#CVille

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 week ago

BOOM: Unanimous Vote Lands Land Value Tax Enablement on Governor’s Desk In Virginia, a unanimous senate vote puts LVT on the Governors desk. Meanwhile, Kentucky also joins the momentum as other states continue on toward LVT enablement.

progressandpoverty.substack.com/p/boom-unanimous-vote-pu... “With the passage of HB 282, Virginia now appears perfectly-poised to actually implement LVT. Perhaps Charlottesville will be the first city to try it out.” #cville #TaxReform #housing #SplitRateTaxation #VALeg

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 week ago

Charlottesville early learning center to be built on Walker Elementary campus Charlottesville City Schools has announced plans to build a new early learning center on the Walker Elementary campus.

www.29news.com/2026/03/05/charlottesvil... “Because it has so many preservation covenants and different pieces that just means we can’t move as quickly as we need to” #preservation #education #cville #CharlottesvilleCitySchools #OakLawn

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 week ago

infocville.com/2026/03/06/sanders-propo... “A tax relief specialist to continue to work on our tax relief program specifically because as we have had challenges and the need has grown, we have had more work that […]

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 week ago

Charlottesville PC looks ahead to next set of zoning changes Two years have passed now since Charlottesville’s Development Code went into effect, beginning a new era of land use rules intended to reduce barriers for developers. City Council adopted a first set of changes on February 17 that are made up of clarifications, grammatical corrections, and other small changes. “Staff has prepared the material to actually go into effect at the end of March,” said Matt Alfele, the city’s development planning manager. “That allows time for other active actions that are going on related to the anticipated code amendments that are connected to development review.” In addition to the Development Code itself, staff in the Department of Neighborhood Development Services also consult a 35-page development manual which contains additional details that can be modified without approval by Council. Alfele said this document will be updated again to reflect recent changes. (view the manual) Amendments to the Development Code have been and will be classified according to three tiers with Tier 1 and Tier 2 being relatively minor. Tier 3 review will involve more interaction with the public such as a current review of student housing fees. Take a look at that on the relatively new Charlottesville Connect website. At a work session on February 10, 2026, Alfele led the Charlottesville Planning Commission on a discussion of the next set of changes as listed in a 12-page spreadsheet. For instance, should public input be allowed or required in the critical slope waiver process? That’s something that will likely be decided as NDS staff and a consultant work on a review of the city’s environmental policies, but there was general direction by Commissioners to further reduce their role. “Since we always say the same thing, we aren’t really adding any value,” said Commissioner Lyle Solla-Yates. “We’re just copy paste every time. Could we move this standard process to a non discretionary administrative process where the same thing we say every time is applied without a public hearing? It just happens. Let the staff do their job.” Commission Chair Carl Schwarz agreed. “If there’s more things that we could make administrative, I think that would be better,” Schwarz said. _A page in the Development Code explains Active Depth requirements. Take a look! (Credit: City of Charlottesville)_ Another item discussed by the Commission is the matter of “active depth” which is defined in the code as “the horizontal depth of a building that must contain active spaces.” There is a specific percentage required for each zoning district. The intent is “to facilitate the creation of a convenient, attractive, and harmonious community by minimizing the impact of inactive spaces on the public realm and to promote a comfortable, safe, engaging, and attractive build environment.” At least one major development halted over an impasse over what this means in principle. Developer Jeffrey Levien had sought a special exception for a project at 200 West Main Street but did not complete the process. Solla-Yates suggested exempting all residential projects from active depth requirements. The Planning Commission is forming a subcommittee to expedite their own review of the code. Schwarz said work on active depth should be a Tier 1 or Tier 2 change. “I guess what I’m hoping is maybe whatever subcommittee we form, we could work on this sooner than later and get something to you guys to then dissect and decide if it needs to get more public input, but to push it ahead,” Schwarz said. Planning Commissioner Josh Carp suggested the public might not be interested in the topic. “I could be very wrong, but I have a hard time imagining that if there were a public event for feedback on this topic, that people would show up,” Carp said. The Commission’s discussion lasted about two hours and will provide the basis for further work this fall. You can watch the full meeting here. * * * **Before you go** : Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the February 24, 2026 edition of _Charlottesville Community Engagement_. You can either subscribe through Substack or make a charitable contribution. The goal of _Town Crier Productions_ is to increase awareness about what is happening at the local, regional, state, and federal government levels. Please share the work with others if you want people to know things! ### Share this: * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * ### Like this: Like Loading... ### _Related_

