Charlottesville Tomorrow Blog

City Councilor Huja discusses water supply on WINA

City Councilor Satyendra Huja appeared this morning on WINA's Charlottesville Live with Rick Daniels and Jane Foy as part of the program’s monthly Government Day. Huja reviewed his first three months on the job, and talked about how he is making the transition to elected office after 31 years working for as a planner for the City of Charlottesville. Topics include the City budget, new routes for the Charlottesville Transit Service and the Community Water Supply Plan.

“This is a fifty-year plan, and not a plan for the next two or three years,” Huja said. “Water is one of the most important amenities a government can provide for our future and our present.” Huja also countered concerns  that the plan would only rely on one reservoir, and told Jane Foy that the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir would continue to be used. He said he supports expanding the Ragged Mountain Reservoir in one phase in order to save money overall.

“The fact is, the existing situation is not meeting our needs and as a steward of public interest we need to think about the need for our future citizens,” Huja said.

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Listen using player above or download the podcast: Download 20080401-WINA-Huja.mp3

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST

• 1:23 - Huja describes how is adjusting to life on Council
• 3:19 – Huja says the City Budget for this year is “much tighter than usual” with a 4.7 increase in the operating budget
• 4:14 – Huja says the FY2009 budget provides money for two new transit routes, fulfilling one of his campaign promises to increase public transportation service
• 8:09 – Huja describes youth initiatives in the FY2009 budget
• 9:03 – Huja outlines his philosophy on providing affordable living choices, including grants for low-income families to help pay their property taxes
• 10:39 - Huja explains why he supports the 50 year Community Water Supply plan as adopted by City Council and the Board of Supervisors

Sean Tubbs

City Council welcomes Huja & Edwards, elects Norris Mayor

City Councilor Holly Edwards

The Charlottesville City Council held its first meeting of 2008 tonight welcoming newly-elected members Satyendra Huja and Holly Edwards.  City Manager Gary O'Connell called the meeting to order as the Council's first order of business was its biennial organizational meeting in which it elects a Mayor and Vice Mayor to two-year terms.

In his first motions as a new City Councilor, Huja nominated Dave Norris for Mayor and Julian Taliaferro for Vice Mayor.  Both were elected unanimously to their new leadership positions.

City Councilors Satyendra Huja and Julian Taliaferro

Norris and Taliaferro were first elected to Council in May 2006. Norris succeeds David Brown who served as Mayor for the entirety of his first term on Council which started in July 2004.  Brown was re-elected to a second four-year term in November 2007.  Charlottesville changed its election calendar to hold Council elections in November starting in 2007.

The first action by Norris was to read a proclamation honoring David Brown for his contributions. Then Norris shared a few thoughts on his vision for the Council's work over the next two years.

(L to R) David Brown, Holly Edwards, Gary O'Connell, & Dave Norris

Norris made the following remarks:

"One of the things I really appreciate about Charlottesville is that it's a community that really values the commons.   The idea of the commons.  We have wonderful public spaces here in Charlottesville.  The Downtown Mall, the Lawn at UVA, and parks and trails.  We have world class arts and entertainment venues.  We have high end boutiques and shopping areas and restaurants.  We have world class athletic facilities, recreational amenities, festivals and events.  And I think that the question that we have to ask ourselves, and the question that I am going to be asking myself in the next two years is, 'How expansive is our vision and our understanding of the commons? How can we broaden our definition of the commons?  Whose interests aren't being served today? Whose voices aren't being heard today?  Whose cries for help aren't being heeded today?'" 

Mayor Dave Norris

"I think our challenge it to really render visible 'that' and 'they' who are currently invisible in our public discourse.  And I include in that many people who don't get discussed enough, whose struggles don't get discussed nearly enough in the work of this body and in the work of this Community.  I think of all the young people that drop out of high school before crossing the stage on graduation day.  Middle class families that can't afford to live here [or] live anywhere near here anymore.  Children who grew up without enough positive role models to help them make good decisions in their lives.  Moms who are working two or three jobs to keep up with the rent and stay one step ahead of the collection agent.  Our elderly and our disabled who are struggling to get by on fixed incomes.  And I think we also have to continue to expand our vision of the commons to include the air and the water around us, and the trees and the wildlife, the other natural amenities that we are surrounded by."

Norris then quoted from the Council's 2025 Vision Statement:

Charlottesville will be a great place to live for all of our citizens.

• A leader in innovation, environmental sustainability, and social and economic justice
• Flexible and progressive in anticipating and responding to the needs of our citizens
• Cultural and creative capital of Central Virginia

He indicated he looked forward to working with his fellow Councilors to help the City move forward and realize this vision.

