On September 12, Albemarle County Public Schools representatives were in court to defend against allegations its anti-racism policies are discriminatory.
Previously dismissed with prejudice in April 2022, the case, Ibañez v. Albemarle County School Board, went before the Court of Appeals of Virginia in the chambers of the Virginia Supreme Court for oral arguments after the plaintiffs—a group of local parents concerned about the curriculum—appealed the dismissal. The parents allege that ACPS’ anti-racism policies are discriminatory and indoctrinate children through critical race theory, a graduate-level framework for discussing the interactions between race and law.
The complaint against the anti-racism policy, first filed in December of 2021, asked the Albemarle County Circuit Court to issue a judgment effectively labeling the policy unconstitutional, ending enforcement of the policy, providing an option for parents to opt out of the anti-racism instruction, and providing compensatory and other damages to the plaintiffs.
In the complaint, specific content from the curriculum highlighted as problematic included a Courageous Conversations slide with text reading, “In the absence of making anti-racist choices, we (un)consciously uphold aspects of white supremacy, white-dominant culture, and unequal institutions and society.” The suit also takes issue with schools’ discussion of white privilege, and instruction that “the dominant culture is White and Christian and therefore responsible for racism.”
Though the suit was dismissed with prejudice—which means the complaint can’t be refiled—by Judge Claude Worrell, legal representatives of the parents immediately indicated they would appeal the dismissal.
The parents—Carlos and Tatiana Ibañez, Matthew and Marie Mierzejewski, Kemal and Margaret Gokturk, Erin and Trent Taliaferro, and Melissa Riley—are represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group. While the ADF describes its work as “advanc[ing] the God-given right to live and speak the Truth,” the organization has been labeled an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
In a client profile for the ADF, the Ibañezes shared their background and explained the impetus for the suit. Originally from Panama City, Panama, the couple said their daughter was distressed after watching an anti-racism video at school. “One of the videos said basically that you had to be white to be successful. People of color were not gonna be able to live in a big house or get a good education,” said Tatiana Ibañez. “Just based on the color of their skin.”
“We never agreed that we were going to co-parent our children with the school administrators or school policies or the school board,” said Carlos Ibañez.
“Albemarle Schools is violating students’ civil rights treating them differently based on race, and by compelling them to affirm and support ideas contrary to their deeply held moral, philosophical, and religious beliefs,” says ADF Senior Counsel and Director of Parental Rights Kate Anderson. “We are hopeful the court recognizes that parents have a right and responsibility to direct the upbringing of their children and that the Albemarle County School Board is trampling on this right. As we wait for a ruling from the court, Alliance Defending Freedom will continue to uphold the civil rights of parents and their children in school.”
At press time, both the Virginia court case information system and the ADF list the case as active, but no future hearings have been scheduled.
For the draft zoning ordinance to move forward, the Planning Commission must recommend it to City Council for a hearing and a vote. Image by City of Charlottesville.
After years of effort, the Charlottesville Planning Commission finally entered the formal review process for the draft zoning ordinance. Though the city has emphasized community involvement throughout the project, the September 14 public hearing to discuss the draft lasted more than five hours. City leadership hopes to adopt the zoning ordinance by the end of 2023, but Charlottesville residents remain divided on how to best balance affordability, density, and current communities.
The city has been working since 2017 to address the area’s progressively worsening housing crisis through changes to zoning, including priorities outlined in comprehensive and affordable housing plans.
Planning Commissioner Hosea Mitchell opened the public hearing by emphasizing that the meeting would not be a dialogue, but rather a listening session for community members to voice their thoughts on the draft zoning ordinance.
Before opening the floor for public comment, Director of Neighborhood Development Services James Freas said that though the project has come a long way, much work remains. “I don’t believe this draft that we have before us is our final draft,” he said. “As we hear new ideas, as we hear new perspectives, I think it’s important that we are able to respond and make tweaks as necessary or as appropriate.”
City Council chambers were at capacity at the start of the meeting, and residents came prepared to comment.
Though the current draft attempts to increase the amount of affordable housing available in the area, some opponents expressed concern that increasing density and allowing for more areas of mixed use could negatively impact existing residents. They voiced their opinions about the plan’s impact on neighborhoods, traffic, parking, tree cover, land value inflation, and more.
