What is “community engagement?”
In the case of this regularly produced newsletter and podcast, the idea is for a third-party not connected to the government to provide as much information as possible about what’s happening.
This publication carries that title in the same way that 19th century newspapers named themselves after the act of journalism. Think of the Inquirer! The Chronicle! The Times-Picayune! I’m Sean Tubbs, endeavoring this Labor Day and every day to provide you with Charlottesville Community Engagement.
On today’s edition:
The Albemarle County Fire Department receives $7.1 million in funding to hire 30 firefighters
Charlottesville releases another notice of funding availability for affordable housing projects
The city is also looking to plant 160 trees in public right of way across Charlottesville
The Jefferson Madison Regional Library wants your input on its next strategic plan
Funding that comes to help improve air quality will be used to help pay for the two regional trains that travel between Roanoke and D.C.
The Albemarle County Planning Commission discusses whether there should be more Crossroads Communities as the Comprehensive Plan is updated
First shout-out: eBike Lending Library
In today’s first subscriber supported shout-out, one Patreon supporter wants you to know that Charlottesville now has an eBike Lending Library! E-bikes are a great way to get around the community but there are many brands and styles to choose from. Because many e-bikes are sold online, it can be a challenge to try an e-bike before buying one.
The Charlottesville E-bike Lending Library is a free, not-for-profit service working to expand access to e-bikes in the area. They have a small collection of e-bikes that we lend out to community members for up to a week, for free. You can experience your daily commute, go grocery shopping, or even bike your kids to school, and decide whether e-bikes are right for you. Check out this service at https://www.ebikelibrarycville.org!
Albemarle receives $7.1 million in federal funding to hire 30 firefighters
As Albemarle continues to prepare for growth, that includes the need to hire personnel to respond to emergencies no matter the cause.
This morning the county announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded a $7.1 million to hire two and a half dozen fire fighters. The funding comes through the agency’s Staff for Adequate and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program.
“With the support from the Board of Supervisors and County leadership, our department is proactively identifying and addressing ways to deliver professional and consistent services to the people of Albemarle County,” said Fire Chief Dan Eggleston in a press release.
Fourteen of the 30 positions will eventually be used to guarantee around the clock service in the southern portion of the county. The rest will be used to staff a ladder truck that will be based at the Monticello Fire Station.
“This unit will be staffed with specially trained personnel to address more complex incidents that arise in our community including water and technical rescues,” the press release continues.
Albemarle and Charlottesville have both previously used SAFER grants to augment its public safety ranks.
Charlottesville makes official notice of availability of affordable housing funds
One of the three main recommendations of the Affordable Housing Plan adopted by Charlottesville City Council in March 2021 was to appropriate $10 million each year towards that purpose.
There were also recommendations that Charlottesville “establish clear, transparent, and competitive processes to award grants and loans for affordable housing.”
The city has separated all of the funding into four specific pools and has announced how much is available for the current fiscal year for three of them. This is officially known as a NOFA, for “Notice of Available Funding.”
The Housing Operations and Program Support (HOPS) pool is funding that used to come through the city’s Vibrant Communities process. This money is available for not-for-profit affordable housing related organizations. The month-long application window opens on September 12 and there is $575,000.
The Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund (CAHF) can be used “to directly support affordable housing projects or initiatives.” The month-long window opens on October 12, 2023. There is $835,000 available.
Then there’s direct funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that flows through city decision-makers. There is $410,468 available from the Community Development Block Grant and $112,248 available through the HOME program. This application window doesn’t open up until January 8, 2024. This can be used for a variety of different purposes.
The city’s Office of Community Solutions (OCS) manages the application process.
Last year’s NOFA also listed the category of Housing Development Project Investment which was reserved for entities that apply for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from the entity formerly known as the Virginia Housing Development Authority. This year’s NOFA does not in part previous years have lined up funding into the future.
“Through that specific [request for information], OCS staff received valuable input from organizations like Community Services Housing, Inc., and Piedmont Housing Alliance, outlining details on 10 distinct affordable housing projects,” wrote Alexander Ikefuna, the director of the Office of Community Solutions. “This helped us estimate a prospective total funding requirement of $33.4 million for the period between 2023 and 2028.”
