Give a buck, or give up?

Early this summer, a concern among some local businesses about increased panhandling led City Council to further restrict begging on the Downtown Mall, despite an absence of police citations for such problems. Now, panhandling citations are up on the Mall, while a program developed by the Downtown Business Association (DBA) and the Thomas Jefferson Area […]

City seeks site for Downtown grocery

With a few pieces of Lexington Avenue property owned by Martha Jefferson Hospital (MJH) ready to hit the market in the next month or two, the desire for a mid-sized Downtown grocery store has been rekindled among Charlottesville residents and city employees. Five parcels next to the recently purchased Martha Jefferson Downtown location will go […]

Virginia Film Festival 2010

This year’s Virginia Film Festival is going to be different. Less classic cinema. More new and independent flicks that reflect contemporary concerns. A snazzy new festival logo. Plus, they’ve established an additional box office at the Main Street Arena, so viewers don’t have to trek to Culbreth for a movie that’s showing Downtown. But what […]

Taxpayer State Park

Five years ago, local investors bought 1,200 acres of Albemarle County land for $46.2 million. The developers promised to build the county’s biggest and best neighborhood, and after two years of review, a plan for 3,100 housing units won approval and accolades. The county government said it was a good thing. After I.J. Breeden bought […]

Silverman plots West Main biz amidst dust-up

Gabe Silverman and Allan Cadgene have a vision for the stretch of West Main Street near Sixth Street. The local developers want to turn the former C&R Auto Service—thousands of square feet arranged in three neighboring buildings, currently vacant, dark and dirty—into a medical and retail hub for the adjacent communities. A lot of give-and-take: […]