April 8, 2026: Charlottesville City Schools enter into solar purchase agreement, clearing way for installation on top of high school
Plus: A new era has begun for Charlottesville’s new Development Code
Today’s edition is sponsored by the Ragged Mountain Running and Walking Shop
Anyone ever been to Oulu? The fifth largest city in Finland was founded on April 8, 1605 by King Charles IX of Sweden. In the GeoCities days of the Internet, I had a penpal there but lost touch way before the days of mobile phones. This year, Oulu is the European Capital of Culture, a concept that I don’t believe exists in the United States. Does Charlottesville Community Engagement exist? Read on!
In this edition:
Governor Abigail Spanberger has now signed over 350 pieces of legislation and has hundreds more to go before an April 13 deadline
Charlottesville City Schools will move forward with a project to install solar panels at Charlottesville High School
A look at several projects working their way through the site plan process under Charlottesville’s new Development Code
Corrections to start:
The link in yesterday’s shout-out for the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards was incorrect. For more information about Saturday’s sale, follow this one.
The top headline for the April 6, 2026 edition originally went out the wrong date. I regret the error.
First shout-out: Run with Jim this Saturday to benefit PHAR
For much of his time as president of the University of Virginia, Jim Ryan led hundreds of people on runs around the community. This Saturday morning, the Ragged Mountain Running and Walking Shop and Prolyfyk Run Creww are organizing another installment of RUN WITH JIM.
The event will begin at 7 a.m. at the Jefferson School on 4th Street and will offer the chance for people to run or walk the 1.5 mile course through Westhaven and the 10th and Page neighborhood.
The event is free but donations will be accepted for the Public Housing Association of Residents as they organize a running program for the youth of Westhaven youth.
Governor Spanberger has now signed over 350 bills into law
The City of Charlottesville will soon have the power to assess land and improvements at different tax rates now that Governor Abigail Spanberger has signed HB282.
Spanberger signed the legislation on April 6 and the bill specifically adds Charlottesville and the City of Falls Church to a list of localities to be able to do so.
This legislation is now one of hundreds that Governor Abigail Spanberger has signed to meet a deadline of April 13.
Another of the bills that will soon become law came up at the March 24, 2026 meeting of the Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Transit Authority.
“House Bill 200 was passed unanimously,” said David Blount, the deputy director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. “It has to do with DRPT’s Transit Riders Incentive Program, the TRIP program, to make that statewide as opposed to being an urban only program.”
This fund is used to help transit agencies reduce or eliminate fares, connect with other regions, and improve public safety.
Blount also mentioned HB564 which would allow localities to use cameras on public transit vehicles to enforce parking in bus stop zones or lanes reserved for transit. Governor Spanberger has not yet signed that bill.
Another transit-related bill not yet signed is HB547 which would require private companies hired to provide public transit service to offer the same benefits offered to public employees. Blount said the same idea passed the General Assembly in 2024 and 2025 but was vetoed by former Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Housing:
HB356 will add to the scope of a report local governments must make to the Department of Housing and Community Development listing any changes that are being made to increase the production of new housing units.
HB164 and SB328 will eliminate a cap on the amount of money a locality can provide to employees for homeownership or rental assistance.
HB170 will require anyone seeking to become licensed as a real estate appraiser to complete a course on fair housing laws and appraisal bias.
Transportation:
HB812 will require people on a bicycle in a bicycle land or shared-use path to obey bicycle signals.
HB1344 repeals authorization for the Sons of Confederate Veterans and Robert E. Lee special license plates.
HB55 will allow some localities to use noise abatement monitoring systems to identify illegal exhaust systems.
HB88 will prohibit the Commonwealth Transportation Board and the Commissioner of Highways from deliberately allowing invasive species to be planted in the right-of-way of state highways.
HB141 will exempt the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority from certain requirements related to procurement.
HB230 will exempt emergency medical services personnel from needing to wear a safety belt when administering care in a moving vehicle.
HB646 will allow vehicles with farm use plates to also use green warning lights.
Elections:
HB78 will allow a civil penalty against a local election official if they refuse to certify elections and allows the State Board of Elections to step in if that occurs.
HB82 will extend the deadline for the receipt of absentee ballots from 12 p.m. to noon on the third day after the election.
Education:
HB253 will enter Virginia into the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact which is intended to make it easier for people to enter the field of education.
HB299 will make several amendments to the way that the Standards of Learning are assessed.