(See also: City announces new funding opportunities for affordable housing projects, October 17, 2022)
Such decisions are ultimately adopted by the Council each April when a budget is approved. The five-year capital improvement program adopted in the budget for Fiscal Year 2024 sets aside the following.
There is $3 million for “Public Housing Redevelopment” in FY24, FY25, and FY26. This funding can come in the short-term from the sale of bonds.
There is a $1.5 million allocation to the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund for each of the five years in the budget. This anticipates the use of cash and not bond sales.
The Charlottesville Supplemental Rental Assistance Program administered by the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority would receive $900,000 a year. This funding has been used in the recent past to enable CRHA to purchase properties such as 100 Harris Road back in June.
There is $1.885 million in FY24 and $1.885 million in FY25 that would go to the Piedmont Housing Alliance for their redevelopment of the MACAA site on Park Street. Council approved a rezoning for that project in January 2022.
The third phase of the recently renamed Kindlewood project being developed by the Piedmont Housing Alliance would get $2,047,500 in FY27 and $1,102,500 in FY28. The second phase is slated to receive $1,525 million in FY26.
The other Park Street project being developed by Piedmont Housing Alliance at a church site will receive $1.125 million this year and the same amount in FY25.
For more information, visit the press release on the city’s website.
Charlottesville plans to plant 160 trees this November
Do you have any idea for where the City of Charlottesville might plant a tree along a road or pathway?
Last week, the Parks and Recreation Department sent out a notice that it expects to move forward with action this November.
“The City of Charlottesville Parks and Recreation will be installing approximately 160 trees in public rights of way, local schools and parks, and city green spaces,” reads the press release.
Funding for this initiative comes from the city’s Capital Improvement Program which sets aside $100,000 each year for urban tree planting. The city also solicits donations on the Urban Forestry webpage.
In an email, Urban Forester Steve Gaines said climate change is being taken in to account when selecting what species of trees to plant.
“For example, Sugar Maple is not being planted by the city anymore as Albemarle county is at the very southern edge of its natural range,” Gaines wrote. “As things heat up, we don’t expect Sugar Maples to do well in this challenging environment for much longer.”
The Tree Commission has been discussing lists of trees that will withstand heat, as well as tree species that do better in urban environments.
If there are any specific requests, people are asked to contact the urban forester at 434-970-3587.
JMRL wants input on its next strategic plan
This week we’ll hear more about Charlottesville’s strategic plan for which a framework will be reviewed and possibly adopted by City Council this evening. Such documents are used by government agencies to direct the work of employees.
The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library has started the process of updating their strategic plan for the next five years and are seeking responses to a survey. JMRL has branches in Albemarle, Charlottesville, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. (take the survey)
“The current strategic plan has led to many initiatives that have improved library service to the community,” said Library Director David Plunkett in a press release sent out on Friday. “For instance, expanding Bookmobile services in Louisa and Nelson counties, the addition of contactless pickup lockers at six branches, and a new and improved website.”
The survey will be open through October. Drafts of a strategic plan should be ready for review in early 2024 with adoption anticipated next June.
To inform your answers, take a look at the current strategic plan which covers FY2019 through the end of this fiscal year.
Second shout-out: Design Develop
In today’s second Patreon-fueled shout-out, architectural firm Design Develop wants you to know about a new service aimed at the development community that may not be widely known yet — 3D point cloud scanning! That’s a technique that 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.
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, feel free to contact us 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!
Regional body signs off on use of congestion funds for Northeast Regional Amtrak services
Since 1963, the U.S. Clean Air Act has provided funding for local and state governments to meet air quality requirements.
One of those sources is the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program, known as CMAQ.
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) is using $111 million in CMAQ funds to help support four Amtrak trains that run through the Commonwealth. That includes the Northeast Regional which runs between Roanoke and D.C. via Lynchburg and Charlottesville.
The Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization does not usually receive funding through CMAQ because air quality here is not as poor as in more urbanized areas.
However, this region’s MPO has to upgrade its “Transportation Improvement Plan” to reflect the service that is being paid for with those funds by VPRA.
“What they are doing right now is going through a series of requests to add the allocations for the CMAQ funding just based on the service within each of the MPO’s, that would have the service traversing it,” said Sandy Shackelford, the director of planning and transportation for the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Planning Commission. That entity runs the MPO.
