Little High Neighborhood Association

Information for and about the Little High Neighborhood in Charlottesville, VA

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Josh Mayo, the Meriwether Underground, Aug. 16

Our neighborhood’s next backyard concert is — weather permitting — Sunday August 16, in the backyard of 300 13th Street NE. Our neighborhood has the peculiar feature of having two 13th streets that are both dead ends. This concert is on the corner of E. Jefferson and 13th. The backyard gate opens at 5pm; music starts at 5:30pm. The event is free and open to all people.

** This event is a key part of our summer fundraising effort for the Haven, the multi-resource day shelter and housing resource center near Market Street Park. During the concert, contributions to the Haven will be encouraged but not required. Last summer we raised just over one thousand dollars for the Haven. This summer we hope to do even better.**

The musical guests are:

Josh Mayo, a rising star in the regional music world. If you haven’t heard Josh Mayo’s music, you haven’t lived.

The Meriwether Underground. Two outstanding singers, two solid guitar players, a drummer whose middle name is “John Henry Bonham,” a great bass player who may arrive just in time for the show, and a tastefully eclectic set list. There ain’t no more to say.

The City of Charlottesville’s E-Bike drawing is open July 1-31, 2026

The sign-up window for the third round of the City of Charlottesville’s 2026 E-bike Voucher program is open July 1 through July 31 at 11:59pm.

The City of Charlottesville’s three-tiered grant program to encourage residents to use e-bikes to get around town has a drawing every quarter of the year. Regardless of income, ALL adult (18 yrs and up) residents are eligible to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,500 (depending on income) toward the purchase of an e-bike and/or certain related equipment from designated vendors.

You can check your eligibility on the City’s website.

Grant winners at any of the levels are chosen by a lottery drawing held each quarter. You have until July 31 at 11:59pm to enter the drawing for this quarter. The drawing will take place on Wednesday, August 5.

More information about this program can be found here and this is the link for entering the drawing.

LHNA Board Meeting (5/14/26) Meetings

The following is an AI summary

Key Outcomes

The board approved raising suggested annual dues from $10 to $15–35 (voluntary) and confirmed final logistics for the May 17 neighborhood picnic and May 10 cleanup event. Jonathan Rice will invite Neighborhood Development Services staff to the picnic to strengthen city relationships.

Decisions Made

  • Dues increase approved: Suggested annual dues raised to $15–35 (voluntary, no requirement to pay); increase justified by inflation and need to reimburse infrastructure costs (website hosting, MailChimp, domain registration)
  • Leftover food plan: Residents will take home extra food; Catherine will coordinate with neighbors who have Black Bear composting bins for food waste disposal
  • Flyer distribution: Catherine will deliver remaining flyers to Julia and Sumner; Sumner will post at the Randolph, Julia will share with CityWalk residents
  • NDS invitation: Jonathan will draft email invitation to Neighborhood Development Services staff for the picnic

Neighborhood Cleanup – May 10

  • Time & location: 1–4 PM, meeting at bulletin board; Cville Litter Pickers donated equipment (vests, grabbers); Matt unavailable but some members may attend
  • Route strategy: Focus on high-traffic border streets (East Market, Farm Lane) where trash accumulates; interior streets have less litter due to regular resident cleanup
  • Post-cleanup social: 3–4 PM at Julia’s house (pergola or backyard with camp chairs); Sumner bringing snacks and trash bags
  • City pickup: City confirmed 4 PM trash collection; Barbara provided backup trash tags if needed
  • Sign-ups: 7 residents signed up via Sign Up Genius (no families)

Neighborhood Picnic – May 17

  • Menu & supplies: Catherine purchased non-perishables (beans, rice, plates, napkins, aluminum trays, compostable sporks, vegan/spicy labels); will buy perishables at Costco/Aldi’s days before; former CNO catering chef advising on logistics
  • Coolers: Jonathan and Janine lending large coolers to keep food hot during short transport
  • Additional dishes: Sumner making salad and dessert; Julia making grain bowl and cookies; Peach will contribute
  • Setup/cleanup: Volunteers arriving 4:30 PM for 5 PM start; multiple board members staying late to clean up
  • Jonathan’s attendance: Uncertain due to daughter’s birthday; plan evolving

Concert Series Updates

  • June 7 concert: Confirmed at Carolyn’s house; best musician unavailable due to health issues
  • July/August lineup: Luke Foster tentatively scheduled for July, Josh Mayo for August; both confirmed interest but haven’t provided logistics details (sound system needs, preferred dates)
  • Sound system: Doug Campbell available to assist if needed, but requires 4 PM arrival for 7 PM show and extensive setup/teardown (last event ended 10 PM)
  • Jonathan’s concert: Playing with Doug Campbell and Josh at rental house backyard; yard has sufficient space and shade