In other business as part of their organizational meeting, Council made the following appointments to bodies referenced frequently in the work of Charlottesville Tomorrow:

• Affordable Housing Task Force – Norris
• City-County Housing Task Force – Huja
• Environmental Sustainability Committee – Brown
• Metropolitan Planning Organization – Taliaferro & Huja
• Planning and Coordinating Council (UVA-City-County) – Norris & Taliaferro
• Rivanna River Basin Commission – Edwards & Huja
• Meadowcreek Parkway Interchange Committee – Huja
• Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) – Brown

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Listen using player above or download the podcast: Download 20080107-Mayor-Norris.mp3

Brian Wheeler

Councilor Dave Norris appears on WINA; Explains ambulance and YMCA decisions and outlines his priorities for 2008

City Councilor Dave Norris was a guest on WINA's Charlottesville Live radio program as part of the station's monthly Government Day feature.  Hosts Rick Daniels and Jane Foy interviewed Norris who says he expects to be elected by Council to be the City's next Mayor when they hold their first meeting of 2008 next week.

"It's a position where you can use the bully pulpit to address some of the issues that brought you into public service, and that's what I intend to do with it," said Norris. While he described it as a largely ceremonial position, the mayor sets the Council agenda and chairs the meetings.

Norris is promising more open government, and told WINA Council will soon hold a public hearing on how City operations can be made more efficient. The rest of the conversation features Norris explaining Council's recent decisions on the YMCA in McIntire Park and City-run EMS service.

Norris says he believe his 2006 running mate, Councilor Julian Taliaferro, will become Vice Mayor.

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Listen using player above or download the podcast: Download 20080102-Norris-WINA.mp3

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 1:39 - Norris on his new duties, should he become Mayor next Monday
• 3:17 - Norris on the need for transparent government
• 5:27 - Norris on why he supports the YMCA in McIntire Park
• 7:12 - Norris on security cameras on and around the Downtown Mall, leading to a discussion on public safety
• 12:16 - Norris on Council's December 17 decision to approve a City-run ambulance service
• 14:44 - Norris on affordable living choices
• 15:57 - Norris on the need for continued City-Council cooperation

Sean Tubbs

Councilors float ideas for City's upcoming budget cycle

The two City Councilors elected in May of 2006 have jointly proposed a series of reform initiatives to guide Council through its next budget cycle. At a November 13th news conference, Councilors Dave Norris and Julian Taliaferro outlined several proposals they said would usher in the "fiscal responsibility" that the two men campaigned on.

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Listen using player above or download the podcast: Download 20071113-Norris-Taliaferro.mp3

Watch the video below:

Norris said the changes were being announced this week in advance of the City's budget process, which officially gets underway next Monday with a preliminary Council discussion on budget development.

The suggested reforms are meant to make city government more "citizen focused," according to Taliaferro. He said he wants the City to better measure its performance so that "citizens in the City are getting value for the tax dollars that they're spending." Part of that will include making more comparisons with other Virginia cities.

Taliaferro also suggested that City Council hold an annual public hearing and work session devoted to listening to citizens' ideas about how the City can save money and become more efficient. The former City Fire Chief also vowed to restore a program where City employees would receive incentives for making suggestions in their own departments, and said the City would increase its efforts to save money through energy conservation.

Norris said he wanted the budgetary decision-making process to be more transparent.

"All new major expenditures must be fully vetted in the public realm," Norris said. "Information on the status and the funding streams and anticipated outcomes of all major city projects needs to be made available to the public on an ongoing and accessible manner." He said more people would accept and understand special programs like Art-in-Place and the Sister Cities program if the process was more public discussion. Norris said the City also had to invest more on its infrastructure.

"We strongly feel that in recent decades, the City of Charlottesville has been penny-wise and pound-foolish when it comes to deferring maintenance and badly needed upgrades to our City infrastructure in order to save short-term dollars," he said. "And now we're suffering the consequences."

As one solution, Norris suggested changing the way the City spends money received from Albemarle County as part of the revenue sharing agreement. Currently, half of the money goes to capital projects. Norris would like to change that ratio to at least 75 percent. Last year, the City received over $13 million from the County, raising the possibility that several million could be added to Charlottesville's Capital Improvement Program.

"It's a way to try to get our arms more around the issue of infrastructure cost without adding even more to the property tax burden of our residents," said Norris. "We expect to see a substantial increase in revenue sharing dollars from Albemarle County. Our belief is we should take advantage of this opportunity and use some of those new dollars for some of the capital cost, particularly the capital cost that we incur in trying to manage the growth that we're seeing in Albemarle County." He specifically mentioned road improvements, and opened the door to the possibility of partnering with Albemarle County to pay for new roads and trails.