Diane Walkett, who lives in the Greenbrier neighborhood, showed up with a signed petition from her neighbors that urged the commission to not change the current zoning. “[It’s] a family-focused part of Charlottesville that is populated by those who want their children to safely walk to Greenbriar Elementary School, who want to walk their dogs and ride their bikes along the road without having to dodge cars that drive fast … who want to have yards and space to live in,” she said. “To change this street and to subject our families to more traffic, less safety, the density of multiple unit complexes, and to change the nature of our property is not a wise, appropriate, or necessary decision by the Planning Commission.”
“My worry is that the impact of the zoning is gonna change our entire Greenbrier neighborhood. It’s so safe right now,” said Gerry Scott. “It’s just a good neighborhood. And good neighbors.”
Other critics of the current draft zoning ordinance support the project’s work to improve access to affordable housing and address inequities, but are concerned that well-intended provisions may not be as effective as imagined without further protections against gentrification. “Increased density across the city does not necessarily mean increase in affordability,” said Al Pola. Comparing the proposed Dairy Market expansion and Cherry Avenue developments, Pola claimed the plan does not adequately address infrastructure and protect communities.
But many proponents of the draft ordinance said it takes key steps in addressing the area’s housing crisis.
Speaking in support of the plan, Liam Keough argued against allowing “the privileged desires of older residents to outweigh the needs of potentially thousands of new residents, low-income residents, and non-white residents.” He added that “dog whistles such as protecting the safety, the charm, and the peace of their neighborhoods inhibit the change. We cannot let these dog whistles also dissuade the change needed to address the vast increase in population in Charlottesville. We cannot let quaint neighborhoods impede change.”
Andrew Shelton, a lifelong Charlottesville-area resident, spoke about being priced out of town. “The existing housing market is simply not sustainable for young people who don’t have existing investment in their home that’s been built for 30 years,” he said. “We don’t have enough housing for the amount of people who want to live here. … I would like to live in town, the town I grew up in, I’m not able to.”
With the current state of housing in the city, Shelton urged the commission to not only adopt the plan, but to consider the recommendations outlined in the housing coalition letter released earlier this year. “I would like to ask you to particularly pay attention to the need to not displace further Black neighborhoods, and to hopefully expand density in the neighborhoods that have historically had exclusionary zoning.”
The commission anticipates that consideration of the zoning ordinance could continue into October.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to better clarify that opponents of the draft zoning ordinance vary in their opinions and criticisms.
To combat the local impacts of climate change and better prepare for natural disasters, the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the University of Virginia are collaborating on a new program, Resilient Together.
In a September 15 press release announcing the project, the group highlighted how each jurisdiction’s independent climate efforts will be boosted through the collaboration. “Locally, we are experiencing longer, hotter heat waves, more destructive storms, wildfire smoke, and invasive pests,” shared the group. “Collaborating will help us to produce better, stronger results.”
Anticipated to last approximately 18 months, Resilient Together will occur in five phases—Discover, Define, Design, Decide, and Do—with the goal of creating and adopting complementary action plans for both the city and county.
Beyond researching specific climate challenges faced in Charlottesville and Albemarle, the initial Discover phase will also be an opportunity for project members and the community to form connections.
Throughout the process, the group plans to listen to and incorporate input from the community, nonprofits, businesses, and other local players. According to the press release, “Creating effective climate adaptation and resilience plans for the city and county that serve our community requires meaningful collaboration among local government, partner organizations, and you.”
To jumpstart involvement in the project, Resilient Together will host a community kick-off and open house on September 26 from 4 to 7pm at Carver Recreation Center.
Recall runs ashore
The attempt to oust Don Polonis from the Lake Monticello Owners Association Board of Directors failed. Supplied photo.
After a summer-long recall campaign, the effort to remove Don Polonis from the Lake Monticello Owners Association Board of Directors has failed.
The recall election—which was prompted by a number of anti-LGBTQ comments and against-policy social media posts by Polonis—brought out a record turnout at the lake, with 2,480 total ballots cast in the election.
While a majority of voters opted to remove the director, the recall fell 143 “yes” votes short of the 2,256 required to oust Polonis from the board. Only 291 members voted to retain Polonis.
“This tally of votes, with 46 percent of households voting for removal, shows a clear rebuff to the conduct of Director Polonis,” said Board President Larry Henderson in a statement to LMOA News. “While it may seem undemocratic that a vote of 85-15 percent in favor of removal failed to succeed, the board reminds the residents that this is due to the rules laid down by the Virginia Nonstock Corporation Act.”