infocville.com/2026/02/27/charlottesvil... Thanks to Sean Tubbs for covering the large, complicated, but important update process to our diminishingly new zoning code. #zoning #cville #housing #aesthetics #shortage #ProcessImprovement #CleanWater

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 week ago

Thanks to Sean Tubbs for covering this very very busy year in legislation potentially affecting the Charlottesville area #cville #VALeg #TaxReform #education #zoning #housing […]

Lezzie. Lib. Lawyer. Resistor!

@dwgelbman.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

Another fine #CaturdaySaturday comes to a close. Clean behind ears as sun retires. Gnight #catsofbluesky #cville

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

2 weeks ago

Color photo showing a parking area behind Orange safety cones, then a new asphalt path up a steep hill

I recall arguing for this back during the 2015 bicycle plan. Exciting to see it open. #cville #ADA #BikeTooter #parks

Lezzie. Lib. Lawyer. Resistor!

@dwgelbman.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

Happy #Flaturday #caturday #cville

Lezzie. Lib. Lawyer. Resistor!

@dwgelbman.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

Charlottesville Singing Resistance raising voices for a cause CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Dozens gathered at the Free Speech Wall on the Downtown Mall to sing songs of resistance against the Trump administration's policies.

No kumbaya and no sour grapes were heard at this event ☺️ sing ICE out! #cville

www.cbs19news.com/news/charlot...

Lezzie. Lib. Lawyer. Resistor!

@dwgelbman.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

#cville www.facebook.com/share/p/1Akr...

Lezzie. Lib. Lawyer. Resistor!

@dwgelbman.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

I cannot afford to buy - or rent - in Charlottesville (other than where I currently live and work (combined) - in the city of Charlottesville. Can you? #cville

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

2 weeks ago

Some very satisfying fog walk weather in atmospheric Charlottesville this morning #cville #VAwx

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

2 weeks ago

I see it's been quite a while since I posted about this. HB 282 allowing Charlottesville, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, and Newport News to tax land at a higher rate than buildings has passed overwhelmingly from the senate subcommittee. Still a ways to go but we are on track for success. #HB282 […]

Lezzie. Lib. Lawyer. Resistor!

@dwgelbman.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

Virginia lawmakers release proposed amendments to former Gov. Youngkin’s budget The Democrat-led House of Delegates and State Senate have released their versions of amendments to former Governor Glenn Youngkin’s budget.

Great work Katrina and Creigh! We elected y'all to do exactly what you're doing. Rock on! 💪✊
www.29news.com/2026/02/24/v... #cville

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

2 weeks ago

The City of Charlottesville is working to update our somewhat new affordable housing policies and is looking for public feedback on how to do it. We have three questions here for the community: connect.charlottesville.gov/housing/StudentHousing #cville #housing

Lezzie. Lib. Lawyer. Resistor!

@dwgelbman.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

G'mornin' and happy Caturday from Puddy in Cville 😸 #catsofbluesky #caturday #cville

Cville Gooner

@cvillebluegrass1.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

How local government and institutions are preparing—or not—to protect us from ICE - C-VILLE Weekly By now, you’ve likely seen them: videos of people in homes like ours, on streets like ours, sobbing, screaming, or silent. Dragged from their cars, their homes, their lives by masked, anonymous men dr...

We're had a our share of disruption by unwanted thugs in #Charlottesville. You could argue intimidation by political force started here. Here's our recent take of the local temp now that ICE may be the next unwelcome guests. #Cville @cvilleweekly.bsky.social
c-ville.com/how-local-go...

