Atlanta City Council agrees to impose heavy tax penalty on unfinished Dewberry office building

More than 17 years have passed since construction stopped on a luxury hotel in the middle of Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall—and there are no active initiatives to move the project forward or move on.    “The building is currently being marketed for sale by commercial brokers on behalf of the owner,” said Charlottesville Economic Development Director […]

Legal mercenary ensnares CRHA in lawsuit over COVID loans

Like many organizations and companies across the county, the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority applied for federal loans to keep payroll checks flowing in the early days of the pandemic.  The CARES Act, signed into law in March 2020, created the Paycheck Protection Program as a lifeline for businesses and other organizations at a time […]

Woodard Properties buys Water Street lot for $15 million from Charlottesville Parking Center

One of Charlottesville’s most prolific developers has added another high-profile property to its portfolio by purchasing a parking lot where the City Market operates on Saturdays for seven months of the year.  “Woodard Properties has acquired the surface lot at 100 E. Water St., converting our leasehold interest in the property into ownership,” said CEO […]

Supervisors allow building to remain within stream buffer

When Katharine DeGeorge and Jeremy Kent bought a house on 7.86 acres in May 2022, previous owner David A. Powell signed an affidavit stating he knew of no violations of county ordinance nor any issues related to securing permission to build on the property.  That turned out not to be true, and the couple is […]

Albemarle Planning Commission recommends denial of rezoning for 18-unit development

A major objective in Albemarle County’s Comprehensive Plan is to “increase the use of infill, higher-density development, adaptive reuse, and redevelopment in the Development Areas.”  That is a guideline, not a commandment, allowing elected and appointed officials to make decisions on a case-by-case basis.  On May 26, the Planning Commission voted 5-1 to recommend denial […]

Smaller West Main building still draws ire from public housing advocate

The tension between Charlottesville’s permissive new zoning code and public housing advocates continued to be on display when the Board of Architectural Review took a preliminary look at a revised proposal for another student housing building on West Main Street during its May 19 meeting.  “Ultimately something’s going to get built here,” said BAR Chairman […]