Norris also called for the creation of a dedicated source of City funding for affordable housing projects, and suggested dedicated a half-cent or cent on the property tax to such a fund.

Finally, Taliaferro predicted the City would have a budget surplus, and that he and Norris were assessing the feasibility and legality of a tax refund.

Sean Tubbs & Kendall Singleton

City Council approves comp plan, acts on ASAP funding

At its meeting on August 6, 2007, the Charlottesville City Council approved a new Comprehensive Plan to guide zoning and redevelopment within the 10 square miles of the city. They took that action on the same night they adopted their own Strategic Vision, as well as the approval of funding to support a study to determine the region’s “ecological carrying capacity.”

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Listen using player above or download the podcast: Download 20070806-CC.mp3

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

At its meeting on August 6, 2007, the Charlottesville City Council approved a new Comprehensive Plan to guide zoning and redevelopment within the 10 square miles of the city. They took that action on the same night they adopted their own Strategic Vision, as well as the approval of funding to support a study to determine the region’s “ecological carrying capacity.”

The state of Virginia requires each locality to update its Comprehensive Plan every five years. The review process began in early 2005, and has involved the adoption of separate Neighborhood Plans as well as several work sessions designed to update the document to reflect the 2000 census as well as local market conditions.

The process was slowed by Charlottesville's lack of a traffic engineer until the summer of 2006, as well as turnover on the Planning Commission. One new chapter in the Plan involves the creation of a Housing Chapter to guide the work of a new City Housing Task Force. The demographics chapter has been renamed as "Community Characteristics" and provides more in-depth information about city residents.

Charlottesville Planning Manager Missy Creasy

Missy Creasy introduced the Plan to Council, and said her staff incorporated many changes requested by citizens since the last public hearing, at the Planning Commission in July.

"One citizen was concerned about the legality of the comprehensive plan, and we provided her with information on the plan since. We also had some concern about the public participation, and we were able to talk through that process and hopefully have that solved. We also had a concern from a citizen that the draft was very long."

A passage that read "industrial land within the city limits is very important to our community" was deleted from the Land Use chapter after concerns were raised by the Woolen Mills Neighborhood Association.  Changes were also requested by the Southern Environmental Law Center to shore up the Plan’s environmental review procedures.

Creasy says these changes indicate that the planning process creates a fluid document that can be amended in the future.

Councilor Kevin Lynch was concerned that the Plan as presented to him was too much like a draft, and wanted to know exactly what he was approving. "It seems at some point, this thing ought to be final," he said.

Creasy explained that the draft Plan is about 95 percent complete and only needed Council to sign off on the new changes. The Plan will be available as a polished, bound document complete with charts in about two weeks.

Councilor Dave Norris wondered if the Comprehensive Plan had any link to the Council's Strategic Plan, and pointed out that both are road maps for action.  Creasy said both documents were put together by the same people, and that there were no conflicts between the two documents.

During the public hearing, Woolen Mills activist Bill Emory asked Council to postpone a vote on the Plan until the presidents of all Neighborhood Associations had a chance to weigh in on the document, in part because he said there is no clear vision for how amendments to the Plan could be issued. Independent City Council Candidate Peter Kleeman echoed his comments, and said he wanted all capital projects in the area such as the South Lawn Project and the Meadowcreek Parkway to be analyzed in connection with both the Comprehensive Plan and the Strategic Plan.

"There's no clear process by how this gets amended," Kleeman said. "There's no clear process by which a major investment project is evaluated as to being consistent or not consistent. The next major logical step is to bolster the strength of this plan and have some clear linkage between projects in the Comprehensive Plan and satisfying the community's vision as to how this all fits together."

"An amendment is really simple," said Jim Tolbert, the City's Director of Neighborhood Planning. "It's first considered by the planning commission. It can be raised a citizen, council, or the planning commission." He added that Charlottesville's Comprehensive Plan is unusual because it contains an implementation plan containing key actions the City will take in the next five years.

In terms of land use, that would include a potential rezoning in the area around Martha Jefferson Hospital to Pantops. Another example would be a downzoning of the Fry's Spring neighborhood along Jefferson Park Avenue Extended from two-family residential to single-family residential. Other "key actions" include a new parking study, develop a technology-based incubator program, and to recruit a grocery store chain to locate downtown.

Councilor Norris said he was proud that the Plan now contains a section on environmental sustainability because it would challenge the community to take action to protect the environment.

Commenting on how long the Comprehensive Plan process has taken this time around, Councilor Hamilton asked when they would begin the process again. Tolbert responded that it would be July 2012 before the next review would begin.

