Sam Sanders speaks

After an action-filled first 90 days on the job, City Manager Sam Sanders took an hour out of his (very!) busy schedule to talk with C-VILLE about a wide range of topics, including his new gig’s biggest challenges, staying calm under pressure, and making government boring again. Sanders came to Charlottesville in July 2021 to […]

Navigating northern Albemarle

For over four decades, Albemarle County has designated areas close to Charlottesville where intense growth is allowed to occur. As this year comes closer to an end, there’s a lot happening in what’s known to planners as Places 29-North.  “We are reviewing an application for about 1,500 homes in the North Fork area,” says Deputy […]

Statue of limitations

The statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee that has roiled Charlottesville since 2016—and led to 2017’s deadly influx of white supremacists—has ceased to exist, at least as a Lost Cause icon. When parts of the bronze monument hit the crucible in a 2,200-degree furnace recently, it was a solemn and emotional experience for the […]

Calling the shots

With less than a week to go before Election Day, voters have either already cast their ballots or are preparing to head to the polls. Ahead of November 7, we take a look at local and legislative races, party control of the state legislature, and what different outcomes could mean for the Charlottesville area. After […]

Green for green

Kindlewood residents and local affordable housing leaders are celebrating after a $6 million check was presented to the Piedmont Housing Alliance and National Housing Trust by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The check closes a major funding gap in the Kindlewood redevelopment project, and will help cover the cost of solar installation […]

In brief

Crowning new owners After eight years in downtown Charlottesville, the Violet Crown theater will soon be under new ownership. The news comes at the end of the Virginia Film Festival, which showed several movies in the theater. Violet Crown opened on the Downtown Mall in 2015, following the closure of a Regal cinema at the […]

Meltdown

After years of legal battles, the Swords into Plowshare project has melted down the statue of Robert E. Lee, which once stood in a park near Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. Opposition to the monument’s initial removal fueled the deadly violence of the 2017 white supremacist Unite the Right rally. Now, the bronze which once formed the […]

Council’s turn

After several years of discussion, the Charlottesville Planning Commission has recommended a new zoning code that will increase the amount of buildable space within city limits. The appointed body has recommended the restoration of an idea to limit development in areas of the city identified as more prone to displacement of Black and other minority […]

Super intentions

In a surprise move, the Albemarle County School Board voted unanimously to extend Superintendent Matthew Haas’ contract on October 12 despite a petition calling for the administrator’s removal. Neither the discussion of the administrator’s contract or the vote were listed on the meeting’s agenda.   At the sparsely attended meeting, some school board members expressed […]

Spreading the word

Local politicians, authors, and readers alike turned out to the Downtown Mall to visit the Banned Bookmobile on October 18.   Across Virginia, the number of book challenges has risen dramatically in recent years, with several school systems pulling content and local governments, including the Warren County Board of Supervisors, restricting library funding over titles. […]