June 24, 2024: Hydraulic/Hillsdale intersection to close for roundabout replacement beginning July 8; Local Food Hubs to close
Plus: An update from the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority
There is one more week left in June, and then there’s July and the rest before 2024 comes to an end. This is the official announcement that after a long hiatus, Charlottesville Community Engagement will resume using this introductory space for the occasional comment about a day or week of commemoration. However I’m now out of space for this June 24 edition. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I’ve unlocked a door of content.
In today’s installment:
The suspect in a shooting last Thursday morning has turned himself in to Charlottesville Police
More details on redevelopment activity by the city’s public housing authority
Nelson County issues a request for proposals for a firm to conduct real property assessments
The Local Food Hub will stop programs operations on July 15 before winding down at the end of the year
Closure of intersection of Hydraulic and Hillsdale to begin in two weeks while a new roundabout is built
First shout-out: Charlottesville Area Alliance holding webinar on Community Support
In today’s first subscriber-supported shout-out, the Charlottesville Area Alliance is an organization created in 2015 that is made up of several groups that seek to make the community the most age-friendly community in the country. Toward that goal, they’ve begun a series of free webinars on resources on local support and services available to seniors, caregivers of those with long-term illness, and those needing care.
On June 27 at noon the presentation will be from InnovAge. Innovage PACE has been helping local seniors stay independent by providing the care they need to keep living in their own homes. Learn more at the webinar by registering for the Zoom here.
Suspect in Carlton Avenue shooting turns himself in
The man wanted in connection with the shooting of an 18-year-old woman around midnight on June 20 is now in custody at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.
Charlottesville resident Travis William Herndon, 25, turned himself in to the city’s police department at 606 East Market Street just after seven p.m. on Sunday night. He is charged with five counts related to malicious wounding as well as possession of a firearm by a violent felon.
Charlottesville police responded in the early morning of June 20 to a shooting in the 1300 block of Carlton Avenue and found the woman with gunshot wounds to her upper body. The release stated this was a “targeted incident.”
Herndon is scheduled to appear in Charlottesville General District Court this morning for an initial hearing.
Demolition expected this week at South First Street CRHA properties
For weeks, several buildings at the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s location on South First Street have been vacant with residents of 58 units moved to other places in the agency’s portfolio.
This week, demolition of the structures will begin according to the latest redevelopment report from CRHA. The apartments opened up in 1981 and a decision was made to replace them with 113 townhouses rather than renovate. This is the second phase at the site with the first consisting of 62 new apartments in three buildings.
“Residents continue to meet monthly and have been discussing services and working towards re-convening meetings with architects to solidify interior design schemes and begin planning uses for outdoor spaces,” reads the report.
The report also states that the renovation of Crescent Halls is nearly complete and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is being planned. However, the report acknowledges issues with elevators.
CRHA is also planning on redevelopment of the Sixth Street site which will also see preparation for demolition of some existing units this summer, though the report also notes there may be a delay before the buildings actually come down.
“CRHA has taken steps to make sure that at least 6 Public Housing units are replaced in the 47-unit apartment building,” the report continues.
Plans for a second phase at Sixth Street have had to be altered due to changes in the city’s zoning code.
“Residents recently agreed with the minor changes to the plan and are excited to work with Grimm and Parker on the full design of the site which will include townhomes and a small apartment building,” the report goes on.
Financing of all of these projects involves many levels and layers with one being the selling of tax credits to investors. The next cycle for Low Income Housing Tax Credits in Virginia has a deadline of next spring.
The biggest single redevelopment project for CRHA will be at Westhaven. CRHA has hired several firms to help with design including Arnold Design Studio, Brick and Story, New Ecology, and Water Street Studio. More on Westhaven in the next edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement.
The CRHA’s Board of Commissioners meets tonight at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers. (view the agenda)
The CRHA Board will also hold a joint meeting with City Council tomorrow night for a discussion of redevelopment, the agency’s strategic plan, and
Nelson County seeks firm to conduct 2026 reassessment
Albemarle and Charlottesville conduct assessments of real property on an annual basis with results made available each January to help elected officials establish a budget and a tax rate.
Other localities in the area reassess property on a less frequent basis. Nelson County last made an update in 2022 when the firm Wampler Eanes Appraisal Group was hired to do the work. Now county officials have put out a request for proposals for a company to do the work in 2025 in time for an effective date of January 1, 2026.
“The county is approximately 471 square miles in area,” reads the RFP. “It has approximately 16,562 real estate parcels and approximately 619 mobile homes.”
The selected firm will conduct all of the work including preparation and mailing of assessment notices. The county will provide office space. Company representatives will also have to be present for meetings of the Board of Equalization scheduled for March 2026.
Handy for anyone interested in the real estate market is a definition of “fair market value” as Virginia law requires assessments to be at 100 percent of that number.
