News Real Estate

Will Albemarle land an AstraZeneca pharmaceutical factory?

In July, officials with the British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca announced they would be investing $50 billion in the United States for new factories and research centers. According to a press release, this would include a new “multi-billion dollar drug substance manufacturing centre focused on chronic diseases” to be located in Virginia.  However, no official announcement […]

Sean Tubbs | September 3, 2025

News Real Estate

PHAR resists West Main student housing

When Charlottesville City Council adopted a new zoning code in December 2023, a key idea was to reduce the role elected and appointed officials play in determining what can be built where. The idea was to improve certainty for developers.  Under those rules, the LV Collective has the right to build an 11-story building at […]

Sean Tubbs | August 27, 2025

News

Judge reverses ruling that voided city’s zoning

Charlottesville is once again legally in the clear to implement a zoning code that was adopted in December 2023, and was intended to allow developers to build more places to live across the city. But legal clouds remain on the horizon.  In a written opinion published August 22, Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell reversed a […]

Sean Tubbs | August 27, 2025

News

New City Arts wants feedback for a new arts council

Artists and cultural organizations across Virginia benefit from the existence of entities created to serve as a clearinghouse for information on events, funding, and community. However, the Charlottesville area has not had such a body since 2017, when the Piedmont Council for the Arts suddenly closed. “I was in the position for about four months […]

Sean Tubbs | August 20, 2025

News Real Estate

Despite zoning uncertainty, development planning continues

On Friday, August 22, Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell will issue a written opinion on whether he will reconsider a motion of default judgment that threw out the city’s zoning code. On August 13, he hinted he would not, but also gave the city’s attorneys a chance to explain what their defense would be […]

Sean Tubbs | August 20, 2025

News

Orangedale residents want city to crack down on illegal fireworks

On the night of July 4, anyone living in the southern portion of Charlottesville’s Fifeville neighborhood was treated to several hours of fireworks. For years, different groups have set up launch points at Forest Hills Park and other key locations. The explosions were still continuing at around 11pm when gunfire broke out on Orangedale Avenue […]

Sean Tubbs | August 11, 2025

News Real Estate

Area home sales remain flat while prices continue to rise

The local real estate market remained relatively flat in April, May, and June, while prices continued to increase. That is reflected in the latest quarterly report from the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors.  There were 1,087 sales in the six localities covered by CAAR in the second quarter of 2025 compared to 1,100 sales the […]

Sean Tubbs | August 6, 2025

News

Albemarle’s new economic development plan to get a vote in mid-August

Albemarle County is working on a new strategic plan to guide economic development efforts that will put a priority on defense, intelligence, and biotechnology businesses. This document is being put together at the same time as an update of the county’s Comprehensive Plan.  At a special meeting of the Economic Development Authority on July 22, […]

Sean Tubbs | August 4, 2025