The West Main Streetscape project is in limbo. (Source: WVIR) By CJ Paschall | February 11, 2021 at 5:59 PM EST – Updated February 11 at 5:59 PM CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – The West Main Streetscape project is in limbo as the city of Charlottesville continues to assess the budget shortfall.
The PLACE Design Taskforce met Thursday, February 11 to discuss where money could be saved on the multi-phase project after City Council identified it as a potential cut. The group discussed forgoing some design options, as well as potentially scrapping moving utility lines underground, which was set to make up a large portion of Phase One’s costs.
Only a handful of taskforce members were present for the meeting, leaving the board without a quorum, meaning no action or votes could be taken. Ultimately, the consensus reached by members present was that PLACE cannot make much of a plan without further decisions from City Council.
“Phase Two has some missing funding that staff is not recommending be funded, and then phase one is fully funded,” PLACE member Rory Stolzenberg said. “There’s some consideration of kind of yanking that money back in and using it for whatever else the council wants, mostly schools.”
City Council is set to take up the issue at its meeting on Tuesday, February 16.