With no remaining avenues to remove the controversial director, Polonis will be allowed to serve the remaining two years of his term.
In brief
Funding futures
At A Black and White Affair on September 15, eight local minority-owned businesses received $40,000 in grants from United Way of Greater Charlottesville and the Minority Business Alliance of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Congress. This year’s list of recipients includes everything from fitness classes to food trucks, with bakernobakery, Beyond Fitness with Sabrina, Cavalier Barbershop, Eudamonia, justified by Netta, Khadija’s Kitchen, Loyal Beyond Beauty, and Rita’s Bright Beginnings all receiving funds.
Closing time
After 36 years of business, Rebecca’s Natural Food will close its doors on September 30. Founded in 1987, the health food and supplement store has been a staple in the Charlottesville area for years. Until closing, the business will offer 25 percent off everything in store. In a public statement, owner Norman Dill thanked the community and employees for their support. “Although we feel a sense of loss during this time of change, we are equally proud of our achievements in promoting well-being in our community,” he said. “Thank you for all your support over the years, and we hope to serve you to the end.”
Rebecca’s Natural Food will close its Barracks Road store on September 30. Supplied photo.
Fashion Square shooting
An Albemarle teenager was arrested for the September 13 Fashion Square Mall shooting, which resulted in two people and a dog seeking medical attention. The suspect, 19-year-old Jalontae Percer, has been charged with malicious wounding and use or display of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Percer is currently out on bond, and is scheduled to appear in Albemarle General District Court for a preliminary hearing on November 2.
Art conservator Scott Nolley is breathing new life into “Untitled,” American artist Joan Mitchell’s seminal painting at The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA—and you can see it happen live. Nolley, who is head conservator at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum, is slowly peeling away layers of settled dust and other accumulations to reveal the abstract painting’s true colors and forms. Swing by the gallery September 21–22, 29–30, and October 12–13 to see Nolley in action, chat with him while he works, and tour the “Processing Abstraction” exhibition, which also includes Mitchell’s “Neige,” which Nolley recently finished conserving. The Fralin also hosts Nolley for two gallery talks on September 22 and 30. uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu
Step into a world of sawdust and swinging axes at the Devils Backbone’s Lumberjack Classic, two days of extreme timbersports, live music, food vendors, and family-friendly fun. Lumberjill Hanna Quigley is one of the competitors who’ll be racing to start her chainsaw and notch some wood in disciplines like underhand chop (imagine chopping through a tree that’s a foot across in seconds) and the stock saw (using a chainsaw to make precise cuts in a log). The free event is held September 15–16 at Devils Backbone Basecamp Brewpub & Meadows. dbbrewingcompany.com/events
Name: Hanna Quigley.
Age: 25.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers.
Hometown: Honeoye Falls, New York.
Job: Landscape designer.
How did you get into timbersports: I didn’t make the cut for the volleyball team or the wind ensemble upon tryouts in college, where SUNY ESF students had to compete against SU students in New York. I hoped to continue with sports and extracurricular activities. My friend signed me up for the Woodsmen Team at the club activities fair, mainly as a joke after we saw a “firebuilding event.” But as I joined the team, made friends, and learned the events, I came to enjoy how challenging the sport was and wanted to continue further with it.
What’s something about timbersports that people would be surprised to learn: Timbersports is a global sport that started in Australia. Many of the most talented athletes in the sport live in Australia and have passed their knowledge down through multiple generations. Several competitors worldwide travel there to compete against these athletes to learn and improve their technique.
What disciplines are you competing in at the Devils Backbone’s Lumberjack Classic: All the women’s events are offered to the athletes, including the standing block chop, underhand chop, single buck, jack and jill sawing, and stock saw. My best events are the standing block and the single buck.
What’s your favorite discipline: My favorite discipline is the underhand chop. While it is the event that I am slightly behind the field at, it was the event that got me hooked on the sport back in college, and with it being one of the first women’s events, it’s one of the most competitive and most rewarding to perform well at.
Do you have a favorite wood to chop into: About a year ago, I would’ve told you my favorite wood to cut was aspen. That was mostly because to cut the wood well, it isn’t necessarily about pace; it’s about the placement of the axe and the slope at which the axe enters the wood. However, more recently, I’ve enjoyed cutting pine because with improved accuracy, I’ve been able to speed up my hits and race more effectively.