After a small discussion, Council unanimously adopted the plan (5-0), with direction to make the recommended changes from staff and Council.

After the Plan was adopted, Jim Tolbert said the City saved tens of thousand dollars by using staff to write the new plan, rather than seeking a consultant.

Later on in the meeting, the Council also adopted the Council's Strategic Plan, which serves as an additional layer of guidance to city staff over the next twenty years.

ASAP RECEIVES MONEY FOR STUDY

ASAP's Jack Marshall

Council also considered a request from the group Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population for funding for the first phase of a study to define an optimal population size for the Albemarle-Charlottesville Community. ASAP requested $11,000, which will come from the Council's reserve fund.

ASAP is currently raising about $90,000 to fund the first phase of the study, would establish a methodology. That will involve finding out what natural resources need to be measured, what population the current infrastructure can support, as well as the economy. Earlier this summer, the County gave $25,000 to the cause, as long as ASAP can raise funding and provide a detailed scope of work plan by the end of the summer.

ASAP President Jack Marshall asked the Council to take a look far past the 20 years of the Strategic Vision. He said city funding would help "legitimize the research" and help with fund-raising.

"We believe that Charlottesville and Albemarle County together comprise a single vibrant community, and that long-term planning should recognize this fact," Marshall told Council. "We should identify the range at which our population size remains sustainable and attractive for future and current residents."

Marshall said the study will be a tool that will allow planners to make more informed decisions on development, but first ASAP will have to determine if such a study will even be feasible. He acknowledged that Charlottesville's population is not growing very rapidly, but asked Council to keep in mind that it is affected by growth in the county. Marshall also said that no other community in the nation has conducted a similar study, and that the national planning community is watching ASAP's work to see if the study might be used as a harbinger of things to come.

"If we're successful, it will provide a model for communities across the nation"

Marshall was joined by ASAP Board Member Francis Fife.

"One of the things that concerns me is that as we move along, we are using up more of our natural resources, and we are making some parts of the County and the City less desirable," he said.

"We want people to think in general, what is the optimum for the Charlottesville-Albemarle area? Frankly, we don't know what's going to happen. We think that if people have the will and they come up with some kind of design whereby they can approach this issue, that it can be accomplished."

Fife told Council that growth in the county is affecting the quality of life in the City, and that the study would provoke a lot of thought about what the community wants to see.

Lynch said he wanted the Council to echo the requirements placed by the Board of Supervisors on funding for ASAP that downplayed the study's emphasis on population control.

"They wanted to fund it to support research focusing on the carrying capacities of our ecological systems to provide service values to our community,” said Lynch. “I think we should echo that language because that's a defensible way of moving such a study forward."

He went on to say that Charlottesville could easily support a larger population if the City prepared for a pedestrian-heavy population of people living in condominiums. "But if everyone wants a two-car garage on a big estate, there's only so many people we can accommodate."

When asked by Commissioner Dave Norris if ASAP would come back for additional funding in the future, Marshall responded he did not know at this time. Mayor David Brown encouraged ASAP to make this a one-time request.

A CURB ON BOTTLED WATER IN THE CITY?

Many cities around the country are discussing the possibility of banning plastic water bottles in municipal use. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome recently issued an order preventing city agencies to purchase bottled water. At the end of the meeting, Mayor Brown asked Councilors if they thought that might be a step Charlottesville could take.

"If we are moving forward with sustainability issues, it requires that everyone change their behavior a little bit," he said. "The amount of energy used to make plastic bottles that people buy every day would fuel 100,000 cars a year. That's not counting the energy costs of moving the water around. The City can set an example of trying to publicize the issue and get people to bring their own water from home." Brown said the idea would be to convince individuals to make slight modifications to their behavior.

Councilor Lynch said he prefers not to drink water straight from the tap because of the purification techniques. "Part of the reason people drink bottled water is because you know it's been filtered," he said. "If we had a good source of filtered water, that's fine."

Council requested the City's Sustainability Committee look at the issue to prepare a report.

OTHER ACTIONS

Council also approved a name change for the Industrial Development Area. The body will now be known as the Economic Development Authority for the City of Charlottesville. A portion of Valley Road will also be closed and turned into a cul-de-sac in support of the South Lawn project. The Council also approved a conveyance of the Jefferson School Property to a non-profit that will oversee the redevelopment of the historic property.

A map of CTS Route 5, which will have more frequent service as a result of County funding

Also on the consent agenda was a resolution to accept an additional $250,000 in funding from Albemarle County to pay for route improvements to the Charlottesville Transit Service. Mayor Brown called the extra money "a good omen" and a "show of good faith" as the City and County plan a regional transportation authority.

