December 5, 2024: UVA School of Data Science receives another $20 million for a second building
Plus: More details on the water withdrawal permit for Crozet’s water supply
On this day in 1764, a young woman named Susanna Bolling was born in the village of City Point, now known as Hopewell. Sixteen and a half years later, British General Charles Cornwallis arrived at her family’s plantation and Bolling overheard a plan to capture the Marquis de Lafayette. According to a resolution that passed the 2019 General Assembly, the young woman “snuck out of her home through a secret underground tunnel, crossed the Appomattox River in a canoe, borrowed a neighbor's horse, rode through pitch darkness to the Half Way House, and warned General Lafayette of General Cornwallis's plan to capture him.”
This is Charlottesville Community Engagement for December 5, 2024. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I did not know the above but I’m about to learn some things that are completely different.
In today’s installment:
The Quantitative Foundation has given another $20 million to UVA to expand the School of Data Science
Charlottesville picks a firm to study the cost of providing solid waste services
The Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors awards $10,000 to the Albemarle Housing Improvement
More information on the public comment for the withdrawal permit for the Beaver Creek Reservoir for Crozet’s water supply
Several area businesses and nonprofits have received funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia for tourism marketing
A resumption of the long and detailed review of Albemarle’s Comprehensive Plan process
First-shout: Rivanna River Restoration Project underway at Riverview Park
In today’s first Patreon-fueled public service announcement: The Rivanna Conservation Alliance is leading a public-private partnership to help restore the health of the Rivanna River at Charlottesville’s Riverview Park.
This comprehensive initiative aims to restore critical sections of riverbank, enhance water quality and native habitat, repair a severely eroding stormwater outfall, and provide more opportunities for the community to safely access the river in one of the Charlottesville area’s most cherished natural recreational areas. The work is being done in conjunction with the City of Charlottesville and local design firms Ecosystem Services and Wolf Josey Landscape Architects.
To follow the progress of the project, visit the RCA’s website at rivannariver.org.
Quantitative Foundation gives another $20M to UVa for second building for School of Data Science
The School of Data Science at the University of Virginia recently moved into a new building at the intersection of Ivy Road and Emmet Street, but are already looking for more space for entrepreneurial work to take place.
Today UVA President Jim Ryan announced they’ll get the resources to do so.
“I’m delighted to announce a new $20 million grant from the Quantitative Foundation which will help us build a new building next to the current data science building the Emmet-Ivy Corridor,” Ryan said.
In 2018, the Quantitative Foundation made a $120 million gift to UVA for the establishment of the School of Data Science.
“The Foundation’s investments as you probably noticed have positioned UVA at the forefront of an exploding field,” Ryan said. “Since its launch, the School of Data Science has generated enormous interest from prospective students, a surge in faculty research, and new partnerships with business and government.”
The announcement came today at the meeting of the Board of Visitors’ Advance committee. More from the BOV meetings today in the next edition of the newsletter.
Will Foshay, executive director of the Quantitative Foundation, spoke on behalf of Jaffrey Woodriff, the major force behind Quantitative Investment Management.
“We do hope that the multiplying effects of starting innovative businesses has a philanthropic component,” Foshay said. “This building that provides space for both is extremely exciting and we very much expect the whole to be greater than the sum of the parts.”
Woodriff also is the force behind the development of the CODE Building on the eastern end of the Charlottesville Downtown Mall.
Charlottesville hires firm to study cost of solid waste services
The City of Charlottesville has selected a Colorado company to conduct a study of municipal solid waste services.
NewGen Strategies and Solutions, LLC of Lakewood has been awarded a contract to review the costs for the city to provide pick-up of residential trash and curbside recycling.
“Based upon services provided by the City, the offeror will calculate appropriate revenue requirements and subsequent service fees, to include multi-year rate adjustment scenarios and projections,” reads a request for proposals that was issued on September 16.
Currently residents pay for stickers to be affixed to trash cans either on a per-can basis or a yearly decal. Residents can also pay for a large item pick-up that begins at $35 for the first time it is used in a year and goes up with each subsequent visit. Any additional costs for solid waste are paid for through the general fund.
Solid waste is one of three areas that NewGen Strategies and Solutions focuses on according to a brief look at their website.
