Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville’s Southwood redevelopment is among the projects receiving funding from Albemarle County’s Housing Investment Fund.
In Albemarle County’s last two budget cycles, a coalition of groups have asked the Board of Supervisors to spend at least $10 million a year on projects to guarantee units affordable to households with lower incomes.
Their lobbying has pushed the Board to gradually increase the annual amount that goes into the Albemarle Housing Investment Fund with a total of $7 million in the fiscal year that began on July 1. The window for applications was open over the summer.
“We received seven applications for a total request of $17,336,074,” said Kaki Dimock, Chief Human Services Officer for Albemarle.
As with many government projects, the submissions were scored against a series of criteria with two of them being ready to proceed to implementation. Scores below a certain percentage meant projects would receive less than their request.
Staff recommended fully funding two projects from Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. One is a $1.77 million request to assist with construction of 46 single-family homes at Southwood, 11 on Proffit Road, and two in Crozet.
The other is about $2.24 million for several initiatives at Southwood, including construction of eight rental units, relocation assistance for nine households, and to allow another 11 to move into Piedmont Housing Alliance’s Hickory Hope apartment complex.
Dimock said the next two projects scored below the threshold, having lost points on site control.
“Staff recommend awarding $757,350 for LEAP to provide up to 92 energy-efficient upgrades for low-to-moderate income families with energy burdens, and $1,700,000 for Piedmont Community Land Trust to support the construction of 61 new condominiums at Brookhill Square and 17 townhomes for sale in Greenstone,” Dimock said.
Three other projects did not make the cut, including a proposal from Piedmont Housing Alliance to receive $6 million to purchase a hotel. Dimock said reviewers had concerns about the overall budget for that project. Shimp Engineering sought $619,224 in cash and $3 million in loans to build several dozen pad sites.
Under the guidelines for the program, Albemarle staff can also recommend projects. They sought $100,000 for a Financial Opportunity Center to be run as part of the Albemarle County emergency relief program, $66,667 for operations at SupportWorks Housing’s Vista 29 project, and $10,000 to help pay for a regional housing summit.
This past spring, Supervisors expressed frustration with the process and had more questions about scoring. Changes have since been put in place.
“I was very glad with the outcome, and I understood the math better this time than I did last year,” said Supervisor Ann Mallek.
At least two members of the six-person Board said they would have liked to have seen the motel project funded but understood the reasons why it fell short. Supervisor Ned Gallaway said he hoped initiatives that were not funded at this time seek other sources.
“What other ways can we be creative and still figure out how to partner through other means that could maybe advance those things if we think they’re good ideas to invest in?” Gallaway asked rhetorically.
The results of a regional housing needs assessment being developed by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission will influence next year’s cycle. That is expected to be published in March 2027.
