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 Albemarle CountyCharlottesville Mayor Seeks to Establish Affordable Housing Fund
Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 1:22pm
Albemarle County Dedicated to Improving Development ProcessAccording to Charlottesville Tomorrow, the County is seeking to improve their development process. Recognizing that
Posted on Monday, January 18, 2010 - 3:10pm
Conservative Influence May Lead to Albemarle Tax Cut
Economic development efforts are key to a locality's fiscal stability. Because businesses also pay taxes, that creates a good balance of commercial versus residential revenue. Overall, this is good for residents, especially homeowners, because the County relies less on the residential sector to fund its services. There remains some contention about the budgeting process, so it is yet to be determined how that aspect will be handled.
Posted on Monday, January 11, 2010 - 1:37pm
Defense Agency to Bring $64 Million in Salaries to Albemarle Area
The Defense Intelligence Agency is relocating much of its function to Albemarle, bringing jobs and new residents to the area, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. This is great news for area homeowners because the influx of residents and salaries will aid in the tax base. Also, the DIA is not bringing staff to fulfill every position, and will look to local residents or companies to fulfill those needs. This move will be a great boost to the local economy. "When the Defense Intelligence Agency brings an estimated 800 employees to Rivanna Station in September, it will join the nearly $110 million defense-related industry already headquartered in central Virginia. The DIA is relocating much of its intelligence-analysis function to the Albemarle County facility occupied by the National Ground Intelligence Center. The move will improve communications and cooperation between the agencies, officials said. Area business leaders have heralded the new jobs as good for the area. 'The DIA says the average salary will be $80,000. That means that in October 2010, there will be $64 million more in salaries that aren't here now,' said Timothy Hulbert, president and chief executive officer of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce. 'That's huge.' Not all of the 800 employees DIA wants to bring to town are coming. To compensate, DIA officials are opening some jobs to local residents and proffering contracts for local businesses. 'It's a targeted campaign in that we have specific positions we want to fill,' said Laura Donnelly, DIA spokeswoman. 'These are known vacancies or anticipated vacancies, so we know the jobs are available.' Defense contracts already stimulate area businesses. In 2008, contracts brought more than $92 million into Charlottesville and $64.4 million into Albemarle. The federal government spent more than $991 million in defense contracts in central Virginia between 2000 and 2008, according to federal figures, with more than $880 million in Charlottesville and Albemarle. The contracts include everything from uniforms to laboratory analysis to commissary food. Defense-related companies in the area build weapons systems, targeting systems, radar, navigation, anti-explosive devices and firearms. The totals do not include the military's Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School for military lawyers and legal officials at the University of Virginia, nor the Charlottesville-based Federal Executive Institute, operated by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management." Posted on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - 12:34pm
Albemarle County Panel Supports Wind Turbines
Albemarle County Planning Commission members agree that wind turbines provide environmental benefits, and chief concerns have been the noise that turbines create and the potential for eyesores. But, those concerns didn't seem to outweigh the benefits, as the Planning Commission sent a formal recommendation to the Board of Supervisiors that called for wind turbines to be allowed in the county. Officials have created guidelines that generally restrict the height of wind turbines to the allowed height of buildings. Also, some experts have ensured officials that newer model wind turbines aren’t disruptive to neighbors and in some cases hardly make any noise. This is great news for homeowners because if the Board approves this recommendation, then Albemarle County can become move forward with a new source of reliable, sustainable energy. It could also lead to new jobs and boosting the local economy. "With little hesitation, the Albemarle County Planning Commission sent a formal recommendation to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that called for wind turbines to be allowed in the county. Planning Commission members hope that by allowing small power-generating wind turbines, the county will encourage renewable energy use. Local environmentalists spoke in favor of allowing wind turbines in Albemarle at Tuesday’s public hearing. Kathy Rash of Forever Albemarle said the group has met with county farmers and their neighbors, who are 'very much in favor' of allowing wind turbines. It was nearly two years ago when supervisors asked Planning Commission members to put their heads together alongside county officials, to provide supervisors guidance about whether wind turbines should be allowed in Albemarle. Planning Commission members have spent little time debating whether turbines should be permitted, focusing instead on what kind of turbines should be allowed, where they should be restricted and what kind of regulations could reduce nuisances to neighbors." Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 - 5:24pm