“In a complex and changing landscape, providing solid waste services that are affordable, reliable, and sustainable requires solid waste service providers to balance the practicality of responsibly managing waste with aspirational goals for environmental sustainability,” reads a section on solid waste.
Charlottesville is also seeking assistance to monitor and assess the performance of the 2021 Comprehensive and the 2023 Development code.
“This RFP seeks to engage a qualified firm or consultant to provide on-call policy and market research and analysis services, or design and planning services, no less than once per year,” reads the RFP. “The purpose of this engagement is to ensure that the city’s housing and development strategies remain aligned with its broader goals and continue to meet the needs of its residents.”
Multiple firms may be awarded contracts and one purpose is to gather an analysis of the city’s affordable housing programs as well as market trends. Firms have until December 17 to submit their bids. (learn more)
In other procurement information:
Charlottesville’s Human Resources Department is moving to the 4th floor of the City Hall Annex at 120 7th Street NE. They’re seeking a firm to do some renovations including removal of an interior wall to open the space up. Bids are due on December 20, 2024. (learn more)
Charlottesville is seeking a firm to provide containers for the collection, removal, and recycling of scrap metal across the city’s departments. This may include “furniture/office equipment, gas/water utility equipment, construction/building material including electrical and plumbing, automotive parts/equipment and other miscellaneous items.” Bids are due December 10, 2024. (learn more)
Duprey’s Fine Floors of Charlottesville has been awarded a contract to refinish the gymnasium floor at Charlottesville High School. (learn more)
Gillig of Livermore, California, will supply four diesel transmissions for Charlottesville Area Transit. (learn more)
Pet Data will receive a sole source award from Albemarle County for animal licensing services on December 12, 2024. (learn more)
CAAR Foundation awards $10K to Albemarle Housing Improvement Program
This morning, the chair of a foundation tied to an association of real estate agents handed a check over to the Albemarle Housing Improvement Program (AHIP).
“We believe that everyone deserves a safe and secure home,” said Greg Slater, Chair of the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors. “This grant not only supports essential repairs for families but also strengthens our community. We are excited to partner with AHIP in this mission.”
AHIP provides a range of services including emergency repairs, rehabilitation, and energy efficiency upgrades. According to their website, they served 97 households in FY2024. The organization had just under $3 million in revenue in 2023 according to tax filings made available through ProPublica’s nonprofit explorer.
More details on RWSA’s water withdrawal permit for Beaver Creek for Crozet water supply
The December 4 newsletter had a segment on a public comment period that is open for the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority’s water withdrawal permit at Beaver Creek Reservoir. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is taking feedback through December 19 and you can learn more here.
RWSA Executive Director Bill Mawyer had more details at the November 19 RWSA Board Meeting.
"And if they receive no objections I assume that it will be implemented and that's a 15-year permit," Mawyer said.
Mawyer said part of the process is to determine what flows needs to be released downstream to preserve streams. He added that there is enough water for 20 years, but at some point there will need to be a study of whether the RWSA can meet Crozet's needs for the last quarter of the century.
"We see this for Crozet as an adequate water supply beyond 2045 but before 2070," Mawyer said. "In between those two days we'll likely need additional water to serve Crozet."
Mawyer said the RWSA conducts an inventory of the reservoirs every ten years, giving plenty of time for review.
Mawyer also said that the RWSA is going to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a disaster relief grant to help cover the cost of fixing the pipeline that carries water from the Sugar Hollow Reservoir to the Ragged Mountain Reservoir. A section of the 18 inch pipeline that traveled over the Mechums River was washed out during Hurricane Helene.
Second-shout out: Design Develop
In today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out, architectural firm Design Develop is offering a new service aimed at the development community that the rest of us might want to know about , too — 3D point cloud scanning! This technique uses specialized equipment, such as 3D scanner systems, to gather a large amount of data points that represent the surface of the scanned object or scene. This really comes in handy when working with historic structures, as the firm knows from its experience in Baltimore and Charlottesville. Read their blog post for more information!
The applications of 3D point cloud scanning are extensive and cover various fields, including architecture, construction, cultural heritage preservation, virtual reality, industrial design, manufacturing, and more. These applications require accurate 3D spatial information, and Design Develop’s workflow provides precise and comprehensive results, all while being more cost-effective than traditional methods.
