Tag: Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission

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Red tape

The Breezy Hill development, shown above, would have seen 130 new units constructed off Route 250, but a necessary rezoning didn’t pass the County Board of Supervisors. Courtesy Albemarle County.

As the greater Charlottesville-Albemarle area continues to feel the effects of a housing shortage, a panel of developers argued last week that localities in the area can incentivize new construction through land use reform. 

“We intentionally, through our comprehensive plans and our zoning ordinances, limit the supply of land for new homes,” said Charlie Armstrong, vice president of land development at Southern Development, during a panel discussion held by the central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership, a program of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. 

Additionally, Armstrong noted that the land set aside for new construction has limits on how many people are allowed per plot: “We intentionally, as a community, limit the density of new homes that is allowed on any one piece of land.” 

That’s especially troubling given that a 2019 housing needs study commissioned by the RHP found that housing prices and rents have increased steadily over the years, while wages have not. Since 1980, Albemarle’s Comprehensive Plan has set aside roughly 5 percent of the county’s 726 square miles for residential development. However, much of that land also has to be rezoned for dense development. Since rezoning approvals are no sure thing, the zoning code adds to the cost of each unit. 

Fellow panelist Chris Henry of Stony Point Development Group pointed out several recent projects in Albemarle that would have seen denser housing constructed, but which have been stopped or stalled due to opposition from neighbors. That includes Southern Development’s 130-unit Breezy Hill project near Glenmore, which failed to get a necessary rezoning from the Board of Supervisors in January. 

“At some point we have to have some tough conversations as a community about how we want to solve that problem,” Henry said. “Where are we going to designate areas that we want to develop in a way that allows the price of housing to come down and more supply to come on line?” 

A housing plan under development in Albemarle County calls for reforming the zoning code to allow thousands more units on designated land in the form of triplexes, bungalow courts, and other structures that require more residential density. Albemarle County planners have also added language in the Crozet Master Plan to try to make it easier to build this so-called “missing middle” housing, though some members of the Crozet Community Advisory Council have panned the idea. 

“Southern Development would love to be able to produce those kinds of things, but there just aren’t places to produce them,” Armstrong said. “We need to put that missing middle into our zoning ordinances and remove the barriers that exist.” 

Henry said another external factor is that many people who end up purchasing homes are moving to the area for the first time, and can outbid those who are seeking to move up the property ladder in a place with limited supply.

“A retiree moving from northern Virginia, for example, has a lot larger budget for a home than a young professional trying to find a job in Charlottesville,” Henry said. “Some of those folks are pushed out to areas like Staunton, Waynesboro, Palmyra, Richmond.” 

Henry also said housing is more expensive to build now than when many existing neighborhoods were first developed. Back then, developers did not have to comply with regulations to reduce stormwater runoff or meet requirements to build sidewalks and other public infrastructure. 

“Municipalities used to be in the business of building roads,” Henry said. “A lot of that has been pushed off to the private sector for various reasons, a lot of them are reasonable. But it’s added to the cost of homes.” 

Another factor in the increasing cost of development is the increasing complexity required to get a bank to finance a project, especially if the proposal includes both commercial and residential elements, noted Andrew Clark, vice president of government affairs for the Home Builders Association of Virginia.

Clark works as a lobbyist to pass legislation in the General Assembly, and this past session focused on a bill to create a housing opportunity tax credit. Such a credit would help fill the financing gap, but opportunities for credits are limited. Various nonprofits and other entities compete for limited low-income housing tax credits provided by the Virginia Housing Development Authority. 

Clark said other solutions include making it easier for localities to create tax abatement programs and to waive fees for development. Albemarle County is considering doing the opposite, and increasing fees developers pay in order to cover the cost of processing land use applications. The Board of Supervisors will take that up at a public hearing on April 21. Armstrong also hopes that Governor Ralph Northam will sign a bill directing the state to study how accessory dwelling units might help increase the supply of homes. 

Armstrong said if people want change, they have to speak up at local meetings to support additional housing. 

