Independence, interdependence, bootstraps

The Woolen Mills was independent for a long time. For a hundred years the people of Woolen Mills Road looked after each other.

After the Mill shut its doors in 1963, that independence, formerly an asset became, in one respect, a pronounced liability. The independent Woolies didn't have client status with either the County of Albemarle or the City of Charlottesville. They didn't have friends, champions, in the government.

Thursday, May 17, 4 p.m.-- the taking by typo saga will re-commence in the basement conference room of City Hall.
What does the future hold for the Woolen Mills. Will the stability of legislative action taken in 1993 prevail? Will the future of a historic property be dictated by a typographic error committed in 2003?

Invest in the future of this community with an hour of your presence. A watchful and concerned public makes the difference. The Board of Zoning Appeals will be at the top of their game before a room full of people-- and the Woolen Mills needs their very best.

I would urge you to think both about fairness to the parties here and what the most minimum due process requires, which is notice and an opportunity to be heard. And then also to think about the precedent and the way in which this kind of taking by typo would really threaten and jeopardize all of our ability to trust the stability of the records.--Anne Coughlin 4/19/07