Council postponed a public hearing on whether to declare mandatory water restrictions. Mayor Brown said area reservoirs had not hit the target for Council to need to take that under consideration.

In the wake of last week's collapse of a bridge near Minneapolis, Councilor Kendra Hamilton requested a report on the status of bridges in Charlottesville. City Manager O'Connell recommended putting a request for funding for bridge inspections on the City's legislative agenda for next year, given the renewed attention the issue is receiving.

Council will reconvene on Tuesday, September 4.

TIMELINE

1:00 - Comprehensive Plan introduced by Missy Creasy
9:53 - Public comment from Bill Emory
11:30 - Public comment from Peter Kleeman
14:00 - Responses to public comment and further discussion
28:13 - Discussion on whether to fund ASAP "optimal population" study
45:52 - Discussion of City Council Strategic Vision 2025
55:55 - Discussion of bottled water

Sean Tubbs

How well do you know these people?

How well do you know the dozen candidates running for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and Charlottesville City Council?  How many names can you put to the faces below?  Charlottesville Tomorrow has just released our updated Election Watch website for the 2007 elections. 

Charlottesville Tomorrow is a non-partisan organization and we do not endorse any candidates.  Our goal is to offer the most comprehensive coverage of local elections to ensure the public is informed about each candidate's positions on the issues of land use, transportation and community design.

Want to learn more about the candidates? On our website you can read the candidates' bios, find their websites and blogs, and start educating yourself about why these citizens want to represent YOU in local government. 

Do you know WHERE to vote or WHO you will have on your ballot?  Our website has links to helpful election websites and a map of the County candidates running for Supervisor.

Want to know who is ahead in campaign fundraising?  Charlottesville Tomorrow is supporting the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) local elections initiative.  From our Election Watch website you have easy access to each candidate's contributor list.

Want to attend a candidate forum?  Charlottesville Tomorrow has the community's only comprehensive election calendar.  Seven candidate forums have already been scheduled and Charlottesville Tomorrow is co-sponsoring four of those events in October.

Even more information will appear on our website as we approach election day, including in-depth coverage on this blog with audio and video downloads of the candidate forums.  You will be able to download the audio or transcripts of our candidate interviews in September.  And the last week before the election, Charlottesville Tomorrow will mail a voter guide to every household with one of these local races on the ballot.

Want to help Charlottesville Tomorrow make these resources available? Charlottesville Tomorrow needs your help to ensure our local elections get the coverage they deserve.  Please join our growing group of supporters by making a quick tax-deductible online donation.

Brian Wheeler

City Council asks County to sign agreement before Meadowcreek work begins

(left to right) Mayor Brown and Councilors Kendra Hamilton and Dave Norris

The Charlottesville City Council wants the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to adopt a resolution affirming their commitment to building and funding a regional transportation network before they will be willing to proceed with construction of the Meadowcreek Parkway.

On the agenda for the July 16, 2007 City Council meeting was a request from staff to grant a temporary construction easement to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) while the agency makes preparations to accept bids for the City's portion of the Meadowcreek Parkway project. Under the terms of the deal, VDOT will pay $1 for full access to 22.21 acres of the eastern section of the park during construction.

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Listen using player above or download the podcast: Download 20070716-CC-Meadowcreek-Update.mp3

The City Council gave tentative approval of the Parkway in 2000, provided that a set of twelve conditions were met. Since that time, many of the criteria have been satisfied. For instance, the scope of the Parkway has been narrowed to be a two-lane highway with a maximum design speed of no more than 37.25 miles per hour, as well as a grade-separated interchange where it intersects with the 250 Bypass. But, the City also wanted to see the County to assist funding for a regional road network to include the Eastern Connector so that the Meadowcreek Parkway did not serve as a conduit for traffic between Route 29 North and the Pantops area.

In letter dated January 20, 2006, Mayor David Brown gave an update on the conditions to VDOT’s Greg Whirley and Dennis Rooker of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. "The City expects to see a funding commitment for the Southern Parkway by VDOT and/or the County by 2008 before construction begins on the parkway," Brown also wrote in the letter that both the City and the County are helping to fund an ongoing alignment study for the proposed Eastern Connector.

Another of the City’s criteria involves the replacement of parkland. The City has asked for 50 acres of replacement parkland to make up for that which will be taken up by the roadway.

At the July 16 meeting, Jim Tolbert of Neighborhood Development Services gave a new update on the project to Council.  He said the project is now fully-funded according to the Commonwealth Transportation Board’s Six Year Plan. The multiuse trail requested by Council is now to be built at a width of ten feet. All construction plan sheets will alert the contractor of the boundaries of the Vietnam War Memorial, and these dimensions will also be staked in the field as well.  He said VDOT has been taking steps to purchase the right of way for replacement parkland, but that the transactions are not yet complete. Advertisement for construction bids are scheduled to go out in June of next year.

