A new City Council member will be chosen mostly behind closed doors, but here’s what the candidates told us about their positions
Natalie Oschrin
Oschrin is a former Charlottesville election officer.
What is your opinion of the city’s goal of increasing housing density through its new zoning ordinance?
The city has made strides with the passage of the Future Land Use Map, and I eagerly anticipate the additional housing that is going to be developed within the city limits, from ADUs (accessory dwelling units) to missing middle complexes and larger scale, multi-family buildings. I have reviewed the current rezoning map and the first module from the Cville Plans Together team.
While I fully support that generally everywhere will be upzoned, I think we could add even more of the higher-intensity areas closer to the city center. I want to have concentrations of folks around amenities, not just nestled against busy roads. I also want to be sure that the multi-family homes truly have space for families. We have to ensure that new builds are not just one- or two-bedrooms or studios, but also have options laid out with whole families in mind so that a transition to a single-family home is not seen as a necessary objective or next step.
With assessed property values increasing 12% across the city, the local government will collect more tax revenue this year. How would you propose allocating that additional money?
One of the pieces discussed at the budget work session last week was a check-in with city departments to learn about requests they have and if there is budget available to give to these requests. There was room to approve these, and since the departments know their keenest pain points, I think it is worth exploring approving these requests to alleviate pressure within the departments.
However, I’m also concerned that the Pathways [to Housing] program budget is being cut. The program expanded with American Rescue Plan funding and proved to be a crucial stopgap, allowing people to remain in their homes with relatively low-cost patches. I would keep that funded while the city deals with the slower fix of increasing the availability of homes with new construction.
What would you look for in a new permanent city manager?
The city manager should be progressive on housing, transit and climate issues, and sensitive to racial disparities and the historic inequity of how resources have been distributed in Charlottesville.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Working the polls in the 2020 election. Photo by Jessie Higgins