Charlottesville–Right Now with Coy Barefoot

On the June 24, 2008 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” Coy Barefoot speaks with David Hamilton of Bundoran Farm, a “preservation development” near North Garden. Throughout the course of the show, Hamilton explained to Coy what that means.

”We’ve preserved upwards of 90% of the productive agricultural and forestal land,” Hamilton said. “It’s very important to have a method of developing property which doesn’t destroy that which is important to the community, meaning productive farmland.” The site plan involves building the houses in such a way that allows the farm to continue operations.

Hamilton also weighs in on the topics of land use taxation, how high fuel prices are affecting Albemarle’s farmers, and whether the Albemarle County Fair will be affected by the new development.

 

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On the June 19, 2008 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” Coy Barefoot speaks with Pat Enright, CEO of local developer Dominion Development Resources, LLC (DDR). Enright discussed two major projects his firm has been involved in recently, the Northtown Center development on behalf of developer Wendell Wood, and the proposed dredging of the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir.

• Northtown Center approved - Phase I of the Northtown shopping center will contain a bank and other retail. Enright described his job as“really trying to align what the client needs, with what they’re allowed to do, with what the residents are going to be impacted by.”
• Dredging - DDR has proposed that an active quarry 3,000 feet from the reservoir be used as the disposal site for dirt removed from the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir. Enright admits that his company has a financial stake in that piece of land, but argues that this shouldn’t prevent citizens and government from looking at the merits of the proposal. Enright estimates the approximate cost of removing the 2 million cubic yards of dirt currently in the reservoir to be between $24-29 million dollars.

(links are to stories on Charlottesville Tomorrow)

 

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On the June 10 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” Coy Barefoot hosts a call-in discussion of the housing market with local Realtor Jim Duncan, who blogs at http://www.realcentralva.com/. The topics include:

• Duncan’s analysis of the current housing market in Central Virginia.
• Tips on how to price your house to sell in the current market.
• Public transportation- The impact of the lack of public transportation on potential buyers in the area.
• The desirability of urban living and its effect on housing prices

 

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Listeners of the May 27th, 2008 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville Right Now with Coy Barefoot” heard two sides of the continuing debate over Albemarle County’s land use taxation program. Carl Tinder, President of the Albemarle County Farm Bureau, and Tom Loach, who represents White Hall on the Albemarle County Planning Commission, debated the merits of the program, which lowers the tax burden for land used for agriculture, open space and forestry.

 

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A full write-up of this story by Ben Doernberg is available at Charlottesville Tomorrow.

Brian Wheeler of Charlottesville Tomorrow is a guest every Tuesday on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” with Coy Barefoot to talk about growth and development issues in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

This week on the show:

• Charlottesville City Council takes six minutes to adopt budget for FY2009
• Albemarle County Board of Supervisors takes several hours to adopt budget for FY2009
• An update on Albemarle County’s new computer system
• City School Board to vote on donating 9 acres of land for Meadowcreek Parkway
• County Planning Commission recommends denial of new residential development near Clifton Inn
• County Board of Supervisors denies rezoning along Route 250 near I-64
• North Charlottesville Business Council to host heads of Danville and Lynchburg Chambers of Commerce to discuss western bypass

 

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When the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors adopted the Pantops Master Plan on March 17, 2008, one of the discussion points was whether to remove a 77-acre parcel of land from the County’s designated growth area into the rural area.  On a 4-2 vote, the Board decided to proceed with that action. However, they did so against the will of landowner Clara Belle Wheeler. Wheeler joined Coy Barefoot a few days after the vote to vent her frustration.

 

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Note: Wheeler is not related to Brian Wheeler of Charlottesville Tomorrow. 

Local real estate blogger and Realtor Jim Duncan joins Coy Barefoot on “WINA’s Charlottesville–Right Now!” to talk about the current state of the market. Duncan also expresses his concern about the decision by the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to advertise a three-cent increase on the County’s property tax rate.

 

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David Hamilton is the project manager of Bundoran Farm, a “rural preservation development” to be located south of Charlottesville in North Garden. Hamilton joins Coy Barefoot on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” to discuss the project and what it means for Albemarle County’s rural countryside. Bundoran is being planned by Qroe development, and Hamilton describes the company’s philosophy.

“What we’ve come up and refined over 20 or 30 years is an approach to land conversation and development which maintains a working farm,” Hamilton said.  Bundoran is the company’s first development outside of New England. About one hundred homes will be built in this unusual new neighborhood.

 

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The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted 4-2 this week to approve three ordinances designed to protect rural areas. However, many people felt the new rules infringe on landowner’s property rights. Supervisor David Slutzky (Rio) joined Coy Barefoot the day after the vote to explain why he supported the ordinances.

 

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Do you have a question about growth in our area? Brian Wheeler of Charlottesville Tomorrow can probably answer it for you. Charlottesville Tomorrow is a non-partisan organization that covers growth and development issues in the region. and every week, Brian joins Coy Barefoot on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” for an update on what’s happening.

This week:

• Community and Commissioners discuss boundaries for preemptive zoning in Downtown Crozet
• A County residents calls in to complain about a new cell phone
• Supervisors to hear rural protection ordinances on February 6 (C-Ville Weekly has two stories on the topic)
• The fate of Albemarle Place remains uncertain
• Downtown Mall renovations explained
• News on the Eastern Connector

 

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