Author: chiara-canzi

In what Meadow Creek Parkway opponents are calling a victory, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers withdrew a permit last Wednesday for key components of McIntire Road Extended (MRE), one of the two city portions of the Meadow Creek Parkway (MCP). The permit, which allowed for the creation of a sewer crossing and culvert, was necessary for construction of the long-debated roadway.

Construction of the city’s portion of the Meadow Creek Parkway, which would run through Charlottesville’s largest park (pictured), could begin as early as this week, according to a VDOT spokesman.

The withdrawal came a day before U.S. District Court Judge Norman Moon was scheduled to hear arguments in a preliminary injunction suit filed to prevent construction through McIntire Park. A hearing for the injunction, filed by the Coalition to Preserve McIntire Park, was ultimately cancelled.

“We think that they knew they were going to lose and they just decided, rather than losing in court, to ask to terminate the permit,” says John Cruickshank, former chair of the local Sierra Club chapter and a vocal member of the coalition.

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) petitioned to have the permit withdrawn in order “to modify the design of the MRE to eliminate all impacts to waters of the United States,” writes Stephen Long, VDOT’s Environmental Division Administrator, in a letter to state and local officials. Since the new design won’t have any impact on local waters, the permit is no longer necessary.

As a result, the MRE, a state-funded project, won’t be considered “a federal undertaking” any longer.

The construction of the MCP was previously divided into three pieces—a move to ensure the project’s viability, according to members of the Coalition. The three projects include Albemarle County’s Meadow Creek Parkway, which is built but is not currently open to traffic, and two city projects, MRE and the Interchange at the 250 Bypass and McIntire Road. The Interchange is the only project with federal funding obtained through a $27 million earmark by former Virginia Senator John Warner.

Lou Hatter, VDOT’s spokesperson, tells C-VILLE that the termination of the permit will not affect the design of the road except for the portion that involved a stream crossing. “The other design work is fully completed and all we have to do is look at what kind of a crossing we use to put the road across the creek,” he says.

Cruickshank says the Coalition won’t stop working to protect the park, and says its members “feel this is certainly a set back for the road builders and that it’s good news for park lovers.” A lawsuit on the Interchange at the 250 Bypass and McIntire Road is pending.

Hatter says there may not be a construction setback. On June 2, Key Construction Co., Inc. of Clarksville, Virginia was awarded the MRE construction contract for $3.37 million. Construction could begin as early as this week, according to Hatter.

“There are other construction activities that can go on while we are determining the method to cross the creek and then [take] care of the construction,” says Hatter.

Despite an unexpected power outage that threatened to postpone the debate, seven Democratic City Council candidates defended their visions for the future of Charlottesville before a sizable crowd at Jackson P. Burley Middle School on July 20.

Asked about whether he would support a dredging-only plan for the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir (pictured), candidate Brevy Cannon said he wanted “to get to the bottom of dredging before we start a new dam.”

Questions about the Meadow Creek Parkway and Western Bypass split the candidates, but the community water supply plan emerged as the evening’s most contentious topic. The debate was hosted by Charlottesville Tomorrow and the Daily Progress.

During a quick “Yes or No” answer session, the candidates—dredging supporter Dede Smith, City School Board members Colette Blount and Kathy Galvin, incumbent Satyendra Huja, UVA writer Brevy Cannon, local developer Paul Beyer and James Halfaday—were asked whether they favored dredging as the primary approach to meet future water demands, as opposed to the construction of a new dam at Ragged Mountain Reservoir. Smith, Cannon, Halfaday, and Blount answered “yes.”

The water discussion followed a recently released demand analysis that suggested long-term dredging would put the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir’s “safe yield” at 10.3 million gallons per day (mgd). Smith is a member of Citizens for a Sustainable Water Plan, which previously published a letter stating that dredging “would provide a safe yield of 15.5 mgd.” The current City Council voted 3-2 in February to support a new dam at Ragged Mountain to meet increased demands projected through 2055.

Galvin, who opposes a dredge-only approach, hammered Smith on her statement that stream flow requirements in the current water plan should be rewritten.

“Aren’t you just claiming that the facts about the environmental needs should be ignored just because those facts show that a dredging-only water plan won’t work?” asked Galvin. Smith, unfazed, said that flow requirements “would have to be rewritten” for a dredge-first plan.

Huja, one of three City Councilors who voted in February to construct a 30′ earthen dam at Ragged Mountain, asked Cannon if he would support what he called the “Dede Smith plan.”

“I have never said that I only support dredging,” Cannon said. “I just want us to get to the bottom of dredging before we start building a new dam.” Questioned by a moderator, Cannon said that he would “absolutely” seek another vote on the community water supply plan if elected. Asked the same question, both Huja and Beyer said they would not.

“How much time have we spent talking about this plan, and not focusing on workforce housing, not focusing on economic vitality in the region?” asked Beyer. “What conversations have not occurred because we have continued talking about the water supply?”

Although candidates had the opportunity to present their vision via opening statements and questions, the debate centered on two of the most controversial and long-standing issues affecting the region.

