City Council
City Council
Tue, September 8, 2026
Agenda items
Vote records
Discussion summary
Transcript
Meeting summaryAI-generated
Charlottesville City Council — September 8, 2026
This was a full evening session beginning with a work session on affordable housing, followed by a closed meeting for Planning Commission candidate interviews and legal consultation, then a business session covering a wide range of items. The meeting was held in notable heat due to a broken air conditioner, and was accompanied by an outdoor concert audible throughout.
Work Session: FY2026 Annual Affordable Housing Report
Senior Housing Planner Madeline Metzler presented the city's progress under its 10-year, $100 million Affordable Housing Plan (covering FY22–FY31).
Investment progress: The city has invested approximately $65.8 million through FY26 — about 66% of the 10-year goal — with an additional ~$6 million correction for the 2000 Holiday Drive purchase bringing direct investments to $58.5 million, or 84% of the direct investment target. Total commitments reach roughly $72 million. The city is ahead of pace overall, though administrative capacity spending remains significantly behind target (currently the lowest-performing category of the three funding buckets).
Production and preservation: Over 1,000 new subsidized units are in the pipeline (97% of the 10-year goal of 1,100), and 530 units have been preserved (88% of the goal of 600). Both figures are notable given the city is only halfway through the plan period. Projects contributing include CRHA's South First Street Phase 2 (recently completed), Southwest Street Phase 2, 6th Street, West Haven planning, Kindlewood Phase 2, Vista 29 permanent supportive housing, and developments at 501 Cherry Avenue and Park Street.
Household stabilization shortfall: Annual household stabilization — tracked through tax relief programs and the CISRAP program — is averaging just over 1,100 households per year, well short of the plan's target range of 1,600–2,200. Staff attributed this not to administrative capacity but to funding levels: the programs are serving as many people as the money allows.
AMI targeting gap: The plan calls for 50% of funds to serve households at or below 30% AMI, but only 25% has reached that threshold. About 71% has served households at 60% AMI or below. Councilor Payne raised significant concern about this gap, noting that Charlottesville's AMI is distorted by the university's presence — 50% AMI for a single person is approximately $45,000/year — meaning the metric may mask how far behind the city is in serving its lowest-income residents. He also flagged the need for impact metrics beyond AMI and called for stronger focus on tenant rights and anti-displacement strategies, noting that about 60% of city residents are renters.
Cost differential for deeper affordability: Councilor Payne cited a 2024 Piedmont Housing Alliance figure showing that bringing a unit from 60% AMI to 30% AMI affordability requires approximately $125,000 per unit in additional subsidy.
Councilor Snook asked about the cost differential at a project level and suggested staff develop benchmark figures. He also raised concerns about inspections and permitting capacity as a limiting factor for housing production. City Manager Sanders confirmed all inspector positions are now filled and a new plan reviewer position was created, though it remains unfilled due to difficulty recruiting at that level.
City Manager Sanders emphasized that the city is in a deep affordability hole that makes progress feel slow despite significant investment, that trade-offs will be required, and that it is time to begin planning the next phase of the affordable housing plan before the current 10-year period concludes. He also noted the city is exploring whether grants should shift toward revolving loans to sustain funding over time.
Looking forward: Approximately $41 million in CIP funds are planned for FY27–FY31, with an additional ~$11 million expected from inclusionary zoning contributions (from 2117 Ivy Road/VERVE and other projects). Staff priorities include strengthening focus on 30% AMI households, building administrative capacity, exploring revolving loan funds, and expanding public transparency dashboards.
Consent Agenda
The following items were approved as a group with no separate discussion:
Minutes from May 18, June 1, and August 12 meetings
$78,150 appropriation for the Virginia Behavioral Health Docket Grant (2nd reading)
$10,000 Virginia State Police HEAT Equipment Reimbursement (2nd reading)
$750,000 from the Jefferson Scholars Foundation for the vacation of Clarke Court (2nd reading)
$2,000,000 reallocation of school operations contingency funds to amend the FY2027 Schools and pupil transportation budget (2nd reading)
Adoption of the 2026 Regional Solid Waste Management Plan
$452,704 Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act (VJCCCA) Grant (1st of 2 readings)
FY2027 Budget Amendments appropriating $300,252 in additional General Fund revenue (1st of 2 readings)
One item required brief discussion before consent approval: $450,707 in dockless mobility (Veo) revenue was split between bicycle programming and bicycle infrastructure accounts to correct prior commingling. Councilor Payne asked about expanding Veo geo-fencing city-wide to prevent scooters from blocking sidewalks. Staff (Ben, NDS) confirmed geo-fencing is in use in some areas (UVA grounds, Downtown Mall, Old Lynchburg Road) and expansion is ongoing, particularly in the Rugby/Grady/Gordon area.
Vote: 5–0 on the full consent agenda.
Community Matters: Azalea Springs Development (Stanley Martin Homes)
Multiple residents of the Azalea Drive and Monte Vista Avenue neighborhood spoke at length about the Azalea Springs development:
Jesse Hopper asked council to suspend or revoke Stanley Martin's permit, citing the developer's disregard of conditions attached to a critical slopes waiver, including failure to install required stormwater controls before clearing most of the site. A large sediment discharge — described as equivalent to 10+ dump truck loads — reached downstream properties. He argued that fines and stop work orders are insufficient deterrents for a developer of this scale.
Albie LaFave and Casey Gioeli raised concerns about damage to mature trees on the perimeter of the development and on an adjacent paper street (Bellevue Avenue). Gioeli asked council to adopt the paper street, commission an arborist assessment, and plant native trees.
Damon Ransom documented trespassing by subcontractors on his property and concerns about noise (construction operates 6 a.m.–10 p.m., seven days a week), ecological damage from clear-cutting, and mud runoff.
Fred Hean expressed concern about trees already visibly leaning and likely to fall on existing homes before the development is complete.
Jessica Prim, a landscape architect, noted grading near property lines that was not reflected in the approved site plan.
Jess Wunger called for stronger deterrents in future waiver conditions, proposed that the city adopt wildlife agency guidelines limiting tree removal during nesting and pup season, and asked whether the construction noise ordinance exemption is appropriate for large multi-acre developments.
Eric Pugh questioned what problems would emerge later in construction if the developer could not manage site clearing properly.
Worthy Martin emphasized the irreplaceability of the mature tree canopy that was destroyed.
City Manager's Report — Azalea Springs Update: City Engineer Brendan Duncan provided a detailed account. The sediment discharge occurred because Stanley Martin had cleared approximately 60% of the site before building the required detention basin, violating standard practice. A stop work order was issued and maintained for most of August. The stop work was lifted approximately one week prior to the meeting after the site was brought into compliance. Staff conducted inspections every three to four days, and a formal consent order with fines is being drafted — likely in the tens of thousands of dollars, well below the state maximum of $32,500 per day. Duncan confirmed the paper street (Bellevue Avenue) is one of hundreds of unaccepted paper streets citywide; the city has no formal protocol for accepting unimproved rights of way. Staff offered to bring a work session on that topic if council desires.
Council discussed: whether the city has authority to require tree protection outside property lines (limited); whether ordinances could restrict tree removal during nesting season (would require adoption of state standards the city has not yet enacted; Dillon Rule considerations apply); and what would trigger revocation of the critical slopes waiver (City Attorney Maddox noted the waiver contains no revocation language, making this legally complex; any revocation would ultimately rest with council since it granted the waiver). Councilor Payne noted the fines are not a meaningful deterrent on a multi-million-dollar project.
Community Matters: Homelessness and the Holiday Drive Shelter
Several speakers addressed the city's encampment closure at the Rivanna River and the opening of the Holiday Drive shelter on September 1–2:
Donna Tietjen accused the city of criminalizing survival, sweeping the encampment without real alternatives, and spending $3 million annually on 60 beds — approximately $50,000 per person — when permanent housing could be acquired for less.
Laura Sergagni alleged that in the lead-up to the closure, the city used police pressure, arrests on petty violations, and involuntary psychiatric commitments to reduce the encampment population before the deadline. She said the shelter was disorganized on opening day, with staff unprepared and promised accommodations not in place.
Isis Neuman alleged that one encampment resident was physically restrained by officers and involuntarily hospitalized, and described the shelter as understaffed and underprepared at opening.
Dyness Chambers, a current shelter resident, described three incidents of men threatening women, said the women's outdoor bathrooms cannot be locked, raised fire safety concerns about the absence of sprinklers, and said priority was not consistently given to encampment residents when beds were allocated.
City Manager's Report — Shelter Update: Assistant City Manager Roman presented a detailed response. As of the night of the meeting, the shelter had 57 guests. He disputed characterizations of mass arrests, stating only two plainclothes officers — chosen for their established relationships with encampment residents — were present during the transition, and zero arrests were made for trespassing. One ambulance response occurred for an acute medical issue. He was not aware of the reported incidents of men threatening women prior to the meeting and committed to raising those concerns with shelter operator CASS. He confirmed additional beds are on-site and could be added in consultation with residents.
Councilor Fleischer, who volunteered for an overnight shift at the shelter, described positive interactions, noted couples were accommodated despite gender-segregated sleeping arrangements, and said multiple guests had recently obtained jobs and were being supported with late-night access. She emphasized this is a "low-barrier" first rung on the housing ladder, not a permanent solution, and that sprinklers, indoor showers, and a full commercial kitchen build-out are forthcoming. Councilor Payne noted a $25,000 fund at CACF is available for donations, and that four outreach workers (tripled from prior capacity) will be deployed across the homeless ecosystem this fall. He also noted that the person who set fire to the encampment during the transition remains unidentified; the investigation is ongoing with CPD and the fire marshal's office. Anyone with information can call the non-emergency line.
CDBG Public Hearings (Three Items, First Readings)
FY2025–26 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER): Staff presented the annual HUD-required report summarizing investments through the CDBG and HOME programs. Activities included accessibility upgrades (Arc of the Piedmont), housing rehabilitation, and public services. Council directed staff to place this on the September 21 consent agenda for second reading.
BEACON Kitchen Accessibility Enhancements — $55,000: A proposed CDBG amendment to fund accessibility improvements to the "Beacon Express" retail space at the Beacon Commercial Kitchen, the final stage of their build-out. Funds would come from unspent prior-year CDBG appropriations (approximately $100,000 remaining). Council directed staff to place this on the September 21 consent agenda.
Ix Arts Foundation Accessibility Planning Grant — $25,000: A planning grant to help the Ix Arts Foundation develop a professional accessibility and design plan for Ix Art Park (the mural and sculpture plaza, not the broader IX property). A private donor has committed a matching $25,000. Staff noted the building is privately owned and that any physical improvements would be designed to be portable or would require lease renegotiation, as was done with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Councilor Payne flagged the need for guardrails to ensure the planning process remains realistic and implementable. Note: the resolution in the packet contained a typo listing the amount as $55,000 rather than $25,000; staff acknowledged the error. Council directed staff to place this on the September 21 consent agenda. *Note: the resolution typo must be corrected before final approval.*
Police Civilian Oversight Board Ordinance Amendment (First Reading)
PCOB Director James Walker and Chair Dr. Frazier presented a comprehensive revision of the PCOB ordinance, roughly a year in the making. The revised ordinance transitions the board from a model centered on independent investigations — which faced legal barriers around Garrity law and employment law and had never successfully produced a hearing in six years — to a monitor, audit, and review model. The board's existing authorities are expanded and made more explicit. Both city attorney's office and the board's independent legal counsel reviewed identical questions and reconciled their recommendations. Changes since the May presentation were minor wording adjustments. Dr. Frazier noted the board is already reviewing cases regularly, has open-book access from Chief Kochis, and is planning outreach to unhoused community members at The Haven. Vice Mayor Oschrin noted that unhoused residents with complaints about police conduct could bring them to the PCOB. Second reading required before adoption.
Carver Recreation Center Lease Agreement
Parks and Recreation Director Rian Anthony presented a two-year lease agreement with the Jefferson School Foundation for Carver Recreation Center, running through June 30, 2028. Rent increases from approximately $17 to $23 per square foot. In exchange, the city is relieved of custodial services (~$70,000/year), landscaping (~$70,000/year), and routine maintenance ($20,000–$50,000/year), yielding a net savings compared to the prior arrangement. Staff will continue negotiating a long-term lease, with a related loan question (whether the Jefferson School Foundation will repay, seek forgiveness, or extend a city loan) expected to come before council by December 2026.
Vote: Moved by Councilor Fleischer, seconded. Passed 5–0.
MCI Metro Franchise Agreement (Ordinance)
City Engineer Duncan (appearing remotely) presented a renewal of the franchise agreement with MCI Metro Access Transmission Services of Virginia, updating language to align with current public right-of-way management standards, including 45-day removal of obstructions and daily penalties for noncompliance. MCI Metro's infrastructure in Charlottesville is primarily underground. Council waived the second reading.
Vote: Moved and seconded. Passed 5–0.
C-Ville Talent Network Launch
Economic Development Director Chris Engel and Workforce Development Program Manager Jenny Bishay presented the relaunch of the Downtown Job Center as the "C-Ville Talent Network," now operating out of City Space with two staff. The program expands from job-seeker assistance to also working with businesses on workforce pipeline development, with a focus on the ALICE population (working people who are not yet self-sufficient but are job-ready). The network will navigate between multiple existing workforce providers, track outcomes using Network to Work's platform, and host workshops and events. Contact: cvilletalentnetwork@charlottesville.gov.
Staffing Announcements
City Manager Sanders announced:
Mike Goddard (currently Deputy Director of Public Works) will serve as Interim Director of Neighborhood Development Services beginning September 14.
India Adams-Jacobs will join as Assistant City Manager beginning September 28, overseeing infrastructure, IT, parks and rec, public works, sustainability, and utilities. She currently serves as Town Manager of Bowling Green, Virginia, and was recently elected President of the Virginia Local Government Management Association.
Key Takeaways
Affordable housing investment is ahead of pace overall, but deeply behind on serving the lowest-income households: Only 25% of funds have reached the 30% AMI threshold, half the plan's target. Council and staff signaled this must be the central focus of the next phase, potentially including revolving loan funds, acquisition-based strategies, and new impact metrics beyond AMI.
The Azalea Springs development remains a flashpoint: A significant sediment discharge, failure to follow critical slopes waiver conditions, and ongoing concerns about mature tree loss and property damage have put the developer under heightened scrutiny. Council explored — but did not yet take action on — revocation of the critical slopes waiver, toughening future waiver conditions, and adopting state standards for tree removal timing.
The Holiday Drive shelter is open with 57 residents, with capacity to expand toward 120 beds. Council and staff disputed several public characterizations of the encampment closure, confirming zero trespassing arrests and two non-uniform officers present. Concerns about women's safety and bathroom access at the shelter were acknowledged and referred to operator CASS for immediate follow-up.
The Police Civilian Oversight Board ordinance overhaul advances to a second reading, replacing an unworkable independent-investigation model with a robust monitor-audit-review framework that the board expects will allow it to conduct systematic case review for the first time in its six-year history.
Two senior city staff appointments were announced: an Interim NDS Director (Mike Goddard, starting September 14) and a new Assistant City Manager (India Adams-Jacobs, starting September 28), completing the city manager's cabinet reorganization.
AI-generated summary from voice-to-text transcript. Not the official record. Verify important details with the source documents linked above.
What happened at this meeting
Report: Annual Affordable Housing Report 5:30 PM Closed Meeting (Interviews for the CRHA Board and Planning Commission) 6:30 PM Business Session
# Combined Summary: Annual Affordable Housing Report
Ms. Madeline Metzler presented the Fiscal Year 2026 Affordable Housing Report, which tracks a 10-year, $100 million investment plan with $65.8 million (66%) invested and $72 million committed (84% of targets). While the city is performing well on direct investments and tax relief programs—having preserved 530 subsidized units (88% of goal) and stabilized over 1,100 households annually—it significantly lags on administrative capacity spending, limiting program expansion and transparency tools. Council members raised concerns that current metrics focusing on Area Median Income are inadequate given economic inequality in Charlottesville, that funding falls short for serving the lowest-income households (30% AMI), and that the city needs stronger tenant rights and anti-displacement strategies, particularly given that approximately 60% of residents are renters with disproportionately high populations in historic Black neighborhoods. Staff noted that staffing constraints and capacity issues have delayed priority explorations including revolving loan funds, anti-displacement policies, and alternative funding mechanisms, though the city ranks among the highest per capita in affordable housing spending on the East Coast. Council emphasized the need for difficult strategic decisions about balancing affordable housing investments with other budget priorities, with staff indicating the plan will need revision given market changes affecting the lowest-income populations.
Ms. Madeline Metzler presented the Fiscal Year 2026 Affordable Housing Report, which tracks a 10-year, $100 million investment plan with $65.8 million (66%) invested and $72 million committed (84% of targets). While the city is performing well on direct investments and tax relief programs—having preserved 530 subsidized units (88% of goal) and stabilized over 1,100 households annually—it significantly lags on administrative capacity spending, limiting program expansion and transparency tools. Council members raised concerns that current metrics focusing on Area Median Income are inadequate given economic inequality in Charlottesville, that funding falls short for serving the lowest-income households (30% AMI), and that the city needs stronger tenant rights and anti-displacement strategies, particularly given that approximately 60% of residents are renters with disproportionately high populations in historic Black neighborhoods. Staff noted that staffing constraints and capacity issues have delayed priority explorations including revolving loan funds, anti-displacement policies, and alternative funding mechanisms, though the city ranks among the highest per capita in affordable housing spending on the East Coast. Council emphasized the need for difficult strategic decisions about balancing affordable housing investments with other budget priorities, with staff indicating the plan will need revision given market changes affecting the lowest-income populations.
Minutes: May 18 and June 1 regular meetings, August 12 joint Council-School Board
The Clerk presented the consent agenda item regarding minutes from the May 18th and June 1st regular meetings, and August 12th joint council and school board work session. This was a routine approval of meeting minutes with no discussion or questions raised by Council members.
Resolution: Resolution to Appropriate funds for the Virginia Behavioral Health Docket Grant - $78,150.00 (2nd reading)
The consent agenda included a resolution to appropriate $78,150 from the Virginia Behavioral Health Docket Grant for second reading. No specific questions or concerns were raised during the consent agenda discussion of this item.
Resolution: Resolution to Appropriate Virginia State Police FY 27 HEAT Equipment Reimbursement Funding - $10,000 (2nd reading)
A resolution to appropriate $10,000 in Virginia State Police FY27 HEAT equipment reimbursement funding was presented for second reading as part of the consent agenda. No Council members raised questions or concerns about this item.
Resolution: Resolution Appropriating $750,000 received from the Jefferson Scholars Foundation for the Vacation of Clarke Court (2nd reading)
The consent agenda included a resolution appropriating $750,000 received from the Jefferson Scholars Foundation for the vacation of Clark Court for second reading. This item proceeded without discussion or objection.
Agenda items (22)
Procedural (2)
1ProceduralReport: Annual Affordable Housing Report 5:30 PM Closed Meeting (Interviews for the CRHA Board and Planning Commission) 6:30 PM Business Session
The city will hear an annual report on affordable housing efforts, followed by closed interviews for openings on the Community Redevelopment and Housing Authority Board and Planning Commission.
What happened
# Combined Summary: Annual Affordable Housing ReportMs. Madeline Metzler presented the Fiscal Year 2026 Affordable Housing Report, which tracks a 10-year, $100 million investment plan with $65.8 million (66%) invested and $72 million committed (84% of targets). While the city is performing well on direct investments and tax relief programs—having preserved 530 subsidized units (88% of goal) and stabilized over 1,100 households annually—it significantly lags on administrative capacity spending, limiting program expansion and transparency tools. Council members raised concerns that current metrics focusing on Area Median Income are inadequate given economic inequality in Charlottesville, that funding falls short for serving the lowest-income households (30% AMI), and that the city needs stronger tenant rights and anti-displacement strategies, particularly given that approximately 60% of residents are renters with disproportionately high populations in historic Black neighborhoods. Staff noted that staffing constraints and capacity issues have delayed priority explorations including revolving loan funds, anti-displacement policies, and alternative funding mechanisms, though the city ranks among the highest per capita in affordable housing spending on the East Coast. Council emphasized the need for difficult strategic decisions about balancing affordable housing investments with other budget priorities, with staff indicating the plan will need revision given market changes affecting the lowest-income populations.
2ProceduralMinutes: May 18 and June 1 regular meetings, August 12 joint Council-School Board
Council will approve the official minutes from its May 18 and June 1 meetings, as well as a joint meeting with the School Board on August 12.
What happened
The Clerk presented the consent agenda item regarding minutes from the May 18th and June 1st regular meetings, and August 12th joint council and school board work session. This was a routine approval of meeting minutes with no discussion or questions raised by Council members.General Business
3General BusinessResolution: Resolution to Appropriate funds for the Virginia Behavioral Health Docket Grant - $78,150.00 (2nd reading)
Council will approve spending $78,150 in grant funds to support mental and behavioral health services in the community (second vote on this item).
What happened
The consent agenda included a resolution to appropriate $78,150 from the Virginia Behavioral Health Docket Grant for second reading. No specific questions or concerns were raised during the consent agenda discussion of this item.4General BusinessResolution: Resolution to Appropriate Virginia State Police FY 27 HEAT Equipment Reimbursement Funding - $10,000 (2nd reading)
The city will accept and spend $10,000 in reimbursement from Virginia State Police for equipment purchased in fiscal year 2027 (second vote on this item).
What happened
A resolution to appropriate $10,000 in Virginia State Police FY27 HEAT equipment reimbursement funding was presented for second reading as part of the consent agenda. No Council members raised questions or concerns about this item.5General BusinessResolution: Resolution Appropriating $750,000 received from the Jefferson Scholars Foundation for the Vacation of Clarke Court (2nd reading)
Council will approve using $750,000 donated by the Jefferson Scholars Foundation to fund the closure and remediation of Clarke Court (second vote on this item).
What happened
The consent agenda included a resolution appropriating $750,000 received from the Jefferson Scholars Foundation for the vacation of Clark Court for second reading. This item proceeded without discussion or objection.6General BusinessResolution: Resolution to Allocate $2,000,000 School Operations Contingency Funds and Amend the FY 2027 Charlottesville City Schools Budget and the City's Pupil
The city will allocate $2,000,000 in emergency reserves to the school system and adjust the fiscal year 2027 school budget accordingly.
What happened
A resolution to allocate $2 million in school operations contingency funds and amend the FY2027 Charlottesville City Schools budget and the city's pupil transportation budget was presented for second reading. No Council members raised questions during the consent agenda discussion.7General BusinessResolution: Resolution adopting the 2026 Regional Solid Waste Management Plan for the Thomas Jefferson Solid Waste Management Unit
Council will adopt a regional solid waste management plan for the Thomas Jefferson Solid Waste Management Unit, which coordinates trash and recycling services across multiple jurisdictions.
What happened
The consent agenda included a resolution adopting the 2026 regional solid waste management plan for the Thomas Jefferson Solid Waste Management Unit. This item was presented without further discussion or debate.8General BusinessAction Item: Resolution to Appropriate $450,707 in Dockless Mobility Revenue for Bicycle
The city will spend $450,707 in revenue generated from dockless bikes and scooters on expanding and improving bicycle infrastructure.
What happened
# Summary: Dockless Mobility Revenue AppropriationCouncil member Michael questioned how the $450,707 in dockless mobility revenue would be allocated between bicycle programming ($265,100,000) and infrastructure, with staff clarifying that programming includes helmets and promotional items while keeping expenses separate to comply with bonded money restrictions. Michael also raised concerns about dockless bikes blocking sidewalks and requested geo-fencing requirements; staff confirmed this technology is already implemented in areas like Rugby Road and Grady Gordon neighborhoods, with plans to expand designated parking spaces and virtual geo-fenced zones viewable in the app. To address accessibility concerns for disabled residents, the geo-fence system requires users to end rides only at designated locations with photo confirmation, and the meter continues running until proper parking is verified. The current fleet contains approximately 650 scooters. The consent agenda passed unanimously five to zero.