Tolbert also said no action was required at the meeting, but the packet for the board meeting did include the legal documents required for the granting of the easement.

CONCERNS FROM CITY COUNCIL

Councilor Kevin Lynch said he still had reservations about the status of three of the City's criteria. Before he votes to grant an easement, he said he wants to see a final design for the interchange, wants to see the parkland easements finalized, and wants a commitment from the County to pursue the regional network.

VDOT is seeking a 22 acre easement through McIntire Park to prepare for construction of the Meadowcreek Parkway

"VDOT has acquired one of several parcels they said they would buy us in exchange for this easement, but they've not acquired all of them," Lynch said. "When VDOT has acquired all of these parcels, and when we have assurances from the County that all of these parcels have been acquired, that's when we should say we'll trade you the easement for them."

Lynch, a member of the Eastern Connector steering committee, expressed concern that it is proceeding too slowly. "I'm not impressed by the County's commitment to this project. My sense from serving on that committee is that it exists mostly to figure out ways not to build the Eastern Connector, so it doesn't surprise me to hear that there is a Board of Supervisor Members who say it isn't going to happen. " He also doubted whether the County was committed to the Southern Parkway. 

"The Southern Parkway may be on the list of the County's secondary road projects, but it was on that list before I got on Council but it hasn't gotten a bit of funding," he said. "There is no commitment by the County to a regional transportation network, or none that I've seen." He said Council should see an alignment for the Eastern Connector as well as funding plan for the Southern Parkway before it grants permission for construction to begin.

Lynch serves with fellow Councilor Dave Norris as the City’s representatives to the Policy Board of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).  The MPO most recently established regional transportation goals and priorities when it approved the United Jefferson Area Mobility Plan (UnJAM 2025) in May 2004.  Both the Southern Parkway and the Eastern Connector are priority projects in UnJAM 2025 and in the County’s  2007 Six-Year Secondary Road Plan.  In their FY2008 budget, the County Board of Supervisors allocated  $2 million for critical transportation projects.  Albemarle has increased its funding of transportation projects as the state’s contributions to the secondary road fund have decreased.   However, with limited funds available and escalating project costs, in January 2007 the Supervisors agreed to focus their funding on three of the sixty-nine projects in the County’s Six-Year Plan: the Meadowcreek Parkway; Jarman’s Gap Rd; and Georgetown Rd.

Councilor Norris asked Tolbert if he knew of any plans by the County to fund the Eastern Connector. "I've heard in public forums that the County doesn't envision securing sufficient funding to build the Eastern Connector at any point in the near future." Tolbert said road-building in Virginia is problematic because of state-funding issues, but that he had not heard the County was going to not pursue funding.

Norris expressed the concern that the Meadowcreek Parkway would increase through-traffic in the City's residential neighborhoods as County residents used it to travel between growth areas in the County. He wanted Tolbert's opinion on whether Biscuit Run and other large development projects were factored into the planning studies for the Meadowcreek Parkway. Tolbert responded that traffic studies used as part of the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s CHART study take land use planning into account.

"When those types of models are run, they anticipate development in the growth area based on the land use plan, not necessarily what's there or known about. They may not have known about that significant development per se, but it would have anticipated a development at a certain level in the urban ring." But Tolbert said he didn't have the specifics.

Councilor Kendra Hamilton said she was confident VDOT was acting in good faith to acquire the parkland, but did say the regional road network issues needed to be resolved. She cited a 2004 resolution adopted by the County Board of Supervisors that endorsed the City's portion of the Meadowcreek Parkway. 

"I would be satisfied if they were to pass a similar resolution on the regional road network. We may not be able to get alignments in place, but a resolution has the force of law saying that they are going to be looking at taking these actions."

Councilor Julian Taliaferro said he was also concerned about the County's commitment to a regional road network, but was more concerned that the intersection at Melbourne Road might defeat the whole purpose of the Parkway. Lynch agreed, and said that Melbourne Road should have been addressed in the City's original criteria.

Councilor Norris defended the County's commitment to regional transportation network. "I think the whole CHART process was a way of the County committing to a vision for the regional road network," he said. "I would like to see that sort of commitment be extended to beefing up the regional transit system." Earlier in the meeting, Council accepted $250,000 in County funding from the Board of Supervisors to pay for service expansions to the Charlottesville Transit Service.

