Current Neighborhood Issues
June 28, 2009
Independence Concert at the Pavilion
"The public is invited to a free community concert sponsored by the City of Charlottesville Communications Office, the Charlottesville Pavilion, and the Charlottesville Municipal Band. The event will begin at 7:30pm on Thursday, July 2nd in the Charlottesville Pavilion as the community kicks off the Fourth of July holiday. Last year’s concert featured the Air National Guard of the Smokey Mountains and drew an estimated crowd of 1,000 from the area. The concert is expected to last 2 hours and the public is welcome to come and go as their plans permit.
City Hall will be closed Friday, July 3rd for the holiday.”
Posted by Colette Hall
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June 26, 2009
North Downtown walks with the City Manager
The North Downtown neighborhood will hold it annual “Walk with the City Manager” on Thursday, September 10, 5:30 - 7:30 pm, meet in front of the library. ALL ND residents are welcome. It isn’t necessary you stay for the entire walk and you can always join along the way.
If you are unable to come, contact Ruth Stornetta, NDRA VP, and send her your concerns, so she can plan the best route. Contact her with any questions regarding the walk.
Posted by Colette Hall
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June 16, 2009
Mosquitoes
Got a mosquito problem? Check in your yard for plant dishes, birdbath, clogged gutters. . . that have stagnant water. Problem coming from your neighbors? The City can help. Call 970-3182.
Posted by Colette Hall
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June 11, 2009
Managing Neighborhood Traffic - a success!
This presentation sponsored by the Alliance of Neighborhoods was a “take-home” on Managing Neighborhood Traffic. Jeanie Alexander, Charlottesville’s Traffic Engineer, and Juandiego Wade, Community Planner for Albemarle County gave us the nuts and bolts from a City and County prospective.
City and County residents agree that ever-increasing traffic in the area is having a negative impact on their neighborhoods, and that they need assistance in coping with these issues. Many have asked the following: what tools and actions are open to neighborhood associations, activists, citizens, and taxpayers, to implement effective changes to address the problems caused by traffic within our residential communities? We got answers
(North Downtown is a member of the Alliance)
Posted by Colette Hall
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June 8, 2009
REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM presented July 30, 7pm, City Space
The City of Charlottesville Police Department will present “Refuse to Be a Victim”; this is a commonsense approach to keeping yourself safe. This 1 1/2 hour presentation will cover home and personal security, the thought process of criminals and the planning items for you and your home. It helps instill an individual’s awareness of their surrounding, the environment and circumstances.
Presented by Harvey Finkel, Crime Prevention Specialist, City of Charlottesville Police Department
The free presentation is open to ALL North Downtown residents.
Posted by Colette Hall
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June 3, 2009
PICNIC in McINTIRE PARK
"Picnic in the Park” an event to support preserving McIntire Park.
Next picnic is Wednesday, July 22, 5:30 - 9:00 pm at the picnic shelters. Bring a picnic dinner and lawn chair/blanket
Enjoy music by “Trees on Fire”
Learn more about Mr. McIntire’s park and how we can save it!
Children’s Activities & Games and Seed Packet Giveaway
For information call 296-5200
Posted by Colette Hall
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May 19, 2009
Agenda NDRA/ND Neighborhood Meeting, June 25, 7 PM, Library
SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
AGENDA for NDRA/ND MEETING
Thursday, June 25, 2009, 7 pm, central library, 3rd floor
Approval of May 28, 2009 minutes
Treasurer’s report:
Old Business:
A. Court result from May 19
B. Picnic date firmed (September 13 or 20)
C. Picnic plans continued
D. Walk with the City Manger date
E. Nominees for Board Directors
F. Political candidates invited to the picnic
New Business:
A. City Manager’s meeting (April 09)
B. SROs (single room occupancy) Ordinance
C. Nominees for Director of the Year from the 2008-2009 Board year
D. Alliance of Neighborhoods and “Managing Neighborhood Traffic”
E. Martha Jefferson Hospital campus redevelopment
F. MeadowCk Parkway, McIntire Rd Ext, 250 Interchange update
G. Picnic in the Park
H. First St. Project
I. Matters by Directors
NDRA/ND meeting cancelled for July 09
Next NDRA/ND meeting, August 27, 2009, 7pm, central library
Posted by Colette Hall
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April 23, 2009
SUNDAYS IN McINTIRE (east) PARK
Charlottesville would like to invite the community to spend an afternoon at McIntire Park to explore and enjoy the great amenities of the City’s largest park. The Sundays in the Park will occur on the LAST Sunday of each month through November of 2009 from 1 pm to dusk. To better enjoy the natural surroundings including Meadow Creek and the growing trails in the Park, the City will be suspending golf play on these Sundays to allow residents to experience the rolling hills on the eastern side of the park. If you are interested in attending, please park at the wading pool parking lot located off Route 250.