Every candidate but Smith and Blount supports the construction of the Meadow Creek Parkway through McIntire Park. Asked whether they would support the newly resurrected Western Bypass if the state funds other local transportation projects such as the Belmont Bridge replacement, Cannon, Beyer and Halfaday answered yes; Smith, Blount and Galvin said no; and Huja said maybe. For more on both roads, see page 10.

Will 2011 mark the beginning of a rebound for the local real estate market? A few recent numbers suggest so. For some local experts, shifts in the behavior of both buyers and sellers point towards a more stable and calculated market.

Last week, both the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors (CAAR) and Nest Realty Group released their mid-year real estate reports. Although sales for the second quarter of 2011 do not match those of the same period last year, there are some indicators that the market might be showing signs of stability.

“I think we are improving compared to where we have been,” says Barbara McMurry, CAAR’s president.

Annual area sales to date are down 5.9 percent—to 1,368 from 1,454. That decline says McMurry, is attributable to the $8,000 federal tax-credit for first-time homebuyers, which contributed to a surge in sales during the second quarter of 2010.

Pending sales are up considerably—even higher than 2010—but they are unpredictable. “One of the warnings about watching the pending sales only is, ‘Will they ever close?’” says McMurry. The number of days on the market is a more stable indicator of progress. “That’s what I call the sellers’ success figure,” says McMurry. “Sellers are being successful in fewer days, and I view that as a good thing.” The current average days on the market is 115, a 13.5 percent decline from 133 during the first quarter of 2011, but up from 107 in 2010.

Condo sales have also increased significantly in Charlottesville—by 48 percent, according to the Nest Realty report. “The bulk of that is tied to Walker Square,” says Jim Duncan with Nest Realty. “They dropped the prices and the volume there really shot up.”

The median sales price still lags behind 2010 values. Currently, the median price of homes sold this year is $234,950, a 5.5 percent decrease from 2010. McMurry tells C-VILLE that in 2010, 54 percent of sales at this time of year were for properties priced below $260,000. In 2011, that number jumped to 58 percent. “We know that less expensive houses are selling,” she says.

Duncan calls it a positive sign. “We saw a shift that more of the homes in the city are moving to the sub $250,000 price point, which is good because we need that in order to have the next phase and cycle of real estate,” he says.

A greater number of people are deciding to rent, according to Duncan.

“More and more people are saving their money, [and] are putting 20 percent down,” he says. “A lot of people are choosing to rent, to bide their time. And if there are 10 homes on the market and none of them fit, they’ll wait. Whereas six years ago, if there were 10 homes on the market, they were buying one.” McMurry agrees that the rental market is “strong.”

The numbers might not show a complete market rebound; the active real estate inventory is down nearly 6 percent to 3,626 homes, but people are reprioritizing their wants and needs, says Duncan. “People won’t live above their means, but also I think homeownership matters, because people who buy their homes tend to be more invested in the neighborhood and the community.”

Ultimately, the active real estate inventory remains far from what local experts consider to be a more balanced number of 2,000. “We are not there yet,” says McMurry, but she says she continues to be optimistic.

Imagine a bigger Charlottesville market—one that expands from its current location between South and Water streets into an adjacent lot. Now imagine that Downtown market site surrounded by new housing, retail and office space. That vision is precisely what the City Market Task Force recommended to City Council in a work session last Thursday night.

The neighboring lot, owned by the Charlottesville Parking Center, is assessed at $2.2 million. The site is more than double the size of the current City Market location.

“Rather than changing the market location, we recommend the city change the market in its present location,” said task force member Jeffrey Plank, a UVA Associate President for Research, to City Council. The task force, which spent the last six months reviewing possible permanent locations for the market, recommended that Council “provisionally designate” the city-owned South Street parking lot as the permanent market location for the next three years.

The recommendation also includes a long-term, multi-use vision of the City Market as the hub of a market district, “an economic and community development area that is related to City Market food…operated at an entrepreneurial scale,” said Plank.

Although members of City Council expressed preliminary support for the plan, they all had concerns about its feasibility.

A market district “could be an economic development opportunity for the city, it could be a tourism opportunity for the city, it could be a real opportunity to support our growers in the area,” Mayor Dave Norris told C-VILLE. “But it’s dependent on several other really important variables coming into place, one being the adjacent parking lot.”

The neighboring lot, owned by the Charlottesville Parking Center, is assessed at $2.2 million. The site is more than double the size of the current City Market location.

Councilor David Brown expressed concern that there won’t be any guarantee that the privately owned lot wouldn’t be developed in the near future. Fellow Councilor Satyendra Huja said the vision is possible, but it would have to become an “economic development venture.”

To that end, Council asked members of the task force what kind of investment the city would have to make in order to see a market district to fruition. Task force members responded that such an investment would potentially involve public officials, private developers and foundations working together.

“There is so much work that has to be done now, but somebody has to create the vision,” Cecile Gorham, another task force member, tells C-VILLE. “Then somebody has to figure out the economic parts and how to get there.”

City staff will study the feasibility of implementing a market district and, after a series of public hearings, will come back in early fall with a detailed report to present to Council.

“There are thousands of people who utilize the market, who depend on the market as a source of income,” says Norris. “We want to hear from the public as well, whether or not this is a vision that they could get behind.”