Charlottesville Community Engagement

The land use reform currently underway in Charlottesville dates back to January 2017 when the Planning Commission at the time began work on a review of the Comprehensive Plan. I wrote about that work for the next 18 months before I took a break from journalism and out of the light. The Cville Plans Together process began just before the pandemic, a crisis that prompted me to step out of the shadow...

Remember, remember, the 11th of December? I don’t think that’s how the line goes, but I do know that Charlottesville Community Engagement often begins with a non sequitur, a Latin phrase that I’m not even sure is commonly used anymore. The point is to remind everyone of the date, try to say something witty, and then tell you I’m Sean Tubbs and I’m fairly certain I’ll always ask why.  On today’s pr...

December 8 is the 342nd day of the year, and December 8, 2023 is the 8,742nd day since the end of the 1900’s. So much has happened during all this time and there’s so much left to happen as humanity itself continues to unfold. There are an infinite number of details that matter to each of us, and Charlottesville Community Engagement seeks to help people understand a little more about interactions...

There is nothing in this December 6, 2023 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement about Charlottesville’s new Development Code in part because a longtime reader told me yesterday that her eyes glaze over those segments. That is not to say that she doesn’t think that information is important, but not all topics covered in this regular newsletter and podcast are equally loved by everyone. I’...

We’ve now arrived at December 5, and while I’d like to write about International Ninja Day or World Soil Day or Krampusnacht , my particular area to explore is growth and development and other topics that stem from being in a community that seems to be a place where a lot of people want to be. Charlottesville Community Engagement strives to bring listeners and readers information about as much as...

The main goal of the Cville Plans Together initiative is to increase the number of people who can live in the area, and Albemarle’s Comprehensive Plan also calls for more homes within the county’s urban ring. How will people get around? One solution often offered up is transit, and there’s a lot riding on the ability of various agencies to be a reliable alternative to driving. In this edition of C...

There are 34 days left until the end of the year, which gives us plenty of time to think about what kind of year it has been and what still needs to happen. We’ve had a slight break thanks to one holiday, and Charlottesville Community Engagement will get ready for the next one by trying to capture as many loose ends before the ball drops. I’m Sean Tubbs, perpetually missing Dick Clark. In today’s...

Some might call this day Cyber Monday, and I will note that this publication is a creation of the Internet but one that resists that particular title. I’d rather point out that today is also Pins and Needles Day , marking a musical revue from the late 1930’s that I’d never heard of until writing this opening paragraph of the November 27 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement, I’m Sean Tub...

T ’was the day before Thanksgiving and all through the town, many people have left and others are in renown. Charlottesville Community Engagement is not known for couplets but perhaps its time to start a tradition? In any case, it’s November 22 and there are only so many days left to catch up on stories that still await to be written this year. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I guess I’d better get to writing...

Friday editions of Charlottesville Community Engagement have become rare, but here we are with an installment for November 17, 2023 in order to get some items out as quickly as possible. There are now almost 2,600 subscribers, a number that has me realizing that this is no longer a game of Yar’s Revenge . I’m Sean Tubbs, hopelessly stuck in an 8-bit mindset. In today’s edition: * Albemarle County...

There may not be any significance to the number 320, but that is the number of days that have occurred since the beginning of the year. There are now 45 days remaining until the beginning of 2024, so take heed of this if you have any goals you’d like to make between now and then. This is not a new song for a long-dormant rock and roll band, but instead another edition of Charlottesville Community...

Among other things, November 15 is apparently National Ample Time Day . Here’s hoping that you have enough time to get through this edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement , a newsletter and podcast that takes a certain amount of time to create and the word “ample” may not quite be congruent. I’m Sean Tubbs, recent purchaser of a dictionary.   In this edition: * Northrop Grumman is opening...

Many people awoke this morning in dread for it is Monday the 13th as November continues its journey toward December. This is another edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter and podcast that seeks to dispel the dread of not knowing about what’s happening in local and regional government. I’m Sean Tubbs, incorrectly influenced by the old 2000 A.D. Comics . In today’s edition: *...

It’s the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month of the Twenty-Third Year of the Twenty-First Century. That’s 105 years since the Armistice that ended World War One. That’s a good reason to put out a special edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement to honor Veterans Day and to mention a few other things. This is also the 600th edition of the newsletter and podcast, and it’s good to day to reach...

There are 55 days left until 2024, the time when people who are elected to office this week will take their positions. Election Day is one of the strangest days in the United States, a country where different political parties have sharply different approaches for how the government should work. Charlottesville Community Engagement is the result of a career that has included many days like today t...

It’s the day before an election, though we live in a time when the actual voting is stretched out over several weeks. Today’s the last day before the votes get counted and we prepare for any changes that may occur. Charlottesville Community Engagement seeks to document whatever happens and to get ready for all of the editions that have yet to be written. I’m Sean Tubbs, because I’m contractually o...

There are now 60 days until the end of 2023, and today is marked by the Day of the Dead or All Souls Day . Perhaps but not at all related, November 2 is also National Deviled Egg Day . This is Charlottesville Community Engagement , a newsletter that celebrates Traffic Directors Day for all the work that goes into putting out information to the public. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I can mark off the creatio...

Eleven months into the year with holidays on the horizon now as pumpkins give way to all manner of other decorations. For many, the pending merriment provokes a sense of anxiety. That’s as good a time as any to mark National Stress Awareness Day on this November 1. Perhaps this edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement will prepare you for the time ahead. I’m Sean Tubbs, and probably not.   ...

We are now on the penultimate day of October, a month that whirred by so fast the leaves have fallen off the trees. In Ten-Code , 10-30 could also mean “Use Caution” or “Illegal Use of the Radio” which could also be an apt description of Charlottesville Community Engagement. This is the 593rd edition of a newsletter and podcast that also does not seem to conform to any rules or regulations of cont...

In this edition: * The University of Virginia Health System has purchased a 5.2 acre historic property in Fifeville for $3.5 million * A small grocery store on Preston Avenue said it’s working to stock empty shelves and will stay open * Albemarle Supervisors review the way the next transportation priority list is being developed This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other su...

What you’ll learn in this edition: * Charlottesville City Council suspends remote public comment after recent racist remarks * City Manager Sam Sanders further explains decision to reimpose operating hours at Market Street Park this Saturday * The person whose arrest in September began the incident speaks to Council  * Campaign finance reports are in and both candidates vying for the at-large seat...

We’ve now arrived at October 16, 2023, the 289th day of the year. We’re nearly 80 percent of the way through this year and it’s almost time to begin another one. For those with birthdays today, you’re perhaps on the next stage already. I’m Sean Tubbs and I know that this is the 590th edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement .  And if you’re interested in a little time travel, why not go bac...

Be bald, and be free! That’s the slogan for one of the supposed holidays for October 14, and I hesitate to even mention it at all except to say I represent. I’ve always thought of pawns as bald, and this is National Chess Day as well. Supposedly it’s also National I Love You Day , but rest assured that Charlottesville Community Engagement has that sentiment every day with a sunrise and a sunset. I...

Stand by, for it is October 12 and 10-12 signals “Stand By” in later versions of the Ten-Code developed decades ago to assist communications in the days when signal times were short. Earlier versions of 10-12 signified that officials were present. That’s a status that’s usually valid in any given edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. I’m Sean Tubbs, ten times five.  In this edition: * T...

Every now and then, there shall be a Sunday edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement due to various logistics and rerouted circuits. There is a great deal to process to get through the various steps required to deliver this distilled information to you and for some reason it was necessary to break the format. I’m Sean Tubbs, candidly admitting that perhaps I just forgot what day it was.  On...