How fast can you cut down a tree: My fastest time in the standing block chop (which mimics tree felling) is about 24 seconds—I hope to beat that this weekend!
Who is your hero: My hero is Tia-Clair Toomey, six-time fittest woman on earth (CrossFit).
Best advice you ever got: Think about one thing going into each event; it’s too hard to handle more than that. Other improvements will come in time.
Proudest accomplishment: World title standing block at the Hayward Lumberjack Championships.
Describe a perfect day: A fall day out on a hike, training in the backyard, and hanging out with my dog.
If you could be reincarnated as a person or thing, what would you be: A cardinal.
If you had three wishes, what would you wish for: A private jet, a house, and to make enough money to live comfortably and solely compete in timbersports.
Do you have any pets: Mini Bernedoodle—Elouise.
Favorite movie/show: “Ted Lasso.”
Favorite book: Jane Eyre.
What are you listening to right now: Imagine Dragons.
Go-to karaoke song: “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
Who’d play you in a movie: Jennifer Lawrence.
Celebrity crush: Ian Somerhalder.
Most used app on your phone: Pandora Music.
Last text you sent: Video of woodchopping.
Most used emoji: Crying laughing face.
Subject that causes you to rant: Transgender women in sports.
Best journey you ever went on: Study abroad in Barcelona, Spain.
Next journey: Tasmania Christmas Circuit.
Favorite curse word: F-bomb.
Hottest take: Pineapple and ham on pizza.
What have you forgotten today: How to draw my lines in a standing block (jetlagged and just got back from a trip to Australia!).
Part play, part eulogy, part summoning, Jesús I. Valles’ solo performance piece, Play Maid, interrogates the role of the maid as a sociological, theatrical, and pop culture figure. Through a series of monologues and solo exercises, Valles honors and thanks their mother, who worked as a maid, and eulogizes the late Lupe Ontiveros, who played over 150 maids in her acting career. Valles draws from their lived experiences as a queer Mexican immigrant and educator in their award-winning works.
When Neal Piper’s 3-year-old son Noah was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor in 2019, the family’s world shrunk.
“Shortly after his birthday … he started choking on his saliva and his food,” says Piper. After a swallow study, balloon surgery, and an MRI, an oncologist told Piper and his wife Valeria that the “MRI shows a large tumor in the base of his skull. The room just shrunk down. And it’s kind of like a Charlie Brown episode where you hear the teacher just mumbling words,” Piper says. “We found out it’s a type of treatable tumor called LCH—Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis.”
Though the prognosis for children with LCH is good, Noah’s family was terrified. “What we learned in that moment is when you have a lot of attention, and a lot of people coming in, that’s never a good sign,” says Piper. “And each morning on rounds, there’d be about 30 people in the hallway talking about how to keep your son alive. He had pneumonia. He was in a sedated coma at that point.”
After making significant improvement, Noah came home from the hospital and continued his treatment. The medical equipment the 3-year-old required to survive included an enteral feeding pump: a gravity-fed device attached to a pole (similar to an IV infusion pump) that allows liquid food to enter the stomach or intestine through a tube.
While the feeding tube was an important part of Noah’s care, the technology was clunky, archaic, and difficult to manage at home. But it was the family’s best option.
“This is the standard of care. It’s over a decade old technology, and there’s millions of people around the world that use this type of technology every day,” says Piper. “You’re connected to this pole [up to] 24 hours a day depending on your need, and so children and adults are walking around the house like this. … Noah, he’s much smaller, and the tubing setup was longer, so he tripped over this several times, and it can rip out a gastrostomy button and be an emergency procedure.”
Rather than continue to watch his son struggle with the technology meant to help him, Piper decided to take action: In March of 2020, he founded a medical device company he called Luminoah, named for his son and his experience during chemotherapy.
When Neal Piper’s son Noah was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, the 3-year-old had to begin using an enteral feeding tube to continue his treatment. The large IV-like device is loud and cumbersome—so Piper set about finding a way to make feeding pumps more mobile, modern, and discrete. Supplied photo.
At UVA Health’s Battle Building, home to pediatric clinics and outpatient services, Piper says a painting of a spaceship is near the bell children can ring on their last day of chemotherapy. That image inspired Noah, and led to father-son discussions about space. “I merged lumination, the measure of light, with Noah, and shortened that to Luminoah to create a brighter future for people requiring tube feeding,” he says.
