Sean Tubbs, Author at C-VILLE Weekly

Arts News

Local group preserves Violet Crown by arranging building purchase

The future of the Violet Crown cinema on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall seemed bleak this past February when the Board of Architectural Review granted Heirloom Development approval to demolish the structure for a residential building. “The prospect of losing this cultural asset for the Virginia Film Festival, the community, and for the city itself was potentially […]

Sean Tubbs | October 21, 2025

News

CRHA files site plan to redevelop Westhaven with more than double the units

Westhaven was built in 1964 as Charlottesville’s first public housing site and will soon become the latest property to be reimagined and rebuilt by the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. “The redevelopment will include the phased demolition of existing housing and construction of apartment buildings, townhouses, a community center/recreational mixed-use building, and outdoor community common […]

Sean Tubbs | October 19, 2025

News Real Estate

Crozet advisory group seeks further revision of Albemarle Comprehensive Plan before adoption

The Albemarle Board of Supervisors is scheduled to adopt a new Comprehensive Plan on October 15 after a public hearing, but at least one county advisory board has urged revisions to be made first. On October 8, the Crozet Community Advisory Committee adopted a resolution critical of language in the AC44 document that points the […]

Sean Tubbs | October 15, 2025

News

AstraZeneca to invest in pharmaceutical factory at Albemarle’s Rivanna Futures

Two and a half years after Albemarle County announced the purchase of 462 acres around the Rivanna Station military base, British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca has announced it will invest $4.5 billion to locate a major operation there. “This is a transformative moment for Albemarle County,” said Jim Andrews, Board of Supervisors chair, at the October […]

Sean Tubbs | October 9, 2025

News Real Estate

Riverbend Development files plans for 33-unit apartment building at site of old church

Riverbend Development intends to use Charlottesville’s new development code to bring as many as 239 apartments to an area of the city that street signs refer to as Downtown Belmont. In late September, the company filed plans with Neighborhood Development Services to demolish a former church at 914 Monticello Rd. and replace it with a […]

Sean Tubbs | October 8, 2025

News Real Estate

Charlottesville moves forward with Holiday Drive office building for low-barrier shelter

In recent years, Charlottesville City Council has agreed to spend millions of dollars to purchase land in order to advance their priorities. That trend is set to continue this fall as city officials have negotiated the purchase of an office building and 3.8 acres of land at 2000 Holiday Dr. for $6.2 million for potential […]

Sean Tubbs | October 3, 2025

News Real Estate

AC44 eliminates study of development around two interchanges

After nearly four years of review, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors is expected to adopt a new Comprehensive Plan on October 15. Such documents contain directions for staff to work on new policies and retain old ones. Until mid-September, the proposed Albemarle County Comprehensive Plan included language that would have set up future study […]

Sean Tubbs | October 1, 2025

News

JMRL Board of Trustees votes to end most fines on overdue materials

Next July, the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library system, which comprises eight library locations, will join libraries around the United States in doing away with charging fines for overdue items. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously on September 22 for staff to plan to discontinue fines for most things. In January 2019, the Council of the American […]

Sean Tubbs | September 26, 2025

News

Manning Institute of Biotechnology director outlines hope for creating new medicines

The skyline above the Fontaine Research Park temporarily includes two cranes as construction continues on projects such as the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology. Last spring, the institute’s first director was hired after a career in the pharmaceutical industry that he now hopes will have a new chapter in Virginia. “When I joined […]

Sean Tubbs | September 24, 2025

News Real Estate

Former Bamboo House on U.S. 29 in north Albemarle up for sale

Albemarle County and the University of Virginia are both betting that properties on U.S. 29 north of Airport Road will yield an economic development bonanza. Now a development company representing the owners of the now-closed Bamboo House restaurant at 4831 Seminole Trail are hoping to capitalize on investment in both the Rivanna Futures project and […]

Sean Tubbs | September 19, 2025