsler Park, Washington Park, Market Street Park, and Court Square Park. The findings appear to justify a community garden in Washington Park and for new memorials and historic markers in Court Square Park. 

Earlier this month, Council agreed to the purchase of three parcels of land for parks or trails. If you want to know more details, read the story I wrote. 

Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment is from the August 19, 2024 Week Ahead edition of the newsletter.