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

3 weeks ago

Jumping on a webinar with Michael Anderson from Sightline and Kellie Brown from Charlottesville to learn about Inclusionary Zoning events.humanitix.com/inclusionary-zoning-maki... #cville #housing #zoning #LivableCville

Indivisible Charlottesville

@indivisiblecville.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

Charlottesville's a Union Town: Collective Bargaining For All Town Hall Public Sector Collective Bargaining builds stronger connections between public service workers and the communities we serve. Right now, our university presidents and legislators are trying to divide u...

We know it's only Wednesday, but... #CVille folks, we have your weekend all lined up for you...Sat. afternoon: Join a community panel and town hall to discuss what we want the future of Cville to look like, and how collective bargaining will help us get there! #UnionStrong #UVA

Joshua Earle, Ph.D.

@cyborgapologist.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

Poster that says: "Charlottesville's a Union Town. Collective Bargaining for all Town Hall and Community Panel. Whether you're a UVA worker, student, or Charlottesville resident, come learn how you can use collective bargaining to get more of a say in UVA's impact on your life and raise the standards for all of us! Saturday, February 21, 2-3:30pm. Charlottesville Middle School Cafeteria. 1000 Cherry Ave. Child care and refreshments provided." At the bottom is a QR vode to RSVP and the UCWVA logo.

Hey #Charlottesville #cville folx. This weekend, Sat Feb 21 from 2-3:30 (with social time afterwards) UCW is hosting a town hall about collective bargaining and keeping UVA honest. Flyer below with an RSVP QR code with more information. Let your folx (esp other unionized folx) know! Tags incoming.

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

3 weeks ago

Charlottesville begins tree work on 5th Street The City of Charlottesville began tree work on 5th Street Southwest.

www.29news.com/2026/02/16/charlottesvil... “it’s much easier to preserve what we have than replace it” #cville #TreeCanopy #conservation

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 month ago

Charlottesville Planning Commission briefed on tax abatement, student housing review A big theme for the Charlottesville City Council in 2026 will be continuing to tweak land use policies as the impact of the Cville Plans Together initiative continues to be measured. To recap, the city hired the firm Rhodeside & Harwell in late 2019 to oversee a holistic reform of the rules for building. This included an affordable housing plan adopted in March 2021, a Comprehensive Plan adopted that November, and a new Development Code in December 2023. There are two overarching questions. * What can the city do to incentivize developers to build units that are required by the new zoning code? * Should the City Council further adjust policies related to the placement of student housing complexes as well as increase the fees developers pay to avoid building those affordable units. Let’s take the first first. ##### Resources: * April 2025 staff report on Charlottesville Affordable Housing Tax Abatement Program * 3TP report on the tax abatement program * Presentation from the January 13, 2026 Planning Commission meeting In April 2025, Council got an initial presentation on a potential tool to be called the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Tax Abatement Program. Under such a program, developers who build affordable units would be reimbursed through a payment based on the additional tax revenue generated by the building. A policy known as “inclusionary zoning” requires one in ten units to be designated as affordable to households below certain income thresholds for a period of 99 years. “According to some claims and implications for particular sub-markets/areas of the City, this requirement is being deeply reviewed for any measurable financial constraints to developers, particularly in the rental market, where the gap between market rents and capped affordable rents impacts operational revenue and project feasibility,” reads the staff report for the April meeting. The city hired the firm 3TP Ventures in June 2025 to model the tool and conduct further study of whether it would make a difference in getting the units built. The firm’s Jeremy Goldstein told the Planning Commission on January 13 that the development community is having a hard time seeing a profit in any developments, let alone one that would require affordable units. “If you’re hearing from the local development community that it’s difficult to make projects work right now, this data concurs with that,” Goldstein said. Goldstein said the abatement study is not intended to be a definitive answer but is part of an effort to better understand the costs of constructing places for people to live. Developers seeking funding from the government have to share their financial documents, but those seeking to build market-rate units do not. “The more that private sector math is understood by those making public sector decisions, I think the better off we’re all going to be,” Goldstein said. Under an abatement scheme, a property owner would pay the full property tax but could account for some of that revenue coming back in the form of a reimbursement. Goldstein said the creation of a tool would allow for different variables to be updated as market conditions change. “The cost of wood changes quickly,” Goldstein said. “The cost of steel changes quickly. Sometimes consultant fees change quickly. Time changes quickly.” Other variables include the size of a unit as well as labor costs. Goldstein said inputs came from several in the community but there was not agreement on all of them. “While we were able to sort of reach a reasonable consensus on construction costs, there just wasn’t a real consensus on land costs. I expect these numbers are very likely to change over time,” Goldstein said. The tool also projects revenues to be collected by the project to cover costs. When everything is put together, this tool would allow staff to model different levels of abatement. “Mostly what this thing is doing is it is giving users an opportunity to make selections about the development type in the sub-market, how many affordable units you’re supposed to have at various [Area Median Income] bands if you want, what kind of policies do you want to test,” Goldstein said. Goldstein said tax abatement can work to help developers recoup their costs but won’t do so entirely even at 100 percent. And if the abatement rate for a project is 100 percent, that means the city would bring in no revenue to cover the cost of providing services. Ross Harness, a new Planning Commissioner appointed on January 12, said he appreciated having the analysis tool. “I think it’s not necessarily the point of the study, but having this accessible can really help some people that may not understand how these work and be able to build themselves a model this way can really get in here,” Harness said. Immediately after the 3TP presentation, Neighborhood Development Services Director Kellie Brown took the Planning Commission through the current scope of work for a proposed study on student housing. _One of the slides in the presentation on tax abatement from January 13, 2026 (Credit: 3TP Ventures)_ * * * **Before you go** : Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the January 20, 2026 edition of _Charlottesville Community Engagement_. You can either subscribe through Substack, make a monthlycontribution through Patreon, or consider becoming a sponsor. The goal of _Town Crier Productions_ is to increase awareness about what is happening at the local, regional, state, and federal government levels. Please share the work with others if you want people to know things. ### Share this: * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * ### Like this: Like Loading... ### _Related_ * * * ### Discover more from Information Charlottesville Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe

