Cities that are biker unfriendly are also bad for walkers, as I can testify, having experienced the good & the bad.
The problem here, as in most cities, is car-centric urban design. Cars & SUVs come first. Public transit, bikers, & walkers come last.
But things are slowly & haltingly changing.
Unfunded inclusionary zoning mandates are de-facto taxes on new housing that worsen the housing shortage because they require homebuilders to rent or sell a percentage of their new homes at a loss.
Funded inclusionary zoning, on the other hand, is a great tool to economically integrate new housing.
We love to see it (and hope to see it soon in Charlottesville)!
We appreciate @sallyforsupervisor.bsky.social for her commitment to actually delivering on promises made regarding affordable housing AND for taking the time to explain to a broader audience what is happening in that area
Helpful 🧵 from @mmonaco.bsky.social on Albemarle County affordable housing funding
Reminding you about the two meetings happening this evening!
Oregon is learning that in order to making Inclusionary Zoning work, it needs to be funded.
Charlottesville needs to do the same!
It's Freedom & Liberation Day in Charlottesville, commemorating the day Union soldiers commanded by George Armstrong Custer ended slavery in this region. Many freed people became prominent citizens. Some of their portraits & stories are in our catalog. The pdf is free!👇🏽
at.virginia.edu/vop-catalog
Updates on some affordable housing projects in the city
c-ville.com/piedmont-hou...
That’s exactly right! Homelessness is a housing problem that is solved by housing.
It will be 3/4 6pm at CitySpace (100 5th St NE)!
www.charlottesville.gov/m/newsflash/...
CHARLOTTESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT STRATEGIC PLAN TOWN HALL MARCH 4 | 6-8PM CITYSPACE (100 5th ST NE)
Second, also at 6pm on Wednesday, the Charlottesville Fire Department is holding a Strategic Plan Town Hall at City Space.
We encourage you to show up and ask for CFD to encourage rather than discourage safe street design. And it’s a good opportunity to press for smaller fire trucks!
There are two meetings this Wednesday evening you should consider attending.
First, at 6pm at Lane Auditorium the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors will be hear the FY 27 budget proposal, followed by public comment. We encourage you to show up and request more funding for affordable housing.
We agree!
Charlottesville is installing a new restroom at Riverview Park starting next week. We need many more public restrooms sooner than later!
This is a great video!
Not all “Livable” groups are actually interested in making their communities more livable.
We can think of myriad ways this money could be better spent to help those impacted by the affordable housing crisis in Alexandria and beyond.
We agree!
💯
We just wrote a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social letter to Virginia legislators asking them to legalize housing near jobs and pass SB 454!
Write your own letter here: actionnetwork.org/letters/lega...
This is my issue with Warren's legislation: it reinforces the idea that high housing prices can be blamed solely on private equity firms manipulating the market and that we can solve it by cracking down on far-away, unsympathetic corporate actors, rather than by building homes to end a real shortage
We appreciate the city’s continued support for the 501 Cherry Ave development and look forward to it breaking ground soon!
The recording of our webinar on “Inclusionary Zoning: Making it Work in Charlottesville” is now available!
Much thanks to @andersem.bsky.social for joining us and elevating the conversation around this important topic.
youtu.be/lS0Ftxhhl-M?...
To make the point even more clear.
>> Who pays for a tax on new homes? People who live in new housing: new homeowners and renters of new housing
>> Who benefits from a tax on new homes? Existing property owners—the same folks who all too often erect barriers to new housing construction
“New condominium construction eases supply constraints and expands affordability in a local housing market, and the contrast between market-rate and income-restricted units has important implications for inclusionary zoning policies.”
We love vacancy chain research!
Vacancies in my building in my tony neighborhood have increasingly been filled by families that are lower income or even on vouchers as new housing downtown has lured upper-middle income families and singles away. Before the building boom, wealthier people would line up to get in my older apt.
That would be nice!
This is why we think small, neighborhood commercial uses should be allowed in every neighborhood in Charlottesville!
Until we have good alternatives to driving as people age (or more broadly for people who can’t/shouldn’t/don’t want to drive), this kind of violence will continue to be fairly common.
"Housing shortages are regressive, hurting low-income tenants most, while areas that have added the most homes have not just seen improved affordability, but when rents have fallen, low-income tenants have reaped the largest rent declines."
www.metroabundance.org/adding-more-...
