My photo home prepares to turn out the lights.
Category: Charlottesville
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downtown Charlottesville.
last picture show
Sunday 2100 hrs. Moviegoers approach Vinegar Hill Theater, one last time. A very different experience than the multi-screen, acres of asphalt Movieplex.
Not the place you go to see Wolverine. Human scale. Vinegar Hill Theater manager James Ford thanked long time supporters in advance of Frances Ha, the final movie.
Credits roll. The lights go out on independent cinema in CHO.
Jeff and Poquito
Posed picture. Poquito prefers having all four feet on the ground.
mice and men
All manner of development activity afoot in Charlottesville. One of the Planning Commissioners commented on it last night, I didn’t write the exact number down, but there are something like a thousand “dwelling units” fixing to appear on the real estate market. Another Planning Commissioner asked how we were coming on meeting the proposed Comprehensive Plan goal of having 15% of that new housing affordable. There wasn’t an answer readily available to that question. Most of the housing being built near UVA is constructed to do liposuction on the students’ parents wallets. No one ever builds affordable housing for UVA workers near the U. There is some affordable housing coming on line, JABA’s Timberlake Place in the Woolen Mills and Habitat’s Sunrise Park, 1/4 mile south of Timberlake, in east Belmont-Carlton. (so roughly 5% of the 1000 units are affordable)
Not all the development is residential. CFA remodeling is rocking along at the former Martha Jefferson.
Not all the development is roofs for sleeping/working people. Over on the sewer side of town Big doings. RWSA has been successfully addressing multiple issues. They have increased Phosphorous and Nitrogen removal from their effluent, an excellent development for the Rivanna River, the James and the Chesapeake Bay. Additionally, they’ve constructed a wetland, they are fixing to unleash a tunnel boring machine and they have made major strides in odor control, keeping the stink on site.
In every direction there are people planning…
…tackling long range issues. How do we reconnect the people to the river. How do we make the street a place that’s good for more than squashing possums and exercising fire engines? How do we restore streets to their commons status?
How do we incorporate green infrastructure and low impact development practices into our cheat the cookie building culture?
How do we move to excellent urban planning?
Water Street extended
The purpose of this report is to help to establish guidelines and a strong basis for a street tree planting master program for the city of Charlottesville .
Most people in Charlottesville recognize the value of trees in the cityscape, and the fact that much of the existing beauty and character of this city is due to its mature trees. As the city has grown, however, this aspect of its growth has been neglected…We therefore feel that the solution to the problem is within reach at this point, and we are convinced that now is the time to act to correct the problem where it already exists, and to reverse the trend in future development before it becomes too extensive and costly.–excerpt from the introduction of the Guidelines For A Street Tree Planting Master Program For Charlottesville Virginia (1975)
parade
We have a “dogwood festival parade” in Charlottesville. I love a parade. People in the street. Music.
A communal celebration, in the daylight. The nearest we get in the Old Dominion to a second line.
Charlottesville High School band
Bring you flag, your dog, your children your vehicle
I saw a former work colleague getting ready with the lion suit. Woody has been a Lion’s Club member for 32 years.
Great anticipation rules. Wearing the tiara.
A perfect day for a parade, cool temperatures, California quality light.
The main excitement was some vapor and engine noise from a biking contingent. Alas, breaking traction is frowned upon in the Old Dominion.
special election
Democrat Jason Vandever won a special election for Charlottesville treasurer in a landslide Tuesday, defeating independent John Pfaltz 1,280 votes to 397. A total of 1,683 voters hit the polls, said registrar Sheri Iachetta. There were four write-in votes, and two people cast blank ballots.–Daily Progress
Charlottesville
a place worth caring about