HB544 will make permanent the Commission on School Construction and Modernization.
HB1387 will require that the Board of Education automatically revoke the license of any teacher or instructor convicted of felony and an order to register on the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act.
Public safety:
HB1352 will require the Board of Education to amend the driver education program to provide additional training on the dangers of reckless driving and driving at excessive speeds.
HB126 will require the State Board of Local and Regional Jails to establish standards to ensure that inmates have access to legal counsel.
HB223 will allow localities to fund positions in public defender offices.
HB343 will allow localities to require people under the age of 14 to wear a helmet when on a motorized scooter or a skateboard.
HB347 will extend the time a locality has to update an emergency management plan from four years to five years.
HB648 will prohibit the sale of devices to deliver nitrous oxide through direct inhalation.
HB1333 will direct the Department of Fire Programs to encourage employers to limit paid firefighters to no more than 42 hours of work in a week.
Other:
HB322 will declare that food is misbranded if it purports to be a meat or poultry related product.
HB508 will create a new definition of “agrivoltaics” as a type of small renewable energy project.
HB550 will allow localities that dedicate a portion of their sales tax to tourism purposes to also be able to levy an admissions tax.
HB602 will require motion picture theaters to provide open captioning for some screenings.
HB657 grants a new charter for the Town of Louisa.
HB674 will require the Department of Health to collect information on food insecurity.
HB1404 will allow localities to appoint a non-voting youth representative.
The next edition of this newsletter will take a look at certain economic development bills that now been signed into law.
For a full list of approved bills, follow this link to the Virginia Legislative Information System.
Charlottesville enters into purchase agreement for solar panels at CHS
Both Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville have adopted greenhouse gas reduction goals and have climate action plans in place to guide to their implementation.
Earlier this month, city government and Charlottesville City Schools announced an agreement for a private company to install, own, and operate solar panels on top of Charlottesville High School. The generated power will be sold to city schools for at least 25 years.
“This project reflects intentional and substantial climate and sustainability work,” said Kristel Riddervold, Charlottesville’s sustainability director, in a April 3 information release. “It demonstrates our community’s understanding and willingness to tackle solutions that will deliver multiple benefits.”
Under the agreement, Madison Energy Infrastructure will install a system that will generate 1,738,000 kilowatts of power a year. According to the release, that will offset 59 percent of the power needs of CHS and will save city schools $2.3 million over the course of the agreement.
The release also claims that panels will reduce emissions by 40,000 metric tons.
For more information, take a look at the release.
Second shout-out: Charlottesville Scholarship Program
Today’s second subscriber-supported shout-out goes to the Charlottesville Scholarship Program. Started in 2001 by an initial investment by Charlottesville City Council, the Charlottesville Scholarship Program has grown their endowment to over $1.3 million, and has awarded 201 scholarships totaling more than $1.1 million.
The goal of the program has remained constant: to assist low- and moderate-income City residents and City employees who wish to improve their lives through post-secondary education. Many of these students are the first in their family to attend college.
Income-eligible Charlottesville Public School System high school seniors, City residents who are Charlottesville Public School System graduates or GED recipients, and City municipal and City School System employees, no matter where they reside, are all eligible for CSP scholarships. In a typical year, CSP awards eleven new, renewable scholarships. Ten of these are designated for eligible high school seniors, and the 11th scholarship is designated for an eligible adult applicant.
To learn more about the program, sign up for their newsletter, or make a donation, visit their website.
Changes to the Charlottesville’s Development Code are now in effect
We are now in the third year of implementation of Charlottesville’s Development Code, a new set of building rules created after a process called Cville Plans Together. The idea was to make it easier for developers to get approval for new buildings by increasing allowable residential density and larger buildings.
The new zoning has survived a legal challenge with the City Council agreeing in October 2025 to conduct a transportation study that a group of homeowners argued is required by Virginia law. That study will kick off later this year as I reported earlier this month.
One function of my reporting for this newsletter and a local publication is to provide updates on projects that are moving through a system where staff in the Department of Neighborhood Development services plays the primary role in processing land use applications.
For instance, in February I reported for C-Ville Weekly that Abundant Life Ministries had filed for a major development plan for a proposal to construct a 10,370 square foot community building behind an existing structure on Prospect Avenue.
On March 23, staff in the Department of Neighborhood Development Services has denied a first submission because it did not meet all of the technical requirements. This is a routine part of the process and allows for feedback on the project.