Lynch pointed to the Southern Parkway as an example of a road project the County is reluctant to fund, even though there’s an alignment on the books. “The reason the County doesn't want to build it is twofold. Number one, the development has already happened there so they don't get any new development dollars out of it. And number two, now that development has already happened, there are neighbors who don't want the traffic,” Lynch said. "The time for resolutions of support has passed and we need to see some concrete evidence the County can do transportation planning," Lynch said.

Mayor Brown disagreed, and asked Mr. Tolbert and City Manager Gary O'Connell to come up with a strongly worded resolution to present to the County regarding the status of the Eastern Connector. Brown also said he wanted Tolbert to give Council a timeline of when the various parcels of parkland will be acquired.

A RESPONSE FROM THE COUNTY

Albemarle County Supervisor Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett District) said he could not comment on any proposed resolution without seeing its language, but said the County has shown a “substantial commitment” to a regional transportation network.

“We have a 20 year road plan, which is a result of work by the CHART Committee approved by the MPO,” on whose policy board Rooker serves alongside Councilors Lynch and Norris.  Rooker says said the County and the City offer examples to the rest of the state for cooperative transportation planning.

“We’re the only community in the state that has allowed proffers from development to be spent in another locality,” Rooker said. He said money proffered from the Albemarle Place development will be spent to build an additional lane on US 29 north of the 250 Interchange.  He also cited $1 million dollars in proffers made by the developers of Biscuit Run to go towards transit projects, as well as additional money to help pay for improvements on Old Lynchburg Road within City limits.

Rooker said the slow pace of road projects in the area can be blamed on a lack of state funding.  Each year, the County gets $3.7 million in road funding from the state each year. Rooker says the County has slowly been accruing enough money to pay for its portion of the Meadowcreek Parkway. But, he says future road projects will be harder to pay for.

“I’ve been a big supporter of the Eastern Connector, but at this point, no one can identify funding sources for construction. Now, we’re willing to work with the City to find a way.” Both jurisdictions have contributed $250,000 for a corridor location study. Road connections in the southern part of Albemarle County’s growth area may likely end up being paid for by developers through proffers.

But Rooker said the City’s continued request for demands is not a good way to build trust between communities. He says the City and County have both worked too hard to obtain money to pay for the Meadowcreek Parkway Interchange to set more conditions now.

“I think too often there’s an us-against-them mentality that surfaces between the City and the County, and there’s a kind of pervasive view that the County is spurring all this growth and it is negatively impacting the City,” Rooker said.  “In fact, residential growth in the County financially benefits the City because they don’t have to provide services.”

Track all of these projects using Charlottesville Tomorrow's Transportation Matrix

This was a point Rooker made directly to Lynch and Norris at a MPO meeting this past February.  During discussions of the Biscuit Run project Rooker encouraged City Council to invest some of the funds it receives from Albemarle as part of the 1982 revenue sharing agreement ($13.21 million in FY08) into regional transportation infrastructure.  Earlier that month, Lynch had given the County a one-month ultimatum to demonstrate it was serious about building the Fontaine-Sunset Connector.  Lynch wanted Biscuit Run proffer dollars to build that connector road, otherwise, he said City Council might entertain closing Old Lynchburg Road at the County line.

Selected Highlights from the Discussion:

• 1:23 - Jim Tolbert of Neighborhood Development Services briefs Council on the status of its conditions for approval of construction of the Meadowcreek Parkway
• 12:22 - Councilor Dave Norris asks Tolbert for a status update on the Eastern Connector
• 15:20 - Collette Hall of the North Downtown Neighborhood Association tells Council that Dr. Brent with the Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public hearing in October to address water quality issues with Schenk's Branch
• 18:00 - Independent Peter Kleeman tells Council he is opposed to the granting of an easement to VDOT
• 21:15 - Ernie Reed of the Living Education Center expresses his concern that the project will negatively impact Schenk's Branch, but offers up the services of his organization to help. Reed also comments on the Storm Water Management plan
• 25:10 - Timothy Hulbert of the Chamber of Commerce expresses his support for the Meadowcreek Parkway Project
• 29:26 - Councilor Kevin Lynch comments on the Storm Water Management plan and discusses Schenk's Branch water quality
• 31:46 - Councilor Lynch outlines three conditions for approval that are not yet met
• 32:51 - Lynch says he wants to see more replacement parkland acquired
• 34:24 - Lynch says he's not impressed with Albemarle County's commitment to the Eastern Connector
• 35:40 - Mayor Brown asks Lynch for the time lines for the Eastern Connector study
• 36:50 - Councilor Kendra Hamilton tells the public that no action will be taken at this meeting
• 37:15 - Councilor Kendra Hamilton floats the idea of asking the County to adopt a resolution affirming support for the regional road network
• 39:45 - Councilor Julian Taliaferro says he's concerned about the intersection at the Meadowcreek Parkway and Melbourne Road
• 40:55 - Councilor Dave Norris defends County's role in regional road planning, but says additional investments need to go for the area's public transportation network
• 43:06 - Councilor Lynch says resolutions of support are not enough to demonstrate County's commitment, and uses the history of the Southern Parkway as a description
• 45:22 - Mayor Brown says he would like to see a "strongly worded" resolution that mentions County's support for the Eastern Connector, and requests a written time line for when parkland will be transferred to City
• 53:46 - Councilor Lynch suggests revisiting the three party agreement between the City, the County, and the University of Virginia

