July 1, 2025: Greene County Supervisors vote to move forward with water supply plan with reduced scope
Plus: Charlottesville has paused new land use applications after Development Code voidance
Mathematically July 1 is almost halfway through the year at 0.48963 percent. July 2 takes us to 0.501369863014 percent through the year. These numbers may not be significant, but humanity depends on numbers for everything around us in the physical world. Charlottesville Community Engagement sometimes uses them to present information but mostly words are used to attempt to explain a few things about the world around us. I’m Sean Tubbs, still figuring out to be human.
In today’s installment:
Charlottesville tells land use applicants that they will not be taking in any new
J.J. Davis will become acting president of the University of Virginia once President Jim Ryan’s ouster by the U.S. Department of Justice is complete
Greene County Supervisors vote to proceed with implementation of a water supply plan albeit one with a reduced scope
First shout out: An Evening of Improvisational Percussion!
WTJU and the Charlottesville Jazz Society are pleased to announce a show up on July 7 at Visible Records.
Tim Daisy is a Chicago-based drummer, composer, and educator renowned for his contributions to both improvised and composed music. Drummer and composer Scott Clark is at the center of the Richmond VA improvised music scene, and is making a name for himself through his “striking musical maturity, evident in his patience and precision.” On July 8, they’ll be performing together.
Tickets are available in advance online. The cost is $12 for paid supporters of The Charlottesville Jazz Society, and $15 for general admission, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. For more information visit cvillejazz.org, or call 434-249-6191!
Charlottesville to pause taking land use applications
There is nothing on Charlottesville’s website to indicate that Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Worrell has voided the city’s new Development Code following a failure of outside counsel to respond to one of his orders.
That includes the Neighborhood Development Services website, the zoning page, or the portal where members of the public can review applications.
However, the city has sent emails to applicants with additional information and someone forwarded a copy to me.
“Pursuant to the order issued by the Honorable Judge Worrell of the Charlottesville Circuit Court on June 30, 2025, the City of Charlottesville is currently reviewing all zoning and development applications on file to assess appropriate next steps,” reads the email.
“Effective immediately, the City will not be accepting or processing any new permit applications related to zoning or development until further notice,” the email continues.
A request for additional comment from the city has been received but not yet responded to at publication time.
The email also notes that the City Attorney’s office is reviewing the ruling and that additional guidance will be provided in the future. John Maddux is in his second month in the position after the position was largely vacant for a year with legal oversight provided by the firm Sands Anderson.
In FY2025, that company had received $498,322.42 in payments through May 18, 2025 according to an email I received that day from Afton Schneider, the city’s director of communications and public engagement.
Davis to serve as acting president of the University of Virginia
Today is the first day that Rachel Sheridan is serving as the Rector of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors. On Monday afternoon, she and former Rector Robert Hardie penned a letter announcing who will replace the man forced out by the United States Department of Justice.
“Pursuant to UVA’s Continuity of Operations Plan, Jennifer ‘J.J.’ Wagner Davis, who currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, will assume the role of acting president upon the effective date of President Ryan’s resignation,” reads an email sent out to the UVA community at 3:20 p.m.
No date has been set for when Jim Ryan will officially leave.
Brie Gertler is currently serving as interim Provost and interim executive vice president following the resignation of Ian Baucom to become president of Middlebury College. That appointment became effective today.
“When the office of the presidency becomes vacant, the Board manual requires that the Rector promptly form and convene a search committee that will identify and recommend a new president to the Board,” the joint email continued.
The pair wrote that they understand and share the sorrow many have had with the sudden resignation of a president. However, the two said UVA must continue working toward the goals of the 2030 Strategic Plan.
“We must continue to invest in supporting our exceptional students, faculty, and staff who form the heart of this vibrant community; we must ensure that our community is one where open dialogue, innovative research, and academic freedom not only persist but flourish; and, as a public research university, we must maintain our partnership with the Commonwealth and the federal government,” the email continued.