This letter, however, also provided an update on how the Development Code will now be administered following a vote by the City Council in February on dozens of minor changes that went into effect on March 23.
“One of the primary updates involves revisions to development-related application types,” reads the letter from city planner Carrie Rainey.
From now on, there is no longer a distinction between a major development plan and a minor development plan. There’s just a Development Plan which is how the city determines if a proposal is consistent with zoning.
“Approval of a Development Plan vests a project for five years under the current zoning,” Rainey continues. “However, it cannot be used for construction.”
A proposal needs a final site plan to go through construction and these are divided into minor and major. A minor plan does not involve any improvements to the public realm. A major plan does involve improvements and would also need to be reviewed for compliance with the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program.
These rules are codified in a new manual that was also updated on March 23.
On Tuesday, NDS staff approved a final site plan for the First Baptist Church at 735 Park Street to modify breezeways. All of the materials can be seen in the permit portal under PL-26-0025.
The portal can be used to observe applications as they make their way through the process. For instance, PL-26-0018 is to expand 915 West Main Street at the rear for an ice cream shop. NDS staff denied an initial submission on March 10 and are awaiting a new version.
However, the city’s preservation planner has approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior changes because the scope falls under the Minor Historic Review category. The Board of Architectural Review must grant permission for a major review.
Here is a look at several site plans currently pending.
A final site plan application has been filed to install a pre-fabricated pedestrian bridge across Pollocks Branch at the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s South First Street. (PL-26-0052)
The city is also reviewing a final site plan for the second phase of the Central Water Line. The description reads “installation of approx. 6,315 [linear feet] 24” water main owned by [Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority], approx. 1,450 LF 12” water main owned by the City, & approx. 715 LF 18”water main owned by [Albemarle County Service Authority].” (PL-26-0046).
The city is also reviewing a final site plan for exterior renovations at 300 Court Square Tavern for a small hotel. (PL-26-0040)
There is also a proposal to reconfigure the entranceway to the Ridge Street fire station to have it become compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. (PL-26-0033)
Conmole Group LLC, operators of the Conmole restaurant at 816 Hinton Avenue, have filed for a final site plan to replace an existing pergola. (PL-26-0027)
Jaunt has filed for a site plan to reorient their parking lot at 104 Keystone Place. Staff issued a denial letter on February 23. (PL-26-0005)
Finally for this story, Charlottesville Area Transit has filed a site plan for a new bus stop at 325 Riverside Avenue. This is still under review. (PL-26-0001)
Articles by other journalists you are encouraged to read next:
Local county leaders unite in opposition to high-voltage power line project, Deniel Dookan, WRIC, April 2, 2026
Finance Committee hears tuition increase proposals, student objects during public comment, Lauren Seeliger, Cavalier Daily, April 7, 2026
Fire damages four townhomes in Albemarle County, displacing 10 people, Jen Solomon, WVIR 29News, April 7, 2026
Charlottesville City Council poised to approve one-cent real estate tax rate increase, Kate Nuechterlein, WVIR 29News, April 8, 2026
#1030 is a generalized heptagonal number
Today’s edition is definitely the product of someone who likes the thrill of research. I thought about taking the day off today, but now I have not. Instead, I was able to go through some of the legislation that has passed and I waded through the city’s permit portal. I learned things!
I’m grateful to be able to do this work because I love to learn and spend a lot of time trying to translate that into stories that will hopefully provide new information to readers. While this may seem altruistic, there is also a selfish component as I would like to continue on in this manner until my time is over.
If you’ll allow an observation, but I believe there are many people who have no idea how any level of government works. While this may have always been the case, I believe the situation is worse because there is very little coverage of the details.
Town Crier Productions exists to change that with the production of this afternoon newsletter which now seems to be regularly published Sunday through Thursday. Support comes almost completely from readers, either through a paid subscription to this newsletter or a charitable contribution.
This continues to be an experiment and I’m grateful for those funding the way. If you’re not among that number and have financial constraints, you can also help by sharing articles where you can in the hopes of getting more people into the conversations.
One more comment before I go. Charlottesville City Council had a briefing on solar purchase agreements at a recent work session. I had wanted to write it up so more of us could know the details, but I was not able to get there in time. I’ll keep increasing capacity as long as I can.
Now, let’s visit a music festival in Oulu!