Sean Tubbs

Kleeman appears on WINA's Charlottesville Live

WINA AM 1070 's Charlottesville Live morning program is inviting all of the candidates running for Charlottesville City Council to come on the radio to share their background and priorities. On June 19th, Independent Peter Kleeman was the guest of Jane Foy and Rob Schilling.

Long active in city politics, Kleeman told WINA he is an independent thinker who wants to help the city manage growth. "Charlottesville is under a great deal of growth pressure," he said. "We are the focus of our region and we need to take a leadership role."

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Listen using player above or download the podcast: Download 20070619kleemanonWINA.mp3

Highlights of the program:

• 00:48 - Introduction by Rob Schilling and Jane Foy
• 01:18 - Peter Kleeman describes his background
• 02:04 - Peter Kleeman outlines his qualifications
• 02:55 - Peter Kleeman explains why he entered the race
• 06:25 - Peter Kleeman discusses his thoughts on transportation issues
• 10:49 - Peter Kleeman on regional cooperation on transportation issues
• 11:31 - Peter Kleeman on increasing public participation in government

Sean Tubbs

Peter Kleeman launches campaign for City Council

On June 18, 2007, Charlottesville resident Peter Kleeman officially announced his candidacy for a seat on the City Council. He qualified for the ballot last week by turning in 125 petition signatures to the city registrar.

An area resident since 1981, Kleeman has been an independent transportation consultant since 1997 specializing in air quality, noise, and energy modeling and analysis relating to transportation activities. Before becoming a consultant, he worked for three years as an engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Listen using player above or download the podcast:

Download 20070618-Kleeman.mp3

"After coming here, I have grown to love this city," Kleeman told a gathering of reporters under a hot morning sun. "I believe that my role as a citizen is to be actively involved in the issues, and I have done that." He has served on the Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board, vice president of Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation, and a frequent volunteer for community organizations.

Kleeman said he wants to connect citizens with decision-makers in city government, and that city planners have to do a better job connecting to neighborhoods. He said the region needs to develop a transportation network that includes outlying counties. He wants to see more money put into public transportation and walking paths.

"We've seen a whole series of issues in the neighborhoods recently where the neighborhoods have felt left out of the process, whether its about historic preservation or cut-through traffic." Kleeman says he will spend a lot of his campaign talking to neighborhood associations.

Along with Barbara Haskins, Kleeman is one of two independent candidates in the race. He previously ran for Council in 2000, but failed to win the Democratic nomination. This year he bypassed that process, which resulted in the nominations of Holly Edwards, Satyendra Huja, and incumbent David Brown.

"I felt we needed to have more candidates than positions in order to have a meaningful dialogue
and energize the city."

Watch a video of this event below:

Sean Tubbs

 

Largest local campaign contributions as of June 4th

The Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) has just updated the campaign finance data for our local elections.  Now the VPAP database includes the June 4th financial reports covering fundraising activity for April and May 2007.  On the VPAP website you can get contribution profiles on all the Charlottesville City Council and Albemarle County Board of Supervisors candidates. 

In the most recent reports, the largest donations of $2,000 and above are as follows:

• $2,500 - Boyd Tinsley (Dave Matthews Band) to
  Supervisor candidate Lindsay Dorrier (D-Scottsville)
• $2,500 - Planning Commissioner William Edgerton to
  Supervisor candidate Marcia Joseph (D-Rivanna)
• $2,000 - W M Management (Real estate company; James A. Morris* is President) to Supervisor candidate Ken Boyd (R-Rivanna)
• $2,000 - W M Management (Real estate company; James A. Morris* is President) to Supervisor candidate David Wyant (R-White Hall)

* VPAP has two donor records form James A. Morris under real estate and trucking.

One of the new features on VPAP's website is the ability to map candidate contributions.  It will be interesting to see how much support comes from outside the candidates' home locality.  Here is a sample map for one candidate showing that their contributions come from Nelson and Albemarle.

Brian Wheeler