"Michael Monaco"
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mmonaco.bsky.social
"Michael Monaco"
@mmonaco.bsky.social
A guy who works in Crozet. If you know me you know me. was once known as "bookshelfstud." posts never reflect my employer or other bodies i'm on.

serious site: https://which-side-are-you-on.ghost.io
fun site: https://michaelbookshelf.neocities.org/
just musing for right now, might turn this into something more substantial in the future...but i think it's interesting that an overall downwards-trending average flattens out a little when you remove the rural area (500 avg 1975-2008, then 441 avg 2009-present).
December 12, 2025 at 7:47 PM
removing the rural area from the zoning categories here shows a slightly different picture - it's not just a decline in building, it's a fairly consistent level of building with a big gap following the great recession, a return to norm up to 2020, then a recent jagged decline.
December 12, 2025 at 7:47 PM
also, in case you can't tell from the orange in the above chart - from 1975 to 2008, total units averaged ~800/year; from 2009 to present, total units averaged ~530/year. but that 1975-2008 higher average was underpinned by development in the rural area.
December 12, 2025 at 7:47 PM
if i turn this into a blog post i will be more methodical about color-coding the zoning categories here. but another thing i saw, zooming out: 2016 and 2025 are the two lowest-unit years in the last 50 years for Albemarle County.
December 12, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by "Michael Monaco"
I want very badly to tax the shit out of our rich folks, eminent domain buildings from shitty landlords, and implement a broad and comprehensive public housing program. I also think it is a terrible idea to hinder the private construction of new housing until we figure out how to do that.
December 11, 2025 at 2:11 PM
and spoiler alert - i don't think we get enough of those homes through developer incentives/inclusionary zoning alone. we need a meaningful increase in the housing supply.
December 11, 2025 at 1:44 PM
yes, the plant will definitely indirectly create more jobs than those 600 high-paying ones. but without homes in Albemarle affordable at, say, 80% or 50% AMI, the people working those jobs will likely be forced to commute from Greene/Madison/Louisa/Orange.
December 11, 2025 at 1:44 PM
If you try to take an oath of office with your hand on Jeff Vandermeer's Annhilation, you just start the whole "Where lies the strangling fruit" chant and everyone around you begins to turn into new and strange types of slime mold
December 10, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Swearing in to office on a copy of Blood Meridian. Swearing in on a copy of Mad magazine. The book of dril tweets. An ad&d player's handbook. The silmarillion. Hitchiker's guide. The Golden Bough. Full Catastrophe Living. Confederacy of Dunces.
December 10, 2025 at 1:31 AM
who are these people and what are they doing in my Virtual Three Notched Trail Meeting Room
December 8, 2025 at 8:07 PM
I'm hearing that it's pretty clear from Crozet to Cville!
December 5, 2025 at 5:41 PM