“That’s not just at the comprehensive planning level or in the zoning ordinance level,” Armstrong said. “That has to go all the way down to the very small technical policies, standards, and specifications that cities and counties publish that everyone has to follow because that’s where the cost comes in.”

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News

In brief: City manager selected by council, local teen killed by cops, and more

Caption: Chip Boyles’ first day as Charlottesville’s new city manager is February 15. PC: City of Charlottesville

City gets a new manager

After more than 15 hours of emergency closed meetings, Charlottesville City Council announced last Thursday that it had selected a new city manager: Chip Boyles, executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.

John Blair, who has served as interim city manager for nearly three months, is leaving Charlottesville to become Staunton’s city attorney. His last day as acting city manager is February 12.

Before moving to Charlottesville in 2014, Boyles served as assistant city manager and city manager in three cities, including Clemson, South Carolina.

During a virtual press conference, the councilors emphasized that Boyles, who’s headed the planning district for seven years, would bring much-needed stability to a city government left in the lurch after a string of high-profile departures.

“Chip has been in the community for a number of years, but he hasn’t been in any organization and will provide us an opportunity to look at any issues…through a neutral lens,” said Mayor Nikuyah Walker. “Being able to bring a new and fresh perspective to the organization will allow us to heal and actually be able to get some of the work that we have all promised to do done.”

The councilors also acknowledged their own role in fueling the city’s instability, and the need to rebuild trust and communication with each other, as well as with city staff and the community.

Earlier this month, the recruitment firm hired to find a new manager cut ties with Charlottesville, and the firm’s principal claimed he had “never seen a level of dysfunction as profound as what he was seeing here.”

After learning about Blair’s impending departure, the councilors decided to expedite the search process, and choose a qualified manager on their own. However, they stressed that they were not trying to set a “precedent” of making decisions behind closed doors, and would begin a public city manager search, likely in 2022.

“We are looking at one and a half to two years,” said Councilor Sena Magill. “It’s that balance of making sure [Boyles] has enough time to get the stabilization in place, as well as making sure it doesn’t go too long without public input.”

Boyles said his top priority is to fill all the vacant city leadership positions, including a Neighborhood Development Services director, three deputy city managers, and executive director for the Police Civilian Review Board.

While Boyles’ appointment has received praise, it’s also drawn criticism from community activists and members who petitioned for the city to bring back former city manager Dr. Tarron Richardson, who resigned in September.

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Quote of the week

“For the past 18 months, I’ve been inspired to seek greater service—motivated by the challenges facing my community.“

—Dr. Cameron Webb on being selected for the White House COVID-19 Response Team

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In brief

Xzavier Hill

On January 9, 18-year-old Xzavier Hill of Charlottesville was killed by Virginia State Police on I-64 in Goochland County. Police claim Hill, who is Black, led them on a high-speed chase and pulled out a gun when they approached his car, but his family says the dash-cam footage proves that there was no chase, and he was unarmed. The family is now petitioning VSP to release the footage to the public.

Locals arrested in D.C.

An area man was arrested this week for bringing a gun and 37 rounds of unregistered ammunition near the U.S. Capitol complex on Sunday, reports the Washington Post. Guy Berry, a 22-year-old Gordonsville resident and truck driver who attended Monticello High School, is “one of those open-carry people,” says his aunt in the Post piece. Berry is not the first Virginian to be arrested at the Capitol since January 6—last week, a Front Royal man was caught trying to make it through the secure perimeter with fake identification and huge amounts of ammunition.

No more death penalty?

The death penalty is one step closer to being abolished in Virginia. With a 10-4 vote, the state Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill on Monday that would eliminate the practice. Those in support of the bill—including Governor Ralph Northam—argue that death penalty sentences are disproportionately given to Black people, while others who oppose the repeal believe the penalty should still be reserved for people who murder law enforcement. In last year’s session, a death penalty abolition bill was voted down in subcommittee, so this week’s vote represents a key step forward.

