Council failed us on Ridge Street vote

By The Daily Progress

Published: October 17, 2008

It’s a sad state of affairs when the best we can say is “One out of five ain’t bad”!

Holly Edwards, apparently the only person on the five-member Charlottesville City Council with her head on straight, voted against selling one-third of an acre of city-owned land on Ridge Street to an area developer.

In spite of Edwards’ wise, lone-voice-in-the-wilderness vote, the sale will go through, and yet another pointless commercial and residential project will go up, on this land and the adjoining acreage already owned by the developer.

Reports suggested that most in the neighborhood opposed this sale, not to mention that there is a citywide consensus that C’ville is already overdeveloped. Anyone who thinks we have a lack of available housing must be driving around with blinders on and must never glance at “For Rent” section of the classified ads.

If anyone in our fair city needs more housing built, it would be our homeless citizens. And since the city recently forced the closing of a homeless shelter that didn’t meet technical safety standards, perhaps the city could have established a new one on this Ridge Street property.

While we’re waiting for that pipe dream to materialize, let’s all give a big “thank you” to Holly Edwards for actually representing the people of Charlottesville. And shame on her four colleagues.

Steve Burger
Charlottesville