9General BusinessResolution: FY 2027 Budget Amendments and Appropriation of $300,252 of Additional General Fund Revenue (1 of 2 readings)
Council will approve adjustments to the fiscal year 2027 budget and appropriate $300,252 in additional general fund revenue (first of two votes).
What happened
The consent agenda included a resolution for FY2027 budget amendments and appropriation of $300,252 of additional general fund revenue for one of two readings. This item was presented as part of the consent agenda without specific discussion.10General BusinessResolution: Resolution to Appropriate Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act Grant (VJCCCA) $452,704 (1 of 2 readings)
The city will accept and spend $452,704 in state grant funds to support youth crime prevention and community programs (first of two votes).
What happened
A resolution to appropriate $452,704 from the Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act Grant (VJCCCA) was presented for one of two readings as part of the consent agenda. No Council members raised questions or concerns about this allocation.11General BusinessPublic Public Hearing and Resolution for the Draft Program Year 2025-26 (“PY25”) Hearing/Res.: Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (“CAPER”) (1 of 2 readings)
Council will hold a public hearing and take a first vote on approving the city's report to the federal government on how it spent community development funds in the past year (first of two votes).
What happened
# City Manager Report SummaryThe City Manager reported on the Azalea Springs project incident, noting that the stop work order was lifted after the site achieved compliance following an illegal water discharge, with a final SWPPP inspection completed to verify documentation and water quality tests. The city engineer anticipates a consent order with fines in the tens of thousands of dollars, though the exact amount remains unfinalised, and questions were raised regarding city oversight of tree protection both on and adjacent to the development site. In staffing announcements, Mike Goddard, deputy of public works with 11 years of service, will become interim director of Neighborhood Development Services starting September 14th, and India Adams-Jacobs, former town manager of Bowling Green, Virginia, will join as the new assistant city manager effective September 28th, overseeing infrastructure, IT, parks and recreation, public works, sustainability, and utilities. The council reviewed the CAPER (Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report) for HUD submission, which is currently available for public comment on the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission website with ADA-accessible materials, and agreed to carry the item to the September 21st meeting for a second reading and vote.
12General BusinessPublic Public Hearing for a Proposed CDBG-Funded Activity, the 2026 BEACON Hearing/Res.: Kitchen Accessibility Enhancements Project, a Substantial Amendment to the Program Year 2026-27 Annual Action Plan, in the Amount of $55,000 (1 of 2 readings)
The city will hold a public hearing on a $55,000 federal grant to improve kitchen accessibility at the BEACON community center (first of two votes).
What happened
# Summary: Presentation on the C-Ville Talent Network LaunchChris Engel from the Office of Economic Development presented an update on the newly rebranded C-Ville Talent Network, which the office relaunched after assuming management of the Downtown Job Center following a city reorganization. Jenny Bishay, the workforce development program manager, detailed how this initiative expands beyond the previous job-seeker focus to serve both job seekers and businesses, particularly the ALICE population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed individuals), through job coaching, resume assistance, mock interviews, and workforce training navigation. The program operates on a "no wrong door" approach, conducting individual assessments and providing warm handoffs through internal programs like Skills Builder and community partners including Network to Work, UVA Pipelines and Pathways, and regional organizations. Staff explained that navigators will operate from City Space with open office hours while also conducting outreach at libraries, the Department of Social Services, probation offices, and job fairs, with clients able to access services via cvilletalentnetwork@charlottesville.gov. Council members expressed support for the initiative's focus on increasing resident incomes as part of the affordable housing solution, while inquiring about concrete differences from the previous model and metrics for measuring success.
13General BusinessPublic Public Hearing for a Proposed CDBG-Funded Activity, the 2026 IX Arts Hearing/Res.: Foundation Accessibility Enhancements Planning Grant, a Substantial Amendment to the Program Year 2026-27 Annual Action Plan in the Approximate Amount of $25,000.00 (1 of 2 readings)
Council will hear public comment on a $25,000 federal grant to fund planning for accessibility improvements at the IX Arts Foundation (first of two votes).
What happened
# Public Hearing Summary: 2026 IX Arts Foundation CDBG-Funded ActivitiesStaff presented two CDBG-funded initiatives for the IX Arts Foundation: a $55,000 substantial amendment for the Beacon Kitchen Accessibility Enhancement Project, which will fund accessibility improvements for the Beacon Express space where clients learn commercial food preparation, and a $25,000 planning grant for IX Art Park to develop comprehensive accessibility improvements. Eva Harr, executive director of the IX Arts Foundation, explained that IX Art Park currently lacks accessible features including stage, children's garden, seating, lighting, and wayfinding, and the planning grant would fund professional design resulting in three implementation scenarios (small, medium, and large scope). Anthony Warren from the city's Budget and Grants Management office noted that planning grants are standard practice in the CDBG process, and a private donor has already committed to matching the city's $25,000 investment. Council raised concerns about property ownership and lease terms for the underlying private property, prompting staff to reference similar agreements with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank that included longer lease terms without step increases and designed relocatable improvements. Following the public hearing with no public comments, Council member Lloyd expressed support for IX Arts as a well-used community entity, and the items were moved to the consent agenda.
14General BusinessOrdinance: Ordinance amending City Code Chapter 2, Article XVI. - Police Civilian Oversight Board (1 of 2 readings)
Council will consider changes to the rules governing the Police Civilian Oversight Board (first of two votes).
What happened
# Summary: Police Civilian Oversight Board Ordinance AmendmentStaff presented a revised ordinance amending City Code Chapter 2, Article XVI regarding the Police Civilian Oversight Board, which has undergone approximately one year of revision to transition the board from independent investigation functions to expanded monitor, audit, and review authorities. The revision removes the independent investigation component due to legal barriers and contradictions that previously prevented the board from holding hearings for six years, while clarifying and expanding existing authorities including body-worn camera review, internal affairs cases, standard operating procedures, community outreach, audits, and SRO program review. Both the city attorney's office and independent legal counsel reviewed the ordinance, with minor legal adjustments and wording refinements made since May to align with state law and best practices. When Councilor Payne questioned whether these changes decreased oversight, the PCOB chair explained that the revised ordinance will enable comprehensive review of every case rather than only egregious ones, and confirmed the board is scheduling community meetings to hear concerns from unhoused residents about police conduct during encampment transitions. Council agreed to proceed with two readings given the significance of the changes and substantial public involvement in the process.
15General BusinessOrdinance: Ordinance Creating MClmetro Franchise Agreement
Council will approve a franchise agreement that allows MClmetro to operate transportation services in the city.
What happened
# Summary: Ordinance Creating MClmetro Franchise AgreementStaff presented an ordinance to renew the franchise agreement with MCI Metro (Access Transmission Services of Virginia), featuring updated language on public right-of-way management, obstruction removal within 45 days, and daily penalties for non-compliance. The renewal supports the city's initiatives to eliminate double poles, achieve ADA compliance, and preserve public infrastructure integrity. Council clarified that MCI Metro operates buried lines in the city but the agreement allows connection to overhead lines if needed, and discussed ensuring the agreement adequately covers infrastructure that may transition between above-ground and below-ground configurations. A councilor noted that despite the city's well-built-out pole and line networks, MCI lines are not visibly present. The council unanimously approved the ordinance with a waiver of second reading by a 5-0 vote.
16General BusinessResolution: Resolution Authorizing a Two-Year Lease Agreement for Carver Recreation
Council will authorize a two-year lease agreement for the Carver Recreation Center.
What happened
# Summary: Resolution Authorizing a Two-Year Lease Agreement for Carver RecreationRian Anthony, Director of Parks and Rec, presented a two-year lease agreement for Carver Recreation Center with Jefferson School Foundation that increases rent from approximately $17 to $23 per square foot (matching market rates for commercial property) and shifts maintenance responsibilities—including landscaping, garage cleaning, and custodial needs—from the city to Jefferson, with the city paying only direct costs for stormwater, insurance, and taxes. Council member Jen confirmed the $23 per square foot rate aligns with market standards, while another member noted the increase of approximately $6 per square foot on the 28,831 square foot facility. The agreement is projected to generate $100,000-$130,000 in annual savings by eliminating custodial costs (~$70,000), landscaping costs (~$70,000), and maintenance expenses (~$20,000-$50,000). Councilor Michael supported the two-year extension as it provides time to resolve an outstanding loan with Jefferson School Foundation and address policy questions regarding long-term facility management and future lease rates. The motion to adopt the resolution authorizing the lease agreement through June 30, 2028 passed 5-0.
19General BusinessThis is an in-person meeting with an option for the public to participate electronically by registering in advance for the Zoom webinar at www.charlottesville.gov/zoom. The meeting may also be viewed on the City's streaming platforms and local government Channel 10. Individuals with disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to participate in the public meeting may call (434) 987-1267 or submit a request via email to ada@charlottesville.gov. The City of Charlottesville requests that you provide 48 hours’ notice so that proper arrangements may be made.
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20General BusinessThe presiding officer shall ensure that individuals address their comments to City Council at appropriate times, in accordance with the meeting agenda and Council’s Rules of Procedure.
Members of the public must address their comments to City Council at designated times during the meeting in accordance with council rules.
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24General BusinessDuring a City Council meeting the presiding officer shall have control of the Council Chambers and the connecting halls and corridors within City Hall, and any other venue where a Council meeting is being held. In case of any conduct described above, the presiding officer may take measures deemed appropriate, including but not limited to suspending the meeting until order is restored, ordering areas to be cleared by the Sergeant at Arms, or requiring any individual to exit the meeting room and adjacent premises (connecting halls and corridors.)
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Additional votes recorded in minutes
Approve the agenda
aye 1
voice voteaye
Convene in closed session
aye 1
voice voteaye
Certify closed session
aye 1
voice voteaye
Adopt consent agenda
aye 5
Jen Fleisheraye
Juandiego Wadeaye
Lloyd Snookaye
Michael Payneaye
Natalie Oschrinaye
Authorize two-year lease agreement for Carver Recreation Center
aye 5
Jen Fleisheraye
Juandiego Wadeaye
Lloyd Snookaye
Michael Payneaye
Natalie Oschrinaye
Approve ordinance creating MCI Metro franchise agreement (waiving second reading)
aye 5
Jen Fleisheraye
Juandiego Wadeaye
Lloyd Snookaye
Michael Payneaye
Natalie Oschrinaye
Adjourn the meeting
aye 1
voice voteaye
Verbatim transcript available
775 transcript segments indexed
I never bring mine in here. Hello, I call the Charlottesville City Council, September 8th, 2026, City Council meeting to order. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Councilor Fleischer? Here. Vice Mayor Oshrin?
Here. Councilor Payne? Here. Councilor Smoke? Here. Mayor Wade? Here. Thank you very much. Is there a motion to approve or amend the agenda? So moved to approve the agenda. I'll second. All in favor, please say yes.
Yes. All opposed, please say no. Thank you. The motion passes five to zero. This meeting will be divided into three sections. The first one will be a work session where we will hear and discuss a presentation that does not require a vote.
Then followed by a closed meeting, and then the business meeting at 6:30. Today is all housing and with an annual affordable housing report and presenting that will be Ms. Madeline Metzler. Thank you very much.
Thank you, and good evening- Good evening ... city councilors and Mayor Wade. I'm Madeline Metzler, senior housing planner, with Neighborhood Development Services. And tonight I'll be presenting the fiscal year '26 affordable housing report which provides an overview of what the city has accomplished so far under the affordable housing plan and where we still have important work ahead.
This evening, I'll walk through how Charlottesville has been investing its affordable housing dollars, what those investments have produced, our progress toward the major housing goals from the affordable housing plan, who benefits from these investments, some highlights from the past year, and finally a look at what's coming next.
And my goal tonight is to show both the significant progress we've made toward our investment and production targets, and to clearly identify where we still have gaps, specifically in how we are investing in administrative capacity and serving our lowest income households.
Now, the affordable housing plan provides a funding framework for the 10-year, $100 million investment in affordable housing that it outlines. That investment is divided across three categories, with 70% of funding to go towards direct housing investments, 20% to tax relief and stability programs, and 5% to administrative capacity.
This framework guides our funding decisions and provides the structure for tracking our progress across the full 10-year window. This slide shows our investment progress for the first five of the 10-year commitment, from FY22 through FY26.
In that time, the city has invested approximately $65.8 million, which is about 66% of the full 10-year goal. Overall, we're ahead on direct housing investments and on tax relief and stability programs, and we're behind on spending for administrative capacity, which affects our ability to implement new programs, carry out policy changes, and expand our transparency tools.
A quick note on the direct investments category. This includes all affordable housing investments in the CIP from FY22 through 26, along with major acquisitions made outside of the budget cycle, such as the Carlton Mobile Home Park and the Dogwood portfolio.
However, one correction is needed to include the 2000 Holiday Drive purchase from FY26. If we add in that approximate $6 million investment, our total direct investment increases to $58.5 million. And with that correction, we've now committed 84% of the direct investment target and bringing our total commitments to $72 million of that $100 million planned.
There's one additional nuance worth noting. The numbers shown here do not include future dollars that are tied to performance agreements for the developments at Kendall 1 and 501 Cherry. These agreements commit the city to abate taxes once the projects are complete, but at the time the agreements are made, we don't have the full dollar value of those future tax assessments.
As those projects move forward and assessments are finalized, we'll be able to track and report the dollars abated each year. But the key takeaway is that even without considering the tax abatement funding, council has exceeded the investment pace needed to fulfill its 10-year commitment.
We're only halfway through the timeline and more than two-thirds of the way to the total funding target. However, even with this strong overall performance, we remain significantly behind in building the administrative capacity needed to deliver and oversee this work.
Now we turn to what those investments are producing. The affordable housing plan set three major goals, increasing subsidized affordable units by 1,100, preserving 600 existing subsidized units, and stabilizing between 1,600 and 2,200 owner and renter households each year.
We're seeing strong progress in all three of these categories. First, in production, over 1,000 new subsidized units are now in the pipeline, which is about 97% of the goal. And here in the pipeline can mean units that are completed under construction, as well as units with approved plans or plans that are currently under review.
Yeah? Just a quick clarification. These goals, were these meant to be over the course of the 10 years? That was it, yeah. Okay, so we're pretty close. Yeah. We're 50% through the 10 year period, and we are a lot of the way there on the first two goals.
And the third goal is a little different because it's not tracking an amount of money we're spending over those whole 10 years. It's really tracking the average households each year as compared to that annual goal.
So that one, it's not like you can necessarily make up for what we didn't do five years ago, but you could spend more in that category if you wanted to try to do that. But it wouldn't necessarily change the numbers from the last five years, if that makes sense.
Yeah. Got it. Thank you. Yeah. So secondly, we've preserved 530 subsidized units, which is about 88% of the total goal. And lastly, annual household stabilization is lower than targeted, averaging just over 1,100 households annually, which is like 65% of that low range goal or 53% of the high range goal.
And to be clear, the stabilization count comes from the number of households supported annually through our tax relief programs and through our CISRAP program. And is that correlated at all to our lower admin contribution?
I would say it's just more attributed to the amount of money we're willing to put into those programs. So, another housing staff person wouldn't help CISRAP serve more people because we're at capacity with the $900,000.
We serve as many households as we can with that $900,000. And same with the tax relief programs. Whatever money is in the budget, there's certainly more people that would qualify that are able to get that assistance.
So it's more of a funding choice. But again, when we were looking back at the money that we've spent on the tax and stability programs, we have been spending ahead of what we planned to. It's just that maybe when we were thinking of how far that money would go, things have changed since then too.
So even though we're spending on track for those tax programs, we're still not quite hitting the number of households annually that we would hope to. Yeah, we're not getting as much bang for the buck as we thought we were.
Right. Yeah. So overall, we're tracking very strongly towards our housing production and preservation targets. And this next slide highlights some of the projects that are contributing to those numbers.
So CRHA's redevelopment work continues to move forward, most recently with the first units completed at South First Street Phase 2 just a couple of weeks ago, and some of those units are in that photo on top there And work continues still at Southwest Street, phase 2, as well as 6th Street, and planning is underway at West Haven.
And over at Kindlewood, phase 2 construction continues, and an updated photo is there on that lower photo above. And other nonprofit partner-driven projects are also progressing. Construction of permanent supportive housing is underway at Vista 29, with completion expected later this year, and work continues towards new units at 501 Cherry Avenue and several developments along Park Street.
All of these projects contribute meaningfully toward our production and preservation goals and represent long-term commitments and collaboration between the city and nonprofit partners in the housing authority.
So, if you can go back to that. Yeah. I'm sorry. Please. It's like, this is... When I first got on council, one of the questions that I asked is, "Do we know, can someone give me a number tied to that $10 million, our commitment?" And we couldn't do that.
Mm-hmm. It was a range, it was maybe, but it's good to see this number is in, is being tracked. We can to see the impact that we're doing. So, thank you and the staff very much for this. So, it's good to see.
That's great to hear, because that's certainly been a huge goal that, Antoine, who was here previously and since I started- Mm-hmm ... that is something we've been trying to get our hands around. Yes.
And now moving on to the AMI targeting. So, one of the other parts of the affordable housing plan includes an equity goal for how we spend our housing dollars. It calls for 50% of funding to serve households at or below 30% AMI, 30% of funding to households at 60% AMI, and 20% of funds to serve households at or below 80% AMI.
Our actual performance from FY22 through FY26 does not track with these targets. Only 25% of funds have served households at or below 30% AMI, which is half of what the plan calls for. Most of our investments, around 71%, have served households at or below 60% AMI, and just 5% have served households at or below 80% AMI.
This gap is significant because households at or below 30% AMI face the deepest housing challenges and also require the greatest level of subsidy to ensure long-term affordability. So, some of this imbalance reflects how projects are financed.
Units serving households at 60% AMI are often easier to produce, and that's a relative term because they're still quite challenging, but much easier than a unit at 30% AMI, which was going to require deeper investment, deeper subsidies, as well as operating support.
And even though we have met the overall investment pace and we're seeing strong progress on our production and preservation goals, the distribution of funds is not yet aligned with the commitment to serve our lowest income households.
This should really be a central focus of future policy and program development. Yeah. I think also for comparison's sake, it would be helpful to know the actual number of households we have in each of those categories, because just from this slide, we know there's a lot of people at all of them, but just from this slide, we can't tell, oh, well, maybe there are so many more people at 50% AMI versus 30% AMI.
Sure. So how have those maybe changed? Right. And so, I think having the actual hard numbers there would help. That will be available, too. Where currently, TJPDC is undertaking the regional housing study, and that, I think is going to be published around March of next year.
And that, I think will help us, because they did a lot of that data compiling to be able to make comparisons like that from our last affordable or the last housing needs assessment, compared to this one.
Yeah. Great. So, I look forward to seeing that too, because you're right. We don't really know how those proportions may have changed in that time period. Right. Thanks. Can I ask you a question about this, the different categories here?
Yeah. If we assume that the same unit is being produced, whether it is intended for a 30% AMI or lower, or a 60% AMI or lower, and that the difference between the two units basically comes down to the amount of the subsidy that we have to give or that somebody's got to give- Mm-hmm ...
in order to make that work, how much of the subsidy is that? That will- What's the difference between a 30 and a 60? That can range. I know PHA has provided some calculations to compare that for us. We've seen it from time to time, but- Yeah.
And I don't recall off the top of my head. Sam, do you remember when we were looking at those comparisons? No. Yeah. There's a chart. We'd have to look at that. A lot of times we get folks saying, "You should insist in this particular proposal-" Mm-hmm ...
this should be 20% under 30% AMI, not just 10%." And so, I'm always sitting here thinking, "Okay, what does that mean in practical terms?" Mm-hmm. How much money are they talking about either the developer losing or the city chipping in to make up the difference?
And I think that would be a very useful number to know. I think that it would be, too. I think that's something we could try to hone in on a little bit. And I know it'll vary from project to project. Right.
That's I think where it does get tricky. But yeah, trying to find some kind of a- It ought to be a matter of finance- ... benchmark guideline number ... and future value and net present value, all that kind of stuff that folks who get MBAs ought to know.
Right. Yeah. One of those letters is wrong for me, but yeah. Not quite there, but I think that's something we could work on for you. You got the P, but not the B. The P, not the B. Yeah. All right. And I'll move forward.
And well, looking back at FY26, the city formally transitioned all housing functions into NDS. We also completed a housing staffing study, which reinforces the need to continue building administrative capacity.
In addition, several major studies were completed, including the tax abatement study, the in-lieu fee study, and the CISrep program evaluation, which I'll be presenting to you later this month. And we administered grants through our CAF and HAPS programs that will both preserve and produce affordable units and support over 2,800 residents.
We also executed loan agreements that support new production at the MACA site on Park Street and at 501 Cherry Avenue. And these operational accomplishments are essential to maintaining momentum across our broader housing goals.
And here we look forward at planned investments from FY27 through FY31, which is the second half of the 10-year period covered by the affordable housing plan. By the end of FY31, total investments are projected to reach just over $107 million, essentially fulfilling the 10-year funding commitment.
And to be clear, that doesn't include numbers that we spend on the tax programs. That $41 million number is only what's included in our affordable housing CIP, planned CIP contributions. About $66 million has already been invested, with $41 million planned for the remaining years, and this further reinforces that council has already positioned the city to meet the full affordable housing plan investment goal.
One additional note on the future outlook. We are also anticipating contributions to the CAF in the coming years. We expect just over $11 million to come in from projects that are expected to finish construction in 2027.
And finally, this slide outlines the housing division's priorities going forward. We will strengthen our focus on serving households at or below 30% AMI and try to understand what we might be able to do to better meet that goal.
We'll continue building administrative capacity, and we've already made some progress there in filling one of our vacant positions. We also need to look closely at how to best align CIP investments with our affordability and equity goals, support the implementation of a tax abatement program, and expand our transparency tools, including public dashboards and improved public reporting.
These priorities will help ensure that the next phase of the affordable housing plan is not only effective but equitable. On this page, can I just ask you- Sure ... support tax abatement implementation.
We got this tool a few months ago that basically seemed to show that there is no tax abatement system that is going to truly increase the availability of more units. That will not necessarily tip the scale of making affordable units more financially feasible.
But we also saw in that tool that the reasons why affordable housing meeting our requirements is not feasible was not just because it's expensive to create affordable housing, but right now it's expensive to create all housing.
Right. Any housing, right. And while it didn't show that it was going to move the needle a lot, I think we still had feedback from developers that they're saying it would still help them. And if there is interest in that, that's something we can still move forward on.
I think I would hear from you all tonight, I guess, on that, but. Part of my question is, although I can certainly understand why developers would say, "Sure, cut our taxes," that of course that would help- Well, sure.
Yeah ... in the abstract. But I wonder whether, given how difficult the numbers are, number one, is it realistic to think that supporting a tax abatement implementation is truly going to make a difference?
And if so, and if it's in combination with a bunch of other things, I think we need to know what that bunch of other things is before we start getting all enthusiastic about the tax abatement idea. Yeah.
We've got a little bit of study on that. That's great. But if it's not going to make it work without other things, let's identify all of those things. Yeah. And there are also a number of factors we would have to think about and what the policies would look like for a program like that, how you would want to use the tool, what you would want to be incentivizing with it.
So that's also why we haven't come back yet- Yeah ... with any recommendation there, just because we know there's still some more information and more work to be done before we could come to you with a policy that we'd ask you to adopt.