Caption: Senator Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) is the chief patron of the death penalty bill that’s moving through the General Assembly.PC: File photo

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Coronavirus News

Backed up: As evictions loom, local assistance hotline struggles to meet demand

Charlottesville DSA housing justice advocates Melissa Gilrain and Lucas Critzer hand out fliers with rental assistance resources outside of the General District Court. PC: Charlottesville Democratic Socialists of America

Nearly three weeks ago, the Virginia Supreme Court granted Governor Ralph Northam’s request for a statewide ban on evictions until September 7. While the order allows eviction cases to still be heard in court—and judgments to be made—tenants cannot be forced out of their homes for not paying rent.

As state lawmakers continue to debate a bill that would extend the moratorium to April, local residents facing housing instability are currently able to apply to a variety of rent assistance programs, including the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission’s Emergency Rent and Mortgage Relief Program.

In partnership with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, TJPDC has been distributing $450,000 in CARES Act funding through the program to eligible households in Charlottesville and surrounding counties.

But according to local housing activists, the program hotline set up for Charlottesville and Albemarle—run by community partner Charlottesville Pathways—has not made it easy for some renters to get help since it began accepting applications July 15.

“Tenants have been telling us that they’ve called the hotline over and over again, and haven’t heard back. Or that it’s taken weeks for them to hear back,” says Emma Goehler of Charlottesville Democratic Socialists of America, whose housing justice team has been connecting local renters with financial resources.

“It’s a long process…We haven’t had anyone reach out and report good experiences,” says Goehler of the hotline’s response time.

Applicants have also complained about the hotline’s voicemail message, which, until recently, was only in English, a potential barrier for many Spanish-speaking residents.

“It’s just really critical that the resources for rental assistance are made accessible to all,” says Goehler.

Several other activists echoed Goehler’s concerns at last week’s City Council meeting.

“Myself, and other volunteers in the community, have been outside talking to people who are heading into court, and they have all said that they are unable to get through to that hotline, and that the only way to make contact is to spend the day calling and calling,” said Elizabeth Stark, who is also a member of Charlottesville DSA.

According to Gretchen Ellis of the city’s department of human services, which helps manage the hotline, ERMRP staff have taken applicants’ complaints seriously and have made numerous changes in recent weeks.

The hotline has added operators, and currently has five full-time and several part-time people answering calls Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm.

The voicemail message was also changed, asking callers to wait to be called back instead of leaving a message, says Ellis. Due to a high number of callers leaving multiple messages, operators would accidentally call the same people back, slowing down response times even more.

Now, says Ellis, anyone who calls the hotline and is not able to get through to an operator, will be called back within one business day, thanks to the additional staff and an improved intake process.

A message in Spanish was added to the voicemail last week, and ERMRP is hoping to hire more hotline operators with language skills. At this time, though, only one part-time staff member (and a language translation line) is available to assist Spanish speakers.

Last week, more than 30 days after the hotline opened, operators were finally able to finish responding to all the backlogged calls. However, data shared during TJPDC’s recent meeting shows that there are still a significant number of applicants going through the complicated approval process.

As of August 20, in Charlottesville and Albemarle combined, 97 applications have been approved, 13 have been denied, and a whopping 265 remaining pending.

Categories
Arts

‘Cville Galaxy’ challenges the Guinness World Record

“I have a really firm belief that everyone in Charlottesville has a creative piece to them, and we need to find ways to bring that out of them,” says PauseLab’s Matthew Slaats (center). He leads a team of community members in a quest to break the Guinness World Record for largest cardboard sculpture at the IX Art Park on Saturday. Photo by Eze Amos

According to Guinness World Records, the world’s largest cardboard sculpture, a massive 33′ x 33′ cardboard castle built in April and decorated by art students, is located in D-Park mall in Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.

But probably not for long.

Matthew Slaats has plans for IX Art Park to take over that honor on September 10, with a 35′ x 35′ “Cville Galaxy,” planned around an 18′ cardboard rocket ship surrounded by curls of smoke, stars, planets, a telescope, statue and other objects all made of new and recycled cardboard.

