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Welcome to the Livable Cville
December 2022 newsletter!

Livable Cville is a local all-volunteer organization. We advocate for policies to build an inclusive Charlottesville area with affordable housing, sustainable transportation, and healthy neighborhoods welcoming to all. We appreciate your interest in creating a livable, thriving Charlottesville for all current and future residents!

Are you enjoying our newsletters? Please forward to a friend or neighbor.

Did something you read strike a chord with you? Do you have any ideas for future events or advocacy? Hit reply and let us know what you think.

— Matthew Gillikin & Steven Johnson, Livable Cville co-chairs

Show Up!

Alarming recent news about involuntary hospitalizations and psychiatric interventions in New York City is just one example of how bad-faith efforts to address homelessness actively harm our communities. But even absent such draconian measures, uninformed discussions and misunderstandings of homelessness perpetuate housing insecurity, including in Charlottesville.

There’s still time to register for an informative webinar where you can:

  • Hear from local experts about our unhoused and unsheltered neighbors, and

  • Learn more about of the causes of homelessness, the people impacted by it, and solutions our community can achieve.

Our speakers will also consider how these issues relate to the Cville Plans process. A Q&A period will allow for further discussion.

Register Now

Speak up!

There are multiple ways you can speak up this month for an inclusive, sustainable future for the Charlottesville area. See below for more details about the important projects that need immediate support.

Woodbridge Solar Project

Help advocate for Woodridge Solar as this exciting project proposal nears its next milestone.

Read our FAQ to learn more about this proposed large-scale clean energy project in southeastern Albemarle County that could generate enough solar-powered electricity for at least 20,000 local households. Besides making a significant contribution to the county’s climate action goals, the project would rehabilitate a large swath of clear-cut timberland and qualify for the Virginia Pollinator Smart program. We wrote a letter of support to the Albemarle Planning Commission.

The Albemarle County Planning Commission will consider Woodridge Solar during its meeting on Tuesday, December 13, at 6 pm.

How can you help?

Help address climate change locally by adding your voice to those supporting the project.

  • Email the Albemarle County Planning Commission at planningcommission@albemarle.org.


  • Speak up during the meeting’s public comment period, either in person or remotely.


    • In-person: Lane Auditorium at the County Office Building at 401 McIntire Road

    • Remotely via Zoom: https://albemarle-org.zoom.us/j/89178762509

    • Remotely via telephone: 1-312-626-6799. Press # to enter the meeting without a Participant ID. Webinar ID: 891 7876 2509

Sample talking points for email or public comment:

  • Please vote to recommend the Woodridge Solar Project because it is consistent with the county’s climate and land use goals.

  • The project is an opportunity for Albemarle County to establish itself as a leader in Virginia for how to do utility scale solar projects well.

  • Another chance to make this much progress on the county’s environmental goals through renewable energy is unlikely to come along anytime soon.

Charlottesville Capital Improvement Program
budget planning

Charlottesville’s city government is planning the next several years’ worth of spending on capital improvement projects. This budgeting process allocates funding for streets, public buildings such as schools, land, and other capital assets.

The Charlottesville Planning Commission will consider a draft of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget during a public hearing on Tuesday, December 13, at 5:30 pm.

Additionally, due to legal issues stemming from a frivolous lawsuit, and also due to the addition of a Climate Action Plan chapter, they will also be considering an amended version of the Comprehensive Plan.

Livable Cville wrote a letter to the Planning Commission and City Council about the CIP and the amended Comprehensive Plan. We believe it is important for pro-housing voices to express support for the amended Comprehensive Plan and some changes to the capital budget.

How can you help?

Help make sure that the city prioritizes affordable housing, safe streets, and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure by funding them adequately.

Talking points you can use in an email or public comment:

  • The amended Comprehensive Plan and the Climate Action Plan should be approved unanimously.

  • We appreciate the city’s commitment to funding affordable housing initiatives, but recommend increasing the funding for the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund (CAHF) and the Charlottesville Supplemental Rental Assistance Program (CSRAP) to help meet the city's housing needs.

  • We strongly recommend the city dramatically increase both capacity and funding for sidewalk and cycling infrastructure over the course of the next 5 years.

Advocate for More Housing

The Mount View Development will go to City Council for a vote on December 19. If approved and completed, it would include up to 72 multi-family homes and provide 270 feet of new sidewalks on River Vista Avenue.

You can voice your support for more badly needed missing middle housing in Charlottesville by emailing council@charlottesville.gov or signing up to speak during the Community Matters portion of the meeting.

Learn more in the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter or by looking through the plans.

Learn more!

Livable Cville is an all-volunteer organization. Want to help out?

If you have 5 minutes or 5 hours a month to help, you can be part of positive change in the Charlottesville area. If you’d like to get further involved, please let us know!

Email Us to Get Involved!