That total would be just under $9.2 million in funding for FY24-FY27. The MPO Policy Board voted unanimously to approve the adjustment to the transportation improvement plan.
A second daily Northeast Regional train began operations on July 11, 2022.
Should uses in Albemarle’s Crossroads Communities be expanded?
On Wednesday, Albemarle County’s Board of Supervisors will review work to date on AC44 process. That’s the name given to the review of the Comprehensive Plan that’s currently in the second phase.
In this part of the exercise, staff are presenting a series of questions about ways that growth area boundaries might be adjusted to allow for more land to accommodate the county’s potential need for additional room for housing and business uses.
The Planning Commission had a work session on four “toolkits” on August 8, 2023. I’ve written up two of these to date:
Albemarle Planning Commission reviews “Activity Centers” in AC44 discussion
Albemarle Planning Commission weighs in on criteria to expand development area
This time around the topic is Rural Crossroads Communities of which there are currently seven in Albemarle. They are Advance Mills, Batesville, Covesville, Free Union, Greenwood, Profitt and White Hall.
These Crossroads Communities are intended to provide support services such as country stores, doctors offices, post offices, and community centers. Here’s more from county planner Tori Kanellopoulos.
“They can provide businesses and services for surrounding community members and are intended to encourage adaptive reuse and historic preservation,” Kanellopoulos said. “They can potentially have community resilience hubs or places that can serve as full community gathering spaces and emergency response and preparedness locations.”
Kanellopoulos said the current plan does not clearly define what makes up a crossroads community. In the AC44 process, staff has listened to Planning Commission feedback and further identified what “services” might mean.
“The service aspect of Crossroads Communities would be focused primarily on health, well-being, safety, and emergency preparedness,” Kanellopoulos said. “Public water and sewer would not be expected in Crossroads Communities.”
Two options are being considered with the first being no changes. Kanellopoulos said under this approach, staff would engage with the seven current communities to identify any potential zoning updates as called for in the existing plan. Some of these areas already have underlying commercial and residential zoning.
Staff recommends option two.
“Option two is to have a clear definition of Crossroads Communities and to apply the definition during AC44 to have an updated list of communities,” Kanellopoulos said. “There would also be recommendations for the community resilience hubs and preservation of existing buildings.”
These hubs are of interest to the Virginia Department of Health and their wellness efforts, as are the Department of Fire and Rescue.
Additions to the list could include Esmont. Scottsville, North Garden, and Earlysville.
Commissioner Lonnie Murray (White Hall) said he was concerned about option 2 in part because of some of the suggested uses to be allowed.
“Staff mentions hardware stores, auto and household goods, banking, restaurants,” Murray said. “That would be a significant impact on the rural area. We do have some of these uses already in our existing Crossroads Communities but I don’t see a compelling need to change those.”
Murray said he was particularly concerned about the possibility of fuels leaking into the watershed. He said restaurants use a lot of water and more of them in the rural area would change its character.
However, Murray said he could support small medical practices as well as use of Crossroads Communities for emergency management practices. But he said doing too much would undermine the purpose of the county’s growth management strategy.
“As I’ve said in other conversations, the primary use of the rural area is not for residential use so in providing services, past Comprehensive Plans have said pretty explicitly that our primary method of controlling sprawl into the rural area is by restricting services,” Murray said.
Commissioner Corey Clayborne (Rivanna) disagreed with Murray about the restriction of services.
“From an equity standpoint, from a climate action standpoint, it doesn’t make sense not to have basic services up there,” Clayborne said. “If I wanted to open a bakery up there and a coffee shop, I should be able to do that. I think that supports the rural area.
Commissioner Karen Firehock (Samuel Miller) agreed with Clayborne.
“A lot of people live in the rural area and they’re not all farmers,” Firehock said. “Families that want to have a home where they can afford to live—tradesmen, teachers, firemen—a lot of these people live in rural area.”
Firehock said more discussion is necessary about what each Crossroads Community might provide especially in a world where more people work from home. She said the Crossroads Corner Shops in North Garden is a model though its not technically designated by Albemarle.
“They have a bank, they have a doctor’s office, they have a pizza place,” Firehock said. “They had a laundromat for a while but they don’t have that anymore. There is a post office there. There is the fire station there. There are a number of small businesses operating there that are providing local jobs but it still remains relatively compact and part of that is that we don’t have the zoning around it to allow people to put more stuff.”
