The month of January 2026 is halfway through and the pace of the previous year appears to have continued with no days off in a period of transition and tumult. I’m Sean Tubbs, and Charlottesville Community Engagement is a newsletter with stories about a part of the world I’ve been covering for a long time with a focus on growth, development, housing, and whatever else comes together.

In this edition:

* Albemarle Planning Commission recommends approval of a rezoning near junction of I-64 and U.S. 29 (read this story over at C-Ville Weekly)

* Sanders welcomes new staff to Charlottesville (read the story)

* Council names two to Charlottesville Planning Commission (read the story)

* Developer named for UVA student housing on Emmet / Ivy (read the story)

* Charlottesville City Council gives direction on affordable housing spending (need to produce)

* Alternatives coming for payment at Charlottesville’s municipal garages (read the story)

Charlottesville Community Engagement is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Today’s shout-out: Town Crier Productions

When I was a kid decades ago, I dreamed of creating my own newspaper or having my own radio show. I lived on a cul-de-sac in a neighborhood in a community that was not the most exciting, but my imagination put me on the pathway to now when I’ve somehow managed to cobble together a newsletter with over 4,600 subscribers.

This week I’m trying to clear out the backlog from 2025 which includes at least a couple of newsletters of regular content before there will be a series of editions that look back on the specifics of the year.

My upbringing as a first generation American fueled me with a passion to understand a country so different from where my parents had grown up. For an entire career now I’ve been powered by a desire to know what’s going on, and to share what I know with people who also are curious, thoughtful, and independent.

What I am not is a business person, and the growth of Town Crier Productions has been slow and steady because my focus is on putting forward as much information as possible while pointing people to the places where they can contribute should they want to do so. Here are some current options:

* Take out a paid subscription to Substack with the yearly option being the most beneficial

* Consider a Patreon contribution to support more than just this newsletter

* Send a check to Town Crier Productions, PO Box 1754, Charlottesville, VA 22902

* Consider becoming an experimental sponsor of both this newsletter and Information Charlottesville.

I’m still dreaming of what this could all be, knowing I’ve got a lot of growth to do in terms of being a business person. I believe there is value in what I do each and every day, and I am able to pay my bills because there are enough of you who agree.

If you’re not sure, please keep reading and listening to the content. Share with friends. Share links to social media. Leave a comment!

The goal of this work is intended to advance conversation about complex topics in a country experiencing a lot of soul-searching as the 21st century steam-rolls on.

Thoughts at the end of CCE-985A

A behind the scenes fact! I work alone and so I have a lot of inside jokes to amuse myself. I name each of the podcast. This one is CCE-984A-stunted-moats for some reason. I’m an odd person.

I also created a couple of new audio bumpers that separate the stories. These also amuse me. The ad-lib shout-outs also amuse me.

Are these still worth doing? I think so. As I said in one of the pieces of continuity, the podcast marks the end of one week and the transition to another.

This particular edition begins with a story that is actually a C-Ville Weekly story that I did not produce a CCE version and now will not. I produced that story for them about a month ago but it got lost somewhere along the way.

I’m only putting in this section today because I need to put an image at the top.

Now, on to CCE-986 which will not have a name because it is not audio. There are rules to this madness, after all.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast for January 17, 2026: Stories about an Albemarle development, one at UVA, personnel changes in Charlottesville, and direction on affordable housing