At least one other person stayed up with me for this 😅 (mine was an accident tbh)

🥳🤞🏻 15 minutes to go!!!! www.npr.org/2026/07/10/n...

Basically every "put solar panels in this weird place" idea is stupid and bad. I appreciate this being tested to show that the panels can survive for at least a year, but I think there will turn out to be much bigger problems why this is bad. Utility-scale should go in big fields. It's not hard.

I am not sure where we will land on a proposed sidewalk snow ordinance, but this is my feeling as well. These are public infrastructure and should be municipally maintained. I also feel this way about stormwater - municipalities should maintain stormwater ponds, eliminating the need for many HOAs.

Jeff Richardson with Albemarle County talks about the C'ville Spectacular.

Happy Birthday to the Downtown Mall 🎂🎂🎂. A visionary mall that has withstood the test of time and become a national model for pedestrian centric community planning. @creighdeeds.bsky.social and I honored the 50th anniversary with resolutions! @jenfleisher.bsky.social @nat4cville.bsky.social

Went down to the mall, saw the history, talked to friends, and drenched in sweat in only about 45 minutes 😵‍💫. It’s such a bummer so many things are getting cancelled after all the planning, but I’m glad they are. This heat is no joke.

Looking to track some of the housing bills going into law in Virginia? Here is a helpful summary from a couple months ago. virginiamercury.com/2026/04/10/s...

July 1 is also New Laws Day in Virginia. Here’s some of the new legislation now in effect (the job-listings and paid-leave statutes in particular are both welcome and seriously overdue).

This Spring I met with a majority of each elected body in the county and the city. They all gave their time to explain issues and advocate for our communities needs. Local government work is hard and I appreciate them stopping by!

Friends: we are in for a very hot stretch of weather the next seven days. Heat indicies (temp + humidity) later this week will approach 110°. July 4th will see actual highs around 100°. Please make sure cooling implements are working and/or that you have a way to keep cool in the days ahead.

State funding to support local business growth accelerator

We love elected officials who work to make sure their community has the sidewalks it deserves!

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

@creighdeeds.bsky.social and Sen. L. Louise Lucas are holding a Data Center Listening Tour in Charlottesville this Sunday from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. You can RSVP here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Something i try to convey when talking with people concerned about "luxury apartments:" the most "luxurious" form of housing is in fact the large single family detached home.

US cities face 3 parallel crises: 1—Rise of remote work 2—Fewer young adults in upcoming generations 3—Less immigration due to Trump admin A new report @urbaninstitute.bsky.social shows how cities can improve their economies by improving life for people with kids: www.urban.org/research/pub...

“The entire enterprise rests not only on the individual dignity of our fellow citizens but on the notion that they are beings with rich interiority, capable of good and evil, and deserving of the chance to become their best selves.”

Concrete actions you can take:

More about todays actions. Our love, resources, and solidarity go out to all individuals taken today, and to their families, friends, and neighbors. You deserve better. You deserve to be free, without fear, and home with the ones you love tonight and every night.

Apropos of nothing, I learned today that Virginia mandates landlords to have air conditioning in rental buildings

Eventually that can cost us our liberties and our nation’s soul. While I fight to defeat those who are funding and enabling these attacks, please consider supporting this mutual aid fund to help families in our community who have been impacted: www.paypal.com/donate?campa...

Nice article about ADUs in the city - 😱 at the cost 🫠🫠. I’d love to see an article about what the new state law means! c-ville.com/adus-what-th...

Here’s something to watch for — last week I wrote an op-ed for the Vancouver Sun @vancouversun.bsky.social on why/how the pedestrianized Granville Street for the World Cup should be extended to the end of August, and opened every summer from now on. It will be in the print edition Thursday.

Strewn along roadways throughout Ruckersville, dozens of abandoned vehicles sat empty Tuesday as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and Greene County Sheriff’s deputies stopped motorists and made arrests across the community. Here's what we know:

I think a lot of people who don’t live in NYC missed that Zohran won the Dem primary because it came down to renters living around transit versus outer boroughs homeowners.

This is 100% correct

Another reason we have got to create more affordable housing in the county is so that our immigrant neighbors are not forced to live in surrounding counties that have 247g agreements!!!!! 🤬

This used to be a fucking double decker highway.

Periodic reminder for Charlottesville friends that building housing does not cause displacement. *Insufficient building* does though.

It's truly evil how much having an eviction on your rental history can lock you out of stable housing for decades; it's not exaggerating to say that eviction prevention funds are lifesaving.

“One reason this is really great is because we have to use every tool that we have. There isn’t one tool to solve the housing crisis…Ownership is the best ways to do that so it’s really important that we create a path where people can have some control of their future” www.29news.com/2026/06/17/a...

“The mortality rate among people who’ve been chronically homeless or living on the margins of society is shockingly high,” says Norris. “ I’ve never been to more funerals than when I was Executive Director at PACEM. Living on the streets takes its toll.” open.substack.com/pub/charlott...

“This year’s impact saw fivefold the emissions reductions achieved during the challenge’s first year, highlighting the continued growth and enthusiasm surrounding biking as a practical and sustainable transportation option in Central Virginia.” www.charlottesville.gov/m/newsflash/...

Also managed to work this video from @jamellebouie.net in my response 🤗 youtu.be/zacgO9WsvTU?...

Once again pointing out that congestion pricing is a great example of the Hill of Hysteria. As we saw in New York City, initial opposition eventually turned to support as people saw the benefits. This opposition is *not* a reason congestion pricing shouldn't be implemented.

Incredible story, which is possible because of a rental inspection program; also shows the need for a well-run program with enough staff, and enforcement.

When hope is a vision, it can become a strategy.

Home prices are up 54% since 2020, and the median existing single-family sales price is 5x the median household income. Meanwhile, 22.7 million renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing. Our new report is out today; 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 @ 𝟰𝗽𝗺 𝗘𝗧. www.jchs.harvard.edu/state-nation...

#ICYMI: We're hearing that there's an impending vote on the “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act." See our statement on the recent act, and what it means for low-income renters: https://nlihc.org/news/statement-nlihc-president-and-ceo-renee-m-willis-amended-21st-century-road-housing-act-and#ICYMI

I truly don’t know if I’ll be able to talk about this without tearing up, but I am so thrilled to see this proposal on the agenda for tomorrow.

Your regular reminder that cities aren’t loud. Cars are loud.

Maybe since NPR says it, people will believe it. “The reason rent increases have fallen behind inflation comes down to Economics 101: supply and demand. Specifically, the supply of apartments has been boosted by a construction boom.”

why does this sound so familiar? 🤔

Changing our cityscapes so that 44% of Americans lived in walkable areas would be the greatest sea change in American urbanism since the automotive revolution.

Do you enjoy a good view, tasty food, and Albemarle County politics? Come join us next week on Wednesday, June 24th from 5-7pm at Bar Botanical in Crozet. We look forward to seeing you there!

“We are so committed to fairness that we have lost sight of the unfairness of doing nothing.”

How has the US added housing supply since 2000? Are conservative places building a lot more than liberal places? In new research, I show that: —Additional homes were disproportionately in high-income, conservative, greenfield areas —BUT infill growth was more likely to be located in liberal areas