Though Noah’s experience with enteral feeding was the original inspiration for the company, Piper consulted a number of other patients and providers. He used a user-driven approach—“We don’t want to assume our use case was the use case of many,” he says—and interviewed dozens of patients, providers, and distributors to learn what the key problems were with current enteral feeding technology.
For many interviewees, issues with tube feeding systems boiled down to lack of mobility, difficulty of use, and trouble tracking nutrition. While the IV-mounted nutrition system can work well in a hospital setting, features like blaring alarms and notifications—perfect for grabbing the attention of staff—often don’t translate well for home use.
Taking all of this into account, the Luminoah team started designing, and made their first prototype in December 2021. Rather than hanging on an IV pole, Luminoah’s device uses a motor to provide nutrition, all at a size smaller than an iPhone in width and height.
“It’s a very familiar user interface for anyone that has a modern day smartphone,” says Piper. “You swipe to open, adjust your feed, press start. You can see the motor turning, priming, and then once you start, you can see the progress. And so you would just click [the nutrition packet] in, put the pouch in your pocket, click on or attach to your stomach, press start, and go.”
According to Dr. William Petersen, Luminoah’s device could significantly improve patient care. “I think this has the potential to revolutionize home feeding,” he says. “The way we currently do home tube feeding is just outdated and it’s been in need of innovation and disruption.”
As a pediatric hematologist oncologist, Petersen says Luminoah would be especially useful in simplifying care for his patients and their families. “Luminoah’s device is small and discreet and portable. It can literally clip to the belt area or shorts or pants, even a small kid’s,” he says. By ditching the IV pole, Luminoah makes it easier for children with feeding tubes to move.
The device’s small size makes it not only portable, but more discreet, giving patients more control over privacy. “I’ve got the device on now, and I could be walking around and no one knows it,” says Piper.
On top of improving patients’ quality of life, Petersen says Luminoah’s metrics help with quality of care thanks to its ability to accurately measure a patient’s nutrition, hydration, and activity levels. “That’s a really important thing, especially for small kids who are struggling with weight gain,” he says. “It’s really important to know exactly how many calories they’re getting, to actually provide that information in a much more accurate and reliable way than our current technology.”
“Our goal is that a young individual could feed themselves, and mom and dad will get an alert saying your child just started a feed, and that you can have full access to the data,” says Piper.
Supplied photo.
Beyond his own field, Petersen is optimistic about how Luminoah will impact the future of tube feeding. “It is absolutely an area that needs innovation and technological advancement,” he says. In particular, Petersen believes Piper’s personal experience with the limitations of the current technology is a boon to the company. “Luminoah is well positioned and poised to be the company that brings this aspect of patient care forward in a really meaningful and significant way.”
While Luminoah is still working toward FDA clearance (the company is approaching a design freeze, and thinks the device could be approved by 2024), it has made major strides in recent months. In June, it secured $6 million in funding, including contributions from local and state angel investor groups and innovation partners. With this money, Piper says Luminoah will continue to scale up its team and external partners.
After receiving support from local groups like CvilleBioHub, Piper says he is committed to basing his executive team out of Charlottesville. “I think it would have been impossible if we didn’t grow it here,” he says. “There’s something about this region, that it’s small enough that people are connected and willing to connect you to their networks, and support people and ideas. And it’s not like that in every market where you’ve got this competitive sense.”
According to Piper, there are more than 300 disease states that require enteral nutrition. “It’s a $12 billion global market—$4 billion here in the U.S.—and a half a million new patients every year that need this technology,” he says. To meet as many people’s needs as possible, Luminoah is working on a modular system for its device.
Now cancer free, Noah remains a pivotal part of Luminoah. “Initially he got a business card … I think he was Chief of Insights,” says Piper. “He’s no longer [using a] feeding tube and no longer has a port, which is really amazing. So my hope is he’ll never need this device.”
Still, Noah’s—and his twin sister Safi’s—influence on the company fuels their father’s passion for the project.
“There’s a very strong ‘why,’ why we do this every single day,” says Piper. “Really what we’re all about is sunny days ahead and [creating] a brighter future for people.”
The latest plans from Riverbend Development propose using the southern portion of the roadway, but do not include construction of a long-planned connector road between Sunset Avenue and the Fontaine Research Park. Image by Riverbend Development.
As the University of Virginia looks to build a $100 million biotechnology institute at the Fontaine Research Park, Riverbend Development has filed its latest plan for a 69-acre parcel of land that appears rural, but is very much in Albemarle’s development area.
