Growth in northern Albemarle

When the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning for the North Pointe development in August 2006, there was to be no more than 893 dwelling units.  This year, the Great Eastern Management Company will be asked to revisit the rezoning to add 550 new homes on land currently approved for commercial development.  “Commercial […]

Taking stock 

At press time, we’re still waiting for the final details of how Charlottesville’s future zoning rules will enable construction of more dwelling units on every single lot across the city. A public hearing and vote on the development code is expected before the end of the year. In the meantime, larger projects on larger plots […]

Deadline looming

The Charlottesville Planning Commission has until mid-November to hold a public hearing on new rules for development within the city’s 10 square miles. Council was expected to vote August 7 to officially refer the new zoning ordinance to the appointed body for a recommendation, even though no one but staff and consultants have seen the […]

A central corner

With a new zoning code on the horizon, Charlottesville’s built environment is poised to continue its transformation into a slightly larger urban community. There are many corners that could change in the near future due to the possibility of new ownership, as well as public investment.   Consider the intersection of Ridge and West Main […]

Expanding growth areas?

For decades Albemarle has put a premium on protecting rural land by concentrating development in about 5 percent of the county’s 726 square miles. But as the review of the Comprehensive Plan continues, community members are being asked to weigh in on where future development might go.  “There will be places that we recognize it’s […]

More Dairy Market?

There has been a lot of building activity on Preston Avenue in the last 10 years, with the redevelopment of older structures into spaces for the 21st century.    The biggest of these has been the transformation of the Monticello Dairy into a mixed-use project with a 30,000 square-foot food hall, 50,000 square feet of […]

UVA’s future home-building boom?

It has been more than three years since the University of Virginia launched an initiative to help build between a thousand and 1,500 affordable housing units. Three sites have been selected, and the next step is to announce the nonprofit developers that will design and build new homes for households below certain income levels.  “We […]

How many solar fields?

Both Albemarle and Charlottesville have pledged to be fossil fuel free by 2050. But how will the county balance a need to allow for more electricity through solar fields with a long tradition of preserving rural land?  “A good rule of thumb is … generally seven to 10 acres per megawatt, in terms of a […]

Zoning crossfire

A divisive battle continues over Charlottesville’s next set of rules for where buildings can go, and how many housing units are allowed within them.   City Council and the Planning Commission are expected to hold public hearings later this year to conclude a public process to increase both the number of homes and the number […]

Preserving affordability

Sometime this month, the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority will officially take the keys for more than six dozen homes across the city that since the 1980s have been rented to low-income households.   Woodard Properties is selling 74 units that collectively go by the name Dogwood Properties, the name of the entity founded by […]