Charlottesville Commercial Real Estate Market surviving in Recession
Commercial real estate and unemployment rates are better in Charlottesville and Albemarle County than other regions, according to the Daily Press. Vacant retail space in Charlottesville is not at an alarming rate as it is in Richmond, which is partly due to the strength of large local employers such as UVA and the National Ground Intelligence Center and State Farm. This is good for local homeowners because this strength will help protect home values. Also, because the local economy is not struggling as much as other localities. "The blood-red tower stands at the edge of the shopping center, its sliding-door maw locked up tight and the glue from its signage still spelling the name of its former tenant: Circuit City. Nearly a year after the electronics retailer declared bankruptcy, sold off its inventory and shuttered stores across the country, its Albemarle Square space remains empty. That vacancy is not the norm in a local retail market that experts say remains strong because of the economic strength of local employers such as the University of Virginia, the National Ground Intelligence Center and State Farm Insurance. The vacancy is not, however, worrying the center’s landlord, Dumbarton Properties, of Richmond. 'We’re in a pretty good position. We have some activity on the Circuit City space and only two or three other spaces that are vacant,' said Beverly Webb, of Dumbarton Properties. 'We’re looking forward to having a new tenant in there, but we want to have the right tenant. We try to find tenants who are compatible and are not going to cannibalize our existing merchants. A lot of them are mom-and-pop shops and it’s important to take care of them as best as you can.' Charlottesville and Albemarle County have fared better during the worst recession since the Great Depression than most areas of the state and country. The national unemployment rate in October reached 10.2 percent for the first time since 1983, while the local rate hovered around 5.5 percent." Posted on Monday, November 9, 2009 - 11:02pm
Chesapeake Bay Reports Call For More Livestock, Runoff Regulations
Last week federal officials released parts of a strategy to restore the Chesapeake Bay, according to NewsDay.com. The report focuses on expanding regulation of large-scale animal farms and municipal stormwater runoff. Although details of the expanded regulations have not been decided, the report did mention that federal leadership and "muscle" would be used when necessary to enforce the new regulations. This report, along with others wll be used to develop a bay restoration strategy scheduled for release on Novemeber 9th. Because many of the Virginia localities in the Chesapeake Watershed are heavily farmed areas, many Virginia property owners could be affected. Property owners will need to ensure that their rights are protected in the process of restoring the Chesapeake Bay. "Federal officials on Thursday began revealing the building blocks of a strategy to restore the Chesapeake Bay, using federal leadership to encourage states to cut pollution and federal muscle, when necessary, to ensure it happens. Among recommendations in draft reports from federal agencies: expanded regulation of large-scale animal farms and municipal stormwater runoff, and requirements that increases in pollution be offset by reductions from other sources. The details, such as how many more animal feeding operations would be regulated, have not been decided, but 'the message here is that there will be, there is a commitment at EPA to increased enforcement and increased oversight of state programs,' EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said Thursday. The reports will be used to develop a bay restoration strategy, scheduled for release Nov. 9, that was mandated by an executive order issued earlier this year by President Obama. The EPA said it was working with Chesapeake Bay states and the District of Columbia to establish limits for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediments. States would have to develop detailed plans on how to reduce levels of those pollutants from sources such as farms, highways and lawns. The EPA said it would step in if states don't take sufficient action. While large operations such as industrial chicken farms would be regulated, the EPA said it would also expand regulation of municipal stormwater programs to include high-growth areas. Jackson said the goal was to use federal leadership, and 'federal muscle when necessary.' Agriculture is responsible for about half the pollution entering the bay, but Jackson noted there is more turf grass in the bay watershed than corn acreage and the region is much different from when bay restoration efforts began decades ago."
Posted on Monday, September 14, 2009 - 10:50am
Albemarle Announces Final Draft of Places29
If you drive Rt. 29 in Albemarle County on a regular basis, you are probably excited about the county's plans to improve travel conditions along the area's busiest commercial corridor. According to The Daily Press, county planners have finished the final draft of Places29, the most extensive transportation and land use master plan in the county's history. The changes will help prepare Albermarle for future growth, and is based on a "neighborhood model," in which residents would be able to work, shop and use parks within walking distance of where they live.
