Today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out comes from a patron who wants to say:
“Vote. That's it. Just vote. Vote early. Take your friends to vote early. Vote in person. Vote early! Did I already mention that?”
He did. And he has one more shout-out to go!
Classes start today in-person at the University of Virginia and virtually in Charlottesville and for most pupils in Albemarle. Students in Fluvanna and Nelson counties are also in class remotely. Louisa and Greene County are on the hybrid models with a mixture of in-person and virtual participation. (Virginia Department of Education Map)
The Virginia Department of Health reports another 836 cases of COVID-19 this morning, and another two deaths. The seven-day average for positive tests has dropped to 7.5 percent down from 7.7 yesterday. There are another 13 cases in the Thomas Jefferson Health District, with eight from Charlottesville, three from Albemarle, one from Fluvanna and one from Greene. The district-wide percent positive rate dropped to 6.4 percent from 7.1 percent reported yesterday.
The University of Virginia COVID-19 Tracker was updated late Monday afternoon and the official tally increased to 227 positive cases reported since August 17, with 186 of those listed as students. There were 18 positive test results reported for September 4, two for September 5 and six on September 6. Numbers for September 7 were not available at production time.
*
Efforts to bring more passenger rail service to Charlottesville came one step closer last week. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and other governmental entities completed paperwork for the expansion of a bridge that crosses the Potomac River.
“Currently, there is insufficient capacity, resiliency, and redundancy to accommodate the projected demand in future railroad services,” reads the executive summary for the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Long Bridge Project. “The Project is needed to address railroad service demands and to ensure the Long Bridge Corridor continues to serve as a critical link connecting the local, regional, and national transportation network.”
A series of recent transportation projects known as the Route 29 Solutions initiative included funding for a second daily train to come through Charlottesville on its way between Roanoke and D.C., but the current crossing cannot handle additional traffic. That has delayed the start of that services.
The new structure will be owned by the state of Virginia and will carry two tracks adjacent to the existing bridge. The project also includes a new bike and pedestrian bridge. (Long Bridge FEIS)
*
While work continues on the long-running update of the Charlottesville Comprehensive Plan, the city is launching a review of the Strategic Plan, a document that guides “decision and policy-making” in city government.
“The City Manager evaluates the performance of each department against their specific objectives, performance measures, and initiatives,” reads a press release announcing a series of five public meetings where the update of the current plan will be discussed.
The current plan has five goals, one of which is to be an “inclusive, self-sufficient community.” Each goal has a series of metrics to see if the goal is being met. A dashboard for the current plan indicates the city is not meeting its goal to create more subsidized affordable housing units.
The Comprehensive Plan is a different document that is mandated by state law that is more about government overall.
“The Comprehensive Plan guides decision-making processes for matters related to land use, community facilities, housing, transportation, environment, economic sustainability, historic preservation, urban design, and more,” said city Communications Director Brian Wheeler in response to a question.
“The two plans work together and the goal for increased affordable housing is a good example,” Wheeler added.
The firm Rhodeside and Harwell is currently overseeing a review of the Comprehensive Plan while also drafting a new zoning ordinance and affordable housing strategy. That process is known as the C’Ville Plans Together initiative.
City Council will hold a six-hour work session on the strategic plan next Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
*
But first, City Council will meet tonight beginning at 6:30 p.m. for a long meeting that includes a public hearing on the issuance of $27 million in bonds, a rezoning for a car wash off of Long Street, and a resolution to prohibit firearms on city property. There’s also a special use permit for a nine story building at 218 West Market Street that was deferred by the last City Council at their penultimate meeting in 2019.
In Albemarle, the Architectural Review Board will consider a proposal that involves a car dealership replacing the Hardee’s at the southwest corner of Rio Road and U.S. 29. This project went before the Places29-Rio Community Advisory Committee late last month and Scott Collins is its engineer.
“The applicant is looking to move his dealership over to this site and utilize a lot of the existing facilities on the site but make some improvements,” said engineer Scott Collins at the August 27 meeting of the Places29-Rio Community Advisory Committee. “The building itself would be reused with some minor modifications such as removing the drive-through canopy and removing the refrigeration on the back.”
Buffering and landscaping appear to follow elements of the Rio Road Small Area Plan, which seeks to guide the redevelopment of Albemarle’s commercial strip area.
On Saturday, September 12, the Confederate markers in Court Square will come down. At 5 p.m. today, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors will meet to select an entity that will receive the statue, the cannon and the stack of cannonballs.
“To date, Albemarle County has received offers from the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation, the Petersburg Federal Correctional Complex, a private citizen, Gordonsville Grays, Isle of Wight County Historical Society, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Civil War Museum at the Exchange Hotel, Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation, and Hampstead Farm,” reads the staff report for the item. “A final list will be provided to the Board on September 8.”
September 8, 2020: Back to School; Charlottesville to update Strategic Plan