So rather than saying support tax abatement and implementation, perhaps the first thing is to develop a tax abatement plan. Sure. I guess that would be part of the supporting the implementation, would be creating a plan first.
Mm-hmm. And then, of course, making sure that that would still be something we think is worthwhile. Right. Yeah. And that concludes the presentation. I will reiterate that we've made substantial progress toward our investment production and preservation goals.
The next chapter in our work is to ensure that these investments deliver equitable outcomes, particularly for households with the lowest incomes who experience the deepest housing challenges. And I'm here to answer any questions you have.
Mm-hmm. Thank you. I know we chimed in some during the presentation, but Jen, there's maybe some additional questions we have. Yeah. I don't have additional questions now. I am curious about the why of that and the number of residents that we need to support at that level.
Mm-hmm. And where... I guess I'm still not clear on for the admin side, just that being our lowest performer at the moment, is it that we have those positions funded but not filled, or we need to, like you had said, assign the funding there to bolster that?
And what outcome can we expect with that bolstering if we did? Does that make sense? Yeah. With filling all the positions that we have right now, none of us are making a million dollars a year, but...
Oh, I didn't consider the option of increasing everyone's pay to meet that goal. Right. There you go. That number that's there is accounting for all positions that are funded within the budget, whether they're filled or not.
Yes. Okay. So it's not a matter of vacancy, it's a matter of considering what additional positions we need to fill. And so one of the accomplishments that Madeline noted in her presentation was a study that was done this past spring, looking at, given this program portfolio that the city is running, here's what the recommended staffing would be to support that program.
Got it. So that's really what we're looking at. For part of the what would that get you, one of the positions in that recommendation included a position that would have more skills in looking at the funding agreements that we have, more experience with housing financing, and maybe also able to try to find other funding opportunities and broaden the pool of funding that some of our developers are looking at, and trying to partner with them to find other grant opportunities or whatever else might be out there.
That was just one of the new positions I can remember. Yeah, that seems valuable. That seems like with the difficulty of not knowing... There's no silver bullet, at least we learned that. Right. That getting scrappy about where we- Yeah, and thinking about how we can not just look at our CIP budget as the funding source.
Right. Okay, that's it. Thank you. Thank you. You have any additional comments? Not me. Lloyd, sorry. I just have one other question, talking about the staffing issue. What I'm hearing, and admittedly not solely from affordable housing advocates, but certainly in a group that does include those, is that one of the staff positions or one of the staff emphases that we need to be developing is, it has nothing to do with your office, but everything to do with inspections and permitting- Sure ...
and getting that process sped up significantly. Is there any thought that something more ought to be happening? If we've got this money to be spent on administrative efforts that would help speed things through the process, that's certainly one that I would say I don't need to stretch very hard to say that that's a good use of that money.
Yeah, I think I'll let James speak to that one. I can say that we are continuing to assess the needs in all of those spaces. I know there was a period through the spring and into the early summer where there was a great deal of concern, a great deal of commentary about our, particularly in the building division, the availability of inspectors and plan reviewers and all those things.
And I can say that there's a few things on that. First off, as you recall, we went through one of those periods of time where we lost nearly all of our inspectors. We've now filled all of our positions again.
We are once again fully staffed, and even one of those that was in what I would call an apprentice mode, has just graduated out of that and is now a full-fledged inspector. We also did, in response to these needs and the volume of plan review activity that was happening, create a new plan reviewer position.
We actually created that last fall, took an existing position and changed it into that, so we did it outside of the budget process. But we haven't been able to fill that position, which speaks to the other challenge, which is actually getting people into these roles.
So we can fill inspector positions, but filling those mid-level, mid-to-higher level positions have proven to be much more challenging. Okay. Natan. Hi, thank you so much. I agree that the staffing is something that I don't want to be the limiting factor for the ability to make sure that we're overseeing all these programs fully and getting new projects built as quickly as possible.
And then I know it's also the one that is hardest to fund, given the fact we can't use one-time money. Right. It's not just the salary, there's also the benefits and the pension, so it adds up. But I am just adding my voice to the call that staffing is important.
And if we can make sure that we have those positions filled and that we have the right positions, that is advisable. And then something that is part of the looking forward is that we are going to get money in the next year or so from the larger projects that are happening in town.
Mm-hmm. That is directly targeted towards the Affordable Housing Fund. Right. It goes into the CAF, yeah. Yeah. So how do we plan for that? What is the process for... I know we're not quite sure exactly when it's going to land, but what are we prepping for that?
I think Sam has started having some of those conversations. Some of the councilors have been included in some of those. I don't know if you'd want to speak to that anymore. But we know we wouldn't really expect to see anything, I think, until FY28, so there is a little bit of time there, but...
Yeah, the plan is that we are going to be internally working through what we will bring forward as a recommendation. And that is because it's one-time money, the restraint that we have to focus on is that it's one-time money.
And then any deployment of those funds is going to have to be- capable of doing whatever it is that we want to target with those funds because of its one-time nature. And if we are to bridge something, then we're also then saying that we're prioritizing it for the next budget cycle, so we would have to then accommodate its permanency.
So those are things that we're having to talk through to figure out. But that will come in the form of recommendation through the committees before it comes to council. Okay, great. Thanks. So we are working on it.
Yes. More to come. Definitely on a number of people's minds. Yeah. Excellent. And then, that's all I have at the moment. Thank you so much for- Yeah. Thank you ... all the great putting in. Michael. And just to answer a question Lloyd had earlier, this is from 2024 from Piedmont Housing Alliance project.
The cost to bring a unit from 60% AMI to 30% AMI was $125,000 of subsidy per unit in order to be able to afford the debt payments- Yeah ... of bringing it, again, from 60 to 30. A few thoughts, questions.
First, I agree with others in that there was that recent study done that recommended several new staff positions. I do think it would be important to fund as many of those as is feasible in the upcoming budget, because I don't think that our existing staff capacity is enough to do what we're already committed to in terms of monitoring inclusionary zoning, all the programs we have.
And then our community has a desire to do more than that, even like tying vouchers to inclusionary zoning units- Mm-hmm ... revolving loan funds. I think those are absolutely necessary and not optional to meet what the community's expecting us to do.
In terms of questions, there was that chart that tracked the interventions in stabilizing households. Mm-hmm. And you said that captured tax relief and CSRAP. Mm-hmm. Does that not capture investments we've made in critical home repairs through programs like AHIP?
It does not, but those are captured in the preservation of units- Okay ... if we're doing that kind of rehab work. Okay. And do we track the cost per unit at different AMIs for different projects? That has proven very difficult to track, only because when we have a project, let's say we're putting $2 million in, and we know there's going to be five 30% units and 40 60% units, I don't really know how much of that funding is going...
All I can do is say, "Well, we have five units here and 30 units there." I could make some guess, but I think we would need to do some work with our partners to try to get some more. We would need more information from them to be able to really get that deep in the details, I think, on that.
Mm-hmm. No, and I totally understand it could be very- Yeah, if we had all projects that were only one income range, then that would make it really easy, but we just don't have any like that. Right. No, totally understand it's hard data to get, and a lot of it's out of our control, perhaps, to fully get.
Mm-hmm. But it would be interesting to see if different projects are having different costs for producing a 30% AMI unit. And we're very behind on our 30% AMI goal, so maybe if that cost for new construction is so high, maybe we pivot towards more acquisition of existing housing units- Mm-hmm ...
in order to get to 30%, which I know many cities have pivoted towards more property acquisition as more cost effective to get to lower AMIs. Yeah, I think we would want to definitely confirm that it actually is more cost effective, though.
I think some of the acquisitions that we have made, if you do compare them, they're showing, like the Carlton Mobile Home Park acquisition compared to our investment in some construction, was a lot more significant per unit.
But it's also kind of a hard comparison to make. That was a pretty unique situation. So- Right ... maybe looking at some of the other kinds of preservation that we've done besides those outlier projects.
Right. No, and there could be huge differences in if the acquisition of Dogwood housing portfolio- Mm-hmm ... if those can then be paired with vouchers. That would be very different than acquisition without voucher pairing.
Yeah, that's true too. So traditionally, we make grants as part of the capital stack for these new construction projects. Have we ever looked at, or are we exploring in any way right now, not stopping grants, but looking in addition to grants, providing capital through a revolving loan fund or in a way where we're recapturing over time some of our investment?
I think that's something really worth exploring in the future. We do have loan... A lot of ours actually are loans. They're just forgivable loans. So in essence, it's really a grant unless something goes terribly wrong with the project.
But I do think that's something we should be considering, especially as we are coming to the end of that 10-year period, and we want to consider how we can sustain funding over time. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think it'd be interesting to think about as over the next year or so, when we anticipate getting the inclusionary zoning payments from the 2117 Ivy Road and VERVE projects, perhaps- Those one-time funds could seed a revolving loan fund.
Just one possible- Yep. That could certainly be one of those recommendations we explore to bring to you. It's on the list. And then do we use any other metrics besides AMI to track impact as a performance indicator?
We do. We have other demographic information that we track. I think impact is maybe something that's harder to track. I find just with how our current affordable housing plan was set up with the goals, the goals really weren't oriented towards measuring impact.
They were more towards measuring outputs. So that might be something we want to think about more when we enter into a new phase of an affordable housing plan, I think. Mm-hmm. I do think we should very strongly look at other impact measures beyond AMI.
I fully understand it's kind of industry standard, and you can't escape it. But I think nationwide, we're increasingly seeing that it is not accurately capturing impact, and I think we have one of the most distorted AMIs in the entire country because of our extreme level of economic inequality because of the university's presence here.
So, when we look at those numbers and we see the level of investment, 60% AMI, well, our AMI is so distorted, 50% AMI for a one-person household is 45,000 a year, about $20 an hour, well above minimum wage.
Mm-hmm. For a family of four at 50% AMI, you're talking about $70,000 in annual income. At 80% AMI, you're talking about incomes that are over $110,000 annually, and the median Black family in Charlottesville is at 50% AMI, whereas the median white family is above 100% AMI.
Point being, I think if we're only using AMI, we're falling further and further behind on meeting the biggest need that exists in the community, but our metrics may look like it's all fine. Right. Well, in this case, it kind of looks like it's not.
But yeah. And to Councilor Oshin's point earlier as well, we don't actually know too how have those categories been shifting over the years. Is our proportion of people in that 30% category increasing?
Because then we're maybe even a little more behind than we might have thought we would be. Mm-hmm. Or is it decreasing- Or decreasing ... with displacement- Right ... and maybe account for that. And maybe it makes sense, actually- Yeah ...
that there's more, but we don't know without that data. Well, and to your point, I think that's definitely correct, that I think that measure of where we are on the 30% investment shows that we are pretty far behind.
I think we've made very significant progress, obviously. Mm-hmm. But how far behind we are on that 30% AMI goal, to me, shows we have a lot more work to do, and we have to figure out new strategies. And that number doesn't surprise me because this $10 million annual goal was developed in 2018 and 2019- Mm-hmm ...
before the pandemic. And obviously, construction costs have fundamentally changed since then. Right. Everything has changed. Yeah. So I think that 10 million just doesn't allow us to get to our 30% AMI goal anymore, at least if our only strategy is forgivable loans for new construction.
I think there's a lot of positive things- Mm-hmm ... that we're seeing, but I'm very concerned how far behind we are on 30% AMI, and curious how far behind we are on 40 and 50% AMI. And again, those AMIs are not capturing people who at 0 to 10- Mm-hmm ...
20% AMI, you may be capturing some people who are not working or on disability, but we're also not meeting the needs of people who are working full time, working multiple jobs, particularly single parents and those working hourly jobs, and we're falling behind in categories that would include single parents who are working full-time jobs as teachers, nurses, jobs within the city.
We really are not fully meeting the needs of even middle class and lower middle class, certainly working-class families in the city. I'm not surprised, again, just because of how much it's changed since 2019, but I think we have a lot more to implement and figure out.
And again, I do worry about the AMI metric perhaps over time masking how far behind we are. Yeah. Noted. I agree. It's a good time for us to kind of regroup and look and see where we are and think about how we might need to change our strategy a bit going forward.
Mm-hmm. And then the only other question is on the future steps that outline some potential policies to explore. You talked about potentially revolving loan funds and other things. Is it currently prioritized to explore specific tenant rights and anti-displacement strategies going forward?
Yeah. I wouldn't say we have specific strategies that we have explored already. And to be fair, the exploration of new programs and policies has been put on the back burner a bit while we've been having some staffing shortages.
But I think that's something we're really looking forward to, getting staffed up a bit more so we can put some work into that. Certainly, that's what we hear from the community, is the real ... risk of displacement and thinking about what we can do to mitigate that is something we have on our minds.
I just want to note, on the note of what was just shared, that we have also recently made the decision to take another existing position and transform it into a housing position. So we are bringing the housing division up to three full-time staff from the existing two.
So we are already trying to move in that direction, recognizing the need in that space. Thank you. And, obviously, I think those tenant rights and anti-displacement strategies are extremely important, since about 60% of the city are renters.
I think disproportionately homeowners are sometimes focused on, but people are disproportionately renters in historic Black neighborhoods in Charlottesville. And if you're a homeowner and property values go up, you can share in that wealth, and build equity.
But if you're a renter, you can lose your housing and see no benefit from it. And so I do think we're kind of, there's some unique risks there. Noted. That's it. Thank you. So I just had a couple of comments or questions.
So, we recently talked to Todd Divers and about the CHAP program, and I mean, we're doing, just a talk with him in this locality, the city of Charlottesville. We have programs- Mm-hmm ... and things that none of his colleagues in other cities are doing, and so I'm happy with that.
Are you finding that when you talk to your colleagues around the state or around the country, if there are additional things that this council, this city can do to support our efforts? Are we- I think much like Mr.
Divers, when I talk to my colleagues across the state, Charlottesville is already doing a lot more than most other localities and really doing, if you're looking, what are the recommended policies we should have to achieve our goals, we're doing a lot of those already.
Mm-hmm. I think, I'll talk more about this when I come back, talking about CISRP. That's another program that's extremely- Mm-hmm ... unique to have a locality funding like that. So much like our CHAP programs, I think Charlottesville is quite ahead in a lot of ways.
But unfortunately, we still see that despite all of that- Yeah ... we still have this room to go. Absolutely. That may be the buried headline of this presentation, is that every time we talk to our colleagues- Yeah ...
anywhere else in the state, and in many places outside of the state, they are amazed at everything that Charlottesville is doing, and that we are so far ahead of other places in terms of tackling issues of affordable housing.
Yeah. And I'm regularly, I think in the last two weeks, I've had people from three different localities in Virginia also reaching out to learn more about what we're doing here about affordable housing, because other cities are trying to see what they can do.
But it does make it a bit challenging sometimes though, because we want to know, well, what more can we do? And then I try to go out and look at what other cities are doing, and I don't find that many great ideas sometimes.
But we'll keep looking and keep trying new things. Right. I have to talk to a lot of group on housing and the cost of housing, and I talk about the $10 million, and this is just something that I say with some reluctance, because I'm not sure, and that $10 million, is that the highest per capita in ...
I know it's not, I'm pretty sure it's the highest in the state. I hear other it's the highest on the East Coast, it's the highest in the country. It'd be good if I can say that- That would be good ...
with a high degree of confidence when I'm speak-- I don't need it now, but if you could- Yeah, because our study earlier did compare, but it was still looking only at Virginia. You can say it's the highest of a city of this size with all confidence.
Yes. That's for sure true. I think Arlington recently beat us per capita. Yeah. And they had some help with some money coming in through- Yes ... some private deals. Very rich. Right. That would help.
Jen, there's Arlington again, so. I know. Arlington. We'll talk about it. Go ahead. So Mayor, if I could- Yeah ... because this is one of my soapboxes, so I'd like to get on it for just a minute and just share a few observations.
Having been the one delivering this report four years ago, I think it was, and feeling like we were, at that time, in a very interesting place of celebrating what it was that we were doing, and being critical of what we were doing at the same time.
Obviously, nothing has changed based on this presentation and the questions and the remarks that have come as well. I think what I would like to point out that we should really focus on is that, one, we are doing something.
And that is something to be commended for the fact that we have committed a significant amount of resources to this particular issue in our community every single year. And that is something that a lot of places have not done.
We are finding ourselves in such a deep hole when it comes to affordability that it is very difficult to climb out. At times it feels impossible. I think what we have to be reminded of is that we came up with the plan, we are attempting to work that plan, and when we identify that there are gaps in the plan, we're supposed to focus on those gaps because the plan was created with all of that in mind.
Where there are gaps is where I think we need to make sure that we put forward some additional effort. We as staff are prioritizing that in our conversations of what more can we suggest for consideration.
And then I will always remind you that the biggest challenge that you face as the five individuals who make the decisions, is that you will have to make some trade-offs, and the decisions come as exactly that.
When we reference additional staff, the number of staff that have been identified that are needed, if we were to fill all those positions today, we are approaching half a million dollars a year Every year just to accomplish that, because those salaries plus benefits are a recurring expense.
So we have chosen at this moment to be a little more creative and not fill all the positions because we were given that as a report from our consultant, and we value their opinion. But we also retain the services of PFM, our financial consultant, because they advise other communities on how they're handling their affordable housing investments.
So we're leveraging the fact that they have some experience with other local governments and using that opportunity to take a look at how we're framing our work. What we may learn from that is process changes, policy recommendations that we can bring forth to you, and we hope to be able to bring those to you.
As well as, as Mr. Freeze indicated, that we're looking to fill an additional position that we're making possible right now. And then the goal would be to continue to look at as we build the FY28 budget, how do we consider filling the remaining positions that were a part of that or might come from the actual conversation with PFM when we compare ourselves to other cities and the work that they're doing.
As it relates to how the money is going out today, yes, we are very much focused on grants. I think it is well overdue that we have a conversation about loans and that those be revolving loans. Our friends in the work are not happy hearing us suggest that because they have to pay that back, but you don't have an infinite number of dollars that you can do whatever you want.
And for that reason, we have to try to make this as cyclical and as consistent as we possibly can. So those are some of the recommendations that I think you'll be looking forward to seeing in the next few months.
And the difficulty that comes with all of that is how do we balance all of those other issues along with this very, very expensive investment activity that we have been facing every year. I think it's probably, and I don't feel as though we asked Madeline to say this, but revisiting the affordable housing plan is something that we are going to have to begin teeing up as a transition for it's the same as a strategic plan.
You update it every so many years, and before you finish the time period that you've identified, you start planning for the next one. It is time for us to begin considering how do we go about doing that because as our market has changed, it continues to make it virtually impossible for us to guarantee that we can reach the lowest rungs on the ladder.
And as you've been making investments in homeless services today, we didn't call out homelessness at all in this presentation. And it is a part of the affordable housing plan because the continuum begins with those individuals who have no choice, and that is no housing choice, all the way to those who are having difficulty finding what they can afford.
So with that, I think we just recognize that as we do your strategy work in your council retreats, that part of what we'll be bringing forward is some of those difficult decisions that are going to need to have clarity through your actions.
And it will be changing what we're doing and doing some other things that we haven't been doing. It's a concert tonight, so Got the background music. Keep us really geared up for our next meeting. Might want to check on that schedule.
Mm-hmm. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anything else for now? That's it. Nope, that's it. Miss Madeline, thank you so much- Thank you ... for your work, and thank your colleagues as well, so. Yes, will do.
Thanks. Have a good evening. Thank you, Madeline. So Sam, is that it for now? We can go into closed session. That is it. Unless you had more that you wanted to talk about on this particular topic since that's the only thing that was advertised, affordable housing.
No. So that's all you can talk about. Yeah. But it's up to you. Nope. I think we're ready. All right. Pursuant to Section 2.2-3712 of the Virginia Code, I move that the City Council close this open meeting and convene in a closed session as authorized by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act as follows.
One, pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711 (1) , for discussion and consideration of prospective candidates to be appointed to the Planning Commission. Two, pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711 (8) , for consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel, specifically, possible participation in state regulatory proceedings.
And three, pursuant Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711 (3) , for discussion or consideration of the acquisition of real property for a public purpose or of the disposition of publicly held real property, where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body, specifically, potential acquisition of property recently made available for purchase.
Is there a second? Second. All in favor, please say yes. Yes. All opposed, please say no. Thank you. The motion passes. We'll be back at 6:30. We have quite a few things in closed session to go over, but we should be on time.
Thank you. Yes. I call the Charlottesville City Council meeting back into order. Madam Vice Mayor, will you read us out of closed session, please? I'd be happy to. I move that this council certify by a recorded vote that to the best of each council member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from the open meeting requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and identified in the motion convening the closed session were heard, discussed, or considered in the closed session.
Is there a second? Second. All in favor... I'm not sure if everyone is logged in yet. I might do a voice. Everyone is. Okay. I'm already logged in. Okay. All in favor, say yes. Oh, yes. Yes. Or opposed, say no.
Okay. So we're back into session. Let's begin with a moment of silence. Okay. Thank you. Are there any announcements that anyone would like to make? And I know there's- A few announcements from Alexan, and first is, the ninth annual CYM or Close Your Mouth and Listen Day, sponsored by Alexan, is coming up on Monday, September 21st, at 10:00 a.m.
Sponsored by Senator Deeds, Delegate Katrina Colson, and Better Living. For more information, you can contact Mr. Alexan at 434-202-0773 or alexan@i-c.net. Okay. And also today is C-Ville 12 Day. It's the day marking the 67th anniversary of the 12 Black students that integrated Charlottesville City Schools in 1959.
And there were some different ceremonies and programs today in the city school, so really happy for that. It was really a special day that, when I was on the school board, that the schools participated in, so it's a good day.
So you might hear something when you get home. Yes. Is that when it's on? Yeah. You rule. Yeah. Yeah. And then the second Sunday of every month, the Charlottesville Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee co-hosts a neighborhood walk.
This month, this Sunday, the 13th will be the Little High neighborhood, the Little High Martha Jefferson neighborhood. So the walk starts at 10:00 a.m. and is meeting at Sunrise Elementary School parking lot.
So it is open to all. It is free. It is a slow-paced mosey, so people of all fitness levels are encouraged to join, and kids are welcome as well. There's a pamphlet from the Historic Resources Committee that will be a part of every walk, so you learn a little bit about the neighborhood.
And then if folks are from the neighborhood and wanna share more details with the other participants, they are encouraged to do so. So again, that is this Sunday, meeting at 10 o'clock at the parking lot of Sunrise Elementary.
And thank you. And I just wanna put people and start getting on people's radar about the Loop, Loop Deville. Did yous wanna mention that, or- Let's let Jen do that. Jen, yeah. Yeah. The last Sunday of the month, September 27th, all day long, launching from the Rivanna River Company site and exploring the whole network of trails of the Rivanna Trail.
We will have the Loop Deville, a city signature event, that is free. It is not a race. It is a chance to explore the trail network on National Public Lands Day with guides and sweepers, so you can learn more about the trail as you go along.
There is a 3 mile, 10 mile, and 20... the whole loop, options for runners, mountain bike riders, and hikers. So check that out at Loop Deville. Yeah. Thank you Any other announcements? I don't think there are any proclamations this week.
Is it okay? Okay, so we're now at the first opportunity for community matters, and we have eight people who have pre-registered to speak, and then we'll have the opportunity for eight others during this time.
The first speaker is Jesse Hopper. Thank you. Mayor Wade and members of the council, tonight, our neighborhood asks you to consider suspending or revoking Stanley Martin's permit for construction at Azalea Springs.
We do not expect or desire that this will permanently stop the development. That's not what we're asking for. We're asking you to bring Stanley Martin back to the table and give this council and this community the opportunity to address deficiencies we have identified and documented and hold Stanley Martin accountable for disregarding the conditions of its waiver.