Albemarle County officials say recent growth trends and the location of available land suggest most new retail in the area will be built in the county’s growth area, not Charlottesville. The hope is that Places29 will help to improve quality of living for the county's residents. As the plan is implented over the next two decades the enhancements to traffic alone should help to improve property values by making living there a bit more enjoyable. "Albemarle planners are unveiling a final draft of the most extensive transportation and land use master plan the county has ever seen. The Places29 plan spells out a vision for what the U.S. 29 corridor in northern Albemarle could look like in coming decades. And its provisions will affect every commuter, county taxpayer, business owner and pedestrian who spends time in the area’s busiest commercial corridor. For planners, it’s a 'new urbanism' blueprint that seeks to convert an area marked by intense development and thick traffic into one that will see a series of “centers” that function like neighborhoods where people can walk between work, shops, parks and more. Eight chapters long and in the works for at least four years, the plan could be before county supervisors by the end of the year for a vote that would chart a course for major decisions for decades to come in a segment of the county expected to see the bulk of Albemarle’s future growth. For local residents such as Eddie Giles, fights with traffic represent the reality of U.S. 29’s past, present and future. Giles, owner of Albemarle-based Professional Movers, spends much of his days stuck on the highway. He hopes a fix is on the way. 'Sometimes, I do get a little frustrated sitting in traffic. I’m sitting at the light and moving an inch — and an inch,' Giles said. 'Especially if you’re giving a customer a fixed rate, that traffic is on your time. It can cost you.' Giles is among the tens of thousands of drivers who use the county’s stretch of U.S. 29 on any given day. As growth continues in the county’s development areas, travel time could more than triple for drivers using the U.S. 29 corridor by 2025, according to a local transportation plan cited in Places29." Also, check out another story about Places29 by the Daily Press. Posted on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 - 4:45pm
Albemarle Residents Could See A New Walmart
Whether to expand the Hollymead growth area remains a contentious matter that will likely be debated in the coming months, according to The Daily Progress. Part of this debate will include talk about a new Walmart location that might be included in the Places29 project. There are several issues that must be considered include rezoning land, managing transportation and the fact that other shopping centers along Rt. 29 never made it past the planning stage. These plans along with Places29 and proposals to improve traffic along Rt. 29 should be of great concern to area homeowners. Each of these projects has the potential to improve economic development, quality of living and employment opportunities, which, will also benefit the homeowners by increasing home values.
"Albemarle County officials have butted heads about whether the Hollymead development area should be expanded as part of the Places29 Master Plan. In the meantime, the county may have lost an opportunity to get free land and millions of dollars to help fund one of the most vital transportation projects in the plan. Local developer Wendell Wood, president of United Land Corp., owns part of the land that officials are considering converting to the growth area, about 140 acres, and said late last week that Wal-Mart had set out plans more than three years ago to build a 220,000-square-foot supercenter on the site. 'I have a signed contract with Wal-Mart,' Wood said, adding that the contract was contingent upon the county allowing development in that area. The property is on the west side of U.S. 29, north of the South Fork of the Rivanna River. It’s land adjacent to property now in the Hollymead development area, which extends north along U.S. 29 to the Hollymead Town Center area. 'I got my price up an additional … minimum of $8 million to $9 million, that Wal-Mart was going to contribute, along with me, to do what’s called at-site work,’ Wood said. The county would have been able to use such a proffer to help extend Berkmar Drive past the Doubletree Hotel Charlottesville, across a bridge over the Rivanna River and ending at Hollymead Town Center. Constructing the bridge and road is estimated to cost about $25 million, in addition to right of way costs and a $155,000 study. Berkmar currently terminates at Hilton Heights Road, just behind an existing Walmart. The extension is key to the Places29 vision for a road network parallel to U.S. 29, part of a host of recommendations designed to relieve traffic while guiding development that’s pedestrian-friendly in the county’s primary commercial corridor. Wood says that he would let the county have the part of his land needed to build the road and bridge for free, and fork over millions of dollars, in exchange for the county rezoning the strip of rural area to development area." Posted on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - 10:21pm
Deadline Approaching for Albemarle Residents to File Form to Keep Land Tax Break
Participants in Albemarle's land use tax break program have less than a week to submit proper paper work to continue being included in the program, according to the Daily Progress. The program allows landowners to defer taxes on rural, undeveloped land as long as it remains such, as opposed to paying taxes on the property at fair market value. Landowners in the program still pay fair market value taxes for part of their property, such as their houses, yards and driveways. Applicants have until Sept. 1 to send their revalidation forms back to the county without a penalty. The forms can be sent to the county between Sept. 2 and Dec. 5 with a $125 fee. If the revalidation forms aren’t received by Dec. 5, participants will be purged from the program and required to pay back the money saved from the tax benefits over the past five years, plus interest, which could total thousands, or tens of thousands, of dollars in many cases. Anyone with questions can call 296-5856 or go to the county assessors office in Room 243 at the County Office Building on McIntire Road from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. The office will also be open until 7 p.m. tonight. "Albemarle County is now requiring proof that landowners who claim tax benefits for rural, undeveloped land actually deserve those tax breaks. But seven business days before the deadline, revalidation paperwork for only about half of the parcels in the program has been submitted to the county. 'If you don’t send it, you’re going to be taken out of the program. And eventually, if we don’t hear from you, there will be the rollback tax,' said Bob Willingham, the county’s assessor. There are nearly 5,000 parcels in the 'land use' tax program, said county spokeswoman Lee Catlin. Willingham said that about $19 million in tax dollars is being deferred each year, which has Willingham somewhat surprised by how few people have sent their applications back to the county. He said he attributes the high number partially to the fact that it’s a new program." Posted on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 8:22am
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