Some additional articles of interest:
Texas Governor Signs Law Giving Presidents Control of Faculty Senates, Ryan Quinn, Inside Higher Ed, June 24, 2025
UVA community rallies with President Jim Ryan in 'Run for Jim', Mark Gad, CBS19 News, June 28, 2025
University and Charlottesville community members Run For Jim one last time, Leila Mohajer, June 29, 2025
Second-shout out: Five Things ReLeaf Did This Spring!
Time for a subscriber-supported shout-out, this time for ReLeaf Cville!
On April 21, ReLeaf Cville celebrated Arbor Day 2025 by talking with 40 fourth grade students at Greenbrier Elementary about the importance of urban tree canopy, and then planting a tree on the preschool playground
On April 25, the Van Yahres Tree Company donated time and energy to provide tree care to 45 trees ReLeaf planted in the Rose Hill Neighborhood, Fall 2023
On May 10 at RiverFest, Green Team members Moos and Antony joined Keith Pitchford, Board vice-chair, and Cathy Boyd, Executive Director, in providing information about ReLeaf Cville and playing Tree Bingo
In May, C-Ville Weekly profiled ReLeaf Cville’s efforts to help homeowners turn their yards into leafy oases - and cool their neighborhoods.
The fourth annual Green Team session begins on Tuesday, July 8. This is designed to equip rising 9th-12th graders in tree knowledge and tree care skills, this year's schedule includes sessions co-led by the Rivanna Conservation Alliance, Van Yahres Tree Company, Community Climate Collaborative, and Steve Gaines, Charlottesville's Urban Forester. The Master Naturalists and Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards will also participate. The Ballyshannon Fund has awarded Releaf a grant for the Green Team to go to Bath County to learn about the rural economy and float the Cowpasture River.
Greene Supervisors vote to move forward with smaller water supply
The Greene County Board of Supervisors has spent a lot of time in the past few years discussing how to proceed with a water supply plan and took another step forward at their meeting on June 24.
The president of WW Associates has been working on the plan for 21 years and reminded Supervisors that Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality has requirements that all communities have a plan for water. (see the regulations)
“The goal of this project is to supply Greene county in the town of Stansville with reliable water supply till the year 2060,” said Herbert White. “This plan is consistent with the town and the county's regional water supply plan through that state statute.”
The state statute is intended to ensure that communities are prepared for drought.
Right now Greene County’s municipal water supply plan comes straight from the Rapidan River and is treated at a plant that is nearing the end of its useful life. Greene County is authorized to take up to 0.9 million gallons a day and service is provided to the Town of Stanardsville and the Ruckersville area.
In late January, Supervisors directed White’s firm to engage in value engineering on the plan to impound White Run to create a reservoir. Value engineering often happens when project costs exceed expectations.
“Originally, the scope was to develop 900 million gallons worth of water,” White said. “The value engineering scope we're offering the county at this moment is a reservoir with 600 million gallons of water. This would decrease the dam height by 6 feet, but more importantly would reduce the base width by 36 feet. That therefore decreases the volume of earthwork significantly.”
The new water treatment plant had been designed to process three million gallons a day with an option to double that capacity in the future. The new scope would provide two million gallons a day.
“This too provides significant cost, a reduction in the cost of concrete, steel and physical plant associated with that,” White said.
The pump station that brings in water from the Rapidan River to the treatment plant would be reduced in scope from 10 million gallons a day to 8 million gallons a day. The size of the pipe would be reduced from 30 inches in diameter to 24 inches in diameter.
The changes would bring the cost estimates down from $87 million to $65.5 million.
White reminded that the board that the county has a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take up to 10 million gallons a day from the Rapidan as well as the impoundment on White Run. The county also has a permit from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
Work is already underway on components of the project.