Posted by Colette Hall
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April 5, 2009
Preserve McIntire Park
Have you ever walked the area where the proposed parkway/road will go? The safest way there is to walk across the Park St. Bridge and use the sidewalk along 250, where the sidewalk ends, the east park begins. This is where the road will go. Hundreds of trees will be lost and tons and tons of dirt will be moved. The low areas will be filled and the ridged area to your left—the upper golf course—will be leveled.
The neighborhood requests the city provide a more accessible entrance, walking trails, and bike paths to this gem of a park without destroying it with a road. Our neighborhood is perfectly situated to make daily use of this wonderful green space, but we need safe access to it on foot and bike.
Once you are about a third of the way in, the traffic from 250 is silenced. You hear the cry of the hawk, the bird songs, and the gurgling creek. Perhaps you glimpse the flash of a shy fox or the bounding deer.
I offer to lead you on a walk through this quiet and beautiful space before it becomes another shadow in the memory that once was McIntire Park. Call me at 296-6224 or email me at so we can get together.
To see a large fox running in the park, go to http://www.stoptheparkway.com and click on video regarding the fox.
Please consider saving the park.
To make a tax-deductible contribution, write a check to The Sierra Club Foundation and on the memo line “Preserve McIntire Park Litigation” and mail to:
Sierra Club, Piedmont Group
P.O. Box 5531
Charlottesville, VA 22905
Thank you for your support to save our “Central Park.”
Posted by Colette Hall
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March 2, 2009
Beautify North Downtown
The bump-outs on 2nd St/Perry Dr and Park Plaza/Parkway need attention and volunteers. Do you have an urge to garden, but no land, or like to see ND remain beautiful? If so, contact Elvira, coordinator, at
Posted by Colette Hall
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February 16, 2009
US Army Corps of Engineers & Consulting Parties Meeting
The North Downtown neighborhood has been accepted as a Consulting Party to the USACE permitting process regarding McIntire Rd. Extended, that is, 250 to Melbourne Rd./east McIntire Park. Please see “Historic Properties” posting further below.
Posted by Colette Hall
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January 15, 2009
NDRA/ND membership
We welcome you into NDRA, to strengthen your voice in City matters and to encourage your input into what NDRA says and does on behalf of our neighborhood. Therefore, we request that you renew your membership by either sending a check for $10 (per household) to PO Box 1739, Charlottesville, 22902 or making a payment via Paypal at the “renew your NDRA membership online” link in the right-hand column of this webpage.
Thank you for supporting your neighborhood association.
Posted by Colette Hall
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November 5, 2008
Future Water Plan
City Council recently expressed misgivings about the Water Plan. The land for a pipe-line is where? How much will it cost? To spend money on a new 112 foot dam may be a waste of ratepayers money. Why build a NEW dam if it requires a pipeline? We do need to repair the present Ragged Mt. Dam, which can be done for around $4 million.
Dredging surveys may show that we can have decades of water capacity for a fraction of the cost. This will literally give us time to design a reasonable next step.
Please e-mail the Council ( ) and BOS () and encourage them to avoid spending more money needlessly, especially in these tough economic times.
Posted by Colette Hall
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September 8, 2008
NDRA Director of the Year
Debra Weiss was voted NDRA Director of the Year 2007 - 2008 for her work as our webmaster, development of this beautiful new website and longevity on the Board.
Thanks, Debra.
