Holding it in
Having been a devoted reader of C-VILLE since its inception, I have enjoyed watching the paper grow and change, not surprisingly, in sync with the life cycle of its owners/publishers. The “more mature” C-VILLE has contributed so much to keeping its readers informed about our incredibly rich cultural community and the many opportunities if offers. I was especially applauding C-VILLE’s recent timely focus on our local nonprofits and their various needs in its November 25 issue [SHARE]. Therefore, I was completely taken aback when I read on page 31 the following sentence in a C-VILLE pick: “Do you really want to brave hours on the Interstate, eat dry turkey and spend your weekend looking after incontinent Aunt Myrtle?” Come on, C-VILLE—that’s not really you anymore is it?
Perrie H. May
Charlottesville
Vendor bender
I was quite amused that your article about the vendors on the Mall [“Against the grain,” Fishbowl, November 25] had only one fact correct—what I was wearing that night. If the reporter had paid more attention to what was said rather than my wardrobe, he might have gotten the following facts correct:
1) The group that put together the suggested vendor guidelines was composed of City employees, vendors and members of the community. I was one of the people asked to be part of this group. They were not written by the Board of Architectural Review as stated in the article.
2) When these guidelines were presented to the BAR for comment, there was one amendment made—not to allow clothing racks on the Mall. As a business owner who has had a rack outside my store, April’s Corner, for three years, I too will be affected by this ordinance and have to remove my display rack.
3) All of the signs at York Place were approved by the BAR. However, the BAR required the requested projecting signs to be mounted flush to the wall as required by City code and the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act regulations. There are no projecting signs on any building in Charlottesville at a height below 80". In fact I would challenge you to find regulations in any city that allow signs below 80" to project from a building. There is a good reason for not wanting this precedent to be set. I have no idea how the signs on the posts on the Mall got approved. That was before my time on the BAR. Many people find them to be a hazard as well.
4) Oh, and that “new freestanding sign” outside of Quilts Unlimited has been there since we opened about four years or so ago. Where have you been?
I opened stores on the Downtown Mall because I believe in this community and want to see the Downtown thrive. The Downtown Mall is the heart and soul of Charlottesville. I think we all, including C-VILLE, should be committed to seeing the Downtown Mall be a place of joy and prosperity for everyone.
Joan Fenton
Charlottesville
The editor replies: Fenton is correct that a 16-member committee, not the BAR, crafted the regulations affecting Mall vendors. The BAR, which Fenton chairs, however, added one of the ordinance’s more controversial elements, as she correctly notes—namely, the prohibition of clothing racks. While that rule will affect Fenton’s business, too, she will retain the right to display and sell clothes inside April’s Corner, a privilege denied to her competitors who do not operate inside Downtown retail properties. As for the details surrounding the approval of the York Place signs, Fenton’s facts align with those reported by John Borgmeyer, who evidently was not as distracted by Fenton’s public-hearing apparel as she purports. Finally, if the sign outside Fenton’s store has been around for four years, this fact was not, at the time the story was reported, known to all of her employees, one of whom identified it as “new” to C-VILLE.