We know that revocation is an extraordinary step, but these are extraordinary circumstances. Stanley Martin came before this council asking for a critical slope waiver and made specific representations about how stormwater sediment and the stream corridor would be handled.
Council approved that waiver on the thinnest possible margin with very specific conditions. Immediately after construction began, Stanley Martin disregarded and failed to implement the protective measures demanded by their waiver, and the result is still sitting downstream.
Sediment equivalent to 10 or more full-size dump truck loads. This wasn't an accident. It was an intentional disregard of this council's conditions and a failure to implement even the most basic stormwater management measures.
Twenty-six days after a stop work order was issued, city staff lifted that order before all of its conditions had even been satisfied. Stanley Martin goes back to work, and we still have their sediment on our properties.
And now we're headed back to business as usual. If a developer can disregard waiver conditions, pay a nominal fine through a consent order, and continue working, then that fine isn't a deterrent, it's a price.
And we have effectively created a system where a sufficiently large developer can purchase a license to pollute. We've been told revocation is not going to be recommended by staff, and we've also been told that the maximum penalty available will not be sought.
Why not? If an egregious disregard of conditions imposed by this council resulting in substantial damage to neighboring properties does not warrant the maximum penalty or revocation, what does? And if we want developers to understand that Charlottesville's environmental regulations mean something, we need to meet this moment now.
Every one of us in this room went to the polls and put a check beside your names as an act of faith. An act of faith that we would give you power to speak as our voice. Suspend or revoke this permit, bring Stanley Martin back to the table and before this body, and seek the maximum penalties allowed by law.
And give us a seat at the table and show us that the power we gave you means something. Thank you. Al? Al? That was a remark. Good evening. My name is Albie LaFave. Good evening. And I'm speaking about the Azalea Springs development between Azalea Drive and Monte Vista Avenue.
My primary concern is the impact that clearing, excavation, and extensive grading may have on the mature trees that remain around the perimeter of the development and on neighboring homeowners. This property presented significant challenges for development, concerns that were raised during the approval process.
Now that excavation and grading are underway, we are witnessing the consequences on the surrounding properties. Of primary concern is the alteration of the existing soil and root structure. Mature trees have developed stable root systems over many decades.
When soil is excavated, compressed, removed, or substantially backfilled against those trees, roots can and will be damaged or weakened. This compromises the health and stability of trees that remain outside the construction area.
My understanding is that homeowners would be responsible for the cost associated with a fallen or hazardous tree, even when adjacent construction activity contributed to or caused the problem. This seems to be an unfair outcome for homeowners who had no role in creating these conditions.
I'm therefore asking city council to take a proactive step now while construction is still underway. Specifically, I request that the city require or facilitate an independent certified arborist assessment of mature trees surrounding the development that may have been affected by clearing, excavation, grading, or changes to the soil and root systems.
That assessment should document the current condition and stability of potentially affected trees before additional construction or backfill makes evaluation more difficult. So I request the city to conduct an independent arborist assessment, document the condition of potentially affected mature trees now, clarify responsibility for trees that become hazardous because of construction-related changes, consider appropriate protections for neighboring homeowners, give greater priority to the long-term loss of mature tree canopies.
This is an opportunity to address potential problems before a tree falls, someone is injured, a home is damaged, or a homeowner faces a substantial unexpected expense. I respectfully ask council to take these concerns seriously and act proactively to protect existing residents, mature trees, and the character of Fry Springs.
Responsible growth should protect existing residents who have invested in their homes and contributed to the character of these established neighborhoods. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you.
Casey Gioeli? Gioeli. I'm going to build on the previous comments. I live at 215 Azalea Drive, and I'm here to request that Bellevue Avenue, the paper street between Azalea Drive and the property owned by Stanley Martin Homes, be adopted by City Council.
As stated in the letter that you will have received earlier today, the extensive land disturbance during site preparation has led to consequences for the large trees contained within the paper street.
Many of these trees, some of which have been growing since the 1930s, have grown towards Azalea Drive in their search for light. Some of these trees are in excess of 75 feet tall. They are top-heavy, and their root systems have been compressed and/or damaged.
Some will die as a result of the site preparation. All will have increased vulnerability to storms. Since 2010, Fry Spring has been hit with four microbursts and one derecho. A heavy snowfall in 2022 resulted in an 80-year-old white oak situated within the paper street to fall on my house.
In my case, the damage was limited, but that does not mean that when these trees fall, that they will not cause significant damage to homes, property, and potentially human life. As such, I and many of my neighbors request the following: that the city adopt the paper street, that the city use an ISA certified arborist to perform a risk assessment and identify vulnerable trees within the paper street.
Where possible, these trees should be treated and monitored over a predetermined period in order to ensure ongoing health. Trees that have been identified as too damaged should be felled and their tree roots be allowed to decompose.
This will prevent additional land disturbance as well as provide soil nutrients and habitat. Lastly, that the city plant native trees within this paper street upon completion of construction. Taking ownership of this paper street for the planting of trees aligns with the city council's vision statement for 2025, which described a vision for Charlottesville to be a green city and started with the statement, "Charlottesville citizens live with a vibrant urban forest, tree-lined streets, and lush green neighborhoods." The citizens who live on Azalea Drive should not be asked to incur costs to ensure the safety of their homes and their families by managing trees on land that they do not own due to impacts caused by development activity that was approved by City Council.
We ask that the city take responsibility for their decision-making and manage this issue in a manner consistent with the city's stated environmental goals. Thank you. David Mays. Good evening, Mayor, members of council.
Good evening. My name is David Mays. I'm a long-time Charlottesville resident up until the beginning of this year when I had to move down to Nelson County. I'm here tonight with an idea to address two major community challenges simultaneously: our ongoing homelessness crisis and the unfinished Dewberry Building at 201 East Water Street, which has sat vacant for approximately 17 years.
Charlottesville and the Commonwealth continue to spend millions of dollars funding shelter operations, outreach, and emergency interventions. At the same time, the city is actively demanding a viable plan for the Dewberry property.
My proposal connects these two challenges. Let's investigate transforming 201 East Water Street into a centralized transitional housing and workforce development center. This would not merely be an emergency shelter, it would provide a structured pathway, immediate stabilization and shelter, behavioral health and case management, adult education and job training, and independent permanent housing.
The facility could house classrooms, counseling suites, nonprofit agency offices, and an on-site social enterprise such as a cafe or a restaurant. That enterprise would generate real paid employment and professional certifications like ServSafe for residents alongside vocational training in building maintenance, housekeeping, and administration.
Importantly, this does not require creating a new city bureaucracy. Charlottesville already has proven providers doing this work, Brock, PACHEM, The Haven, the Salvation Army, Virginia Supportive Housing, and Region 10.
This proposal simply gives our existing network a permanent unified hub to coordinate their efforts under one roof. I'm not asking council tonight to commit to finishing this building. I am asking you to find out whether it's feasible.
I respectfully ask council to direct staff to initiate a feasibility study to evaluate three things: the structural viability of adapting the building The legal and acquisition options available to the city and a financial comparison between completing this asset versus the perpetual expense of piecemeal emergency responses.
The fundamental question is not just what it costs to finish the building, but what Charlottesville gets in return. Turning a 17-year-old downtown eyesore into hundreds of people stabilized, trained- Thank you, Mr.
Meese. Yeah. We did get your comments, though. Thank you very much. Great. Thank you very much. John, you're next. John? John? John? Thank you. Oh, 2:53. I have a chart here. It's a poster, and it's a solution of the sewage problem coming with the Azalea Springs development.
Honored guests, distinguished city council members, Charlottesville community members of Monte Vista Avenue and Azalea Drive. In regards to the Azalea Springs development by Stanley Martin Homes, I have a T-channel to cross-channel poster solution to the coming sewage problem there in order to pump sewage uphill in below-ground pipes.
The residents and concerned citizens have met at the Fresh Spring Beach Club to address the preservation of trees in the development. I suggest a compromise with Stanley Martin to retain the trees between the chain link fence and the black mark silt fence owned by the Stanley Martin Development.
The work stop order has been lifted. Water does not naturally go uphill. What I am proposing are grinder pumps for the sewage originating in new homes built or within cross-channel silos with T-channels, both underground with multimedia water and gas line, electric cable including sewage grinder, pumps in the T-channel or silo cross-channels to pump the sewage to the Monte Vista Avenue above and onward to the water treatment plant.
Monte Vista Avenue has a camber to divert rainwater into catch basin inlets. All mesh grates in the city should be covered by steel plates to prevent leaves and other debris from ponding of water throughout our city and county urban areas, and have T and cross channels.
We should all rally around uniform street widths of 32 feet, 37 feet, 42 feet, or 50 feet, i.e., the largest street width possible so that bike and scooter lanes, parking spaces, up and down lanes, and sidewalks can be added without telephone poles or streets in the city setback area, in addition to lines painted for traffic control.
I will present the Clerk of Council, Kena Thomas, with my invoice for payment royalty to Johnny Hall Johnny Angel Network for $100,000 per quarter mile. Thank you for the three-minute allotment, for your time listening.
And I want to show you this chart that I did. So the next speaker- It's a coronal sagittal section Thank you, John ... you learn about those things in the- Thank you, sir ... anatomical position in medical school John.
Mr. Hall, thank you, sir. You're welcome. Thank you. Let me- The next... John, we need to get to the next speaker, which is Donna Tietjen. Hope I pronounced it right. No, I don't think so. Did, Donna- That's a long withdrawal, so she moved up from- Oh ...
the waitlist. Oof. Good evening. Donna Tietjen, Albemarle County, speaking on homelessness. Is this on? Yes, we hear. Despite your extensive and expensive public relations campaign and self-congratulatory rhetoric, Charlottesville is doing some of the absolute worst things a city can do to address homelessness.
You are actually doing this: criminalizing basic survival, sweeping encampments without providing real alternatives, treating out of sight as housed, building temporary beds when neglecting permanent housing, and constantly relocating people instead of stabilizing them.
Charlottesville City Council, you should be ashamed, not proud of what you've done. For months, you said you couldn't do even the most basic things for people living in the encampments. People asked for toilets, washing stations, trash removal, sharp containers.
You said there were barriers, you said there were limitations. You said you couldn't, but did so at the last minute to fit your public relations campaign. But you turned on a dime when a known racist TikToker posted inflammatory content across social media about the encampments, and a lawsuit was threatened over public space use.
Suddenly, the city found the urgency and resources to act. You told people to leave, and you threatened those who stayed with trespassing enforcement and arrest. That is not a housing solution. That is displacement.
And you were made aware of the many concerns about this approach. Service providers and advocates told you months ago and often that spending millions on a temporary congregate emergency shelter was not the answer, and sweeps would further harm the people already experiencing trauma.
You proceeded anyway. Last May, the city acknowledged that housing needs were increasing because rents were rising and affordable housing was in short supply. Brock's August 2026 by name list identifies 264 people experiencing homelessness, with the city identifying 703 unhoused people by name between last May and April 26.
Yet Charlottesville has only 90 permanent supportive housing units, 60 at The Crossings and 30 scattered site. The Salvation Army provides about 54 round congregate beds for men, with plans to double the number.
And now Holiday Drive adds approximately 60 more temporary congregate beds, beds separated by gender and spaced two feet apart. Vista 29's 80 apartments won't be ready for several more months. People need homes, not another temporary bed, not another re-traumatizing sweep and relocation.
Charlottesville could acquire quickly, like other cities have done, homes, tiny hotels, tiny homes, small buildings, leased apartments. Council even referenced that they might simply just buy a hotel at the end of the May working meeting.
It certainly had the money to do that. Instead, millions are being spent managing homelessness, not ending it. Thank- Is that it? Thank you. Mm-hmm. Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is Laura Sergagni.
Sergagni, I'm sorry. Despite the city's rhetoric about needing to displace our camping neighbors at Free Bridge for quote, "their own safety," at every turn, the city's actions clearly prioritized adhering to an arbitrary deadline over the health, safety, and well-being of our most vulnerable neighbors.
The city has asserted that they provided meaningful engagement in the weeks leading up to the arbitrary displacement deadline to connect people with resources. Instead, the only resources that were consistently delivered by the city were more surveillance and harassment.
Police arrested as many people as they could on petty infractions and probation violations, and violently seized residents and had them committed to psychiatric care against their will. This was obviously done to remove and intimidate anyone who might stand in the way or resist displacement.
When the deadline day came, it was under an extreme heat advisory, and city officials rolled up with their own fully equipped emergency mobile headquarters, with full spread of food and water and amenities, all while at the same time locking up and hauling away the two measly porta potties and washing stations that they had only recently provided for campers.
Campers and community members nonetheless worked tirelessly in the heat and under constant police pressure. And I looked at you, Jen Fleischer, when I said police pressure. People helped move their entire lives and leave behind the community that they had built together with the help of community members.
Camping residents, however, were nonetheless traumatized, and many of them visibly suffering health concerns and complications brought on by the terrible physical and emotional strain of the day. Those that chose to move to the shelter that the city insisted was their best option, were greeted with staff who had no idea where their loads of belongings would go or any knowledge of the promises that the city had made.
The city instead had told them that there would be an easily accessible 24/7 facility. They were not greeted, in fact, by an easily accessible facility when they arrived there in their desperate need.
Instead, they were required to do a pile of intensive paperwork just for a bed. Rather than use the millions of dollars they were granted by the state to provide real housing, people were given 10:00 PM curfews, outdoor showers and toilets, and beds two feet apart in a large windowless office space.
Moreover, despite the claims that the shelter would provide up to 120 beds for people, they have set their base number at half that, while local organizations have estimated over 300 residents in Charlottesville are unhoused.
So that's 60 people out of 300 getting served a cramped bed and outdoor bathrooms for $3 million in annual operating costs. That's $50,000 per person per year, which is more than twice what most people would pay for a year's rent in a decent living situation in the Charlottesville area.
So why are we doing it this way? You've built a soft option prison camp instead of firm housing solutions for the same reasons you prioritize an arbitrary deadline over people's well-being. This is no way to serve our community, and I urge my neighbors, housed and unhoused, to demand transparency and real answers from this council.
Because the housing crisis isn't over- Thank you ... because one camp is displaced. This crisis is- Thank you ... affecting all of us, and it takes all of us to create meaningful change. Thank you. Thank you.
The next speaker is Isis Neuman. Jen, I just wanted to start by saying that I'm so sorry I voted for you. I never imagined what a truly horrible person you are. I wonder if people know that when the city says that things went smooth and without incident, that that includes multiple arrests of people who live down there.
One of the Free Bridge residents being transported off-site in an ambulance, people's belongings being thrown away without permission, people experiencing mental breakdowns due to the oppression of the city, many people forced to leave the place they lived, multiple volunteers being threatened with arrests, and tents going up in flames.
Clearly, you mean without incident to yourselves. You were not hurt, so therefore it was incident-free. And when you say it went smoothly, do you mean that our volunteers doing all the labor went smoothly while you got in our way?
Mm-hmm. Because the city's moving people went home after the first few hours of day one while we got there early and worked late Doesn't include the incidents prior. The increased police surveillance and violence towards everyone down there leading up to this displacement.
We saw an increase in arrests and forced hospitalization. We saw two people institutionalized in the week before the displacement despite showing no new behaviors. Mm-hmm. I watched one of the most sweet loved people down there have her face slammed into the ground by the cops to handcuff her to force her to the hospital so you would have more people out of your hair day of.
Mm-hmm. The shelter is a disaster. Yes. We were told 120 beds, but they set up only half that many, and we have had multiple people turned away due to being at max capacity. It would be cheaper- From the Ravenna River Company ...
for us to house people. That's $50,000 every year we are spending on each person. We could get them permanent housing for less. No local staff was hired over a week before it opened, so no one knew what was going on.
We have seen issue after issue. People were forced to move and are already experiencing police harassment in their new spots. When does this end? Not everyone has a new spot yet, and it's hard to find everyone and provide the support people deserve when they are now spread out and being forced to continually move.
You probably don't understand why I am so infuriated at your actions, because you do not truly see the people you are oppressing as fellow people. You do not know the people you are harming. These people mean nothing to you, but they mean everything to me.
Thank you. Whoo. So that concludes our last registered speaker. We have opportunity for eight more. Who would like to speak? I'll start over here. Anyone in the center like to speak that haven't spoken?
Yes, sir. Evening. You're probably wishing there might be somebody speaking on a different topic than either of these two topics, but I'll disappoint you by talking about the development things with...
Particularly, I want to emphasize the issue with the mature trees. The second and third speakers talked about mature trees, and these are not the ones that were cut down in the center and destroyed in the center of the land, actually one of the largest remaining stands of old trees, not old growth, but old trees in the city.
These are the ones that are left, and the consequences for these trees is substantial, and I think the idea that there's some actual investigation or assessment as to what can be done to save those trees.
The other thing, you think about how the trees support each other. That was a very large canopy all the way across. The center of that canopy has been ripped out. That means there are exposed trees that have never been exposed to direct wind torque in their entire existence.
And that is the kind of thing that the third speaker was talking about, about the blowdown that's going to come toward the houses that are there, the adjoining properties, and on things like the Paper Street, as well as the "buffer zone." So, I think the city is called a tree city.
That kind of designation would seem to be something that would mean that we would prioritize maintaining the mature trees. Planting new trees is better than nothing, but it does not replace the trees that are gone.
It takes maybe 100 years to get something back like that. And then trees in a community, like along that ravine, are even more hard to replace. You just don't have the space to do it. So I'd like the city to take more seriously being a tree city and to consider things that can be done to maintain the mature trees that are left around that area if we can't do anything more substantial about bringing the developer to be following the guidelines that they themselves agreed to, like the first speaker talked about.
Thank you very much. Sir- Thank- ... can you say your name and address please? Oh, excuse me. Worthy Martin. Sorry. Anyone over here would like to speak that haven't spoke before? Over... Yes, sir. Whoo.
Hello, my name is Dyness Chambers. I was part of the ones in the Ravenna River Company, River Trail, the encampment down there. And it started out, from my understanding, the shelter was opening for the people that was down there.
And the first day, they took some people, and the second day, the shelter, it started letting people in from everywhere else, from the Salvation Army, from downtown, and everywhere else. They said this shelter was open for the people at the encampment.
There are several different people from the encampment that wanted to go to the shelter but are denied because it's full, because y'all allowed other people to come in there before y'all made sure that everyone from the encampment was there and wanted to go.
Y'all made the news saying it was for us, it was for them, it was for them, and a lot of the people that was there are not in it. I'm actually one of the ones that are in the shelter, and since I've been there, there's been three incidents that happened where men have threatened women, tried to fight women, tried to go on women, the women's side.
The women are scared to death to go outside at nighttime to use the bathroom. There should be no shelter allowing women to go outside to use the bathroom. It is crazy, it's unbelievable, and it's unacceptable.
That's right. There are no fire sprinklers in this building. They're supposed to be doing fire walks every so often. If there's a fire happen in this building, what is supposed to put it out, and how is everybody going to make it out of this building without getting hurt?
This is ridiculous. We told you before this shelter was a bad idea. We told you people needed their own space and their own rooms. There have been several people that have left this shelter already because y'all have no resources set up, y'all did not plan this out, and y'all did not do it properly.
Y'all just wanted to make something quick for a group of people to please. That's all y'all wanted to do. Y'all did not consider the people that was going there. Y'all did not talk to the people that was going there.
Y'all did not ask them what did they need, and what did they need to benefit them. It's been ridiculous. Y'all just threw a shelter together, put some beds together, and said, "Go there. We're just making something so it make us look good." That's all y'all did.
Y'all done something to make y'all look good. Mm-hmm. There are men there that are threatening women all day, every day, and it's ridiculous. Y'all don't care because y'all don't live there, and y'all set it up to where they don't call the police, so these incidents are not happening, are not being reported.
It's ridiculous. I told y'all this before, it was going to happen like this, but you didn't listen. You didn't care because you're not living there. How about y'all come there and live, and y'all could see the incidents, y'all could see how it's going.
You could see how it feel to walk outside at nighttime to try to go use the bathroom and worry about somebody's coming in there attacking you. You can't even lock the bathroom doors. Thank you. The women can't even lock their doors.
Thank you. So we have opportunity for six more people. But for those who are here for Azalea Garden, there will be an update on that during the city manager's report. Anyone else? I'll start over here again.
Anyone like to speak? Over here. Yes. I forgot your name. J- Hi, I'm Jess Wunger. I'm also speaking about Azalea, and I live in Fire Spring, not adjacent to the development, but pretty close. Thanks for letting me speak.
Hello, good evening. Just wanted to echo some of the things that have been previously said, but also throw out a couple of new ideas. So I did want to thank city staff for issuing the stop work order and using the tools that they had available to them to stop the developer when they saw they weren't following the plan.
My concern is what lies with what speaker number one said is that it seems that some of the fines and the stop work is not necessarily enough to dissuade developers from bad behavior. We see this over and over, not just in Charlottesville, but across the state.
So what other tools might the city implement to encourage developers to do the right thing from day one so it's not cheaper for them to not do the right thing and then get caught and take the penalty, take the fine, whatever.
So maybe something like if you have a future critical slopes waiver, could the agreement specifically state, "If you do not follow the plan, this plan will be temporarily rescinded until we can discuss matters further." Something along those lines, something that might speak to the developer's bottom line to truly hit them in their wallet.
Second, my concern for this area, as we have spoken about, is there are about seven acres of mature forest there. And the developer started removing them in July. If July doesn't strike any chords with you, that is resident and migratory songbird nesting season.
It is pup season for bats, both threatened and endangered, and just bats in general are kind of struggling right now. And also, many urban dwelling mammals have babies this time of year. So removing seven acres of mature forest in the middle of baby season doesn't really seem to align with the city's sustainability beliefs, the green city goals, things like that.
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources actually has guidelines already in place for migratory songbird nesting season, for pup season for many bats, and other counties such as Loudon and Fairfax actually require developers to consult with the Department of Wildlife Resources before they undertake projects like this to ensure their time of year for tree removals are not impacting the animals during baby season, at least to the greatest extent practical.
So is there something city staff could do moving forward to consider adopting guidelines for when trees are removed, when mature trees are removed? Lastly, again, I'm not immediately adjacent to the project, but I can hear it.
And the local noise ordinance exempts construction activities between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. daily. This exemption might have been thinking about a random contractor redoing a roof, but not necessarily a seven acre redevelopment project in the middle of an existing neighborhood.
It's loud. It's noisy. So are there tools in place that the city or the city ... Are there tools that the city could adopt to encourage the developers to be better neighbors to the neighbors that they're impacting?
And I also just wanted to say thank you for your time and sitting here and listening to community matters night after night, because it cannot be fun listening to people complain to you. So just thanks for your time and your service to the community.
Thank you. Anyone else like to speak in the middle here? Get earplugs, man. Anyone else like to speak in the middle here? There'll be another opportunity at the end for those who have ... Oh, I'm sorry.
Good evening, Mr. Mayor and esteemed city council members. My name is Damon Ransom. I'm a combat veteran, and I've lived in Montevista Avenue since moving to Charlottesville in 2006. I understand the process of these proceedings and would like to voice my concerns over the Azalea Springs development being built by Stanley Martin Builders.
We are aware of the dearth of housing in Charlottesville and understand the need for more housing inside city limits. That being said, the actions of Stanley Martin Builders in this matter are disturbing.
I have communicated with representatives from Stanley Martin via telephone, email, and in person with very little satisfaction. I will discuss a few items that concern me I will echo the noise pollution.
I understand the noise ordinance allows for operation of machinery from 0600 to 2200, but this seems excessive. Operation during these hours, seven days a week, for the past few months is simply too much.
