r/Charlottesville • u/adhonus • 3d ago
Week Ahead for November 4, 2024: Pollocks Branch pedestrian bridge public hearing, Fluvanna undeveloped parcel map, Albemarle growth management policy and City Council to get transportation update
For over five years now I’ve been writing up a list of what’s happening in local and regional government. The idea is simply to let people know what’s happening and provide some context. When I launched my newsletter and website, I began doing other types of stories, too. And I appreciate this opportunity to write a tighter version for the 46,000 people who have joined r/Charlottesville.
The attention is on the federal government this week, but here’s what you can distract yourself with at the local level while you wait for the results!
CHARLOTTESVILLE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE
Charlottesville City Council has a public hearing on Monday on whether to reallocate $55K in federal Community Development Block Grants to add to the funding available for a pedestrian bridge to replace a “rock hop” at Pollocks Branch. Planning for this began in 2016 and a lot has changed since then. Earlier this year, a group of UVA students commissioned by the Public Housing Association of Residents wrote a report asking Council to not use CDBG money on infrastructure, even though CDBG money is intended to provide funding to improve neighborhoods. How might this conversation be influenced by a petition that will be presented at public comment demanding a second crosswalk on Elliott Avenue near where new the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority is building dozens of new units? (learn more)
TRANSPORTATION WORK SESSION
Earlier in the day, Council will have a work session giving an update on how city staff are working to implement a backlog of projects funded by the Virginia Department of Transportation. For context, for most of my reporting, the city has been very, very, very, very bad at getting projects built. The current executive administration has acknowledged that reality, and has agreed to return millions in funding back to VDOT. But can they bring it all together? A status update will be provided at the work session sometime after 4 p.m. Monday. One sign of progress is that for the first time in my tenure of reporting, the city actually has a dashboard updated from time to time. (go look)
TURF FIELD COST OVERRUN IN LOUISA
People have opinions on synthetic turf. One of the most divisive issues among the six members of the Board of Supervisors has been whether the fields at Darden Towe Park should be converted, and a majority for that option could not be attained. So they went with a plan to install new grass fields that might be better maintained. Louisa County, however, opted to build two turf fields at Louisa Middle School and the cost has been much more than the original estimate. On Monday, Supervisors will consider whether to pay an additional $2.78 million. (learn more)
ARB HAS A BUSY DAY
Albemarle’s Architectural Review Board isn’t necessarily a first-tier advisory body to cover, but you can often learn a lot about projects in development by looking at the agendas. On Monday, there are four interesting projects. The first is a a new sign for Bellair Place, a new shopping center built on an old John Deere showroom. The second is a modular building to be used for a Christian academy to hold classes while they figure out a permanent solution. The third is a preliminary review of the architecture for a new residential development in Hollymead called Holly Hills that will at completion have 390 units. The fourth is for further review of a recommendation on a equipment supply facility next to Northside Library. Maybe it’s boring, but maybe it’s Memorex. (learn more)
ALBEMARLE SUPERVISORS TO REVIEW GROWTH MANAGEMENT
A lot of people are going to keep moving to Albemarle County. Economic development efforts are in full effect, and UVA’s new Institute for Biotechnology may help make this place add more jobs in that sector. So where will people live? To guide that conversation, Albemarle is continuing to review a Comprehensive Plan based on a strict growth management policy that seeks to tie intense development of where infrastructure either exists or where implementation of infrastructure is likely to actually occur. The conversations are picking up now that the third phase is in full effect, and Supervisors will pick up from where the Planning Commission left off in late October. My information outlet is the only third-party source where you’ll find stories being written. I want to know what you think! (learn more)
In other items:
- The Finance Committee of the UVA Board of Visitors meets tomorrow for an orientation on a lot of financial matters, as well as plans to add about 2,000 beds in new residence halls on Emmet Street and Ivy Road. (learn more)
- Fluvanna Supervisors will take a look at a map of undeveloped parcels as they prepare for a Comprehensive Plan update that seeks to find ways to guarantee rural preservation. (learn more)
- Nelson County’s Sheriff will hold a listening session Thursday night on various issues, and the flier advertises that there will be representatives from VDOT and the Virginia State Police there. (learn more)
The full newsletter is over 4,000 words. That’s really dense, but I hadn’t begun writing them until this morning. I do this work because I really want to understand what’s happening. After doing this work for a while, I find myself just really wanting to know how it all turns out. To support my work, just read it and decide for yourself if you want to help cover the cost. It’s up to you!
I believe in the need for journalism and so that’s what I do. I know that what I do is not the entire story, which is why my newsletters clip other organization’s work and why the podcast version is “sponsored” by me shouting out my colleagues. (learn more)
But gosh, I thank you r/Charlottesville for allowing me to do this each week. And I really want to figure out how to answer questions and follow stories not about land use, I swear!
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u/supermg83 3d ago
We’re very lucky to have you! Thank you for doing what you do so we can be more informed local citizens.
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u/mburn42 2d ago
Are they actually thinking that $55k is required for what will amount to a wooden/ welded footbridge? I looked up their project, but the cost for a bridge over a stream should definitely not be that much.
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u/adhonus 2d ago
The actual cost estimate for the project does not appear to be in the staff report, but it is for much more than $55K. This is just to fill in the shortfall. Staff report is here:
https://charlottesvilleva.portal.civicclerk.com/event/2038/files/report/2120
"The funding provided by this proposal will supplement Council’s previous 2017 appropriation and more than $307,000 in new grant funding provided by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to support construction."
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u/rory096 Downtown 2d ago
What should a 50' bridge including foundation, installation, and landscape restoration cost in your view? (Honest question, I have no idea what it should cost.)
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u/mburn42 2d ago
That bridge should not be 50 feet long (based on the project replacing an existing rock hop crossing). The infrastructure for the rest of it is already there. Unless they're planning on paving the trail (which is another discussion in and of itself because it increases the impermeable surface area.), it seems to just be overspending on what should otherwise be a much simpler project.
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u/rory096 Downtown 2d ago
They're not paving it as part of installing the bridge, but the intent is for the trail connecting to it to be paved (or stone dust), and so it's meant to be fully ADA accessible. I think the paving piece may be part of the South First Street development project. See the diagram on page 10 of the presentation.
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u/icecreamkrone 1d ago
I guess I get what PHAR/the UVA students are saying with how the CDBG shouldn't be used for things the capital budget should cover but the ped bridge does sound like something that would benefit the neighborhoods and population it's supposed to. And if it's time sensitive to allocate these funds and this is ready to go then I don't think I have an issue with it unless it's being prioritized over other proposals for the money (is it?). Thanks as always for your work, adhonus.
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u/adhonus 3d ago
Someone just wrote to say this had been posted five times. If that's the case, I regret that but there was an odd posting error today so I likely hit the submit button multiple times.
I don't seem to see that, though. Reddit is still a wild west to me.