Slaats, former director of The Bridge PAI, is now creative director of PauseLab, a Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission-sponsored placemaking and design-thinking initiative. He says he began PauseLab years ago when living in New York, as a way to “use art and activity to get people to engage with their city in a new way.” He hopes “Cville Galaxy” will do just that.

Maia Shortridge, a local high school student who helped develop the project, says the galaxy theme “represents a new C’ville that has endless possibilities and is open to your own imagination and interpretation, just like a new galaxy.”

“For some people, especially children, public art is their only chance to experience and see art,” and “we really wanted to give communities a chance to express themselves and have their voice heard through art,” Shortridge says.

Slaats and Shortridge, along with Deveny Watson (another high-schooler) and a team of volunteers, have already started to build the structure. They plan to create the smoke for the rocket ship during the community event at IX; people will be invited to write their hopes for Charlottesville’s future on the cardboard clouds coming from the rocket boosters.

“Cville Galaxy” will kick off the beCville project, a yearlong venture that enables residents of the south side of Charlottesville to decide how they will spend $15,000 on public art. They can choose to fund after-school art programs, community block parties, murals of important local figures, mixtapes of neighborhood music or just about any other creative endeavor.

Slaats hopes the cardboard sculpture project spurs the imagination and in the process provokes greater social connectedness among Charlottesvillians. Our community can be so overwhelmed by heavy challenges, says Slaats, citing economic inequality and improving education, that we often don’t know where to begin solving them.

By doing something creative, he says, people start talking more. They open up, get to know each other. They build relationships through small projects like building a cardboard rocket ship and galaxy, and thus will be more capable of tackling big issues together. The more connected we are, the stronger we can be together, says Slaats, whether they break the Guinness World Record or not.

Just super

Kary-OK? is a jilted bride deep in the midst of an emotional purge. “It’s pretty serious,” Sidney Lyon says of her Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestling persona, but she has a catharsis: karaoke.

On stage, Kary-OK? is emotionally unpredictable; one moment she’s flouncing her wedding dress and laughing with her bridesmaids, the next minute she’s crying hysterically between bouts of singing anthems of heartbreak and fitfully eating fistfuls of stale wedding cake.

The character is all about calling into question how society views love and romance; we tend to hold our partners to impossibly high standards and thus find ourselves disappointed, Lyon says, adding, “I like to rifle through my emotional baggage on stage.”

Lady arm wrestling is part pageant, part philanthropy, and on September 11, Lyon will head down to SuperCLAW in New Orleans to compete with lady arm wrestlers from all over the country and raise money for Project Ishmael, a legal clinic mostly for undocumented minors.

BRING IT

Here’s who Kary-OK? will attempt to strongarm into submission in New Orleans: Pearl of the Atlantic (Portland, Maine), Steel Magnolia (New Orleans), Angela Slamsbury (Durham, North Carolina), Minnie Mayhem (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Sister Patricia Pistolwhip (Los Angeles), Marie ARMtoinette (Olympia, Washington), Gina Tonic (Austin, Texas)

Kary-OK? didn’t have to defeat the likes of Charlottesville’s Cat Hiss Everman, Princess DIEries, Debutaint, Don Toe-lee-own, SparKILLS or Nance Armstrong to get to SuperCLAW. “Due to our hectic upper-body workout schedules” the wrestlers don’t have a lot of extra time to travel, Lyon jokes. She was available, though, so she’s packed up Kary-OK’s wedding dress, rounded up her entourage of bridesmaids and even practiced a new karaoke tune, John Legend’s “All of Me.” With lines such as “You’ve got my head spinning, no kidding, I can’t pin you down,” and “You’re crazy and I’m out of my mind,” Lyon says this is a particularly fun one to belt out while in character.

Prepping for SuperCLAW is “kind of like getting ready for a wedding,” Lyon says with a laugh.

Lyon notes that since CLAW began in Charlottesville, it has raised more than $80,000 for women’s and children’s programs in the community, and she’s excited to embody Kary-OK? on a national stage for a good cause. “It doesn’t get any better than theatrical, philanthropic lady arm wrestling,” she says.