infocville.com/2026/01/25/charlottesvil... “If you’re hearing from the local development community that it’s difficult to make projects work right now, this data concurs with that” #cville #housing #shortage #inflation

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 month ago

www.vpm.org/news/2026-02-11/charlott... “The whiplash was real” #CharlottesvilleCitySchools #cville

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 month ago

Week Ahead for February 8, 2026: Albemarle PC to hold rezoning for 18 units in Crozet; Louisa PC to review tools to slow residential growth Plus: Charlottesville PC to review next Development Code reforms

communityengagement.substack.com/p/week-ahead-for-februar... Thanks to Sean Tubbs for pre-covering the Charlottesville Planning Commission #cville #housing #zoning

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 month ago

The Charlottesville Planning Commission is meeting on February 10th with no public hearings. Eerie. Instead then we will have a public discussion called "Review Draft Planning Commission dates for 2026 Update on Development Code Amendments Prioritizing Tier 3 Amendments" […]

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 month ago

"The Ambassador team is an investment in keeping our mall area welcoming, vibrant, and safe. There is no better time than the Mall’s 50th anniversary to start this effort, and the Ambassadors will help us ensure downtown is clean, inviting, and safe for everyone. This great new program is yet […]

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 month ago

I don’t think I posted this when it was fresh, but if you share my affection for safe public space in Charlottesville, there is a sixteen page report about that here charlottesvilleva.portal.civicclerk.com/event/2027/files/attachm... #cville #walkable #trees

Lezzie. Lib. Lawyer. Resistor!

@dwgelbman.bsky.social

1 month ago

#cville 7 degrees at 7:30 a.m. sun is finally up. COME ON SUN! do your thing please....

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 month ago

www.vpm.org/news/2026-02-04/cville-p... #cville #homelessness #housing

Lyle Solla-Yates

@lyle.cville.online.ap.brid.gy

1 month ago

City to Maintain Public Safety Presence Tomorrow Morning for Schools • Charlottesville, VA

www.charlottesville.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/... “The City is urging drivers to slow down, remain alert, and watch for children walking to bus stops or school, particularly in areas where winter conditions may still affect travel.” #cville #CvilleCitySchools #SafeStreets