The ecological impact, the clear cutting of and the deforestation has caused notable changes in the water runoff. When speaking with the developers from Stanley Martin, I was told that they knew which trees were to be cut down, and it was a select few.
This turned out to be direct clearance of more than 80% of the forest. The animals have dispersed, and I find more and more wildlife congregating on my land. Moving on to trespassing, which a lot of us have an issue with, members of Stanley Martin Builders or their subcontractors trespass on people's property.
This is a picture of them trespassing on my property. There's engineering tape that was run from the telephone pole located between my driveway and my neighbor's driveway through my front and backyard.
There's photographic evidence of this, and when the ecological aspect of the excess water and mud runoff was raised to Stanley Martin, their attempt to rectify the runoff was a form letter, which I have here, asking for access to our properties in order to clean up the waste.
The letter, which is dated August 18th, 2026, states that it is, "An attempt to facilitate prompt cleanup. It is not an admission of liability, does not waive any rights, and does not create obligation beyond the limited access permission and cleanup-related commitments described in this letter." I'd also like to talk about the vehicular traffic.
The proposed paved access road for this development will be installed directly next to my property as my neighbor sold part of his property as an easement to Stanley Martin. I have spoken with the Department of Public Works and the fire department, and I've been assured that the emergency vehicle use of this road will be for DPW water trucks solely.
This has eased some of my fears, and I would still like to know the usage rate of said road. Will vehicles be staged there? If vehicles are staged there, do I need to put up a barrier on my property? Will people be walking through my property?
Thank you for your time. Thank you. Would anyone else like to speak in the middle here? Awesome. In the- You go first. I can go next. Yes. Gentleman, sir. Thank you. Hello, Mayor and members of City Council.
Hello. My name is Fred Hean. I live at 236 Monte Vista Avenue. And I'm going to be speaking about the Azalea Springs development, which you've been hearing a number of words about. Pertaining at this moment to the remainder of the trees that are on the back edges of many people's property just inside this fence, the chain link fence surrounding the development area, and on the Azalea Drive side in that paper road.
From my backyard, you can see that a number of these trees are leaning one way or another. I would bet money that some of these are going to come down before this development is even built, and maybe on one of the new homes there.
But I'm not concerned about any of the homes that are not yet built. I'm concerned about the homes that are present, my neighbors on Azalea Drive and Monte Vista Avenue. When this development was platted 100 years ago, none of those homes on Azalea Drive even existed.
You can drive down the street and see that they're all much newer than that, '60s, 1960s or '70s. So when this was first platted, that was not even a concern. There were no homes there. But this needs to be a concern now.
If these come down through no fault of the homeowners, but rather because of the actions of the developer, who's going to be left paying for the damages? What if a tree falls on somebody's home in the middle of the night, and somebody's injured or killed?
Then what? So I applaud you all for your recent stance on the Dewberry Hotel, but I feel like there is a common thread here of developers being allowed to get away with stuff that they shouldn't be allowed to get away with for far too long.
I don't know what all the rules are about all this kind of stuff, but I would like you to please do your best to change underlying rules which let them run roughshod over the community. Please recognize that for future scenarios, 100-year-old development rights may not meet the conditions in which we are now facing, which we now have, that may be compromised by current conditions.
And while rules and laws from the past, of course, carry legal weight, we also know that they're not always right, or we have grown beyond where we were then. Just existing doesn't necessarily make them right or best.
Jim Crow laws are prime examples of that sort of thing. So we can change such laws. We live in a democracy, and I believe it's our obligation to do so. Thank you. So hi, my name's Eric Pugh, and I live at 310 Monte Vista.
So, I'm not going to repeat everything others have said. I think the one thing I want to say is, yeah, it was definitely really shocking. We have a creek at the bottom. We have a little bridge that goes over it to my kids' playground, and walking down and just seeing how much changed.
And I think my concern is that they have a long way to go in building this development, and if they kind of get away with not following the rules and causing damage now, what is that going to mean in the future as they finish this project?
Are there other things that they're going to be like, "Oh, well, that didn't really work." And my impression at least, was that this was not a fly-by-night developer who had never done a development before, right?
They should know how to. So this seemed like a fairly small thing to get wrong, and now they're building all this other stuff and infrastructure. So I think that's kind of why I was worried is like, oh, if they can't do the small part, clearing the land without causing a lot of damage, what are all the other problems that we're going to see later and if they're not held accountable?
So thank you. Thank you. Anyone else? Anyone else like to speak at this time? Yes, ma'am. Hi. Hello. I'm Jessica Prim. I live at 110 Monte Vista, and I reinforce what my neighbors have said about the Azalea Springs development.
I also am a landscape architect, and when I looked at the grading plans for this development, there's some grading that's taking place adjacent to the property lines that was not reflected on the site plan that is affecting the trees even more than they would've been affected by the site plan.
So I just wanted to bring that to attention. At this point, that's their property. Maybe they think they can do what they want with it, but it wasn't demonstrated that they would have this much impact on the trees, at least on the Monte Vista side.
So that's all I needed to say. Thank you. We have opportunity for one last speaker. Opportunity for one last speaker. Okay, thank you for your comments. We'll have another opportunity at the end for those who have not already spoken.
We will now go into consent agenda. Madam Clerk. Consent agenda number two, minutes from the May 18th and June 1st regular meetings. August 2nd, joint council and school board work session. Number three, a resolution to appropriate funds from the Virginia Behavioral Health Docket Grant $78,150, second reading.
Four, resolution to appropriate Virginia State Police FY27 heat equipment reimbursement funding, $10,000, second reading. Number 5, a resolution appropriating $750,000 received from the Jefferson Scholars Foundation for the vacation of Clark Court, second reading.
Six, resolution to allocate $2 million in school operations contingency funds and amend the FY2027 Charlottesville City School's budget and the city's pupil transportation budget, second reading. Seven, resolution adopting the 2026 regional solid waste management plan for the Thomas Jefferson Solid Waste Management Unit.
Eight, a resolution to appropriate $450,707 in dockless mobility revenue for bicycle programming, one of two readings. Nine, resolution FY2027 budget amendments and appropriation of $300,252 of additional general fund revenue, one of two readings.
Ten, resolution to appropriate Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act Grant $452,704, one of two readings. Thank you. Is there a motion to adopt the consent agenda? Before so, I just had a question on, I remember eight, I believe.
So that's allocating the money from dockless mobility revenue permits. For the portion of that that's going to the bicycle programming, the 265, 100,000, what is encompassed within bicycle programming versus the other part that's going to bicycle infrastructure?
I might need a minute to get the answer on that. I think there's folks in the NDS conference room. Did I just see Brennan come in? Brennan, is Ben still in the back? Yes. There's a question for him. Oh, do you want me to go grab him?
Could you please? Yeah. It's toasty in here Mr. Chambers? Yes. Michael, can you repeat your question, please? Sorry about that. But yes, so for item eight, for the allocation of money of the dockless mobility revenue, so there's a portion that's going to bicycle infrastructure.
Mm-hmm. For the portion that's going to bicycle programming, what kind of things are encompassed within bicycle programming? So that can be things like purchasing helmets for city school students. That can be buying swag for events to promote biking and walking.
It can be a range of things, as long as it's not infrastructure. The issue was that we were spending on programming and infrastructure out of the infrastructure account, and that should just only be bonded money.
We're trying to separate those two so that we're not doing those out of the same account. And the only other question I have is just because this does relate to Veo, obviously, which has many benefits, but does have the chronic problem of blocking sidewalks.
And there are localities which have required them to have geo-fencing where you can only end your ride in designated areas. Would that be an allowable use within that bicycle programming fund to, if there are already changes that we need to make that may cost money in order to implement that?
Yes, we could do that. And it is something that Veo uses in our market today. The problem with relying on that as our only tool is that the sensitivity of their geo-fences are not very sensitive. Right now, it's something like a 30-foot radius, which doesn't really help if you're trying to tell somebody, "Park in this one spot right here." So they're trying to figure out how to tighten that up.
We're also looking for new locations to add those geo-fence locations. Right now we're focusing around the Rugby Grady Gordon area, because we know that there's a lot of usage in that neighborhood. And so, we'll have a mix of the physical spaces, like the orange spaces you see around West Main Street, but we'll also have some geo-fenced virtual spaces that you'll be able to see within the app.
Mm-hmm. But at this point, unless it's within the past week or so changed, you can end your ride pretty much anywhere, correct? Not in certain places. So on UVA grounds, that's not the case. There are designated places on UVA grounds.
There's also some areas just outside of UVA grounds where we've asked Veo to put in that geo-fencing. And there are some places where we've had regular problems, like Old Lynchburg Road, we've had problems with a lot of parking on the sidewalks.
Now Old Lynchburg Road has a geo-fence location where you would have to park if you're trying to visit that neighborhood. So we're able to do this sort of slowly rolling it out, and there are locations in the system today where that is the case.
Mm-hmm. Downtown Mall too, right? The Mall also has that, yeah. Yeah. Well, I appreciate that, and again, would just say, I think if there are expenditures that go along with it, I hope because this is coming from Veo, that we can have it be citywide where you can only end your ride in geo-fence locations that are known to not block access.
And I know that comes at some cost of convenience, but to me, that seems like the only way to not block sidewalks. And again, I know for most people, they can just move it, but there are disabled people in our community that encounter that and they can't use the sidewalk.
I know everyone's aware of that, but... Yeah, we're going to continue to work with Veo to define more of those places and build out that network, especially in areas where we have been experiencing the most problems.
Thank you. Okay. Thanks. Can I ask a question that may seem like a really stupid question, but I just don't know how this works. When you say end the ride- Mm-hmm ... does that mean, obviously they can dump it by the side of the road any place they want to, but does it mean that they keep charging the user for...
And they don't turn off the meter unless it's in a geo-fence location. Unless it's in or next to a geo-fence location. I got you. Yes. It should continue to run. And you have to take a picture of where you've parked it to end the ride.
So there is some... If you end it knocked over, I think they have technology to... At some point they were going to get a reader to look at pictures. Some of the newer vehicles have a camera on the underside that can tell whether it's tipped over or not.
I think you'd find most of the vehicles that are on our fleet are not the newer ones that have those, and you may not have that feature throughout the system. But then if you park it correctly and someone comes after you and knocks it over, there's nothing.
Yeah. How many Veo scooters do we have in Charlottesville? It fluctuates a little bit depending on the quality of the scooters that are out there and how often they need to be repaired, but right now it's around 650.
Hmm. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Is there a motion to adopt the consent agenda? I would move adoption of consent agenda. Second. I think we all can vote electronically. The motion passes five to zero.
The next item on the agenda is the city manager's report. Sam. So there are a couple of scheduled presentations, but I have asked our city engineer to be present. Brendan, I don't know if you have specific comments to share, but if you would share what you can as to where we are with the Azalea Springs project, what conversations may have recently occurred, what communications have been expressed externally, and then we can entertain questions from council.
Sure. So the incident that occurred was back in the beginning of August. As was mentioned during the comments, they were under a stop work order for most of the month while they brought the site into compliance.
It's to the point where we felt comfortable that what had happened with the discharge was not going to happen again. So the stop work order was lifted about a week ago. And yeah, since then, we were waiting until that was done.
We've done one final SWPPP inspection to make sure there weren't any other items outstanding. The SWPPP inspection's really where they're supposed to keep track of everything that happened, and all of their tests that they did on the water as they were dewatering, all that kind of stuff.
So we want to make sure that they captured all that properly. If they didn't, that would go into the consent order that will be drafted, which is basically our fee system, fine system for discharging illegally.
So, we'll be working on that this week, next week, to finalize that and send that out to them for their fee. But that's where we sit right now. So how much is that fine? I don't have the exact dollar number for that yet.
The maximum state allowable is $32,500 per day. But because even DEQ doesn't normally use that, that's usually used for infractions where somebody didn't have a permit at all, there was a large fish kill, there was chlorine or something like that.
So we try and be consistent with what the infraction is across the city, and even look at what the state does for their infractions because they do their DEQ stuff as well. So normally, each infraction, again, it can be per day.
We're going to look at the infractions that they did for the critical slopes waiver. So that's all going to be included on in their bill at the end of this. And we'll tally all that up based on what we've charged for those instances in the past on other sites, and come up.
I anticipate it will probably be in the tens of thousands of dollars, but I don't have the exact number. So there were a number of questions that I had that were raised by some of the speakers earlier.
And one of the questions I had is, is there any city oversight over what happens to individual trees? So there are some trees that were noted on the site plan itself to be protected. Those, from my understanding, have been gone out with the city arborist, with our staff, with our zoning folks.
They've been flagged to not be taken down. But that's only within the site itself. My understanding from some of the comments is that the concern is for the trees that may be just outside of the property, and the root zone may be on the property for Azalea Springs.
Unfortunately, there's not really anything that speaks to that. Property line, you own your property, even if the tree kind of splits the- Right ... the property line. So, I would lean on somebody who may know more about the legality of how all that works, but they're only disturbing the trees where they're permitted to disturb them that I know of at this time.
I guess that my question is as sort of a fundamental, maybe it's a site plan kind of issue. Is there ever, as a part of the site planning process, a tree plan? Yeah. There is a tree plan. Usually, it's a new planting plan.
Like I said, we have trees that are indicated to be preserved in this plan as well that have been marked. I guess the tricky part with identifying trees outside of the property is then you've got to go on those properties to locate them and stuff.
So usually, you're only required to locate the trees on your property- ... for surveys and whatnot, so. Can I ask a quick follow-up question to that one, which is, I believe in the new zoning code, I don't know if it was part of the zoning code or if it was a separate ordinance, that there was a every tree with a diameter larger than eight inches- Mm ...
a permit has to be applied for. So there is that for individual trees of a certain size. But were these plans filed before that was passed or? I believe this was under the old zoning code. Do you remember that, James?
Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was. It would've been, yeah. Okay. So we've already kind of theoretically- No, but our vote- ... fixed that ... on this plan- Right ... came before- Yeah, I believe that- ... our vote on the new zoning code.
Yeah. I think the site plan was approved under the old zoning code. Okay. Thank you. So the other question I guess I had was, what power do we have to keep forests from being removed during nesting season or migration season or anything else?
So there are- Do we have control over timing at all? Yeah. There are statewide rules on that. The city has not adopted them. If we're working on a VDOT project, we have to follow that. But currently, we do not have anything in our environmental regulations that speak to only cutting down the trees in a specific time of year.
Is that a matter that we have the power... Do we have the power to enact? Yes. I would think that we would have the power to match the state regulations on that, if that's desired. It would make sense that we would not have the power to exceed state regulations and strictness, but at least we can go right up to that.
We can almost always adopt state regulations. And if those state regulations already exist, do we have the power to enforce them if we have not adopted our own ordinance? I don't believe we would have the authority to enforce that, but that may be a question for Mr.
Maddox as well. I'm not sure. Any thoughts, Mr. Maddox? There was a couple different questions there, but I believe- Yeah ... it was, do we have the power to enforce an ordinance that we have not adopted?
And the answer to that is no. But do we have the power to enforce state regulations in the absence of an ordinance? In this area, no. I think I previously answered a question on this, and we're talking about the Migratory Bird Act and various protections that are enforced by Virginia- Right ...
Fish and Wildlife, Federal Fish and Wildlife. They are the enforcers of those rules. We are enforcers of our own rules. I remember posing that question to you a few months ago. Yeah. Okay. Okay. So, in that case, the relevant people to contact would be the state agencies in charge of those regulations?
State and federal. Unless we decided to pass something. I would have to research our specific authority to pass something- Right ... like this. We might be running into some, um- Dillon rule ... Dillon preemption.
There's a whole lot of kinds of doctrines that go along with this. So, I would be doing everybody a disservice to speak from the hip right now about our ability to adopt regulations in this space. Appreciate that.
I know DEQ is like the water regulations, is only because they've delegated that authority down to the localities. Do you know, uh, you mentioned that you thought that there were some jurisdictions that did have that authority.
Like the state jurisdiction has that authority. I know they enforce that for alls, whether we're doing the Meadow Creek Trail, we had to deal with it there. If we're doing Deer Road Bridge, if there were trees that we had to take down because there's state and federal funds involved in that, we'd have to follow those.
I guess what I'm wondering is, I thought I had heard you say that there were some localities in the state that had either passed an ordinance or- If I said that, I might have misspoke then. Okay. Yeah, I don't know of any localities that have done it.
Okay. I think that's something we ought to explore. Mm-hmm. But not tonight. Thank you. Do you have any more questions or comments? Michael. The only additional question I would have is, obviously this is negatively impacts adjacent property owners, and there are violations of requirements that we imposed when the critical slope waiver was approved.
As you referenced, there's been a stop work order in response to those issues. What is the trigger point at which the city would revoke the approval? That's entirely up to you all, I believe. But again, I don't know if John wants to speak to what authority or whatever you have to do that.
Thanks, Brandon. Throw it to me. What I will say is that revoking a... We're talking about the critical slope waiver, which I think is what was issued here. It is a very thorny legal issue. I've looked at the critical slope waiver, and it includes no revocation language in it itself.
So we would have to explore that in some depth and be very careful because we are dealing with development approvals and zoning approvals, and these are things that are rife for litigation. So I would be, again, doing everybody a disservice to speak just from the dais on what it means to revoke a critical slope waiver, and if you would like me to explore that in more depth, I can do that and provide it in a more appropriate setting.
But right now, I'd say it's not a question I'm prepared to answer at this time. Sure. And as part of that, so is it a decision that would be made administratively, or is it a decision that would only be made by city councils?
That I can't speak to. It would need to be the city council because you are the ones who granted it. Mm-hmm. Okay. And that's it. I think the challenge is those fines are not a very strong deterrent on a multimillion-dollar project, and would just say that.
Matt, did you have a question? So, we got to hear your description of this in our meetings before this meeting, but could you let everybody know, what was the mitigation that was done? What was the inspections from the city like?
Can you kind of walk us through that process? Yeah, I can walk through the whole process. So going back to the initial, so the city, I guess the program in general, the statewide program, the city is required to do inspections of sites every 14 days or within 48 hours of a rain event.
When all the trees were taken down was about a 10-day period between our inspections. So we had done an inspection, the trees were there, and about nine, 10 days later when we got back over there to do our second inspection, they were gone.
So the site had been cleared at that point. We issued them a notice to comply at that point. So our process is we do our inspection. If there's an issue, we give them a notice to comply to resolve that.
If they're not unable to do that, or in this case, there's a discharge, then we issue a stop work order. So then the only thing that they can do is work on that issue until it's resolved. So, that was done.
Our second inspection happened about, I think it was the Thursday before the weekend where we got the big rain. We had given them till Monday to bring it into compliance. Obviously, they did not. We issued that stop work order on Monday.
We continued doing regular inspections, working with the contractor. In essence, the reason that the discharge occurred, they're supposed to only disturb, I'll call it, I don't know the exact percentage, but say 10% of the property to get down to the bottom and construct the detention basin down at the bottom to hold the water as they're building the site They had not built that up, they had not built that when they had cleared, I'll call it, 60% of the site.
So they'd cleared five, six times the amount that they were supposed to at that point. So stop work order was in place. Over the next several weeks, they build the pond, they build their control structures.
We had several rain events during that, where staff went out and witnessed the site. The storm that came through, where we had the tornado on that Friday afternoon, myself and the assistant city engineer were still at work when that came through at about 5:05.
And did an after-work venture out there to see how it held up, were there any issues out there. We didn't want to leave it for the weekend if there was. So, it held up through that. It wasn't as big of a storm as the first one, but it was a pretty significant rainfall that we had there as well.
We've continued to see it work well. They've got all of their check dams in place. They've got their silt fence in place now. They've got the structure built. So at that point, we decided it was worth...
There wasn't anything else that waiting for the sediment to get cleaned on the private properties. Our understanding was that many of the property owners were not granting access to do that work. So, we could've held it indefinitely with nothing really happening.
The downside of that is the longer it goes, I guess the less there is to clean up, because the water's just going to continually go down that stream and wash what sediment would've been in there away.
I mentioned this to Jesse when we met with him, that that corridor, we have the Azalea Springs wetland that is just downstream from this as well. Even before this development happened, there was, it's a very, I'll call it a sediment-laden corridor through there for the ravine.
We would have to go in there and clean out our forebay or ditch pond in front of the wetland every two years, because just naturally, sediment would occur in there. So obviously this was a much larger sediment discharge than is usual.
But sediment discharge in and of itself is a natural thing that occurs. So, at this point, it's stable. It's not causing any more harm than has already been caused, and that was why staff decided it was reasonable to lift the stop work order.
Leaving it in the state that it was, was actually probably more dangerous because they can do more work now to bring the fill in, bring it up to the grade that it's supposed to be, and hopefully have less erosion than was occurring even with it in that kind of intermediate state.
And thank you for that narrative. And then what is the monitoring plan going forward? So again, we've got the every 14 days is our statute. They've earned more recent or more regular inspections from us.
So right now, we're doing about every three to four days. We're going out and visiting the site, making sure that it's still holding up. As the project goes on, if we continue to see that they're in compliance, we may stretch that out back to the normal process.
But right now, they're getting more regular inspections. And who's doing those inspections? So we have one dedicated stormwater inspector and two other staff members that do right of way inspections, but they also help out with our stormwater, because again, if it rains, we've got to do all of them within 48 hours.
So, when we get a rain event, we've got about three people, two, three people that'll- Activate the stormwater team? Right. Yeah. That they'll go out and do the quick, or not quick, but having to do all of them in a quick period of time.
So we've got three people there. If it's really bad or something, or somebody's out, we've got our stormwater administrator, as well as our assistant city engineer are qualified to go out and do inspections.
Okay. Thank you. And do you know, off the top of your head, how much longer this project is supposed to take? I don't have an exact date. I believe last I talked to them, I think they said 12-ish months.
So about a year, to where the roadways will pretty much be done. All the houses won't be built at that point, but the main infrastructure, all the pipes- The earth moving ... and the roadway will be done.
Okay. Thank you very much. Mm-hmm. So, my colleagues covered a lot of the items that we wanted to mention, but there was one that came up last couple of days about the paper roads or the roads. Can you speak to that?
So, in between Azalea Drive and the Azalea Springs project, so there's about a, I think it's a 10 or 15-foot wide alley, paper street, that's been platted since Belmont was platted or- Yeah ... or Fry Springs was platted.
We've got hundreds, if not thousands of these across the city, where they were platted, they were dedicated for public use, but the city has not accepted them in. We don't claim maintenance on it. We don't claim ownership of it.
It's just kind of there. This is where a lot of our abandonments have happened over the years- Mm-hmm ... where there's no street that's in there. Those have been treated as private alleys for as long as I've been here and before I got here, from my understanding.
So, the property owners adjacent to them kind of own and maintain that at their pleasure. Mm-hmm Thank you. Other question- Before you finish, Mr. Duncan, would you say that you have a contact identifier with Stanley Martin that you are speaking with when issues arise?
We have both with the contractor and with Stanley Martin. Yes, both. And would you be in regular contact with them? I guess I'm reacting to what I've heard tonight about illegally being on property that's not theirs or have granted permission.
Are we able to quickly report that information and make sure that they seek the proper approach to doing those things? We have reiterated that to them. I don't necessarily have jurisdiction over them going on private property, so like that's- We can offer the warning but that would be called trespassing ...
we can offer a warning, and that's about, right. That's about- Okay ... they would have to either call the police or take it up through a civil matter in order to- Okay ... to address that. Thank you.
Other- All right. I'm sorry. If you're done with this- I'm not ... other items- One more follow-up. What does it take to have a street accepted by the city? We just went through- We just went through that.
Normally that is a petition for the street. Well, I guess that's a revocation of it. Normally it happens when we have an actual street to accept, like pavement, sidewalks- There's new development ... all of that.
