Daniel Rubin

City Council discusses possible Mall changes

The Downtown Mall, aged from 20 years of weather and traffic, soon may be getting a facelift. Charlottesville City Council has been discussing whether to renovate the surface of the Downtown Mall for several years and recently hired a consultant to determine the urgency of the situation, Director of Public Works Judith Mueller said. "We've known over the years it's been deteriorating," Mueller said. The project would take about two years to complete and cost over $1 million, City Councilman Blake Caravati said. But Council will wait for the results of the consultant's investigation before deciding to go ahead with the pricey renovation. Mueller said she expects to know more about the consultant's investigation in a few weeks. Charlottesville Mayor Virginia Daugherty said the project needs to be started soon because the Mall "is already in dire need of resurfacing." Caravati said Council already has anticipated the renovations and has been setting aside money for the past three years to pay for the project. "But it will be a couple of years before anything can happen" because of the high cost of the construction, he said. The majority of the brick on the Downtown Mall surface dates back to 1976, though some portions are as new as 1982, he added. Vice Mayor Meredith Richards said brick is a high-maintenance material and that the Mall's surface has had several decades of wear. "It's in very serious need of replacement," Richards said.

Charlottesville and Albemarle County officials continue to negotiate problems in their fire services contract as the December deadline for renewal approaches.

Charlottesville, county officials

Charlottesville and Albemarle County officials continue to negotiate problems in their fire services contract as the December deadline for renewal approaches.

City, University address issues

University, Charlottesville and Albemarle County officials assembled yesterday at the Planning and Coordination Council meeting to continue a dialogue on issues facing the Charlottesville area.

City investigates parking practices near Scott Stadium

"Parking is a privilege, not a right." That's how City Councilman Blake Caravati described the problems relating to residents selling parking in their yards during football games, a practice that the city will be investigating further tomorrow. Charlottesville officials will be out during tomorrow's game against Georgia Tech to gather more evidence against residents who sell parking spots in their yards. "There's a lot of violations of the ordinance," Charlottesville Zoning Administrator Heidi Misslbeck said. Misslbeck said she will pass along the evidence she collects to the city attorney's office to prosecute offenders. Operating a parking lot in a residential area is a zoning violation, Asst.

University, city investigate pedestrian safety concerns

Dodging bikes and cars while walking around Grounds is no pedestrian's idea of fun, and University and Charlottesville officials are hoping to improve the situation. University officials are working to restrict bicycle usage in areas of heavy pedestrian traffic to make walking safer and easier. The University posed "pedestrians only" signs in those areas earlier this year, but has not been enforcing them yet, University Landscape Architect Mary Hughes said.

City law outlines residential occupancy rules

Three is company, four is a crowd, and five is illegal. Students looking for off-Grounds housing should be aware of a Charlottesville ordinance that prohibits more than four unrelated people from living in a single housing unit. Charlottesville Planning Manager Ron Higgins said about half a dozen cases are brought up each year, but usually the landlord settles the complaint before court action is needed. City Councilman Blake Caravati said the landlord could choose to evict tenants to bring the total of unrelated people to four or less. Should a case go to court, fines for violating this zoning ordinance range from $100 to $1,000 and the property owner or landlord and not the tenant would be considered at fault, Higgins said. City Councilman David Toscano said the ordinance is designed to prevent certain neighborhoods from becoming too dense. University students violate the ordinance the most, Toscano said. "I don't know of a case where students weren't involved," he said. Higgins said almost every community is concerned about overcrowding, which is why Charlottesville adopted the law. But Charlottesville officials do not enforce the ordinance very often. Caravati said the enforcement is generally complaint-driven, but sometimes officials sweep through neighborhoods to find violators.

City cracks down on selling parking near Scott Stadium

Several residents near Scott Stadium sell parking spaces in their yards and driveways during home football games, a practice which Charlottesville officials are hoping to stop. After issuing verbal warnings to about six residents at the last home football game Oct.

Police charge streakers with indecent exposure

Streakers beware: The police don't always look the other way. Three University students were stopped on the Lawn early Sunday morning and charged with indecent exposure. "An officer observed people running nude down the Lawn" and proceeded to give them a citation, University Police Capt.

Council members gear up for next city mayor election

Following Charlottesville Mayor Virginia Daugherty's announcement that she will not seek re-election to City Council next fall, an additional Council seat has opened up for the May elections. After serving on Council for eight years, Daugherty announced last Thursday that she will not be running in May.