Vegan Dog Bomb Dog

Bill Clinton, vegan dog
President Bill Clinton came to town Halloween Eve to support the Macker, Terry McAuliffe, next Governor of Virginia.

the road show held in the Paramount theater
There are those who bemoan the difficulty of the choice, having to choose between snake oil and holy water. It really isn’t a difficult choice.

Terry McAuliffe
Lots of good writing on the race and on the candidates. My favorite article in the past few days is by Noreen Malone titled

Terry McAuliffe’s Shamelessness Makes Him Loveable
His extremist opponent doesn’t hurt, either

bomb dog
One could always cast a write-in for the fabulous Bomb Dog!

Three Notched


Charlottesville City staff join personnel from Rhodeside and Harwell for a walk up and down a portion of the Three Notch’d Road. At the west end of the 4,000 foot segment are the grounds of University of Virginia, at the east end of the segment, is the Charlottesville pedestrian mall.


Of the area in-between the West Main subcommittee of the PLACE Task Force comments:

The subcommittee’s preliminary discussions about the corridor suggested that there were several impediments to its success that related to: the design of many of its discrete elements; the codes and design guidelines that govern both the public right-of-way and the adjacent properties; and the review process for new development. Several of the design problems include, for example, the conflict between street trees and overhead utilities, sidewalks that are too narrow, poor lighting, excessive off-street parking along the street edge, and unsafe intersections (particularly the intersection of west Main Street and Ridge/McIntire).

The different character of West Main along its length was not reflected in the planning guidelines and codes governing the corridor, and the expectations for redevelopment were not clear, creating a difficult review process for those wishing to build along the corridor. Property owners and developers also indicated that many of the issues they face need to be addressed collectively, and would support efforts from the city to coordinate the actions of individual property owners. These issues include parking, stormwater management, maintenance and security.


Pictured above, Elliot Rhodeside. Behind him is the awesome pedestrian no-man’s land formed by the intersection of South Street, Water Street, Ridge-McIntire, Ridge and West Main. How about the Poynton approach?




A great deal of activity on W. Main these days. How will the commons fare? Commons is the space shared by cyclists, trees, fire-engines, pedestrians, parked cars, gas, water, stormwater and sewer lines, overhead utilities, street lights, street furniture, signage, student BMW’s, public transit, local freight, skateboarders….


Sustain!

To learn more about the history of W.Main download the PLACE Annual Report.
PLACE Report 2013

Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Sean Tubbs reports

Cooking in Belmont

franklin street looking south
At 10:15 this morning members of the JADE task force executed a search warrant at 706 Franklin Street. Three individuals were detained. Materials were removed from what appeared to be a operational laboratory engaged in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Franklin cordoned off
Traffic control cordoned off 500 feet of Franklin Street and established a perimeter. The Fire Department and Hazardous Materials Team handled decontamination.

inbound or outbound?
View from Mason Street looking east. Not able to say what is in the containers. Mr. White?

taking down the decon tent
The operation was winding down around 1330 hrs.

windblown footware
Found this footware just outside the Police perimeter.

quiet enjoyment

131003 Our Town

People have been living in this neighborhood, this place, for thousands of years.
We live in the bend of a state scenic River, on rich, fertile ground, Davidson Loam. Seated here we are eight tenths of a mile from the front porch of Monticello, a mile and 2/10ths from the downtown mall. Seated here we are home, in the center of our universe.
But often we feel, as a neighborhood, that we are in the center of the crosshairs.
Over the years our discussions with the Council have focused on a handful of issues. We’ve asked for reductions in traffic speed and volume, we’ve asked for a reduction of the sewage smell. We’ve asked for pedestrian safety improvements and we have asked that planning and zoning be used to conserve our cultural and natural resources as well as our quality of life.
We have partnered with government entities in the creation of a national historic district, in the design of a sewage pumping station and in the care of our City park. We plant streetscape trees. We pick up trash, we attend City meetings. We have accomplished much but still, we feel threatened.
We are reassured by statements from Mayor Huja and Vice Mayor Szakos in opposition to a bridge through the Woolen Mills. We thank Dave Norris for his enduring stand against the County using City neighborhoods as an interchange.
Diversity is a strength to our way of thinking. We are all kinds of people in this neighborhood. But our mixed status, our socio-economic profile, seems to attract locally unwanted landuses.
Please work with us in our effort to secure the quiet enjoyment of our own homes and the health, safety and welfare of our neighborhood. Together we can make it so.