Improved To my knowledge, we have not really accepted unimproved rights of way, because at that point, all we're accepting is the liability with no benefit to the city. So if that's a change that council wants, I think going through the city attorney's office and talking through that with them would probably be the best.
I guess, I mean, is it something that the community has to go knock on doors and get signatures and apply for it? Is there a process like that or is it just kind of ad hoc? Like I said, if- Approved ...
if it is for a developed street, then we do that as part of the closeout of that project. So Azalea Springs, for instance, right now those streets are platted. They're private until they get constructed, meet all of the thresholds for us to accept it.
They meet all the inspection, as-builts, all that kind of stuff. At that point, we bring it to you as a resolution to accept those streets like we did with Huntley last fall, like we did with... Now I'm forgetting the names all.
Rockland Hill- Yeah ... Stonehenge. Like those, again, those are built streets that once they are kind of, we present it to you and say, "These have met all of the inspections. They meet all the criteria for it to be a city street." And at that point we accept it.
So we have a plan for the fresh ones, but we don't really have a protocol for the- That is correct ... existing ones. And that would primarily be because there are so many. Yeah. And there have been various conversations in my time here, with various requests that we consider resolving it altogether, which is pretty much a monumental task to take on as indicated for the volume of situations that we have across the city.
Okay. Thank you. If you were interested in a work session topic on it, we will happily put that on the list and bring that information forward for you. Thank you. Thank you. Any other questions- Thank you, Brendan ...
on Azalea? I have a quick question. Yeah. There isn't any trigger when a developer like this... Or there isn't any process within our code or rules that if a developer triggers the stop work order, which means they've gotten out of line, that they must engage with any of the area or neighborhood around that we have nothing kind of built around that as far as- No.
No. Because again, the stop work order is really about the technical merits of what the work was. The outreach and that happens during the approval process, of the site plan and in this case the critical slope waiver and stuff.
That's really when all of that happens. And only then, no other time? Yeah. Okay. That would require revisiting the entire process to consider a change like that. Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much.
And for the residents who've been, that spoke today and has been sending us emails, thank you all so much. This is one of those projects that when it was approved, it been on the books for many, many years and there's probably some things that we would not do now, or would ask for if were coming for us today.
So, thank you all for your comments and input on it. It has put it definitely on the radar more so. You want to finish- I do have additional items ... your report? Yes, sir. We have update from Assistant City Manager Roman on homelessness interventions.
Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council, and members of the public. Just wanting you. To give an encampment update much like I have been giving in the past. So with that being said, I just want to talk a little bit about encampment outreach and hopefully during the course of the few slides that I have for you tonight we'll be able to maybe perhaps address some of the concerns we heard tonight.
But I want to start off with encampment outreach and logistics. As we all know, Holiday Drive opened as planned on September 1st. September 1st and September 2nd city staff and community partners met on site early in the morning and they stayed there all day.
But met early in the morning and aligned all of the participants with the logistical and operational outlay of the day. This was the September 1st and 2nd That they spent down in the encampment. City staff and community partners were available to help with continued resource navigation, packing of belongings, transportation over to the shelter, and overall support during the move out of the remaining individuals in the encampment.
Staff and community partners worked late into the evening. I know one of the things we heard that they stayed only for a few hours, but they stayed late into the evening on both days, both September 1st and the 2nd.
Talking a little bit about Holiday Drive. The CEO of Cass, in collaboration with our CAPE team, completed an informational video at the shelter on August 31st, and this can be found on YouTube. It's a very informative video.
I captured a snapshot of that video. All you have to do is just search on "2000 Holiday Drive Tour." Yes. Just for the benefit of everyone in the room, can you say what CAPE means? CAPE is Community- Community and Public Engagement ...
and Public Engagement. Thank you, Sam. Communications and Public Engagement, I should say. Thank you. So as I said, on August 31st, they produced a video with the CEO of Cass, who is our shelter operator.
I found it to be very informative, and so I wanted to ensure that our public understood that if they wanted to watch that video, they could go to YouTube, 2000 Holiday Drive, and see the video for themselves.
Also, Holiday Drive Shelter, as of last night, had a total of 57 guests. I know it was said earlier that during the time of September 1st, when the encampment was being cleared, I do want to reiterate that priority was given to the folks that were in the encampment.
And the first night, I believe we had, give or take, around 13 to 15 folks from the encampment who went to Holiday Drive. Well, first of all, I just want to underline that 57 guests is showing a very significant success and a significant need that is being met.
What is the ability to move beyond the 60-bed capacity if additional people are coming in, and what kind of timeline would that look like? Yes, it's a great question. And obviously, the capacity for more is there.
The goal in opening the shelter, obviously, was to try to make it as comfortable and accommodating and welcoming to all of the guests at the shelter. So capacity is there to increase that. In terms of timeframe, I would estimate that a matter of adding beds.
I certainly would lean to the operators of the shelter to help me answer that question. But just in my conversations with them, there is an opportunity to increase the beds there now. However, that would be collaboratively done with the guests that are at the shelter.
We want to certainly incorporate their ideas into what it would look like should we add more beds, or should the operator add more beds. Can I follow up? I don't want to interrupt your line of questioning.
That was it for now. Okay. But it's true that the beds are already on site. It's just a matter of rearranging the existing layout to make sure that folks are comfortable with their stuff being touched and the space they have.
Absolutely. I should have been more clear in my answer, but that is correct. Yes, we do have additional beds. The operator have additional beds on site, and it would just be a matter of adding those beds and making sure that the configuration is conducive to operational flow, as the shelter manager, in collaboration with the residents see fit.
Okay, great. Thank you. So with that in mind, obviously I wanted to touch on some of the things I heard earlier. I assure you that at no time there was anyone slammed on the ground and arrested, as I heard earlier.
I also heard that there was a plethora of law enforcement there making mass arrests. I can assure you that out of all of the human resources and human capital that was there, there was only two police officers.
Those were non-uniform police officers, and they were the ones who had established trust and had been down in the encampment throughout the entire process. Acute medical issues, I think one of the things I heard was folks were being carted off in ambulances.
In the one instance that I'm aware of that an ambulance did respond, it was because there was an acute issue that extended beyond the on-site medical team's ability to care. So yes, an ambulance was called in.
I did hear some concerns regarding the restrooms. I was able to confirm while I was sitting up there that those issues had not been raised with the shelter folks who are managing the shelter, Cass. But with that certainly being heard tonight, we will certainly talk with the shelter operator and bring these concerns to them so they can collaboratively work on mitigating those concerns in terms of the restrooms.
The restrooms are able to be locked, especially the showers. Of course, the stalls, when you go into the stall, you are able to lock the stall. However, if it's a concern, we certainly want to address that concern, and so I will be personally speaking with the operators to ensure that they are aware of this and will take ...
considerable measures to mitigate. Yeah. So with that being said, I just wanted to talk a little bit about key takeaways. So the efforts to connect individuals with available service, it does not stop simply because the encampment is closed.
That will continue. I also wanted to ensure that everyone understood that the contractors maintained a cleaning presence in the area after the encampment residents vacated. I'm not sure if anyone was able to see the area after the cleanup, but that cleanup has been done.
Wanted to reiterate that no arrests were made for trespassing. So obviously we were able to get in there, city staff along with community partners, and really worked with the folks in the encampment, and zero arrests for trespassing had to be made.
Wanted to also confirm and talk a little bit about CPD, Charlottesville Police Department, and Charlottesville Fire Department. They will continue to closely monitor the Holiday Drive area for any spikes in calls for service and quickly address those issues should they arise.
If you'll recall, I spoke last time about a contact within the police department that has been assigned to take in and field any of the concerns coming in from the Holiday Drive businesses. So they've been provided that contact to ensure that there is a direct line of communication.
And finally, collaboration with our local providers and community partners. That also continues and does not end here with the closing of the encampment. That work will continue. Obviously, we are successful as we navigate the road ahead together.
So with that being said, I'm happy to answer any additional questions you may have. I'm curious about one thing that was commented on, three instances of men threatening women. Do we know anything more about that?
Were any reports made of that kind of behavior? Again, I'm not aware of that, and I did check while I was sitting up there, and the operators of the shelter were not aware of that. However, now that that concern has been raised, we'll certainly have conversations to ensure that we are doing everything we can to mitigate the reality or perception of what we heard tonight.
Okay. Jane, you up and close with this, but did you have any other questions or any comments or? I don't have any questions. Comments-wise, it was a very hard task from July till now to do hard work for a hard situation, and I think our teams came together in not only collaborative fashion interdepartmentally, but across sectors in the city, and I'm very proud of those connections we made.
We have a lot of small steps of success that happened during that time, and particularly in the move out in connecting people to resources they have not accessed in a while, including workforce and food access that had been either lapsed or never activated.
So there were a lot of positive outcomes. I did volunteer for an overnight shift at the shelter on Saturday night, and I can assure you that they have multiple protocols and procedures for any complaints and grievances.
There's a huge QR code plastered lots of places to post those for residents. Most of the residents I interacted with, a lot were sleeping, but were very positive. They were connected to folks they had known for a while.
They were supporting each other. And there's a lot of ongoing work that they're getting done now that they are inside. There were many couples that were there that although they are sleeping apart in gender-segregated rooms, were kind of taking rest for the first time in a while.
Also, there are many people working all-night shifts and late shifts, and they were well-accommodated rather than hindered by any kind of curfew. They were well-accommodated by the staff, and their needs were met to continue that work.
Someone had just actually gotten a new job that was late and was very grateful that he could continue that work and still have his bed- Meaning they could come in at any time of night and register Yeah.
They were both coming in at 3:30 in the morning, 4:30 in the morning, and we greeted them, and we had them listed as working, and they had both just gotten those jobs, and they went and took showers and came back and went to bed and started again.
So there are quite a few people working and able to do so a little more regularly because they're at the shelter. So I feel like it's like any business opening on its first week. There will be- Some hiccups, yeah ...
some things that they'll want to refine and get better and better at doing. But for something that opened in five weeks, in particular with such experts at the helm and with such good community support, the cast team and the community teams that support them and our teams have really delivered.
Thank you. Any other questions? I've got a couple questions. So, we've heard from the community both that presence of police officers has a negative impact, but also when there's incidents, we should call the police.
And so how does one take that feedback and resolve it? What do we do with that information? Yeah, that's a difficult question. I guess- Not really. Okay. We had two officers on the encampment trail for the bulk of this operation.
Two. I think we heard loud and clear that we wanted to respond with the appropriate touch, and to ensure that we needed individuals to hear the request, to prepare themselves accordingly, and to relocate.
And we executed very well in that manner when no one was arrested except for the individual that had a different situation with the law that had to be addressed because of his issues in the past. In those moments- That person with a probation violation That was the only- I'm not exactly sure what it was, but I'm just indicating that the situation was not related to the encampment itself.
So we pulled off a relocation in a matter of weeks that did not require anyone to go to jail. I think we proved that it could be done again, because the last time we had this situation three years ago, we did exactly the same thing.
So I feel like, as Councilor Fleischer has indicated, we are very conscious of the response. We're very conscious of the issue. It is challenging to deal with such a complicated issue when we can't come in a room and everyone speak exactly the same situation that occurred, so then we're having to try to figure out what do you do with it.
I'll just tell you my answer is, the best that we can, and I think we showed that we could do that. Great. Thank you. Yeah. And then I wanted to make a couple comments, which is, we've been calling it an emergency shelter and a temporary shelter, and I think in a lot of people's heads, they envision a post-storm situation where everyone shows up at, say, an arena and there's cots and that's the best that they can do.
Or a tent, like a larger communal tent, something like that, something that the building or the structure is temporary in itself. But to clarify what our emergency temporary shelter means is that it's in a real building with real air conditioning, real plumbing, real facilities- And it's open It's open and it has real beds, real storage.
And what makes it emergency is that we were able to put it together quickly. What makes it temporary is, well, the emergency aspect of it. It will become permanent as we continue to build out the building.
So, the emergency temporary nature means that we can waive certain building regulations in order to get people inside, but it doesn't mean that that's going to be the permanent scenario. So I know there's going to be sprinklers going in later this year, I believe.
And once the build-out is completed with other things like showers within the building, and is there food? A kitchen. And a kitchen. Yes. There is a kitchen now. Sorry, I knew that, but one with a- A full commercial kitchen ...
bigger capacity. Yes, those are coming. So in the meantime, we are able to provide this shelter in the real space while those improvements continue to happen. And the other thing is that it is a low-barrier shelter.
This is a step in the continuum of care in the housing ladder that we didn't have before, and it is not going to be all things to all people, but it is going to be a warm or cool, dry place where people can get that first step into getting the assistance they need.
And we have case managers and volunteers and food providers and a partnership with medical services. So, it's not everything for everybody, but it is a part of the larger solution. And the suggestions for additional housing, I mean, homelessness is a housing problem.
We all know that and can acknowledge that. Everything that is transitional housing or permanent supportive housing or regular market rate housing or voucher housing, all of that takes a significant amount of time to build, and those are all projects we do have in the works already as well.
So this is something we were able to stand up, as we all know, in a short amount of time with a lot of effort from a lot of folks in the community and government, and volunteers, and will be a part of the full scope of care.
So for now, this is the low-barrier shelter, the rung on the ladder that we can get people in and start getting them care. So thank you for all of the effort that has gone into it. More will be coming as we know.
And then my last remaining question is, we do know that there were no arrests in conjunction with the moving of the encampment, but we also know that there is a person who maybe should be arrested who set fire to the encampment overnight mid-transition.
Do we have an update on that investigation, or what can the community do to help with additional info? Sure. That is an investigation that is still going on with CPD as well as our city fire marshal's office.
If you recall, there was a video that was released of that, so if there's anything at this point that our community can do to help identify that person is really take a look at the video and provide any help toward the investigative tools, CPD, CFD Um, that may lead to the apprehension of the person that was responsible for setting that fire.
And so if somebody thinks they might recognize that person, they should call the non-emergency line? They should absolutely call the non-emergency line. You can remain anonymous in reporting, uh, things to the fire marshal as well as the police department, but certainly, um, that is a mechanism in which they can use to report.
Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you. Okay. Other questions or comments? Thank- You- Oh, I'm sorry. Um, you'd answered most of the questions I had. Um, the only other one is, um, I think people can agree with the city's approach, disagree with our approach, or have mixed feelings about it, and all that's fine.
But it is very important to be able to have an accurate basis of facts of what has actually happened. Um, and you addressed most of those. The only other one is, it is correct, isn't it, that the facility at Holiday Drive fully complies with fire code and is not an environment which is not meeting fire code?
Because we've heard some of that tonight. Insinuations that it wasn't. Um, Roman, I can speak on that because I heard Councilman Fletcher say that the temporary use is something that allows us to get around provisions in the building code.
That's not the case. This is a temporary use that is allowed under the state building code and has been approved by the city's building spectrum. Not calling you out, I'm just saying. I want to make sure that everything- Ashwin ...
Ashwin. So sorry. I'm all over the place. Um, that is absolutely allowed under the, um, building code. We are not short-cutting anything. There is not a sprinkler system in that building. There's a fire watch that is continuous and maintained as part of the contract with Cass.
As far as the emergency part of it, the emergency was the fact that we were relocating from along the river down there. As you know, we're getting some really big storms. We've always had concerns about flooding and the safety down there.
There was an emergency need to move folks out of there. That had to do with the procurement of getting Cass as the operator. Under our emergency authority under state law, um, we were able to quickly move to get that contract done within that very short window of time that we had.
So emergency, temporary use, all allowed under state law. We're all absolutely fine, and the building is in compliance with the building code. Eventually, we will not have to take the measures such as, um, the fire watch when we have the sprinkler system, when we have the, um, the updated plumbing in the building.
That temporary use will go away, and we'll have a permanent use there. I appreciate that clarification, and I did not mean to conflate the fire code. I said them near each other, but I- Yeah ... I did not mean to conflate them.
Thank you. Um, but I just think it's... We heard some public comments tonight, and I just think it's very important to highlight that, in terms of fire safety, it's meeting regulations. There are not shortcuts being taken, and it is not an environment in which, um, fire safety is not taken seriously and is uniquely a risk compared to any other building that's meeting code and regulations.
Um, you covered the other questions I had in terms of, um, arrests on things. Um, there had been reference in the past to the building could have capacity for around 120 beds. Obviously, as you mentioned, that's something that would...
Before doing that, there would be discussions with those who are staying there and the operator to figure that out. But, um, is that still anticipated that, as demand increases through the fall and winter, that around 120 is what we're still considering to be the max capacity?
While that is the max capacity, we do still plan to capitalize on some of the services that our partners here, uh, in the COC can provide, too, specific emphasis on PACHUM in the winter season. Still relying on them to do what they and, uh, the churches do over the winter season.
So we'll be still in communication with them, uh, which will add capacity as well. Uh, and in that instance, we can still maintain a comfortable environment in the shelter, plus still have additional resources with PACHUM and even outside PACHUM, Salvation Army, and so forth and so on.
Mm-hmm. Um, I appreciate all that and appreciate the update, and will just offer to anyone in the community who is still skeptical or has questions about the city's approach and the closing of the encampment, that the encampment environment is one in which multiple people died.
It's one in which there were multiple instances of reported sexual violence. There were multiple physical assaults. There was, from our first responders, a daily risk of a mass casualty event in terms of a flash flood or a widespread fire.
There were multiple fires, including ones that physically damaged people and burned down all their belongings. There were reported thefts, and in all those cases, the victims are those who were homeless and staying in the encampment.
It was also an environment in which there was daily risk of fire. For over a year, until the past few weeks, there was no outreach. Nonprofits were not going out there to do case management, talk to folks on a systematic, regular basis, connect people with services in terms of applying for Medicaid, disability, getting documents if they don't have them.
There were, again, not case managers. The shelter environment, none of those things are true any longer. There is not a daily risk of flash flooding. There's not a daily risk of fire. There's staff on site during the day and at night to ensure people's safety and report any incidences that may happen.
There is hygiene facilities, and there are case managers to work with people to help them figure out the next step in their journey to build stability and- If people are entitled to disagree with the city's approach, but I firmly believe that this is a far more compassionate and humane approach than saying that people can die by the encampment with no intervention by the city, and that that is humane.
I don't think that is compassionate or humane. I've got one last question, which is: Is there a way for people in the community to continue helping, volunteering, or contributing in some way? And if so, how do they find those resources or participate?
Absolutely. I will certainly share this question with Councilor Fletcher. But in the video that I referenced earlier, I believe that there is a piece in there that talks about that. So that would be another avenue to get in contact with the shelter management company, CASS.
And certainly, they're accepting all and any help that they can get in most cases. Yeah, to be more specific, the patron will soon be standing up a volunteer coordinator as part of their cooperation with the shelter.
So that person will allow us to have more of specific asks. But right now, reaching out to the program director at CASS and the shelter in general is a good way to figure out what exactly items are needed and what volunteer work is needed.
Right now, as they're getting established, it's not quite defined, but they are working on that process. There's already been a generous outpouring of items and clothing. It's storing those and organizing those that's the issue on such quick stand-ups.
So, as they get those processes designed, we'll hear more about it, and you'll hear it direct. We do. But from a financial perspective, donations can go to CACF. There's a fund set up for the shelter and the system at large, and those are well accepted, and then they can be directed to where they're needed.
And just one little correction for Councilor Payne, there was one outreach worker for some of the year, but they were assigned homelessness at large. So BRAC had that under its wing. That model will be replicated by both the city and Support Works.
It tripled, actually, so there will be four outreach workers working in the homeless ecosystem to connect people to all the levels of housing and shelter available, and most of that will come online this fall, so.
Mm-hmm. And for that past situation, so that outreach worker was for region citywide, not just the encampment? That was my understanding, that they were- Mm-hmm ... focused on the encampment, but it was regionwide.
Mm-hmm. And is it known how frequently they had been going out into the encampment? I don't know that, actually. No. I mean, it's- But the important thing is now- Yeah ... the capacity is being improved.
Yeah. Now we're going to build it. Yes. And it will be more proactive going forward. Exactly. Yeah. So there is a nice-to-have list that was produced by CASS. I believe we have it posted on the city website.
If it is not, we will have it posted tomorrow. There were a list of things that were provided to us by CASS that they indicated that that's why it's referenced as a nice to have. We took a few of the items off that list, big-screen TV and DVD players.
A generous donor made an anonymous gift as we opened the shelter to make sure that those items were available on each side of the facility. Mm-hmm. And currently, our transit team is working to identify two small vehicles that could be acquired by the city and attached to the building and made available for transport, because we had indications of concern for having to walk from the building to the bus stop.
So we are hoping that we can provide this resource, and therefore CASS could then operationalize that for direct transit services for those folks that are leaving the shelter each day. Okay. So at this- This is the last big, robust update we're going to give on this.
We'll bring updates occasionally going forward. I want to thank Mr. Roman, Ms. Graves, Ms. Fletcher, and a whole host of other folks for their continued effort in making this happen. For those that are hearing me, and I might sound a bit angry or what have you, it's just passion, and I care.
And it's irritation when things are not being communicated fairly and accurately. And it's important for us to make sure that people understand that we made a real difference in this community by opening that facility, and we're not done.
There's still a lot more to do. And I would just like to add that overwhelmingly, the emails and comments we receive is talking about how smoothly that it was done, and I know that it took a lot of work to make that possible.
Yeah. So I just-- and of course, we may not hear that in the public in this setting, but overwhelmingly, the emails and things we've received has given staff and council kudos on that. So I'm sorry. Can we please open those doors?
It is very hot in here. I don't think it's too much noise. We've still got several public hearing, and dinner was good. I might be asleep up here if we- ... keep going. For those of you at home, the air conditioning's broken.
We're a little toasty. Yeah. Why don't we share that? Our last item is- Thank you ... Office of Economic Development. Chris, are you opening, or is it Jenny? Who's- It's working. Okay. Chris and Jenny are going to present, and then I have one more announcement after that.
Thank you. Chris Engel, Office of Economic Development. We have a brief update for you on one of our initiatives tonight. A little bit of context. Last fall, city manager reorganized his office and some other reporting lines, and Office of Economic Development was asked to pick up management of what has been known as the Downtown Job Center, one FTE, and a function helping people get prepared for jobs and get connected to jobs.
As part of assuming that role, we did an assessment of what is working well, what wasn't working well over the 10, 12 years that the Job Center has been in existence. So as we did that assessment, we have tweaked some things, and what you're going to see tonight is the new look of that initiative.
And I would like to introduce Jenny Bishay. She's our workforce development program manager, and she is going to walk you through a brief presentation on this. Good evening. Hi. Okay. So I'm excited to share about our C-Ville Talent Network.
As Chris mentioned, we've elevated the Downtown Job Center, which focused primarily on helping job seekers in the city get connected to employment. And we are taking that and moving it more into economic development focus.
So in addition to assisting job seekers, we're going to also be assisting our businesses fill that workforce pipeline. Our mission is to drive economic vitality by connecting talent to opportunity and helping businesses build and sustain a skilled, resilient workforce.
Our vision is a thriving Charlottesville where every resident has access to meaningful career opportunities and every business has the talent it needs to grow, powered by a connected, inclusive, and resilient workforce ecosystem.
So we were very intentional when we designed the C-Ville Talent Network. We've got six core values. I won't read them all to you, but I wanted to highlight a few. One is adaptability and innovation. Post-pandemic, we've seen a lot of changes with technology and AI and remote work.
So work as we know it is increasingly changing, and so we want Charlottesville to stay adaptive and innovative so that we can meet that growing changes and needs of both our businesses and educating our job seekers.
We also want to do a no wrong door approach. So while we'll be specific on who we can serve, we want to make sure that we connect anybody who reaches out to us to the information and resources available to them to help them meet their goals as well.