“The fair market value of a property is the price which it will bring when offered for sale by one who desires, but is under no duress to sell and is bought by one who is under no undue necessity of buying, with both buyer and seller being knowledgeable of the uses to which the property is adaptable,” reads the RFP.
Louisa County handles their assessments in-house but they’re done on a rolling basis with updates made based on the sale of properties and when buildings are constructed.
“We do assessments each year, but our schedule does not allow for a visit to each property yearly,” said Cindy King, Louisa’s Community Engagement Manager. “Visits are on a five-year rotation.”
Fluvanna County updates on a two-year cycle with the next new set of values expected for January 1, 2025. Like Nelson, they also hire an outside firm to do the work.
In May, Greene County Supervisors directed staff to pursue a reassessment to update property values in time for the next budget cycle. They’ll also use a third-party company.
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!
Nonprofit food group to close doors
An organization founded in 2009 to help connect area farmers with people who need food has announced they will go out of business at the end of the year.
“Local Food Hub has made the difficult decision to close its doors effective December 31, 2024, and transfer programming where possible to aligned nonprofits and local food equity collaborators,” reads a June 7 announcement on the non-profit organization’s website.
However, they’ll cease programming much sooner on July 15, leaving several organizations seeking other options for the services currently provided by the Local Food Hub. One of them is the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
“Local Food Hub closing at end of month,” reads the minutes of a June 12 resident services committee. “Need to find another food resource for all sites.”
The announcement acknowledges the effect this may have on the community.
Board Chair Marcus Comer writes in the announcement that the creation of the organization 15 years ago planted a seed and the overall result of the Local Food Hub has been a success.
“Today, thanks to the unwavering commitment of our founders and early supporters, that seed has blossomed into a beacon of nourishment for our community,” Comer wrote. “We understand that this decision will affect many community members but believe there is a strong non-profit community that will help to fill gaps and ensure that the most important pieces of our work are carried forward into the future.”
Programs include the Fresh Farmacy program which provides fresh produce to “low-resource households” and the website states the current status of the program.
“Fresh Farmacy remains a year-round program with home delivery to 400-500 participants,” reads that portion of the website. “As we look to the future, we focus on creating lasting lifestyle changes for participants and ensuring program sustainability.”
On the production side, the group lists a partnership with the Virginia Black Farmer Directory.
In 2019, the Local Food Hub transferred its farm-to-consumer distribution operation to the company 4P Foods. The 2023 annual report notes the departure of long-term staff members.
The nonprofit news organization ProPublica has a search engine that allows anyone to search the tax filings of nonprofit groups. In 2022, the Local Food Hub reported $948,043 in revenues and $990,841 in expenses. You can take a look at ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer.
Are you affected by the closure? Any thoughts?
Hydraulic and Hillsdale intersection to temporarily close
The Virginia Department of Transportation has given notice that the stretch of Hydraulic Road between the U.S. 250 bypass and U.S 29 will be closed to local traffic for much of the summer beginning on July 8.
“A contractor for the Virginia Department of Transportation will close the signalized intersection of Route 743 (Hydraulic Road) and Hillsdale Drive in the City of Charlottesville to convert it to a two-lane roundabout with pedestrian crosswalks on all four approaches,” reads a press release sent out this morning.
The closure will give time for construction crews to work on the roundabout which is part of a series of projects planned in the area. The contractor has until August 13 to complete the work. In the meantime, there are several detours.
“Drivers westbound on U.S. 250 (U.S. 250 Bypass) who wish to use Hydraulic Road to access U.S. 29 (Seminole Trail) will instead travel farther west to U.S. 29,” the notice continues. “Southbound drivers on U.S. 29 who want to use Hydraulic Road to access U.S. 250 will instead continue south and take the exit to U.S. 250 east.”
During the detour period, Hydraulic Road will still be used to access businesses along the way.
Reading material:
Part of Lankford Avenue closed due to shots fired incident, CBS19, June 21, 2024
Good accuses Albemarle County electoral board of starting Wednesday canvassing meeting early, Jay Hart, Cville Right Now, June 22, 2024
Bob Good raises election integrity suspicions as he trails challenger, Emily Brooks, The Hill, June 22, 2024
Things to say about the end of #694
I’ll keep this one short because I want to have this out by 10 a.m. so I can get on to the rest of the day. There’s so much to write and so much that could be written about but there’s only so much time in a given week. I had two other stories lined up for this edition that didn’t quite make it in time. (10:11 a.m. was publication time)
There will be another newsletter tomorrow!
In any case, what makes this possible is a steady stream of new subscribers seeking information in one place. This newsletter comes out as often as it can, and then the material is often posted to Information Charlottesville. To make sure you get all of the info, you can subscribe to that via email, too, but I’m running out of time.
In any case, thanks to the paid subscribers. I thanked four of your this week, and more this week!
If you subscribe, Ting will match your initial subscription, whether it be at $5 a month, $50 a year, or $200 a year. It is quite generous of them to do so, and I appreciate their investment in this style of community journalism.
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