The Albemarle Board of Supervisors is not likely to expand the county’s designated growth areas any time soon, so economic development officials have to make the most of what they have.
That includes a 62-acre section of land along Broadway Street on the western side of the Rivanna River that is entirely surrounded by the City of Charlottesville.
“Broadway is a hub for light industrial uses in Albemarle County, with businesses such as manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, breweries, and artisans,” reads the opening section of a recent study intended to focus efforts on improving the area.
Staff in Albemarle’s economic development office got the idea to focus on Broadway Street around the same time developer Brian Roy was working to restore the 19th-century Woolen Mills factory into an event space and local home of the digital media company WillowTree.
A first phase of what is known as the Broadway Blueprint was completed in 2020. Many artisans expressed concern that encouraging too much economic development along the corridor might push them out. One of them, Morgan Ashcom, runs affordable-arts space Visible Records in a former industrial site at 1740 Broadway St.
“The building that I manage now owes the county upwards of $40,000 a year in real estate taxes, which has gone up significantly,” Ashcom says. “The rents in the warehouse I manage are far below market price.”
The second phase of the Broadway Blueprint lists market price as $18 per square foot. Ashcom says properties began selling well over assessment after The Wool Factory was complete, adding to concerns of gentrification. He would like the county to have the ability to levy lower tax rates for properties that are providing a cultural service.
“It’s clear that the vast majority of this building is accessible to a working-class community, and it should be treated differently from a real estate tax point of view,” Ashcom says.
The draft of the second phase acknowledges the unique role the artistic community plays on Broadway, and reflects last year’s direction from the Board of Supervisors that the county discourage residential uses and focus on what’s there. One recommendation in the plan is the creation of an arts and cultural district.
Much of the study is practical and encourages fixes to the road network. Broadway Street lacks sidewalks, yet is wide enough to accommodate trucks. However, those vehicles have to travel along Charlottesville streets to get there. Other recommendations call for specific transportation improvements such as coordinating with city officials to improve the intersection of Franklin Street, Carlton Avenue, and Broadway Street.
The second phase also notes Charlottesville’s new zoning code, which allows for higher levels of development right across the border. However, the document was written after Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville and the Piedmont Housing Alliance purchased the adjacent 6.2-acre Carlton Mobile Home Park.
Habitat CEO Dan Rosensweig said a community advisory council has been formed that comprises existing residents. He would like them to be involved with the Broadway Blueprint.
“They know the neighborhood inside and out and are the ones most impacted (positively and negatively) by any redevelopment plans,” Rosensweig said in an email.
The Albemarle Economic Development Authority took a look at the second phase at its January 21 meeting.