“We have built the access road up to the site for the water treatment plant that's on Vista Heights Drive that has been approved by [the Virginia Department of Transportation] and is being taken into their system,” White said. “The raw water line was approved by the health department as well as the intake pump station. The reservoir was approved by [the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.]”
White said the project would be built in multiple phases with the raw water main first at $6 million. Next would be the raw water intake and pump station at $8 million. The reservoir itself would be the third phase with a construction estimate of $23 million. The water treatment plant would be fourth at $25 million, followed by the reservoir intake and pump station at $3.5 million.
Neil Williamson of the Free Enterprise Forum encouraged the Board to move forward in order to guide development.
“Virginia state code restricts localities’ power to stop growth,” Williamson said. “It does provide significant powers via development areas and service districts to steer growth where it is more efficient to deliver government services. Water and sewer are a key component to such smart growth.”
Other speakers questioned the amount of money that would be spent even with the reduced scope.
“Reducing the estimated cost from $87 million to $65.5 million looks good on paper,” said Jennifer Lewis-Fowler of the Midway District. “However, these are estimated costs. Historically, most projects, large or small, end up costing more money and taking more time than estimated. Data suggests that overruns can be anywhere between 16 and 28 percent or higher.”
Lewis-Fowler questioned whether the county will be able to make enough through user fees to pay for the entire project.
Supervisor Marie Durrer of Midway District agreed with Williamson that it is time to move forward.
“I've been in favor of the reservoir from day one,” Durrer said. “I feel the phase approach is the best thing for our county at this time. “
Supervisor Francis McGuigan questioned the math that had been presented to the board and said he would prefer the county drill more wells for the municipal water supply because it would be cheaper.
“If we drilled seven additional wells, we could double the capacity that Greene currently provides, meaning an additional 3,000 homes and additional like number of businesses,” McGuigan said.
McGuigan said he could not support moving forward.
Supervisor Steve Catalano of the Stanardsville District said he believed it was time for Greene to get going on implementing the plan that has been in the works.
“A secure, sustainable water supply is as essential to a locality as any service or any infrastructure that we provide,” Catalano said. “There's so many elements to having a good, safe, sustainable water supply that we frankly don't have right now. This is absolutely an economic development project. It's the ultimate recruiting tool.”
A prepared resolution in the packet stated that Supervisors accept and approve “the implementation of the Water Supply and Treatment Project as presented by Herb White on June 24, 2025, including advancing updated design approvals, pursuing applicable funding opportunities, and initiating procurement and construction processes as necessary to execute the project scope.”
The vote was 4 to 1 with McGuigan voting no.
Reading material:
Why many new apartment developments don’t pencil out, Leslie Shaver, Multifamily Dive, June 27, 2025
ACPD investigating suspicious death, CBS19 News, June 30, 2025
Applications open for Fluvanna tourism board, CBS19 News, June 30, 2025
National Science Foundation to Leave Virginia Headquarters as HUD Moves Out of DC, Charles Paullin, Inside Climate News, July 1, 2025
#889 marks the Fiscal New Year
With few meetings on the agenda and with my dislike of taking time off, this will be a week where I’m hoping to catch up on all manner of stories I’ve been meaning to get to but haven’t had the chance.
This also may mean slightly shorter newsletters like this one. There’s a fourth story that was kicking around today but processing it interfered with my watching of Real Madrid play Juventus in the FIFA Club World Cup. This is a tournament of dubious purpose, but football is football.
I know I risk people being angry at me because I refer to the sport where people kick a ball with their foot as football. I also occasionally mix up words between British and American English. My entire life I’ve felt like I’m caught between both, and I want to explore that more.
Yet, would I ever go there to live and work? I could if I wanted to do so. I definitely know I want to try to write about more things and am held back by having such a large set of stories to cover. I plan to try to do it all, or as much as I can.
That’s inspired by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, a group from Australia who I’m quite fond of. This track is an electronic version of a simple acoustic track off of an album from 2015.