While The Flats at West Village — a large, student-oriented housing complex on Charlottesville’s West Main Street — was approved by Charlottesville’s City Council in December 2012, even some who supported the development now say it does not look like what they were expecting. Councilor Kathy Galvin, who voted for the project, said now that […]
Author Archives: Reuben Jones
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Old Albemarle Jail could become museum
Behind a whitened and deteriorating brick wall off High Street stands the old Albemarle County jail that looks seasoned even compared with the many historic buildings that surround it in Court Square. The building that was the site of the hanging of a former city mayor after he was convicted of killing his wife could […]
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Financing woes nix Crozet hotel
Plans to open a hotel next year in Old Trail Village in Crozet have crumbled. Owner David Hilliard said he had secured full funding for the equity but could not reach terms with the bank for the planned four-story, 52-room Rutherfoord Hotel, which was to have included a bar, restaurant and rooftop event space. Crozet has no […]
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New CHS principal looks back on an unexpected first year
Charlottesville High School was getting ready to start last school year with a lot of new faces: two assistant principals, an athletic director and a principal that was hired after a months-long nationwide search. But one week before the 1,200 students entered through the doors for the first day of school, Aaron Bissonnette abruptly resigned […]
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Charlottesville’s Youth Council finding its voice
Fifteen-year-old Megan Bird remembers watching the news a few years ago and wondering what exactly people were talking about as they discussed the Charlottesville City Council. Two years later, she not only has a much better understanding of how local government works, she and a group of 14 other students on the Charlottesville Youth Council […]
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Planning Commission votes for more agritourism oversight
Some Albemarle County farmers hoping to hold large events on their properties or use agritourism to make money soon may have to get a zoning clearance. The Planning Commission voted unanimously earlier this week to require farms with 21 or fewer acres to get approval from the county before they can hold events exceeding a […]
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Planning Commission recommends Rugby Road as historic district
The Venable Neighborhood Association is one step closer to making a stretch of Rugby Road the second historic conservation district in Charlottesville. The Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend approval of the association’s request to make place the designation on both sides of the Rugby Road from the 600 block to the 1000 block. […]
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Autism spike leads to school changes
When Patricia Taylor’s 2-year-old son Charlie started losing his language skills, developing a shorter attention span and making odd movements with his hands and body, she typed some of the behaviors into Google. The search results were clear: he had autism. The doctors confirmed the online diagnosis a few months later, but by that time […]
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Charlottesville to update master plan for bikes-pedestrians
About a month after the city hosted a workshop with a national planning and architectural firm to create more “complete streets,” the same design firm returned to focus on improving pedestrian and bicycle accessibility in Charlottesville. The effort is part of the city’s plan to update its Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which was first […]