Commissioner Fred Missel said he could support concentrated development of Crossroads Communities such as at North Garden. He added he wasn’t as concerned as Murray with no auto-specific uses.
“Honestly I have seen so much degradation to streams in rural areas caused by farming,” Missel said. “It seems to me there are more regulations on gas stations then there are on farms in some cases.”
Commissioner Julian Bivins (Jack Jouett) supported the concept of restoring areas that at one point had more vital economies but that stopped due to shifting economies and ways of life.
“There were places that at one point in our history as a community… people gathered, they went there, they did all of the things that people did,” Bivins said. “Because our lives became what they became, those communities have gone small.”
SIngling out Esmont, Bivins said renewed county investment in that area such as the Keene Convenience Center and the Yancey School Community Center could help reinvigorate that community.
“For me, I would love to be able to say I’m going to Esmont and having lunch out there,” Bivins said.
Murray said he was concerned about unintended consequences that come when a rural attraction becomes popular.
“There’s also been a past history of well-intentioned efforts to enable things we want that inadvertently created loopholes that allow someone to drive a Mack truck through,” Murray said.
Murray said he was concerned about scale and the possibility of a chain restaurant in the rural area that could come about by exploiting a loophole. Bivins said he thought that was an unlikely prospect.
The discussion for each Crossroads Community will likely be different for each. Firehock said some of the current areas are limited by size.
“Batesville is a great example and that’s in my district,” Firehock said. “I will tell you there’s no room in downtown Batesville but that store and that’s fine and they like it and it’s great and that’s that.”
“And it creates community,” Bivins said.
Missel said any discussion of additional uses would need to be accompanied by a traffic study and cited again the Crossroads Corner Shops in North Garden.
“That intersection of U.S. 29 and Plank Road is dangerous so as we think about developing those areas, even concentrating those area, we’re going to be concentrating traffic and turning movements and intersections and I just think it needs to be woven into this process,” Missel said.
Commissioners seemed geared toward option 2.with Murray a hold-out on leaving things where they are.
This will not be the last of this discussion and the Board of Supervisors will have their say on Wednesday.
Still waiting to be summarized from the Planning Commission meeting is a discussion of allowing more development at interstate interchanges. I hope to get to that by tomorrow.
Reading material from other reporters and writers:
Kappa Sigma packing peanut fire sparks conversation on risk management, Thomas Baxter, August 28, 2023
Charlottesville Redevelopment & Housing Authority applies for $1.6M grant, Keagan Hughes, WVIR NBC29, August 30, 2023
Louisa bridge project done ahead of schedule but weight limit reduced, CBS19, August 31, 2023
City Schools is working to take over its bus system from Charlottesville Area Transit as the driver shortage persists, Tamica Jean-Charles, Charlottesville Tomorrow, September 1, 2023
Albemarle, Charlottesville teachers unions still hashing out details, Faith Redd, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), September 2, 2023
Even with higher wages, Charlottesville restaurants struggle to staff, Jason Armesto, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), September 2, 2023
Amazon Web Services to invest $11-billion dollars in Louisa County by 2040, Fredericksburg Today, September 2, 2023
Goodnight Mrs. #572, wherever you are!
So I think I will continue to call this newsletter and podcast Charlottesville Community Engagement. This is a periodical, after all, but I do want people to know that almost each segment is archived on the site Information Charlottesville which has recently been updated to look a lot more like an information outlet!
I’ll also continue to publish Fifth District Community Engagement which takes a look at what’s happening in all 24 localities within that political boundary. There’s a lot to learn, and I’m grateful that I have paid subscribers who fuel my quest to write as much as I can.
If you’d like to join them, consider a paid subscription through Substack! As $5 a month, $50 a year, or $200 a year, you’ll support this ongoing work. The $200 a year level comes with more perks. What are they? Drop me a line!
And if you do pay through Substack, Ting will match your initial payment! Ting seeks to help build community, and that’s what I’m about, and it’s what a lot of other of their funded projects are about. Hooray for Ting!
And perhaps you are a UVA student looking for fast Internet service? If you sign up for Ting at this link and enter the promo code COMMUNITY, you’ll get:
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September 5, 2023: Should there be more official Crossroads Communities in Albemarle?