The undeveloped Granger property is between Interstate 64 and the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. Several previous plans for the property have been filed in the past, but one obstacle has been the cost of a proposed roadway to support regional connectivity.
Albemarle County’s Comprehensive Plan designates portions of the land as Neighborhood Density Residential, which means up to six units per acre on the property.
Riverbend wants to build 200 homes, a mixture of townhouses and single-family homes that would be connected to regional trails. A rezoning from R-1 to Planned Residential Development is required to increase the allowed density. Half of the land would remain green space.
“A proposed greenway and trailway connections are proposed through the stream buffer portion of the property,” reads the narrative. “Residents will have convenient access to all of the amenities and resources in the area, including options to walk or bike to Charlottesville and UVA.”
Vehicular access to the site is currently only possible through Stribling Avenue, a street that runs through the Fry’s Spring neighborhood before becoming a one-lane road that connects to Fontaine Avenue. This proposal avoids using that roadway for vehicles.
Instead, all motorized vehicles for this planned development would use an entrance onto Sunset Avenue Extended. The proposal does not include any upgrades to local roads, nor is there a reference to a project proposed in 2004, a time when Albemarle, Charlottesville, and the University of Virginia had a public body that discussed potential infrastructure projects at public meetings.
The Southern Area B Study commissioned by the now-defunct Planning and Coordination Committee recommended a connector road between Sunset Avenue Extended and the Fontaine Research Park. This potential road was much discussed, but the cost to go either under or over the railroad track was considered too prohibitive.
Nevertheless, Albemarle County still had the Sunset-Fontaine Connector as its No. 11 priority on a 2019 list of potential projects. This roadway is included in the federally mandated long-range transportation plan that was last adopted the same year.
The current plan is at a lesser scale than what has previously been submitted.
In 2005, Riverbend Development submitted a Comprehensive Plan amendment to change the land to Office Service for a mixed-use development with 500,000 square feet of office space and 400 dwelling units. This proposal did depict the roadway.
Riverbend’s most recent plan for this property in the summer 2021 was a subdivision that would have carved out 73 single-family lots. That plan would not have required a rezoning and could have been done by-right.
“The site contains sensitive areas that we felt important to preserve, so we are balancing the density with trails and natural areas,” says Ashley Davies, vice president at Riverbend Development.
A community meeting will eventually be held by the 5th & Avon Community Advisory Committee.
The proposed development, on the site of the former Estes IGA grocery store, is located at 501-507 Cherry Ave., 0 Fifth St. SW, and 0 Sixth St. SW. Staff photo.
After getting a recommendation from the Planning Commission, Woodard Properties’ proposed Cherry Avenue development went before the Charlottesville City Council on September 5. The proposal includes affordable housing, space for local nonprofits, and was created with input from the Fifeville Neighborhood Association.
Located at the site of the former Estes IGA grocery store across from Tonsler Park, the proposed development would include a four-story apartment complex with 60 to 70 units of housing and approximately 24,400 square feet of commercial space. Included in that commercial space are spots for local nonprofits Twice is Nice and the Music Resource Center.
Before work can start, Woodard Properties needs City Council to approve a change in zoning for the area and a special use permit application.
Under the proposal, zoning would change from Residential Small Lot and Residential Mixed Use to Commercial B3 zoning with proffers. The proffers include commitments to affordable housing through a partnership with the Piedmont Housing Alliance, nonprofit spaces, possible space for a grocery store, land use and building height restrictions, and a restriction to ensure mixed usage. The special use permit application would increase the allowed density from 21 to 87 dwelling units per acre and modify setbacks and parking requirements.
While city councilors and the Planning Commission now seem optimistic about the development, it took substantial revision for the project to gain widespread support.
When Woodard Properties introduced its original plan in March, Fifeville community members and city leaders were concerned about the limited amount of affordable housing, size of buildings, location of buildings, and traffic impact of the development. Under the original proposal, only five units would have been designated affordable housing for those earning less than 60 percent of area median income.
After consulting with community members and the Fifeville Neighborhood Association, Woodard Properties introduced the second version of the development plan at an August 8 Planning Commission meeting.
Though elements of the original proposal remain, the new version includes an updated traffic plan, reduced building heights, buildings further back off of Cherry Avenue and residential properties, and a comprehensive memorandum of understanding signed by Woodard Properties, PHA, and FNA setting guidelines for affordable housing.
