Search
The City of Charlottesville has to toss out its new zoning law — because its outside attorney made a mistake in an ongoing lawsuit
The City of Charlottesville has to abandon its new zoning rules after a judge ordered it to revert to the old ordinance. During a 10-minute hearing in Charlottesville Circuit Court on Monday, June 30, Judge Claude Worrell issued a default judgement in favor of a group of plaintiffs who, in January 2024, sued the city in an attempt to stop the implementation of the new zoning ordinance. The City Council voted unanimously to adopt that ordinance in December 2023, and it took effect in February 2024. The ruling came after the city’s outside counsel missed a June 2 filing deadline, Charlottesville Community Engagement reported June 30.
Judge overturns Charlottesville 'upzoning'
The city of Charlottesville lost a major battle Monday in its fight to preserve a recent citywide rezoning after its two-man legal team forgot to make a timely filing — a mistake that led a judge to issue a default ruling against the city. Charlottesville Circuit Judge Claude Worrell said he would enjoin the city from enforcing the new zoning ordinance that would have allowed greater density in construction across the city. "Oh, geez," exclaimed City Councilor Lloyd Snook, a backer of the new zoning ordinance, when The Daily Progress informed him of the ruling. "They didn't even ask for an injunction."
After thumbs down from commission, developer withdraws, plans to refile 700-acre Chesterfield data center proposal
Following a negative review by the Chesterfield Planning Commission, the company behind a proposed data center campus has withdrawn the project, with plans to come up with a new approach. Denver-based development firm Tract on Tuesday pulled its zoning application that would have set the stage for a data center park on 744 acres at 16100 Branders Bridge Road. But the company isn’t giving up on the project entirely.
Audit of Richmond’s fuel program reveals at least $44,000 in ‘questionable transactions’
At least $44,000 in Richmond taxpayer money was spent on “questionable transactions” through the city’s employee fleet fuel program, an audit revealed, which also uncovered inconsistent oversight and inadequate policies and procedures. On Tuesday, July 1, the Office of the City Auditor (OCA) released a 42-page audit of the fleet fuel program, which comes a week after it released a separate audit in late June of the city’s employee purchasing card program, which also found similar issues in oversight.
‘Fight the Flood’ program pairs Middle Peninsula property owners with flooding solutions
Lewie Lawrence hears the same thing over and over from people living along Virginia’s rural Middle Peninsula: They have issues with flooding, but don’t know where to turn for help. People say, “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to pay for this, and nobody will call me back,” said Lawrence, a lifelong resident of the area and outgoing head of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission. “That is a constant and consistent theme.” That’s where the organization’s Fight the Flood program comes in.
FBI headquarters will remain in Washington, but at newer digs
After more than a decade of haggling over efforts to move the FBI’s headquarters to the Washington suburbs, federal officials announced Tuesday it will remain in Washington, but at a newer location. The bureau’s thousands of agents who now work in the crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building on Pennsylvania Avenue will move up the street, literally, to the more recently constructed Ronald Reagan Building. The announcement angered lawmakers in Virginia and Maryland, who had been working for years to lure the FBI to the suburbs, which would bring new revenue, more than 7,500 jobs and an economic boost from a newly constructed headquarters.
The Unexpected Trump Target: As the University of Virginia’s president is forced out, the campus is reeling.
On Saturday, scores of students, faculty and staff members, and local residents joined James E. Ryan, president of the University of Virginia, for what could be the very last “Run With Jim.” Only this time, it was branded as a “Run for Jim.” Ryan, whose compelled resignation under pressure from the Department of Justice startled the higher-ed sector last week, had made recurring group jogs around campus his trademark. They helped cement his reputation among some as a president-of-the-people after taking office in 2018. Nearly seven years later, at the abrupt and emotional end of his presidency, Ryan addressed some of those people.
Faculty members express deep concern over President Ryan’s resignation
Faculty members across the University expressed their shock and concern after the resignation of University President Jim Ryan last Friday, pressured by Trump’s Department of Justice. At the time of publication, around 160 faculty members have signed an open letter condemning political interference and urging the Board of Visitors, the University’s highest governing body, to resist pressure from the federal government. “The forced installation of a new president under these circumstances would impede the exchange of ideas, set a dangerous precedent for the destruction of academic freedom, and cast a shadow on the integrity of the research and teaching conducted at the university,” the faculty wrote.
McLean government IT contractor hiring almost 900
McLean, Virginia-based 22nd Century Technologies is investing $1 million to expand its headquarters and will hire an additional 880 workers. At a time when many big D.C.-area government contractors are scaling back expansion, minority-owned 22nd Century continues to grow operations in Fairfax County and across the U.S. The company relocated its headquarters from New Jersey to McLean in 2008. Fairfax County competed with sites in Texas, Florida and West Virginia for the company’s expansion.
Virginia Tech researchers study link between large solar installations, property values
A new study from a Virginia Tech-led team of researchers explores how large-scale solar power plants affect the value of agricultural and residential properties. Researchers analyzed millions of real estate transactions around thousands of utility-scale solar facilities nationwide. They found that the construction of a solar facility increased the value of nearby agricultural and vacant land by 19% on average, while the value of nearby residential properties saw an approximately 5% temporary decrease.