And then finally, accountability and impact. It's great to design everything on paper and create things, but we want to make sure that we're actually moving the needle and making an impact. So we want to be transparent about the metrics that we're going to be collecting to make sure that we are actually helping folks get connected to opportunities and help businesses thrive.
So one big change that we will be doing since our focus is economic development is the people we will be able to serve through our programs is focusing on the ALICE population. So folks who are underemployed, who are working two jobs, living paycheck to paycheck, who are getting by but aren't thriving.
The folks who are hardest to serve, those who need intensive case management, who aren't necessarily self-sufficient, who aren't ready to work. We've got great partners and departments here in the city that can help those who have a team who are skilled and experienced in meeting their needs.
And so our focus will be on the ALICE population. So what that means is we'll be helping them with job coaching and support, navigating the different options available to them with workforce training, helping them with their resume, mock interviews, anything we can do to help them get down the correct career path for them.
So how will we do that? If you're a job seeker and you contact the C-Ville Talent Network, we're going to start with an assessment. Again, learning about what your challenges are, what your goals are, what your needs are, and then identifying what resources are available.
That could be internally with our department, like our Skills Builder program, with Coffee and Conversations, with just helping with a resume. And it can also be with connecting them to our workforce partners, such as Network to Work or UVA Pipelines and Pathways.
So once we do an assessment and we learn about what they're looking for, we're going to use the whole workforce ecosystem. So if that includes us, great. If it includes our partners in collaboration, we want to just bring everything to the table to help them succeed.
But while we're doing that and we're getting them connected to resources, we want to help them navigate that system because we do have a lot of wonderful partners who offer lots of different programs, but they all have different requirements and eligibility, and it's easy to get lost in the shuffle.
So we want to work with them and navigate all of that with them and make sure that they're having that warm handoff so that they're not getting lost in the system. And then hopefully they get the job, they get the workforce training program that they've been wanting, and we want to continue to work with them.
Often, the goal is to help them get a job, and then we wish them luck. But this time, we want to stay with them because maybe they got a job, and they don't have to work two jobs now, but they're a CNA and they want to become an LPN, or they want to become an RN.
So we want to stay with them and help connect them with more resources and more trainings. And if they get a hiccup, like their car got damaged or totaled, we can connect them to partners like United Way, who has the Driving Lives Forward program.
So things like that. Even though they have a job, we want to keep them moving forward. And for our businesses, same thing. When they contact the Seville Talent Network, we want to meet with them one-on-one, identify their needs, learn about their challenges, and then connect them to the programs that we have, such as Go Hire.
Maybe they want to create a registered apprenticeship program, do an earn-to-learn program. We can do a coffee and conversation, a hiring event, and then we can also connect them with our state, local, federal partners, and our regional partners like CV pad or SBDC to help them take advantage of all the resources available to them so that they can continue to grow and thrive and offer more job opportunities for our residents.
Hey, easy on the 18. So while the Seville Talent Network is part of economic development, we are going to rely heavily on all of our workforce partners in the community, of which we have many. And they do a lot of great work, and they offer a lot of wonderful programs and resources.
But again, it's kind of hard to just jump in if you don't know who they are and what they do and what their eligibility requires. So being able to navigate that and knowing where we can send somebody directly and do that warm handoff will really help them not get lost and not get frustrated, because often when you're looking for a job, it's a very challenging road, having to go through interviews and disappointment and all of that.
So we don't want to add to that burden. We want to make sure that we can connect you to the different programs, to a specific person, and we know that you're eligible. We're not just sending you through this conveyor belt of organizations.
And like I said, the community has so many great nonprofits and agencies that do great work. So we just want to leverage that instead of duplicating services. So the Seville Talent Network will be comprised of myself and the talent network coordinator.
I'm going to try to focus most of my time on recruiting employers for registered apprenticeships and earn-to-learn programs and finding out what job opportunities they have and promoting that, because while I may not have a job seeker who needs that, some of our workforce partners might.
And so, again, just trying to fill a gap in what I see in our community, where it's just a lot of information going out into the ether, but not a lot of coordination and not a lot of navigation. And the more opportunities we can create, that's economic development.
So if we can create more registered apprenticeship programs, more earn-to-learn programs, that gives job seekers opportunities. Also, I want to be hosting some different workshops and events. We recently hosted an AI workshop.
So again, trying to be innovative, staying future-focused, both for our businesses and our job seekers. And then also collecting local workforce data. We get a lot from regional and state and federal, but when you try to drill down to our community, it's a lot of estimates.
So I really want to try to get some specific data for our area that we can use and share with our partners to make better decisions. And our talent network coordinator, she'll be the person doing that information and referral with the job seekers, and that can be done either in person.
We can meet them where they are, we can schedule appointments, we can have open office hours, or we can meet you at the library, or we can do a virtual appointment. So really don't want that to be a barrier.
And doing that navigation, doing job searches, resumes, interview prep, and again, doing that tracking and reporting so we can see what our outcomes are. Are we making a difference? Are we moving the needle?
And then also just outreach with our community. So just as a summary, we've elevated the Downtown Job Center. We're doing both job seekers and helping businesses build their talent pipeline. It's a no wrong door approach.
If you're not a city resident, or you're meeting self-sufficiency or intense case management, and you're not ready to work specifically, we can get you to the organizations and partners who can. And then hopefully when you're ready, you can circle back to us, and we can help you get that training or that job.
And we really just want to be proactive and not reactive. So I'm happy to answer any questions. Thank you. I'll start with you, Michael. You have any questions or comments? You touched on it a little bit, but versus what the Downtown Job Center has done historically, what is this concretely doing differently that wasn't done before?
So probably twofold. One is we're trying to help businesses and job seekers, whereas the Downtown Jobs Center was designed specifically to help job seekers help with their resume, do some job searching.
And we're also focusing on the ALICE population. So since we're only a staff of two, we're not able to help as many people if we have to focus on the intense case management. But if we can focus on the people who are ready to work, we can make more of an impact.
And also being economic development, we're really trying to focus on building opportunities as well. So whereas the Downtown Job Center was trying to find the jobs, we're also trying to create those jobs.
Mm-hmm. And as you referenced, there are a lot of workforce development programs in the community, and it sounds like your primary interaction with them will be helping people navigate those services.
Do you have a sense, are those services too fractured? I wouldn't say they're fractured. It's just that the funding, the way they're funded, it's always depending on available funds, and okay, WIOA has run out of funding, so let's go to Network to Work.
So it's trying to maximize what's available and not just using up all of the WIOA funds because that's what everybody knows about. Just trying to leverage what we have more efficiently so that if you're someone who's at PVCC, you're going to have more options with Network to Work than someone who's maybe with OAR or something.
So just trying to not waste money or run out of resources. Thank you. Nevin? If people wanted to get in touch, what is the best way to do that? Yes, thank you. So again, we're meeting people where they are, and we've just recently hired the talent network coordinators.
So as soon as she gets onboarded and starts, we'll be able to have some set office hours. But we will have a website, and a phone number, and an email address, and we're creating marketing materials. But right now, you can email the cvilletalentnetwork@charlottesville.org.
.org or .gov? .gov. Sorry. Okay. Thank you. Cville or Charlottesville? Cville. cville talentnetwork@charlottesville.gov. Correct. Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you. Billy? I got no questions. Okay.
I'm glad that we're really making an effort in this respect because we've talked about Charlottesville wanting to be a city where everyone thrives. We've talked about affordable housing. We've talked about affordable housing from the standpoint of housing supply.
We don't do a very good job of talking about it in terms of the other way to make housing affordable is to get more income in people's hands. So it's nice to see the other side of this affordable housing equation.
Yeah. Thank you. Jen? I think one of the superpowers of this is really that added part of working with the businesses. I think that's where we'll really see a shift because a lot of those agencies that you're referencing have case management and connective tissue already.
Pipelines to Pathways is connected to Home to Hope, and they have those relationships. Well, two things, are you as one navigator, what's the metric of success? How will we know that that's working? Yeah.
Thank you for asking that. I neglected to share that we're also collaborating with Network to Work to use their platform for tracking and referrals. So if we were to refer a client to a program and we do that warm handoff, we can then have a database to make sure that we follow up with them, and that we can track did they get daycare services?
Did they get housing vouchers or whatever it is they need? And then are they ready to work? They can come back, and we can start helping them try and find that job. So we'll be using their platform to track people and then just collaborating with our partners, which we've been doing without any formal mechanism like the Cville Talent Network, but just trying to be more intentional on tracking that to see what's working, what's not, and where can we make improvements.
And then what will it look like to meet people where they are? Are you going to come to the shelter and have days where you're working with folks who are ready to shift into jobs, or are you going to, not PVCC, it's pretty well-resourced, but one of- United Way for, that's also well-resourced, sorry.
One of the logos on there that's not as well-resourced. OAR, for example, to do that outreach you mentioned, or how does that connection begin? Yeah. So the SEVA Talent Network is going to be at City Space, so that's where the office location is.
So we will have open office hours as well. But then again, if people want to make appointments and they prefer to meet at the library, or they prefer for us to meet at their Department of Social Services or with their probation officer, it's going to be kind of see where the demand is, because we are only two people.
We've done things in the past, like have info sessions at Virginia Career Works for some of our programs, where we have a designated day and time where we come, and we market and promote and tell our partners as well, "We're going to be there if anybody has questions." We do outreach events, all the job fairs and career fairs, and go to staff meetings for Department of Social Services and things like that.
So it's going to be a work in progress and see where we get the most bang for our buck since we're only two. But we want to make sure that people have options so that it's not just, if you can't get there on a Tuesday from 12 to 3, you got to wait till next Tuesday.
Thank you. Of course. Thank you so much, Jenny. I had the opportunity to work with Jenny on a daily basis, had pretty much a similar position for the county. And so we worked and talked together with all those different places daily to help individuals.
So I'm glad it was never any territorial issues. We just wanted to help that person no matter where they were, to get them that job or whatever they need. So I can't say that I miss working, but- Please do ...
I'm glad to see you. This keeps me busy enough. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Jenny. Thanks. Last couple of quick announcements. Staffing announcements, these are high-level positions within the city organization, just want to bring awareness to the public.
Mike Goddard, who has been serving as our current deputy of public works, has been asked to serve as interim director of Neighborhood Development Services. He has accepted that offer and will begin work on Monday, September 14th.
Mike is formerly the manager of the Capital Development Division, and he's been with the city for the past 11 years. And we are interested in seeing what his unique homegrown experience can bring to this particular area of responsibility here in the city government.
And lastly, I was able to share that Joshua Barr joined us at the last council meeting. I think it was the last, he's been here a while now, but I can't remember. It's all blurry. And we're doing a whole lot of stuff.
But also proud to announce that India Adams-Jacobs will be joining us to serve as assistant city manager beginning Monday, September 28th. India currently serves as the town manager of Bowling Green, Virginia, has been the town manager of Colonial Beach, Virginia, has held a variety of positions in multiple local governments, and this summer was elected to be the president of our state association, the Virginia Local Government Management Association.
So she's coming ready to work. She will have the infrastructure portfolio, IT, parks and recreation, public works, sustainability, and utilities. So we look forward to welcoming her to the team, and she rounds out my cabinet, and I am beyond excited that all positions related to the reorganization of the city manager's office will be filled effective September 28th.
So that is my report. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So we're now at the action items, and Anthony, you the man today. So we've read the- Anthony's the man ... the staff report, so you can give us the highlights of- Okay ...
the items, because we have several public hearings. Yes. Thank you, Mayor Wade, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Thomas, councilors. So I'm here tonight to talk about the final summative evaluation report for the city's CDBG and HOME programs.
It is kind of the last step in closing out the prior program year. It involves working with a variety of community partners, Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, Region 10, JABA, a number of those partners, including the county members of the HOME Consortium, kind of gathering in all of that data.
You guys will be asked to consider the CAPER, and then it goes to HUD as part of their review, and if they choose to accept that, we then get to continue through the upcoming year. I will say that we have been working with the city's ADA coordinator to make sure that all of our materials are accessible in a way that they weren't before.
So we want to thank him for his input on that. The draft CAPER is available on the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission website. There is an open public comment period ongoing right now. If any public comment is received, it then becomes added as an appendix to the end, so it doesn't change the evaluation.
And if anybody goes to tjpdc.org, they can find a quick link to that. For the 2025-6 program year, what we call PY25, the city directed a variety of investments into affordable housing activities, public facilities and infrastructure, and public services activities.
As I mentioned before, public services activities are the area in which we get the most Requests for funding and the greatest dollar amount generally. It is also the one that is the most limited. I've included here a little bit of the data.
The table that you see on the bottom are the columns by which HUD kind of looks at the outcomes for activities. So Arc of the Piedmont has been engaged in accessibility upgrades. It will impact all of the eight residents of their group home, but it counts as one public facilities and infrastructure improvement.
They currently have six residents, so you'll see over under the first kind of column, "01 people," there are six people there who benefit as well. We have two programs that have been extended, and so they are working.
Those tend to be the more complex home rehabilitation project activities, so that is why they say extended. That data will be reported in the current year. We're excited to have worked with all the partners that we have.
We've now also added in Building Goodness Foundation into our current portfolio. They're not reflected here, but we're very excited about that. And I'm very proud of the fact that our funded sub-recipients have been very diligent in using the investments that we make into their organizations to leverage additional funds elsewhere.
So Ready Kids, for example, was able to take the city's investment and then go to a funder who only provides match funding, who had wanted to fund them for a while, but they didn't have a match, or they didn't have the funding award to begin with.
And so they were able to leverage that, and they were able to do great work with that. I'll just go very quickly. If you have any specific questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them. Okay. So any questions from council on this before I open up the public hearing?
Natalie, Michael, Lloyd- No ... Jen? Okay. I just want to make sure. I will now open up the public hearing. Is there anyone who'd like to speak on this item? If not, I will close the public hearing, and if there is agreement to carry this item to the September 21st meeting for a second reading and a vote.
Is there any reason it needs to be passed today? Okay. Then that sounds fine. A consent agenda item is the majority have put this on the consent agenda. Mm-hmm. I think it's enough support, Sam, to put this on the consent agenda item.
Thank you. The next item is a public hearing for the proposed ... Did you cover this as well, the second item for- No, it's- Okay ... completely separate. Okay. For the Beacon Kitchen Accessibility Enhancement Project, a substantial amendment to the program FY2627.
Yeah. Thank you. In the amount of $55,000. Thank you very much again, and I apologize for taking up so much of your time tonight. This is an activity that builds on a previous city investment of CDBG funds into the Beacon Commercial Kitchen.
As you may know, they have done an amazing job in terms of renovating the space that they moved into, such that they are at times now a 24-hour operation with people. They had to find staff to help them keep it open overnight so that people could come in at 2:00, 3:00, 4:00 in the morning to prepare their meals.
It's amazingly successful beyond everybody's imagination. They are very aggressive in terms of trying to find opportunities to support their members, their clients, their beneficiaries. And one of those is they're launching an outpost on UVA grounds so that some of their members can prepare foods and then serve them in a kitchen environment on grounds.
It's going to be called Beacon Outpost. I believe it's open already. But that's an example of the kind of opportunities that they're seeking. The last space that they have to kind of build out is this little space that you see up here in the top.
And when I first went into it about two years ago it looked like it was about to fall apart. And so they focus on the kitchen. If you've been there, it's an amazing opportunity. This space is going to be called the Beacon Express.
It's going to be a showcase whereby their clients can sell their food. They can learn about the business of the commercial side of food preparation. It is the last stage of their onsite activities. It's also kind of the hardest because of the condition of the building that it's in.
And so what we're proposing, an investment of unspent CDBG money from prior years. It's already been appropriated by council for other purposes, kind of brought together into this opportunity. And the opportunity that we saw working with the staff at Beacon was to kind of help make sure that the accessibility features around the restrooms and the access into the building and those pieces don't just meet the standard, but that they are as great as we can make them.
And so by picking up this piece of the investment into this space, we'll ensure that there are top-notch accessible features for anybody who's visiting the new space or who is working in the new space.
Oh, I also want to thank our CAP intern this summer, Lillian, who really dove into this project and helped us design these slides. That's why they're a little bit more colorful. Mm-hmm. So the Beacon is already making a huge impact and I think this would be a great opportunity for us to continue the investment that we've made in terms of making this space as beautiful as possible.
Accessible. Okay. Questions from council on this? So this would be money given to New Hill Development? Yes. Well, technically, it would go to the... I believe that at this point, the Beacon Commercial Kitchen is its own independent nonprofit, but that is a great question.
I will make sure to- It is a separate entity. It would go to Beacon. Yeah. But it's the same, in your understanding of- I have a general question about... And I don't mean to pick on them in particular, except they happen to be here when I was thinking about it.
How do we decide when an entity like this is successful enough that they should be self-sufficient? That's a really good question. Do we have any look at their finances, for example? Do we know whether they're making...
I don't mean to suggest anything improper because I've heard nothing but good things. But how do we know when an agency like this, or an organization like this, is actually succeeding? That's a really great question.
I know that when we did the previous investment, we'd worked with them and taken a walk through the financials, and they had a five-year projection, by which point they would have fully developed, fully amortized most of the infrastructure, the refrigerators, freezers, and everything.
And that would be their break-even point. I don't know about the projected timeline for the Beacon Express space, because that is built into the large part of it. But if it does become a source of revenue for the clients, it would only be to their advantage.
But that's a great question. I'll try to... I would offer that that is not a criteria that we have ever implemented or applied to any of our grant-making priorities. So if that is something that we are interested in, I think we would have to take that up as a part of some deliberation on added requirements for making those determinations.
We have a host of organizations that receive funding from us that we don't have it clearly labeled whether or not it's meat-based. We have not done that. Well, when we give money to folks in the Vibrant Community Fund, for example, typically somebody in the city staff will have examined the 990.
Mm-hmm. Somebody at the city staff will know something about their finances. I'm just wondering whether we know any-- This is not coming through that process. I'm just wondering what we know about them.
We have looked at that as projected. A five-year projection, that much has been looked at. Just referring to whether or not we can determine- Yeah ... if they need it or not. Other comments? The only other question I have is $55,000 of unspent CDBG money, how much else remains unallocated?
Approximately, including the most recent amounts, probably about 100,000 that we have available to commit. And what were the sources of those funds? I'm sorry? What was the prior use of those funds? Because they're not sitting because they haven't been awarded.
No. The majority of them are carried forward from us spending the old money. And so as we try to use up the oldest funds, each year that created a little bit more budget space in the current allocation because you have the five-year period in which you spend HUD funds.
And so as we've been paying down activities using the older money, going back as far as 2020, that's built up a reserve in the current 2024, '25, and 2025, '26 budget lines, if you will. Not sure if that made a perfectly clear explanation.
I think I understand. It's playing catch-up. We're playing catch-up on-- We had timeliness concerns in the past few years that we have been able to resolve. But as we have had individuals apply for funding, it has caused us to be delayed in getting all dollars out of the door because we're trying to finish catching up, and then we will hopefully turn that around where we will not have any surplus.
Okay. And it's timing related on the performance of those organizations that are awarded as well. So just for myself, so it's a product of us improving our timeliness performance? Yes. Okay. Thank you.
Which is why you have three items on this agenda to try to spend quickly. Yeah. Other comments before I open up the public hearing? No. Okay. Thank you. Now open the public hearing. Would anyone like to speak on this?
If not, I will close the public hearing. It's a desire to put this on the September 21st consent agenda. Is that majority? Yes. Fine. I'm seeing enough head shakes. Mm-hmm. Yep. So Sam, if you could place this on it.
Okay. Madam Clerk. The next item is a public hearing for proposed CDBG funded for Frank Ix Foundation Accessibility Enhancement Planning Grant in the amount of $25,000. Thank you. Hello again. My name is Anthony Warren.
I'm with the city's Budget and Grants Management office. I am here to ask for your consideration for a first-time planning grant award to the Ix Arts Foundation to help them build the capacity they need to develop plans for the next phase of the Ix Arts Park space.
Remy, can we get the slide up, please? I'm sure most people have been down to that space maybe for the Saturday market. It's a widely used space. In terms of accessibility, there are a variety of areas that- The city would have an interest in seeing addressed.
The idea for this investment of city funds came from work that we do with the Virginia Department of Community and DHCD, and they use planning grants as part of their CDBG program very regularly. It's an annual part of their process for working with groups in the community.
It was elevated in importance for me this summer because our CAAB intern loves the Saturday market down there, but doesn't go as often as possible because a beloved family member is not able to visit the space because of certain accessibility concerns, which is then something that I heard brought up in conversations with IEF, the IX Arts Foundation.
They're a very valuable part of the community, but they're only two people, and I will say that there are a variety of things that we're hoping to accomplish. We had a great slide to show you that even just consideration of this process has been able to take beautiful sketches.
50% of their team is Katherine Wingate, and she's developed some great sketches, but just by consideration of this planning grant, they've had conversations with landscape architects who have been able to take some of these visions and turn them into professional grade designs.
And with that, I will introduce Eva Harr, the executive director of the IX Arts Foundation to speak a little bit more in detail. Mayor Wade, council members, thank you for this time, and for considering making an investment in IX Art Park.
Anthony has explained some of the specifics of the grant, so I want to talk a little bit about why it's an important investment for Charlottesville. IX Art Park has been evolving for more than a decade.
What began as an effort to transform an old industrial property through art has become one of Charlottesville's most recognizable gathering places. And I want to just take a moment to clarify what we mean when we say IX Art Park, because we're not talking about the entire IX property.
We're talking about the mural and sculpture plaza surrounding the Looking Glass and the Children's Garden. The IX Arts Foundation is a nonprofit, and we're a tenant on the larger IX property. In partnership with the property owners, we've maintained IX Art Park as a free public space in the middle of the city.
Thousands of people come to IX for festivals, concerts, performances, and community events. But what matters just as much is what happens when there aren't events. Families bring their children to play.
People meet friends, eat lunch, look at the art, or just spend time outside. You don't need a ticket. You don't need to buy anything. You can just simply be there, and there are fewer and fewer places where that's true, and we believe that protecting places like this matters.
So far, IX has grown organically. It was created by artists and by community members over time, but not through a comprehensive plan for a free public space. And after more than a decade, we know what's working and what isn't.
Our stage isn't really accessible. Our children's garden wasn't designed to be an inclusive play space. Some routes through the park are difficult for people with mobility challenges. We need shade. We need accessible seating, better lighting, way finding, and infrastructure.
A community space should work for the whole community, and ours doesn't yet, and we want to change that. We also don't want to solve these problems one ramp or one path or one structure at a time. That would be a poor use of resources, and we'd lose the opportunity to think about what this place could become as a whole.
So we've already begun that conversation with artists, architects, community members, and partners. We have a strong vision for the future, a park that remains free and unmistakably IX, creative, immersive, surprising, and full of art, but also that is more accessible, more functional, safer, and better equipped to serve this community for years to come.
What we have now is a vision, but what we need is a roadmap, and that's what $25,000 buys. It allows us to work with experienced professionals to turn those ideas into a comprehensive design, development, and funding plan, one that addresses accessibility, circulation, infrastructure, and long-term feasibility together.
Those are concrete deliverables contemplated by this grant. And the city's investment doesn't end at $25,000 worth of planning. We already have a donor who has committed to matching the city's investment dollar for dollar.
So a $25,000 investment from the city immediately becomes a $50,000 investment committed to moving this project forward. And beyond that, a professional plan gives us the tools we need to pursue the much larger investment it will take to actually build this from foundations, private donors, and grant makers, and that's exactly the kind of leverage planning grants are intended to create.
