As 2016 came to an end, a group of concerned residents and two reputable advocacy groups sent a letter to the Charlottesville City Council asking them to slow down the planned redevelopment of the Strategic Investment Area. This area, immediately south of the Downtown Mall, contains IX Art Park and the Friendship Court subsidized housing complex as well as mixed income neighborhoods. The exclusivity and ambiguity which permeate both the redevelopment plan and its potential implementation has made people nervous — especially as the city seems eager to move it forward. City Council should ensure SIA residents have proper representation in the discussion of this plan.
There remains uncertainty as to what will be done to the SIA, particularly in terms of the continued availability of quality subsidized housing. The letter offers ways the council should alleviate this uncertainty, including community involvement and outreach to the people who will be most impacted by this plan. The letter makes reasonable requests which, if addressed, will increase public involvement in the project.
Last month, the City Council agreed to spend up to $228,000 to hire a consultant tasked with rewriting the zoning code for the SIA. In response to the letter, City Manager Maurice Jones said a committee including members of the public will get together to review the request for a consultant. This response doesn’t provide citizens a hands-on role in shaping the redevelopment plan itself nor does it explicitly guarantee the representation of those living in the SIA. Before spending significant funds on an outside consultant, City Council should directly address these local concerns with local people.
We have seen the consequences of previous redevelopment in Charlottesville conducted without the input of those most impacted. In the 1964 Vinegar Hill incident, a predominantly African American neighborhood was bulldozed for the sake of urban renewal. A vote from Charlottesville residents in favor of the redevelopment preceded the decision; however, poll taxes at the time prevented the African American residential majority from voting. As a result, many of the residents were displaced to the Westhaven project.
As students at this University, we should feel a sense of kinship for other members of our community. Lower income residents’ fears regarding their lack of involvement in this project do not go unfounded. A lack of proportionate representation of SIA residents — particularly the lower income residents — could have similar consequences as the Vinegar Hill incident. Today, all residents, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, should have a clear voice in what happens to their community.
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