Under the memorandum of understanding, all of the proposed units would be affordable.
“I think it’s a great project … I think the folks from [the Woodard team] show creativity in trying to find a solution that checks a lot of boxes. I’m grateful as well for PHA and their willingness to step up and be a partner in this,” said Councilor Brian Pinkston. “Goes to show what you can do when you’ve got good intent and you’re really willing to roll up your sleeves and try to find something that works. I would love to see this on the consent agenda.”
Despite the high level of support for the project, some community members remain skeptical, especially given the non-binding nature of the memorandum of understanding.
Editor’s note: The original version of this story said that, “the proposed development would include a four-story apartment complex with 118 units of housing.” The correct number of units is 60 to 70.
Michael Craddock, principal at Lakeside Middle School, offered to drive a school bus last year because a route was delayed by more than an hour. In August, Craddock and language arts teacher Jeff Matriccino began driving again, possibly for the entire year. Photo by Jeremiel Waweru.
School bus drivers continue to be scarce in Albemarle County, leaving hundreds of students without public transportation. And while ACPS has been working to fix the problem, the principal and a language arts teacher at Lakeside Middle School have taken matters into their own hands.
Principal Michael Craddock and seventh-grade teacher Jeff Matriccino became substitute bus drivers last year. Craddock offered to help when a route was consistently delayed by an hour or more, and Matriccino filled in on an afternoon route that needed a driver. Luckily, both already had their commercial driver’s licenses, necessary for operating a school bus. Craddock got his CDL during the pandemic while he was the director of Center I, initially to assist getting kids to internships, while Matriccino has had his license for more than 10 years, which has allowed him to take his students on field trips.
“When I was first asked to do it after the second week of school, I was like, ‘Yeah, sure I’ll do it,’” says Matriccino. “I was thinking it’d probably be just two or three weeks, maybe a month.” He ended up driving from September until April.
When the 2023-24 school year was gearing up and a bus route had yet to be assigned a driver, Craddock and Matriccino again stepped up to help—this time for the whole year, if needed. For students living in the Burnley Station Road area, parents can take their kids to Preddy Creek Park and Matriccino will pick them up. That agreement (along with approval from county Parks & Recreation) cuts down on the drive time significantly.
Craddock’s afternoon route has also “been running pretty well,” he says. “I leave here about 4 o’clock, and I’m back by a little bit before 5 every day. So it’s not a huge thing in my day, but I think it makes a pretty big impact. I had a lot of parents on this route that were telling me … they didn’t have a way to get their kid to school, they didn’t have a solution that could work for them. I was glad to be able to reach out to those families and let them know we had them covered.”
Both drivers say they enjoy getting to interact with students outside of the typical school day.
“It’s nice to separate and wear a different hat … where I’m just the driver instead of the teacher,” says Matriccino.
While Lakeside has benefited from assistance offered by its staff, plenty of other schools remain without bus drivers. But Phil Giaramita, public affairs and strategic communications officer for ACPS, says the situation is improving quickly.
At the beginning of the school year, Giaramita was hopeful that the gap in service would be temporary. On August 23, nearly 1,000 students were on the waiting list for bus rides because 12 routes were left without an assigned driver. As of September 7, that wait list had come down to under 400 students, says Giaramita, with that number expected to drop further by the time this story goes to press. More than 94 percent of students who have requested bus service—about 9,500 students—are now able to ride the bus. Giaramita also says that the hour-long delays common last year have been eliminated.
“We regret the disruptions brought about by bus driver shortages that have closed schools in some locations around the nation and certainly have had an impact here,” says Giaramita. “Our parents and students deserve a great deal of credit for the adjustments they have had to make to support students. The same is true for our transportation staff and our principals and teachers, who have reached out to families. We are hearing from bus driver applicants that their interest is being generated by a desire to help students with their education. That is, after all, the bottom line for all of us.”
Craddock and Matriccino say they’ll keep driving as long as they’re needed.
“While we are committed to doing this for the entire year, it sounds like we’re getting to that point where they may have somebody in the pipeline sooner rather than later to take this over,” says Craddock.
Matriccino says he would “absolutely” keep driving if the route remains open, but that he “doesn’t want to try to hold a job from anyone” if the county hires enough drivers.
“I could retire in three years,” he says. “It’s a pretty good retirement gig.”