City Planning & Zoning Issues

  • Little High recognition: Jonathan continues advocating for Little High’s independent status on city systems; neighborhood now appears on tree survey after repeated complaints to city officials
  • Tree survey: Board encouraged to complete survey on website and flag Little High’s absence where it occurs; survey covers canopy restoration, tree planting barriers, and financial incentives
  • 10th/11th Street development: Seven-story apartment building (126 units) still active despite new zoning standards; includes only 4 affordable units at 80% AMI (developer may pay into affordable housing fund instead)
  • Additional development: Proposed five-story apartment building for parking lots between old preschool and Jefferson Street

Real Estate Concerns

  • Peach’s mother’s purchases: Chris Friedman bought Kristen Clarence’s house (Farm Lane) and Lewis house at double assessed value, raising concerns about neighborhood property tax increases because purchases were made above tax-assessed value.
  • Intent clarified: Purchases intended as family compound for Peach, another daughter, and tech-industry son in California; not a neighborhood takeover or nonprofit setup
  • Restoration plans: Properties will receive historic restoration with historians, architects, and landscapers; potential future historical walkthrough event

Short-Term Rental Enforcement

  • City crackdown: City using software to identify illegal Airbnbs; raising fees and requiring owners to live on-premises exactly half the year; enforcement imminent
  • Neighborhood impact: Two former short-term rentals on Catherine’s block converted to single-family and one-year rental occupancy

Action Items

  • Catherine: Deliver remaining flyers to Julia and Sumner; complete Mead Avenue distribution; purchase perishable picnic supplies at Costco/Aldi’s; coordinate with neighbors (Mary and Christian) about composting bin access for picnic waste
  • Julia: Share flyer with CityWalk resident; write dues explanation paragraph for picnic sign-up sheet and website (covering past uses: picnic, muse donations, snow removal assistance)
  • Sumner: Post flyers at Randolph apartment building; bring snacks and trash bags to cleanup; arrive 4:30 PM for picnic setup
  • Jonathan: Draft and send NDS staff invitation email for picnic; provide large cooler for food transport
  • Board: Complete city tree survey and flag Little High’s absence where it occurs

Open Questions

  • Large item pickup: City refused to waive $25 fee or accommodate neighborhood coordination; board will encourage residents to share pickup dates with neighbors to split costs
  • Mead Creek water quality: Martin Hardware offers free water testing kits (fee for analysis); Jonathan proposed testing creek at Mead Park and neighborhood section; Julia recommended checking existing Streamwatch/Rivanna Conservation Alliance data first

Pending Confirmation

  • Concert logistics: Luke Foster and Josh Mayo need to confirm sound system requirements, preferred dates, and venue details for July/August concerts
  • City trash pickup: Confirmation needed that city will collect bagged trash at 4 PM on May 10 as promised

Ivy Solid Waste Authority Offers FREE Lithium Battery Disposal

When discarded improperly (i.e., thrown together with general household trash), lithium batteries can cause fires. In response, the RWSA has just begun a free and safe lithium battery disposal program. Lithium batteries are found in laptops, cellphones, and many other electronic devices including toys. If you’re not sure if a particular device has a lithium battery, check the markings on the product case. Lithium-based batteries are often marked “Lithium”, “Li-ion”, or specific codes that begin with the letters “CR” or “RCR”. For more information about this program, please see the RWSA website.

 

Take the Tree Survey

Have opinions about how best to manage and protect the city’s trees and green spaces? Of course you do — so please take the City’s brief Urban Community Forest Survey to share your thoughts, hopes, and advice for City planners. This is an important opportunity to weigh in on the future of Charlottesville’s urban forest. Please complete the survey asap.

Some trees in the Little High Neighborhood, summer 2026

New Dominion Bookshop

New Dominion Bookshop, Charlottesville, Va

New Dominion Bookshop is an independent bookshop located on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall at 404 East Main St. We are an all-new bookstore, and we host events featuring renowned authors and local writers. To place a book order, to receive personalized book recommendations, or to purchase a gift card, please visit our contact page to speak with our staff.

 

Carpe Donut

Carpe DonutCarpe Donut is a locally owned and operated maker of exquisite organic donuts since 2007.  The only ingredients in our donuts are: organic flour, organic eggs, organic apple cider, organic spices, pure organic sugar, and non-aluminated baking powder. We cook all our donuts in 100% pure soybean oil. No hydrogenation, no trans-fats, no shortening. Continue…