Charlottesville Community Engagement
Charlottesville Community Engagement
September 21, 2020: Habitat breaks ground on Southwood; City school begin planning for in-person return
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September 21, 2020: Habitat breaks ground on Southwood; City school begin planning for in-person return

Today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out is for Abundant Life Ministries, “working hard to create a better future for the Charlottesville community.”

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As the week begins, the statewide seven-day average for positive COVID test results is 5.7 percent, down from 7.2 percent last Monday. Over the weekend, the Virginia Department of Health added 2,436 new cases with 953 on Saturday, 856 on Sunday and 627 this morning. There have been 3,021 deaths, with many of the ones reported last week actually having happened earlier in the pandemic and not reported until now. 

There were 137 cases of COVID-19 added over the weekend in the Thomas Jefferson Health District, with 64 on Saturday, 54 on Sunday and 19 reported today. Two more deaths have been reported since Friday for a total of 67. 

The University of Virginia’s COVID tracker has not been updated since Friday, despite reports in the Cavalier Daily that day that as many as four residence halls have had their populations tested due to positive tests and early detection in wastewater. 

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With the end of September approaching, Albemarle and Charlottesville are coming closer to the first nine-week period of the public school year. Last week, news came out that Charlottesville City Schools have put together a committee to help “plan a safe return to in-person learning.” Slides distributed after a meeting last week show that one option is to return pre-K through second grade as early as October 13 for four days a week. Older students would begin in-person instruction soon after. (reopening slides)

“A survey will be sent to families next week regarding their intent to remain on a virtual schedule or plan for their children to return to school with the proposed plan,” reads one of the slides.

Krissy Vick, the school’s community relations liaison, sent an email to parents that said the slides were a starting point for the committee’s discussion. 

“Returning to in-person instruction will take time, information, and multiple revisions to a plan,” Vick said “The School Board will vote on the final plan. Keep in mind that we will continue to offer families the choice for all-online learning -- and to the greatest degree possible, we will allow staff this choice, also.”

The next scheduled School Board meeting is on October 1. 

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Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville has broken ground for the redevelopment of the Southwood Mobile Home Park off of Old Lynchburg Road in Albemarle County. Habitat purchased the site in 2007. Dan Rosensweig is president and CEO of Habitat.  

“See, thirteen years ago, this community was facing a deeply uncertain future,” Rosensweig said. “Like a lot of trailer parks in the nation, it’s underground infrastructure had basically passed its useful life.” 

Rosensweig said there was also development pressure on the property and residents asked the owner at the time to sell to Habitat. The organization was working on redevelopment of the Sunrise Trailer Court in Charlottesville. Now Habitat has been working with Albemarle County on a multiphase effort to redevelop the site without displacing residents. 

“We come up with a plan of development that within the next ten years or so is going to turn this wonderful community of people into a wonderful community of people who are here, new people who are joining the community, new homes, and a little downtown core,” Rosensweig said. 

Albemarle Supervisors voted on a rezoning last year that paves the way for the first phase, which will take place along Old Lynchburg Road and does not involve any of the existing trailer homes. Scottsville District Supervisor Donna Price was not on the board when the rezoning happened, but she is supportive of the funding Albemarle has committed to the project. 

“When I think of Southwood, I think of the core values of non-displacement and sustainability,” Price said. “When I think I see Southwood, I see a representation of an essential public-private partnership that will produce a neighborhood consistent with Albemarle County’s Comprehensive Plan.”

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In a time of restaurant closings, one space on the Downtown Mall is set to reopen tomorrow. The Champion Hospitality Group will take over the Commonwealth Restaurant with a new space called Passiflora. The new restaurant will offer “a Baja-Mediterranean-inspired menu of small plates.” According to a release, the restaurant will open for dinner with limited indoor and outdoor seating, following CDC guidelines for safe social distancing. Last night, Bashir’s restaurant in the same block had a farewell dinner to mark its impending closure.

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Today in meetings, the Albemarle Architectural Review Board meets at 1 p.m. (meeting info)

  • Sheetz is building a convenience store in the northwest quadrant of the U.S. 29 and Airport Road intersection and needs design approval. The ARB did not grant an approval at its June 1 meeting. (materials for meeting)

  • The ARB will hold a third review of a new auto dealership at 1300 Richmond Road on Pantops as part of a development that includes a Holiday Inn Express and a storage facility (materials for meeting)

  • The ARB will review signage for the redevelopment of the former John Deere dealership at 2415 Ivy Road (materials for meeting

  • The ARB will take a look at the new Aldi that is planned for Albemarle Square in the former Fresh Market (and former Circuit City) space (materials for meeting)

The Places29-Hydraulic Community Advisory Committee meets at 5-30 p.m. They will get an update from Albemarle County School Board Chairwoman Kate Acuff, an update on voting from Jim Heilman of the Albemarle County Electoral Board, as well as an update on the office buildings coming to the corner of Georgetown Road and Hydraulic Road. (meeting info)

City Council meets at 630 p.m. For those details, take a look at yesterday’s Week Ahead Newsletter.

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