Design Develop has expertise in this workflow for their own needs and now has a dedicated team offering this service in the Charlottesville and Albemarle Area. If you're involved in the real estate, design, or construction industry, contact them for more information or a free quote.
Visit their website for an introductory video that captures the 3D point cloud scanning of the Downtown Transit Center and a booklet that will explain more!
Local businesses among recipients of $581,607 in state leveraging funds
The Virginia Tourism Corporation has multiple programs to encourage people to travel to destinations across the Commonwealth. One of them is the Microbusiness Marketing Leverage Program.
“By leveraging public-private partnerships, these programs support Virginia’s creative, outdoor, and small business-based tourism economy and will draw thousands of additional visitors to Virginia,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin in an information release sent out on December 4.
Under the program, grantees are awarded public funds to match private dollars. In this cycle, the private side kicked in more than $700,168 with a a state component of more than $581,607. One idea with this program is to fund new marketing efforts to encourage new visitors during the off-season using the Virginia is for Lovers brand.
Here are some of the recipients in the region:
C-Ville Bites LLC of Albemarle will get $5,000 to match $5,850. One of the items on their website are food tours.
Albemarle CiderWorks will get $1,500 toward the Albemarle Area Bucket List matching $1,855.90.
The Charlottesville Ale Trail gets $2,500 towards a marketing program called Hike the C.A.T., matching $5,800.
Lifeview Marketing and Visuals LLC received $5,000 for their United Nations of Comedy program, matching $12,000. The most recent program was on November 16.
Foxfield Racing LLC received $5,000 for the Foxfield Fall Races matching $21,709.
Unlocked History Escape Rooms received $5,000 for the Unlocked History program, matching $5,000.
The Front Porch Cville was awarded $5,000 for a concert series matching $7,531.
The Fluvanna County Economic Development Department pulled down $5,000 for a program called Find Pleasant Grove to match $10,400. Learn more about the county park here.
Southern Revere Cellars LLC in Louisa County received $5,000 for their “Unplug. Uncork. Unwind” series.
Love Ridge Mountain Lodging received $5,0000 for their Love Ridge is for Outdoor Lovers program matching $5,410.
The Indigo House Bed & Breakfast received $4,450.60 for a print campaign matching the same amount.
According to the release, $168,675 of the funding is going to areas of Southwest Virginia impacted by Hurricane Helene. For the full list, take a look here.
A quick review of the November 12, 2024 Planning Commission
As 2024 winds to a close, Albemarle County continues to proceed with an update of the Comprehensive Plan that could be described with many adjectives. For the purposes of this article, the word ‘thorough’ could be used though I’m sure different readers would perhaps use other choices.
State law requires communities to update their Comprehensive Plan every five years or so, and Albemarle Supervisors last approved an update in the summer of 2015. The Board adopted a resolution to begin the review in November 2021 and two of four phases were completed by this spring. What’s known as the AC44 process has been largely run by staff in the Department of Community Development.
Before phase three began, staff took a pause to restructure the document. This fall, they have been slowly revealing different sections of the document to the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors, as well as other stakeholders. For background, here are several stories.
New details on staff-led Comprehensive Plan update in Albemarle County, October 8, 2024
Albemarle PC begins review of new AC44 language on growth management, October 16, 2024
Albemarle Supervisors discuss growth management policy at AC44 work session, October 23, 2024
Albemarle Planning Commission briefed on land use chapter of new Comprehensive Plan, November 1, 2024
Albemarle County to get outside help to review of how development area is used, November 22, 2024
Since the last story I wrote, the Planning Commission has had two work sessions and the Board of Supervisors has had one. On November 12, 2024, the seven-member Planning Commission took a look at the draft actions in the Development Areas Land Use chapter. They began with information about what feedback Supervisors provided at their November 6 meeting.
“The Board had concern for the number of proposed activities given the potential oversaturation of retail and how much investment might be needed to support any given center,” said Tori Kanellopoulos, a principal planner with Albemarle County. “And then they also asked us to look at potential incentives for redevelopment and encouraging activity centers.”
