News Real Estate

A denser city

Of all the streets in a changing Charlottesville, Cherry Avenue may be one to watch closely to see how the new Comprehensive Plan might translate into a denser Charlottesville.   While the stretch from Ridge Street to Roosevelt Brown has always seemed ripe for eventual redevelopment, all of the properties from the 1000 block to […]

Sean Tubbs | January 11, 2023

News

Building up the city

It’s often said at land use public hearings that there should be more places to live in Albemarle and Charlottesville. Both communities have adopted policies that seek to build thousands of units, and they’re challenged by housing advocates to spend millions a year to help keep them within financial reach of those with lower incomes.  […]

Sean Tubbs | January 11, 2023

News Real Estate

New Reality

With interest rates much higher than they were a year ago, you might think that residential properties in the area would be selling at lower prices. However in Charlottesville, many realtors are marketing their properties to reflect the new realities created by the Comprehensive Plan, which both allows and encourages more density throughout the entire […]

Sean Tubbs | January 4, 2023

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Money for nothing?

It’s a process that happens over and over again in Charlottesville and other localities. A big project is proposed, but before any money is spent on construction, the city hires a consulting firm, often to the tune of six or seven figures. Projects like the Belmont Bridge, the West Main Streetscape, and Cville Plans Together […]

Sean Tubbs | June 15, 2022

News

One brick at a time

The charlottesville region continued to grow in 2021, and both Albemarle County and Charlottesville took several steps forward this year to increase the number of housing units and to improve the certainty of getting infrastructure in place to accommodate a bigger population.  “We continue to see robust building activity, with many projects in varying stages […]

Sean Tubbs | December 22, 2021

News

To build or not to build

After a public hearing last week, the Charlottesville Planning Commission sent a proposal for 170 new housing units back to the developer for updates.  Southern Development is asking the city to rezone 12 acres of land in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood to allow the construction of a new complex of townhomes and apartments. Fifteen percent […]

Sean Tubbs | September 22, 2021

News

Map quest

The latest version of the Future Land Use Map, a much-debated document that will guide Charlottesville’s development as the city begins to rewrite its zoning code, is out for review. The map is intended to steer Charlottesville toward a future with more affordable places to live.  “We believe this draft continues to support the goal […]

Sean Tubbs | September 1, 2021

News

Our backyards

Lots of people want to live in Charlottesville. To help meet the demand for housing throughout the city, leaders have hired Arlington-based consulting firm Rhodeside & Harwell to rewrite Charlottesville’s Comprehensive Plan, a document that guides land-use policy in the city. As part of that process, the consultants are now taking public comment through June […]

Sean Tubbs | May 26, 2021

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Red tape

As the greater Charlottesville-Albemarle area continues to feel the effects of a housing shortage, a panel of developers argued last week that localities in the area can incentivize new construction through land use reform.  “We intentionally, through our comprehensive plans and our zoning ordinances, limit the supply of land for new homes,” said Charlie Armstrong, […]

Sean Tubbs | March 24, 2021

News

If you build it: Despite pandemic, land use projects moved forward in 2020

In a year where many of us followed guidelines to stay at home, the skies of downtown Charlottesville were marked by cranes building new spaces for the 21st century. In their shadow, projects to provide more affordable units moved through the bureaucratic process required to keep them below-market. Before the clock strikes 2021, let’s look […]

Sean Tubbs | December 22, 2020