Thousands comment on proposed land use map
At the beginning of May, the Cville Plans Together team—a group of consultants hired to rewrite the city’s zoning code—shared a draft of a Future Land Use Map, a document that will help guide the city’s growth in the coming decades by identifying which areas could support increased housing density.
The map has attracted tons of attention from city residents. Some homeowners in wealthy neighborhoods have opposed the map’s strategy, arguing that allowing apartments to be built in neighborhoods currently full of single-family homes will have deleterious effects on property values and neighborhood character. Others, meanwhile, say that the map isn’t proactive enough, and could be even more aggressive in making space for sorely needed new homes.
The team of consultants had initially announced it would take comments on the map through the month of May, but extended the deadline to mid-June at the request of city residents. The consultants will now begin reviewing the more than 1,300 emails they’ve received, as well as 900 comments on the interactive map and 400 responses to their online feedback form. We’re still in the early stages of what will be a long rezoning process, so buckle in for a lot more in the coming months and years.
Charlottesville’s best-kept secret wins big
On June 5, Charlottesville’s semi-professional football team, the Virginia Silverbacks, won the United Eastern Atlantic Football League championship 28-13 against the Virginia Crusaders. The Silverbacks, whose players include an ex-UVA player and assistant Charlottesville High School football coach, a 65-year-old UVA professor, and a former CHS starting quarterback, trounced the Crusaders, who defeated them in the championship in 2019.
After losing that game two years ago on the Silverbacks’ home turf (the Charlottesville High School field), the local team showed up ready to dominate the Crusaders this year in Williamsburg. An early touchdown in the first quarter gave them a head start, they went into halftime with a 28-6 lead, and the Silverbacks never looked back.
“A white person used their privilege to stay in office. Black people used their power.”
Former vice-mayor Wes Bellamy, speaking to The New York Times about how Black Virginians have pushed Governor Ralph Northam to adopt progressive reforms in the years since the governor’s blackface scandal
In brief:
Hoos head to Omaha
The UVA baseball team continued its miraculous postseason run on Monday. The unranked Cavaliers beat Dallas Baptist University 5-2 off a Kyle Teel grand slam in the seventh inning to secure a place in the College World Series. UVA has been one loss away from elimination six times this month and won all six games. The Hoos will head to Omaha, Nebraska, along with seven other teams, to compete in the CWS, which starts on Saturday. It’s the first World Series appearance for the Cavs since 2015, when they were crowned national champions.
Lightning speed
UVA graduate student Michaela Meyer won the national championship in the 800 meters last weekend. Meyer completed the race—just under half a mile—in 2 minutes and .28 seconds. It’s the first track and field championship for an individual woman in school history.
College Inn’s baked its last pizza
The College Inn has closed its doors, just shy of 70 years in business. The locally owned, late-night delivery staple will be replaced with a Chipotle. “It’s goodbye for now but hopefully not forever,” reads a post on the shop’s Facebook site. “Thank you for loving the College Inn.”
Republican takes on Bob Good
Brunswick-based farmer Kimberly Lowe has announced that she’s running for the 5th District congressional seat as a Republican in 2022. Protecting second amendment rights and ensuring election integrity are among Lowe’s top priorities. She has run unsuccessfully for the House of Delegates twice in the past, but if she manages to flip the script and unseat Good, she’d be the favorite to win the general election, and could become the fifth different Republican to hold the seat in the last five terms.
Updated 6/16 to correct Kyle Teel’s name.