Category: Urban Planning

Huja

In his 33 years as head of Community development in Charlottesville Huja made vast improvements in the quality of life in the Woolen Mills Neighborhood. His work in preservation helped maintain the fabric of our community. His vision to introduce citizens to the Rivanna River recreationally via a trail and park has been transformative. His traffic calming actions made walking safer. He was good to us.

Huja wasn’t afraid of the 4 way stop. That signage put an end to drag racing on Chesapeake and Market.
Signage isn’t foolproof.
http://historicwoolenmills.org/fabric/2025/02/19/signage/

Circus grounds

What’s old is new again

City Manager Sam Sanders
2008 September, Planning Commission identifies the Rivanna as a work plan item for 2009
Identify strategies to maximize the presence and value of the Rivanna River in the life of the City of Charlottesville
1/27/2009 Staff presents Rivanna River Corridor Plan Project Outline
Rivanna River Corridor-Charlottesville
Issue: The 3.7 mile River Corridor is an under-realized resource for the City of Charlottesville. “Identify strategies to maximize the presence and value of the Rivanna River in the life of the City.”
Outcome: River Corridor District defined for the City. Various components ready for inclusion with 2013 Comprehensive Plan—March 1, 2010 CPC Work Plan Report

Last night Charlottesville City Council approved purchasing floodplain acreage next to the Rivanna River.
Several of the Councilors and the City Manager spoke thoughtfully about the purchase.

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There has been much talk about the Rivanna Corridor in the last two decades. I hope, this time, City leadership, staff and elected, will get serious. Spending five million dollars is a serious move. Other moves, like rewriting the zoning code for the acreage in the flood plain, should be undertaken post haste.

Home

Market Street Park aerial
This is the park that launched a thousand ships, Market Street Park. Formerly Emancipation Park, formerly Lee Park, formerly…
These days the park is home to a number of people who can’t afford the highly inflated rents and real estate prices in Charlottesville.
There is an open house at the park today (Saturday October 21)

Six Men

Ron Higgins office
What can zoning not fix?
Commissioner Schwarz
Commissioner Stolzenberg
Commissioner d’Oronzio
Commissioner Solla-Yates
Chairman Mitchell
Commissioner Habbab
September 14, 2023, draft zoning ordinance Public Hearing, 110 speakers…

Dear Commissioners,
I appreciate your efforts to address displacement pressure, it is a great challenge.
People need safe places.

I think of the decades of back and forth with the Council and the Commission over the disposition of a handful of lots on Market Street and you all are contemplating catalytic changes to thousands of lots.
Wow.

I hope you are as wise as Solomon. I pray that your recommendation to Council doesn’t have as many unanticipated/untoward effects on our City as the arrival of the automobile.

As you strive to do good strive also to limit the damage.
The City is a sensitive living thing.
Good luck

Neighborhood Development Services director Freas

The discussion continues.

Eminent Domain

3 dogs
I asked Council to seize 21 acres in the floodplain of the Rivanna River, to provide the current owner of the property with just compensation, and create another river park. In the alternative there will be a 15 foot flood wall that blocks access from neighborhoods to the river, a 2 acre parking lot and 245 apartment units.

“that sort of burst on us about a week ago”

(audio from 3 of 5 councilors below.)

Gular fluttering

The crow version of panting. Warmer in CHO than it is in Ho Chi Minh City

These are only a couple of behaviors that birds use. When it’s hot, some species will also resort to gular fluttering. The bird will open its mouth and “flutter” its neck muscles, promoting heat loss (think of it as the avian version of panting).

“If you think about a dog panting, their tongue isn’t only allowing evaporation, but is losing a lot of body fluid,” says Erickson. “Birds are much more efficient about water and water loss.”

Even so, birds still need to replenish fluids on a hot day. Installing a birdbath can provide feathered friends with a place to cool their heels in the summer, and get a drink. The water level shouldn’t be too high—only about an inch deep—and the bottom of the birdbath shouldn’t be too slippery. Replenish the water once every two or three days. Otherwise, the stagnant water can play host to algae and mosquito larvae, which can carry the West Nile virus as adults.

Almost as important as water is shade. Temperatures can be far cooler under trees or bushes, and birds often seek out these microclimates. Since a bird’s body temperature is much higher than that of humans—a golden crowned kinglet was once found to have a body temperature of 111 degrees Fahrenheit—it’s doubly important for them to cool off in a hurry. Proteins that shuttle vital information to a bird’s organs begin to break apart at temperatures that are only slightly higher.–audubon.org