There is a concept in urban street tree gardening called tree stocking. The term refers to tree density. If you plant a tree every thirty feet or so, you end up with continuous limbs and leaves over the street. A canopy street! The trees shade the asphalt, they shade the sidewalk. It is not rocket science. Garrett Street. used to be a canopy street. It was a great place to walk. You can start a tree in a flowerpot. Put it in the ground with a tube around it. There is a prevailing newspaper wisdom that neighborhoods don’t have trees because of structural racism. Certainly that is 5% true. The City of Charlottesville has demonstrated a pronounced reluctance to plant trees in the public ROW. Why is that? I don’t know. If you like shade, if you like trees, plant one a year on your street every year for ten years. Plant noble native trees like these Sycamores in Saint Louis. The planting will transform the neighborhood, it will transform your life.
Issue: This issue is a special exception request to the Board of Supervisors for Special Exception by Waller Solar 1, LLC., 1105 Navasota St., Austin, Texas, for Special Exception as required by Article 3-1-36, 4-1-58 and Article 28 of the Lancaster County Zoning Ordinance to permit the establishment of a Utility Scale Solar Facility, 131-megawatts and 1,400 acres and 2,706.8 acres total lease area described as tax map parcel numbers 7-3 8-35A 8-17, 7-36, 7-36A, 14-52, 14-52B, 8-14, 13-164, 8-12, 8-13, 8-2, 8-2A, 3-2B, 8-34, 13-160, 13-162, 13-163, 6-47 and 7-3, located off Field Trial, Nuttsville, Morattico, Courthouse, Beanes, Miskimon, Lara, Giese, Mary Ball, White Chapel and Alfonso Road in Districts 1 and 2.
Genesis 25:29
29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted.
30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.)
31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.”
32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?”
33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.–ESV
{25:29} And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he [was] faint:
{25:30} And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage;] for I [am] faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
{25:31} And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
{25:32} And Esau said, Behold, I [am] at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
{25:33} And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
{25:34} Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised [his] birthright.–KJV
slide presenting a fraction of the 1000’s of acres of habitat to be destroyed for solar “farms” on the Northern Neck of Virginia.
“We must recognize the serious nature of the industrial solar farm threat and strongly urge that our local planning commissions and boards of supervisors reject proposals for solar farms in zoning districts that are intended to preserve farmland and forestland.” Essex County Conservation Alliance
March 1 City Council endorsed the affordable housing plan, the lead piece of the three part Cville Plans Together effort. The three easy pieces, the housing plan, a rewritten “Comprehensive” plan and a rewritten zoning ordinance. Who will make the money from this effort? Who will loose?The 4.86 acre H.T.Ferron plant, once zoned for manufacturing, is now zoned for PUD. No one agrees what PUD is. That is what is so wonderful about PUD. You see what you want to see. Possibly we’ll rezone the entire city PUD?
The LanCoVa Supervisors voted unanimously to grant a special exception for an industrial use (marine construction) in the middle of a residential neighborhood. I am dumbstruck, in search of a land use guru who can explain how this action was anything other than arbitrary and capricious given the existing Lancaster County zoning code.
Tuesday April 9 at 6:00 PM the Albemarle Planning Commission will hear a request to remove protective zoning from a forested hillside in the east Belmont Carlton neighborhood. The request comes on behalf of Elemental Ecotech, the owner of the property, who see the island of green at the perimeter of their recently denuded site as an impediment to their development efforts.
The applicant has an approved site plan for the bare dirt area showing 3.32 acres of impervious surface (12 buildings + sidewalks, roads and parking). The trees at the perimeter of the lot have survived because they are on hillsides protected by the Albemarle County’s preserved slopes overlay (Albemarle County Code 30.7)
2016 aerial, before site grading began
County staff have previously determined that the property can be developed with the protective zoning overlay in place, but staff is now recommending the approval of the zoning change.
Why do we care?
Development will occur on this site, but it must be done as thoughtfully as possible.
Ask Albemarle to be sensitive to global warming, stormwater runoff, natural habitat and native flora and fauna.
Ask Albemarle to preserve our cultural and natural assets, those things we love about our home, Piedmont Virginia.
Southern and Western Urban Neighborhoods Master Plan. The arrow points towards a crescent shape, next to the purple, which contains the preserved steep slope.
This part of Central Virginia is magical. The forested hillside in question is less than a mile from Monticello, less than a mile from the point where the Rivanna River flows through the Southwest Mountains.
There is much to be gained by smart, thoughtful considerate guidance provided to future development by Albemarle County officials. Careful planning here represents a further step toward regional cooperation, everybody wins. (Franklin Street is the boundary between City and County).
to be careful when developing next to the flood plain, next to an impaired stream
to be respectful of the quality of life for neighbors
don’t want this
Consider attending and speaking at the public hearing, County Office Building, 401 McIntire Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22902. 6:00PM April 9.
p.s. This is the 2nd time there has been a request to remove slopes on this parcel.
The first time was in 2015. http://woolenmillsneighborhood.org/blog/wmna-board-franklin-hill-letter/
1307 East Market. The City’s website gives the date of this building’s construction as 1920.It has been there for many years.Once upon a time it was open for breakfast. For the past 15 years Jinx Kern opened it for lunch.It was a storied place, a repository of 20th Century cultural ephemera and excellent barbeque.The building was knocked down in May. (photo by neighbor Greg Gelburd)
KING HENRY V: Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead. In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility:
