The Federal Highway Administration’s review of the Western Bypass of U.S. 29 in Albemarle will be extended now that another agency is requiring study of the historical significance of a cemetery and house near the county’s school complex.  “The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation requests the FHWA ...

A new location for the Northside library became a reality Wednesday when the Albemarle  County Board of Supervisors voted to spend $11.8 million to purchase and redevelop a building on West Rio Road. “After years and years of researching and trying to find a spot, and after exhausting all ...

The question of the Charlottesville area aspiring to be a hub for startup companies, a playground for wealthy residents or a bedroom community for the District of Columbia includes whether a choice has to be made. That was the basic theme of a conversation Friday called "Austin versus Aspen versus ...

When it comes to comprehensive planning, there is no quick fix, no brief conversation, and sometimes no end in sight to the public meetings. However, Tuesday’s luncheon of the League of Women Voters of the Charlottesville Area put local planning in both a historical and forward looking perspective. It ...

The new director of Charlottesville Area Transit is ready to get behind the wheel of a bus system that could see big changes in 2013.  “No transit system is without its challenges, and I think CAT represents some challenges that I’m up for at this point in my career ...

After a nearly three-hour discussion and public hearing on a request to hold more events at Castle Hill Cider, Albemarle County supervisors decided around midnight they were too tired to make a decision. A final vote and discussion was deferred to February.   Some Castle Hill neighbors said they remain concerned ...

The Albemarle County and Charlottesville planning commissions spent two hours Tuesday discussing shared planning goals that will be written into each community’s Comprehensive Plan.  The joint gathering was one of the final meetings of the One Community initiative coordinated by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. The project was ...

The Virginia Supreme Court has dismissed a pair of lawsuits that claimed the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County violated state law by entering into agreements related to a new Piedmont Family YMCA aquatic and fitness center in the city’s McIntire Park.  “Because we conclude the plaintiffs failed to ...

Representatives from the firm Nelson Nygaard made two appearances Monday to present their recommendations for how Charlottesville Area Transit could be reconfigured to boost ridership. The City Council expressed satisfaction with the progress of the $116,000 study, but members of the public said they were concerned many current passengers ...

A consultant hired to suggest “radical” changes to Charlottesville Area Transit has published a draft study recommending adjustments to existing routes rather than the realignment City Council expected. “The vast majority of CAT’s current service area would continue to be served in the future,” states the report written by ...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has told the Virginia Department of Transportation that it will require an analysis of alternatives to the Western Bypass before it will issue a permit allowing for full construction. “We concur with the Environmental Protection Agency that it would be prudent to allow ...

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has voted 4-2 to adopt a budget framework to help staff plan for the next five fiscal years.   The five-year financial plan is used to plan services in the near future by allowing staff to balance revenues and expenditures over the period.   “This whole ...

The cost for a project to improve the interchange of U.S 29 and the U.S. 250 Bypass has increased from $7.5 million to $11 million to accommodate requests from residents to add a sidewalk and to build noise barriers. “There are residences that are literally 20 or ...

The Environmental Protection Agency has recommended that the Virginia Department of Transportation consider alternatives to the proposed Western Bypass of U.S. 29 to make sure the project is in compliance with federal law. The National Environmental Policy Act requires that VDOT conduct an environmental assessment of the bypass so ...

  Planning and Coordination Council Technical Committee  Quarterly Meeting Thursday, October 25th - 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Conference Room A, Albemarle County 5th Street Office Building     Agenda     1. Area B Recommendations for City and County Comprehensive Plan Updates (except southern urban area); Overview of City/County Comp Plan Status ...

Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) is currently conducting a study to evaluate the structure of public transit services in the region.  The CAT Transit Service Study will consider ways to improve services and guide future system development. The study is being conducted on behalf of CAT by Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates ...

The Albemarle Board of Supervisors has directed staff to further review the county’s zoning rules governing the location and approval of cell phone towers, but its members disagreed last week about whether the policy can be amended at a faster pace. Federal law signed by President Barack Obama in ...

a. SP 201100002 Castle Hill Cider PROPOSALS:  SP201200002: Special Use Permit for farm cidery with special events for up to 3,000 attendees  on total of 310.47 ZONING: RA Rural Areas - agricultural, forestal, and fishery uses; residential density (0.5 unit/acre in development  lots); FH Flood Hazard – Overlay ...

A routine briefing by the Virginia Department of Transportation’s top official in Albemarle County provided an opportunity for the Board of Supervisors to ask tough questions about several major road projects in the area.  Currently, U.S. 29 goes from eight-lanes to four-lanes north of the South Fork Rivanna ...

The executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission shared new details Wednesday about proposed concepts that will be considered by the Metropolitan Planning Organization during their revision of the region’s long-range transportation plan. One of those concepts is an 8.3-mile two-lane road that would extend northward ...

As the Virginia Department of Transportation prepares for a public meeting on the Western Bypass, the Metropolitan Planning Organization will be presented today with details of a conceptual plan to extend the highway further north in Albemarle County.  “The Western Bypass Extension project would connect with the planned U.S ...

Officials with Charlottesville Area Transit unveiled minor adjustments Monday to routes that serve the southern side of the city, just a month after being told by City Council to gather feedback on changes that had been crafted without public input. “Since the presentation to council, there has been an email ...

One of Charlottesville resident Nick Hamblet’s favorite places to run is a section of the Rivanna Trail between Barracks Road and Fontaine Avenue and he’s not alone. “This section of the trail is almost always in the best shape of any portions and my guess is that this ...

A proposal to dredge portions of the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir cleared another hurdle in an evaluation process Thursday as the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority held a meeting to receive feedback. However, only three members of the public spoke.   “We don’t have a lot of people here tonight,” said ...

RIVANNA WATER & SEWER AUTHORITY AUTHORITY ANNOUNCES PUBLIC MEETING ON DREDGING Charlottesville, VA (Friday, September 7, 2012) – The Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority will hold a public meeting on Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 6:00 pm for the purpose of receiving public input on a concept proposal by Orion Marine Group ...