On November 12, the Planning Commission had the chance to provide feedback on parking requirements and potential reductions for activity centers, even though some of that information is also in the transportation chapter.
For those new to planning, Comprehensive Plans and strategic plans both have goals, objectives, and actions. If an initiative is in a plan, it has a stronger likelihood of being implemented.
Kanellopoulos summarized some of the actions intended to implement the objectives.
“That includes increasing infill, higher density development, adaptive reuse and redevelopment, increasing the number of jobs and housing units and activity and employment centers, investing in existing neighborhoods, which overlaps a lot with other chapters as well, including parks and then increasing tree coverage in the development areas, prioritising areas that have a lesser tree coverage than average across the county,” Kanellopoulos said.
One of the targeted areas of discussion dealt with parking as both the Planning Commission and Supervisors directed staff to factor in scenarios where requirements could be reduced. Kanellopoulos said communities all across the country are considering changes.
“Of course there are a lot of negative effects that can come from having too much parking, including increased impervious surface, the heat island effect and stormwater taking up space that could be used for other uses like buildings, potentially having tear downs of historic buildings to make room for parking and breaking up walkability through sites,” Kanellopoulos said.
The two sentences of Objective 2.1 call for parking reform in Albemarle, details what would be worked out at the zoning level.
“Reduce or eliminate vehicle parking requirements in designated Activity Centers,” reads the first. “Parking maximums should be considered within Regional Centers.”
Rivanna District Commissioner Corey Clayborne gave his perspective on what feels right in terms of right-sizing of parking.
“I think if I go to Whole Foods, that feels like it's the right size, like it's hard to find parking there,” Clayborne said. “But if I go to Giant on Pantops, if I go to Giant or Food Lion right by my house, there's a million open spots.”
Clayborne wanted more information about how the microtransit pilot with Charlottesville Area Transit has worked and if there are lessons that can be learned.
Commissioners also had a long discussion of how to incentivize structured parking as well as redevelopment of existing shopping centers. White Hall District Commissioner Lonnie Murray said the county could make things easier.
“Personally, I think offering tax increment financing I think is a good way to get there because we're not getting the additional revenue from redevelopment right now anyway,” Murray said.
Murray also suggested that residential units could be a by-right use in commercial zones.
If you want to see the whole discussion, take a look at the meeting on YouTube.
Reading material for #774
GOP divided on fate of Energy Department loan program Ken Paulman, Energy News Network, December 3, 2024
Two electric school buses purchased, coming to Charlottesville in 2025, Maggie Glass, 29NBC WVIR, December 3, 2024
The Future of Public Transit Amid Post-Election Uncertainty, Tiana May, Railway News, December 4, 2024
Albemarle County Approves Renovation for 1970s-Era Jail, Fay Harvey, Correctional News, December 4, 2024
Democrats nominate Jack Trammell to replace John McGuire in state Senate, Anna Bryson, Richmond Times-Dispatch (via Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall)), December 4, 2024
Albemarle school board, supervisors begin capital budget talks, Avery Davis, 29NBC WVIR, December 4, 2024
RealPage files motion to dismiss DOJ suit, Leslie Shaver, Multifamily Dive, December 5, 2024
Guide Service breaks from U.Va. to give unsanctioned historical tours, Cecilia Mould, Cavalier Daily, December 6, 2024
C’est la vie, #774!
The more of these I produce, the more set up I am to produce more of these. I start today’s endnote with an acknowledgement that the AC44 story is sort of a placeholder so I can move on to the next one from the Board of Supervisors. I feel like someone should cover a process that will have an influence on the future for so many. Other media outlets probably won’t.
Should they? I don’t know. I don’t work for them. I work for whoever who has decided to keep me going by paying a contribution. I came of age at a time when the entire profession I wanted to be in was eviscerated over time. Rather than be disheartened, I pour everything into just getting out as much as I can.
I appreciate the momentum. The audience is growing, and so is my commitment to trying to continue this as long as I can.
You have one more month to take advantage of a sponsorship I’ve had with Ting since April 2021. Ting will match your first contribution and I’m grateful for the additional fuel they have provided. If you sign up for service and you are within Ting’s service area, enter the promo code COMMUNITY you’re going to get:
Free installation
A second month for free
A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall
