Author: James A. Bacon
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Yes, the Cville Bypass Is under Budget
by James A. Bacon Last week the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) opened bids for the design and construction of the Charlottesville Bypass, claiming that the low bid of Virginia Beach-based Skanska-Branch/JMT came in beneath the department’s official projection and within the $197 million allocated to the project. However, project foes stated that, based upon…
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Will Washington Mayor Gray Side with McDonnell on MWAA?
by James A. Bacon Overlooked in the contentious debate over Virginia’s representation on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board is this salient fact: MWAA won’t seat the two new directors appointed by Governor Bob McDonnell until the District of Columbia joins Virginia in amending the interstate compact creating MWAA. While Virginia passed the necessary legislation,…
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Media General Sells Newspapers, Old Richmond Fades Away
by James A. Bacon Richmond-based Media General announced the sale this morning of all of its newspapers, except those in the Tampa Group, to Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. for $142 million in cash and help in refinancing its capital structure. Newspapers affected include the Richmond Times-Dispatch as well as daily newspapers in Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Danville, Bristol…
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Quote of the Day: Jim DeMint
From a viewpoint written by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-SC, and published by the Republican Joint Economic Committee: “Just as Greece enjoyed years of low interest rate loans to finance their debt due to the backing of the Euro’s good name, the United States is today enjoying a time of artificially low interest rates as a…
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Hoist a Mug to Win-Win-Win Economic Development
It may be a small step forward — perhaps I should say, a “micro” step forward — but Governor Bob McDonnell’s signing yesterday of two laws to stimulate small beer breweries in Virginia is exactly the kind of economic development initiative the state needs. One law will permit manufacturers to lease space in their brew…
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IG Report Highlights MWAA Board Conflicts
James A. Bacon It seems that “partisan Republicans” and “wild-eyed Tea Baggers” aren’t the only people who have problems with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) board of directors. The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the Obama administration expressed concerns in an interim report on its review of the board’s policies…
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Chart of the Day: Virginia Economic Performance
This chart from the Joint Economic Committee of Congress comes from a recent report, “Understanding the Economy: State-by-State Snapshots.” It shows how Virginia falls in the quadrant of lower-than-median unemployment and lower-than-median job loss since the beginning of the recession. A logical question to ask is how much credit the McDonnell administration deserves for the…
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Assembly Balks at Reining in MWAA
Among other hijinks yesterday, it appears that the General Assembly shot down Governor Bob McDonnell’s bid to withhold $150 million in state contributions to Phase 2 of the Rail-to-Dulles project if the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority refused to accept two additional Virginia appointees to its board. Steve Contorno has the story for the Washington Examiner.…
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Bail outs for Failed States? No Way!
by James A. Bacon As Greece stumbles towards default on its budget promises and the European Union continues its slow-motion meltdown, a growing number of people are wondering if default is in the cards within the Dollar Union, in other words, the good ol’ United States of America. California’s projected budget gap has increased from…
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How Robots in Parking Garages Can Advance New Urbanism
Robotics and information technology are migrating off the factory floor and appearing in the most remarkable places. Boomerang Systems, an exhibitor at the Congress for the New Urbanism conference last week, outfits garages with automated parking systems. In projects where construction costs are high or land is valuable, it can make economic sense for property…
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McDonnell Still Plugging Port Development Subsidies
Governor Bob McDonnell is campaigning hard for an amendment to the 2013-2014 budget that would provide grants to companies locating in the Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Zone. A press release from the Governor’s Office lists more than 30 local governments, Chambers of Commerce and other groups, from the Virginia Manufacturers Association to…
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Cville Bypass Bids Come in Under $244 Million Estimate… Or Maybe Not
The low bid for the Charlottesville Bypass, submitted by Virginia Beach Skanska- Branch/JMT, came in below cost estimates, says the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), as reported by Charlottesville Tomorrow Friday. “Based on the apparent low bids all project costs are within the allocated amount in the Six-Year Improvement Program,” said Lou Hatter, spokesman for…
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Americans Need to Drive Less, Walk More
by James A. Bacon WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.–Something is very wrong with America’s health, Dr. Richard Jackson, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California-Los Angeles, told the Congress for the New Urbanism today. Rates of depression, obesity and diabetes are soaring. “We’re looking at the first generation in American history that will have a…
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Krier Decries Kitsch, Inhuman Scale of Modernist Architecture
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA–Leon Krier, one of the world’s leading neo-traditional architects and urban planners, finds a lot to be unhappy about what planners, architects and developers are building these days. He dislikes high-rises and skyscrapers, which he views as affronts to human scale. He detests modernist architecture, which, by sacrificing traditional forms and proportions,…
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The Creative Class Meets New Urbanism
by James A. Bacon WEST PALM BEACH, FLA–Richard Florida, the author of the “Rise of the Creative Class,” has long remarked upon the creative class’ penchant for living in certain cities rather than others. He has devoted much of his energy over the past 10 years to illuminating the importance of a community’s tolerance for…