So we're not asking Charlottesville to create another public amenity from scratch. We're asking the city to make a relatively small investment in a community asset that already exists, is already used by thousands of people, and is already free to the public.
An investment that will be matched, and that positions us to bring additional outside funding into this project. It's an amazing investment for IX, and an amazing investment for Charlottesville. Thank you.
Thank you. Are there- Oh, if I can just one- Okay ... So, all those were spoken. The biggest concern that staff had with some of this was the idea that there's private ownership of the ... structure itself.
And one of the advantages of the planning grant is that it can build on the kind of work that we did with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, and to make sure that any accessibility enhancements or any infrastructure that is put in could be like what was done for BRAFB, be portable in design, so that if IX Arts Foundation did at some point relocate to a different space, they could theoretically take these things with them.
And that's part of the advantage of the planning grant. There are opportunities to explore that. But a staff of two can't do that right now. So with that, I will say thank you very much and take any questions you may have.
Thank you. Lloyd, you have any? Just one little picky thing. On page 140 of our packet is the resolution. I think it's got a typo in it, and it says in the amount of $55,000. This is 25,000, right? Yes, 25,000.
55 was for Beacon. Yes. So in the title of the resolution, that needs to get changed- I apologize ... from 55 to 25. I think in the body it says 25, but just the title as well. Mm-hmm. I apologize. Natalie, you have anything?
Oh, yeah. There's that typo. The sketches in the slideshow, there's that kind of grassier one with the circle, and then there's the tan one with the Fibonacci spiral. Just so I am clear, that's not both happening.
That was the initial draft and then a more- Yes ... kind of solidified version. Yeah. So one of the team members at IAF did some sketches based on the community engagement conversations they'd been having.
And as wonderful as those are, those are not professional grade. But just the one to the right is just one possible envisioning that was submitted as kind of a pre-bid packet by a landscape architect with experience in accessible design.
And so it kind of shows what they've already been able to accomplish even before we got here today. Okay, thanks. And what's the budget for the project itself? That is one of the interesting questions I had for the staff of DHCD, Virginia DHCD.
That has yet to be determined. Part of the planning process, kind of like what we did with Ready Kids, is they can use the process as a way of finding out what funds are out there. And then when they identify what kind of funds are available, they can then design towards those.
So part of the deliverable at the end of this would be kind of a broad vision that goes from what would be if they were able to fundraise a small amount of money. What would they do if they were to be able to fundraise more?
And what would be the wild, like if they got every dollar that they wanted to invest into it? That would be part of the design process that they would be undergoing over the next year. Okay, thanks. The reason why I ask is the IX Park is a great community resource, but so is a lot of the other organizations that ask the city for money.
And so the CDBG is pass-through money, so it's a little easier to spend. But I'm just kind of anticipating, is there going to be another request at some future point for city dollars to assist with this in a way that is out of the VCF cycle?
And I would- Out of cycle? No. Okay. As part of the next round of application for funding through one of the city programs, hopefully. Yeah. That's where we would hopefully get to. Yeah, I would like to see it in the normal- Yes ...
course of business. Yeah. Yes. There will not be an out of cycle. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Mm-hmm. Michael, you have anything? Well, one, I would just say I do strongly question the practical portability of IX Art Park.
So I do think if we're going to begin investing certainly any significant amount of money into IX Art Park, we need to be thinking more comprehensively about how we would protect and preserve that as a- Yes ...
community amenity. Particularly if there's going to be public investment following this planning process. As for this planning grant, the only question I would have is, obviously, as was mentioned, there are a lot of very practical accessibility upgrades that could be made, practical improvement of shade.
I could also see this being a design process that could easily get very extravagant and grand. Is there anything constraining how ambitious this planning process would be given- Well, there are guardrails ...
funding constraints of implementation? That is a great question. That is part of the conversation around developing this scope of work. Definitely something that we can consider. It was initially envisioned that there would be kind of like a Goldilocks approach.
There'd be kind of like the small bowl of porridge and the medium bowl of porridge and the large bowl of porridge. What would be something that would make an immediate impact? And what I mean portable is that if we were to help them rebuild the stage, you could either create the stage out of concrete as a foundation, but there are also ways to design it, like they have some of the infrastructure over here at Ting Pavilion, that could be lifted up.
It's heavy enough that it's secure, but it could be relocatable conceivably. That's kind of what I meant by that. But no, that's definitely a great question. We can take that under consideration if this were to move forward.
Mm-hmm. But that's it, and I think we shouldn't be afraid to think big, but I do think there should be some guardrails and structuring of Making it something that is realistically implementable. In direct response to your question, at least from my perspective, the city's interest primarily in the beginning was to help redevelop the play space, kind of like the way Ready Kids has done, to make it a more inclusive, accessible space.
There's a variety of things that can be done, and to build that around a rebuilt stage that is more secure and fully accessible, more so than the one. So the deliverable would be around those two pieces, how they could fund those, and then additional shade features, possibly some solar.
There's been a lot of developments. One kind of in the big pie-in-the-sky Goldilocks approach would be solar-powered charging stations for the vehicles that are there for the vendors during the Saturday market, so that they're not powering diesel generators the whole time.
That could be something with batteries, and those are portable as well, at the end, if they were to relocate somewhere else. So that's kind of the envision. But initially, our interest would be in the play space and the stage.
Okay. Thank you. Okay. Jen? I guess I'm a little... I get it, the planning grant, that makes sense, and I'm trying to envision it as this is separate from the private property of IX. I've never considered that.
Mm. It's always been a development that had a perk. And so in thinking of improving the accessibility of just the stage and the play space, there's many other spaces in the entire area that need accessibility- Yes ...
attention, and so it seems kind of odd that we're just focusing here, and then the owner's contribution to that overall development is a little challenging for me to envision. Right. Yeah, no, that would be part of the planning process as well, negotiations with the site owner.
This was before your arrival on council, but we had a similar situation with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank because they operate on a site that's owned by a for-profit entity. And so as part of those negotiations in terms of direct investment into enhancements to the physical plant, we were able to help them renegotiate their lease for a longer term, and then without a step increase over the seven-year period to help protect the investment of the city.
But even with that, the electrical infrastructure and the freezer components were designed so that they could be disassembled and relocated to another food bank or something if they did have to leave after the end of the extended lease.
So that's an advantage that can come out of this process as well, negotiating the investment by the actual owner of the property. Okay. Thank you. But to the maximum degree possible, all the benefits would be designed to be accrued to the nonprofit IX Arts Foundation as opposed to the private owner.
Yeah, I guess the food bank, that's the only thing that's on that property, right? Or are there other businesses on that property? I believe the site had another entity that rented space as well, but they weren't involved in that, so- Okay ...
I can't speak to that exactly, but- Okay ... it was primarily a sole-use- Okay ... space. Thank you. Yeah. Lloyd, do you have anything? No. I don't have any questions. I know this is a well-used community entity, and I'm glad it's something that we can do to support it.
I think we're leaning towards majority supporting it. So is this a public hearing as well? Yes. Yes. So if there's no other questions, at this point, I will open up the public hearing. Anyone like to speak on this?
If not, I will close the public hearing. Did we want to bring this to the 21st meeting? Did we want to put it on consent agenda, or did y'all want to have it as a regular item to vote on it? What's the desire of council?
I won't be here. Yes. Consent agenda sounds good. Okay. I'm fine with consent. Okay. So Sam, if we could place this on the consent agenda, or Miss... I'm sorry. Madam Clerk. Thank you. Anthony, you want to go ahead and do the next one for James?
No, I'm just playing. The next item is an ordinance amending the city code chapter two for the Police Civilian Oversight Board. Mr. Walker. Yes. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Council, Mr. Sanders, and Mrs.
Thomas. I will be very brief. My wife is actually waiting for me at the concert that we're all experiencing right now. Ooh. So she's out there. And I was just going to say, my son spends quite a bit of time in that IX Art Park sandbox- Yeah ...
on Saturdays. So I just wanted to bring to you the request that has been going on for about a year now. I mean, the process has been going on for about a year of truly having a full revision of the Police Civilian Oversight Board ordinance.
We have talked about this starting about a year ago. I think it was September 11th when we had that first joint meeting between the board and city council, and just starting to go through that process of the revisions that were intended.
We also spent a lot of time in May presenting all those changes in that large matrix. So that was where you saw the bulk of the changes, the content changes. Since that time- There has undergone-- this kind of gives the timeline.
There has undergone a process of legal review throughout most of the summer, and this presentation just gives a quick little update on the changes made as a result of that legal review. So, the content changes that were made, the heavy revisions, those are now in your agenda packet as the full red line and the clean version of the ordinance.
But the matrix that you had seen before laid all those out. The big change overview is that it's transitioning to a monitor, audit, and review proposal in the ordinance, and these are functions that the Police Civilian Oversight Board already had authority to do.
But what the ordinance revision does is really expounds on these and builds them out into meaningful functions of oversight. What is taken away is that independent investigation component. So, many of the elements that were in there before surrounding independent investigations had a lot of barriers and challenges to them, and what this does is it replaces that by building out the other authorities and powers that already existed, but making them more clear, defined, and robust.
The legal review was twofold. It included, obviously, the city attorney's office, but also the board does have an independent legal counsel now, and they reviewed the full set of the ordinance revisions as well.
The city attorney's office and the independent legal counsel both received an identical set of questions that went step by step through the entire ordinance changes. And then, so they were able to kind of compare and their reasoning off one another.
City attorney's office was able to see independent counsel review as well, which actually really was very helpful in reaching final language and cleaning up some of the smaller items that are the minutia of the wording.
I'll just kind of go to that slide. So, really, since May, when you saw all the major content changes in the matrix, all of the legal review is slight adjustments to the wording, slight adjustments to bring things into alignment and consistency, both internally within the document and the city code, but also just with the state, and just general best wording and best practice from a legal perspective.
So, I do have those all listed here in the presentation. Just kind of very brief what was changed since you last interacted with this in May. Very minor, most of these. And really, the city attorney's office had kind of that final say.
I am very grateful to them. Our assigned city attorney spent a lot of time working with us on this, and so very appreciative of that. So, there's just three slides that detail those. And so really, the recommendation and the request is that the proposed ordinance be adopted by City Council.
I understand the value of two readings in this case, because it is a pretty significant change to the ordinance, and you now have the clean version and the red line in front of you. So, if you have any questions, then I'm happy to answer them.
Any questions on this? We've had this several times, but we want to entertain any questions. Natalie, you have any? I have no questions. I want to echo the importance of two readings for this to give the public another chance to view the details, since this was a heavily oriented public project to get it started and throughout the process so far.
So, thank you for the very careful work that's been done here and tracking all of it and letting us know where the updates have been. So, we were supposed to vote on this now, but you said we don't have to.
We can do it at the next meeting. I just- No, no. This was the first of two- It's two readings. Yeah, two readings, so. Okay. I agree that it makes sense to have the two readings- Okay ... for something like this.
And I know this has been covered before at PCOB meetings, at our last joint meeting together. But just for anyone in the public who may be watching online or television tonight for the first time, a question perhaps for the chair.
Could you just kind of briefly explain why the PCOB recommended these changes from the perspective of why this increases the effectiveness of police oversight? Because I know some people may look at this and say, "Well, aren't you decreasing oversight?" Which is not the case.
You're asking me, Mr. Payne? Yeah, I didn't know if-- Either of you, but I don't know if you'd be best positioned to answer that question. Thank you, counsel. Couple of things I would say, Mr. Payne. First of all, this is my sixth year on the board, and in all that time, we've never been able to hold a hearing because of the contradictions and the legalities of the prior ordinance.
And obstacles around hearings and investigation, Garrity law, employment law, just the list goes on and on. And so, when I came on as chair this time last year, I said to Mr. Walker, who had just taken over from Ms.
Gonzalez, that I wanted to clean this up and get us moving because if we're going to continue to ask counsel to fund us, we better get to work. So, what this actually does is increase oversight, because we will be looking at every single case, not just the ones that, sort of the egregious ones that jump out.
And then additionally, so we've already developed a mechanism to do that and do that efficiently and do that regularly. And I will say that the chief of police, Chief Kochis, has given us a real open book to do that.
So, we are grateful for that. The other thing we're going to be doing is really, and this is all provided for in the ordinance, is expand our definition of oversight. So, we will be looking at, as Mr.
Walker said, we're going to be reviewing cases, things like body-worn cameras, IA cases, CPD SOPs. We're going to be doing increased outreach to the community to make sure that they're feeling like they have a partnership with us and hearing their concerns.
That's a priority that I've set for the board. We're going to be doing increased audits. We're going to be looking at the SRO, the School Resource Officer program. We're going to be looking at the homelessness response.
We're going to be looking at more data coming out of the police department. And then finally, more monitoring. We're already involved in the hiring panels for the police. We're involved in the use of force panel.
We'll be looking at critical incidents, lots of other data. So we're really expanding our portfolio, but also with the mission of doing more comprehensive oversight and looking at every single case that comes through the department or through our office.
Thank you. No, I think that's helpful context for why you all requested this change. Yeah. Thank you. Long answer for a short question. Yeah. And I've got- Yes, Ms. Otto ... a follow-up question, if you don't mind.
So earlier in the meeting, during public comment, we heard some people who were involved in the encampment claim certain things happened with police officers during and before the transition. Would the PCOB be a place where they could report their considerations, and then you would be able to- Absolutely ...
collect data and look into that? In fact, we're in the process of scheduling a meeting to take place at The Haven, which will invite people from the shelter and other unhoused folks from the community to meet with myself and Mr.
Walker and our vice chair to hear their concerns, to make sure that they feel they have a voice with us. And then we will let them know that if the concerns are valid, we will pursue them and evaluate them and come back with a response.
So that's what I meant about further engagement, broadening our portfolio and further engagement with all aspects of the community, particularly that one. All of us have spent time on the river before the encampment was moved, and were struck by the importance of this effort that has been just completed.
And we want to continue to support the city and those residents in making sure that they are not feeling overpoliced. Great. Thank you. Lloyd, do you have... Okay. Yeah. As Dr. Frazier knows, this is an issue that I have been concerned about for many years.
I am glad that you all have developed something that you believe that will be workable. As the Lord knows, we had enough trouble trying to figure out what would be workable, and what we had before clearly wasn't.
So I applaud the efforts, and I applaud the continuing drive to getting the last few, hopefully the last few jots and tittles figured out, so that you all can do what you're supposed to do. Mr. Stunkin, in fairness to the previous members of the board and the leadership of the board, it was one of those situations while we were trying to build a plane while we were flying it.
Sure. And it just became unwieldy. The original ordinance was built by a committee, and you can imagine how complicated that got. So- And then we tried to revise it by committee, and that didn't do any better ...
and that didn't work. Yeah. So once we began last year to sit down, and literally, we went through it. We spent a tremendous amount of time on it line by line, cleaning it up, making sure the consistencies, inconsistencies I should say, were pulled out and fixed.
This has been, and I'm grateful, grateful to our director, a heroic effort to get this thing in a form that we think is workable and that we hope council will- Thank you ... see fit to adopt. Thank you.
Jen, yeah? Mm-hmm. All right. I was looking at the wrong item when I was... Didn't think we had one reading tonight. So thank you all so much. Thank you. You can... Sound like the steel pop-up's been going about an hour now, so you can go.
She's waiting. Yeah. All right. Thank you, sir. Have fun. Yeah. I told her we're basically listening to it in here. Yes. Yes. The next item is a- It's nice out ... thank you. Is an ordinance creating...
What is this? MC- MCI Metro ... MCI Metro franchise agreement. Who's doing this? Stunkin? I don't see him. Yeah. Should we go to the next item? Or to what? We'll go to the next one, a resolution authorizing a two-year lease agreement for Carver Rec.
Mr. Anthony. Good evening. I hope I won't keep you too long. I know it's kind of warm and toasty in here, so- Yes ... I'll try to keep it brief. Yes. Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council, and City Manager.
I'm Rian Anthony, Director of Parks and Rec. I'm bringing a two-year lease agreement for Carver Recreation Center before you tonight. Just want to recap the last time I brought this item before you. It was an extension, so we can be In alignment with our budgeting, well fiscally year budgeting.
As you can recall, that we had a 15-year lease, and then we extended it to the end of June 30th, and we asked council if we could work on a long-term lease agreement with the Jefferson School Foundation.
For many months, staff has been working really hard with our city attorney and city manager's office, is to come with good terms and conditions with the lease. As you can see, we have only moved the needle for a two-year agreement, and this was strategically because we wanted to make sure instead of rushing ourselves through, we want to make sure that we take our time, really look at every item within the lease to make sure that we, as the city, is looking at all angles and terms and conditions.
So the two-year lease that is in front of you, number one, we jump up from roughly about $17 per square foot all the way to $25 per square foot. What we will not be doing with our agreement, we will not be taking care of 100% of the landscaping.
City took care of all the landscaping. We will also not be cleaning the garage out at the Jefferson property. We also will not be taking care of the custodial needs that will be going now to the Jefferson.
And then also with an agreement, when it comes to maintenance repairs, because we did not want to fix assets that we do not own, since it's a leased building, the Jefferson has also agreed for the city, agreed to take care of the repairs.
So we are going to be paying all the direct cost. And the direct cost is stormwater, the direct cost is going to be insurance, and taxes. So, before you tonight, city recommends that the city council adopt the attached resolution, and then also authorize staff to continue working on the long-term lease with the Jefferson School Foundations.
At this point, I will stop, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Okay. Jen, do you have any questions on this? Yeah. So it's $23 a square foot, not 25, right? Sorry, did I misspeak? Oh, no.
I'm listening to music and listening to you- Oh, sorry. You're correct. It's 23. Sorry. Yes, 23. 23. 23. Yep. Okay. And do we know what the going rate per square foot is for a building like Carver? According to the research, that is the going rate of 23.
23. Okay. Yes. Commercial property. So we're no longer doing grounds and maintenance or garage caretaking. We're paying what everyone else does for taxes, and et cetera, and we're paying the market rate for two years while you do the research on that.
Okay, that was all I just wanted to clarify. And our footprint is for Carver Recreation Center and nothing else. That is correct. Okay, great. Thank you. That's it. Lily? So if I'm doing the math very quickly here, it looks like we would be paying $6 a square foot more, and it's 28,000 square feet, 28,831.
So we're looking at roughly $168,000 more in rent. What are we not going to be paying when we take out the maintenance and the custodial work and so on? How much is that going to save us? So that will save us, if we look at our direct costs, because we have a custodial services that cleans Carver, that is roughly about $70,000 that we will not be paying towards that.
And then with our indirect cost of landscaping is done in-house, that's roughly around about $70,000, that staff comes around twice a month, that they cut the grass. We have urban forester, we have horticulture that goes there.
And then maintenance roughly runs us to repair, and it fluctuate because anything can break. Roughly around about 20 to $50,000, roughly. So that's all in all close to $100,000, $130,000 savings that we have.
So that would suggest that we're actually saving money under this lease. We're reducing our payments under this lease. That's correct. Okay. Nat? No questions at this time. Thanks. Mm-hmm. Michael? I know overall there are multifaceted conversations between the city and Jefferson School Foundation.
As for this item before us tonight, I know this is a two-year extension. What are the remaining questions for a longer-term lease agreement? Yeah. So the long-term agreement as many City attorney jump in if I misspeak.
I believe the long-term agreement there is a loan with the Jefferson School Foundation that we still need to come up with a resolution. And I believe, the Jefferson needs to come to council, I believe, by December of this year, is to ask either an extension to that loan, or a forgiveness, or that they are committed to pay back the loan.
So that is why with our strategic planning was to only do it for two years so that we have enough time before December to see what resolution we can come up to when it comes to that loan. Dr. Brett. The question on the long-term lease really has to do with whether we want to continue leasing the- Yeah ...
facility at this rate, or try to negotiate a different rate, or whether we want to maintain ourselves in that facility. There's lots of policy questions related to this. This gives us time to work those out independent of the loan question.
Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Yes, there's lots of discussion over the last few months over this, so I think we're in a good landed spot now for this for the time being. So other questions or comments on that?
If not, this is, a- I think I can move. Yes, move. All right. I move adoption of the resolution authorizing the execution of the attached lease agreement through June 30th, 2028. Second. Oh, I almost- Talked about it.
Okay. I should have- We got a little rusty. Yeah. I lost the tab. I have way too many tabs. Yes. Okay, the motion passes 5 to 0. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And Mr. Mayor, Mr. Duncan is online.
That box says Steve King. That is actually Brennan. So. Yeah, so the next item is- Excuse me ... the ordinance creating the MCI Metro franchise agreement. Mr.- Mr. Mayor Yes ... sorry for the confusion- No ...
of not being there in person again. So this is a re-up of franchise agreement for MCI Metro Access Transmission Services of Virginia, known as MCI Metro. And we have, as we've mentioned in several of these over the last six months to a year, we've updated all of the language within this franchise agreement.
Section 206 specifically talks to the public right of way, the removal of obstructions within 45 days, and daily penalties per day for that. So, again, this is pretty much what we've done for all these other ones.
But the recommendation, like we've been doing, is to adopt the new language with the franchise agreement, to allow them to maintain their continuity of telecommunication services within the city, ensure MCI Metro complies with updated PROW management enforcement standards, and support the city's broader initiative to eliminate our double poles, achieve ADA compliance, and preserve integrity of the public infrastructure.
So there is a recommended motion that's within the agenda item there. I can read it off if you need me to, but that's- No ... I'm also here for any additional questions you may have. Okay. Any questions from council on this?
So just to clarify, this is replacing an existing agreement we already have with the new language? So their lease agreement, their franchise agreement had run out, but it was one that they had in place, and we're just renewing it with the new language.
Okay, great. And then this might be a question for either the attorney or the clerk. The recommended motion says both to approve it at the first reading but also schedule it for the second reading. Is this in two pieces?
So my computer died. I don't have the agenda in front of me. Is this styled- I don't- ... as a resolution or an ordinance? Ordinance. This is ordinance. It's an ordinance, so it will need two readings.
So you can just do the motion and waive second reading if you like, or- Okay ... you don't have to schedule the second reading. The second reading will happen. It's- Okay, thanks. I don't want to read it yet because it's not time to make the motion, but thank you.
Okay. Lloyd or Jim? I have one question. As I'm looking at what I assume to be a map of what we're talking about, it looks like they have no aerial lines and only buried lines in the city of Charlottesville.
Is that right? For this branch of it, that's correct. Yes. What do you mean? So they have other... The part that they are planning to, I guess, work on over the next few years is the buried section that was indicated in that map.
Probably was not. I guess what I'm wondering is since we've been talking about poles and so on, if all they've got is buried stuff, why are we talking about poles? Or why- It's really just that we're including that in because the franchise agreement would allow them to connect to overhead lines as well, even if the majority- Oh ...
of it may be underground. So, it's really just making sure that that's in every franchise agreement that we put. So if they go from above ground to below ground, and then back to above ground, or something like that- Mm ...
that that's covered within the agreement. Okay. I was struck as I looked at the map because I was sort of visualizing The well-built-out networks that we've got are poles on every corner and three lines or four lines running, connecting, and so on.
But odds are none of us here will ever have seen an MCI line. Correct. Yeah. Okay. That's fine. Jen, do you have anything? No. No? Okay. Is there a motion for this? I would move approval of the attached ordinance with waiving the second reading with a 4/5 vote.
Second. Okay. Moved by me. Okay. So it will be on the consent. No, that approves it if it's 4/5. Okay. To do it now. You're not at the concert, are you, Duncan? No. I'm just glad. Thank you so much. The motion passes five to zero.
Thank you. Thank you. Good. Thank you. Okay, so that ends the action items. Anyone from- There's the public. Would the public like to speak? I got some things to say. If not, can I get a motion to turn on the air conditioning?