Posted by Colette Hall
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June 6, 2008
Report on CC 250 Interchange Design work session
Council held a work session on June 4 to sort out what ideas need to be modified: to keep costs within the Federal earmark, to decrease the size/mass, to maintain bike/pedestrian access, to solve the Hillcrest closure dilemma, to fit this structure into the historic landscape, to avoid cut-through traffic on ND residential streets, and to redesign Nelson/Perry Drs. intersections.
Results: modified G 1 Alternative (250 Interchange web site- right sidebar - for G1 photo), signalized intersection, flat bridge rather than arches, move trail closer to road (these four will result in smaller footprint and hopefully project will come in within earmark)
Possible - only have trail on McIntire Rd. to 250 on the west side of McIntire which means one has to enter /cross at Harris St.area.
Hillcrest St. closure not addressed other than consultant said, it has to close due to ramp
No additional attempt made to mitigate the effects on the historic surroundings.
Redesign Nelson & Perry intersections is under review . . . by traffic engineer.
Posted by Colette Hall
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May 14, 2008
Regardless of whom you are owner, renter, socioeconomic level, employed, or student the water/sewer rates are increasing and you will be paying more. Water/sewer treatment centers are/will undergo renovation.
The RWSA’s 50 Year Water Supply Plan proposal will have huge implications for our community. All city residents and those in the urban county will see drastically increased water/sewer bills for years to come, far into the future.
Whatever plan is chosen to provide enough water for 50 years, the money for that must be in any plan that our elected officials approve. The money will also go toward sewer infrastructure and water/sewer treatment center renovations.
1. The dam has escalated in price from $37.2 million to a minimum of $85 million and more likely over $100 million
2. A major portion of the pipe-line route is not viable and so there is neither a route, design or cost assumption of any kind available for this necessary component of the 50 year plan.
3. There has been a collapse of the world’s financial markets putting the economy in a tailspin, bringing about ever increasing deficits in the national, state and local budgets, and creating the need to re-examine all local expenditures including education.
Read more.
Posted by Colette Hall
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February 25, 2008
NDRA President Awarded “2008 Citizen Planner of the Year”
NDRA President Colette Hall was the recipient of the Charlottesville’s 2008 Citizen Planner of the Year award!
The award states:
“Colette is recognized for keeping track and staying in tune with a multitude of issues affecting the North Downtown area including the Meadowcreek Parkway interchange and traffic and zoning concerns in her neighborhood. She is neighborhood president and has made a point to attend countless public meetings in the past year.”
Posted by NDRA Administrator
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December 12, 2007
Historic Properties/ 250 Interchange Design Mtg was held October 22
Meetings OPEN to the public.
“Historic Properties” eligible for the National Registry: 501 and 502 Park Hill, Rock Hill Landscape garden (now MACAA), McIntire Park, and the McIntire Golf Course. The Vietnam Memorial is ineligible although it appears to be the first Vietnam Memorial in the USA.
NDRA was granted “consulting party” status by the FHWA regarding the 250 Interchange effects on “historic properties.” The Neighborhood will be now be able to attend the previous “private” meetings and add its voice regarding “historic properties” that are located in the North Downtown Neighborhood. These properties may be negatively affected by the proposed 250 Interchange Project.
Posted by Colette Hall
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November 13, 2007
Development Update, April, 2009
NORTH DOWNTOWN - Update April 2009
1. Downtown Mall: Status: completed
2. 301 W. Main Site: Status: In Review
A proposed 9 story mixed use development on the corner of West Main Street and McIntire Road. This development is proposed to have 79 condo units, 4 retail establishments, underground parking and provide streetscape improvements along the 300 block of Main Street. The applicant has had submitted plans for review to the Board of Architectural Review. No site plan has been received. No change.
3. First and Main: Status: Denied.
The site plan for this project has been denied.
4. Hotel Charlottesville: Status: unknown
The construction fence on Water Street has been moved back to allow traffic to use all lanes of Water Street.
5. 600 East Water Street: Status: Deferred
The most recent site plans call for a smaller footprint. Will need BAR approval.
Posted by Colette Hall
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