Rising values

For the second year in a row, the average real estate assessment has increased by double digits.  Residential parcels increased by an average of 11.52 percent, based on 15,148 taxable properties. Commercial properties went up an average of 12.16 percent, and that includes apartment complexes, retail, and office space. When you throw in new construction, […]

In brief:

Brackney’s lawsuit dismissed A U.S. district court judge has dismissed former Charlottesville police chief RaShall Brackney’s $10 million lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville—and 10 current and former city officials—alleging she was wrongfully terminated based on her sex and gender in September 2021. In an August 30 court filing, the city’s attorney David Corrigan argued […]

Money woes

For years, the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail has been plagued by a host of health and sanitary issues, including black mold, faulty wiring, leaky ceilings, poor plumbing, freezing temperatures, and bug infestations. Jail leadership has begun taking steps to renovate the 48-year-old facility, which serves the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle and Nelson counties. But the […]

Low, high

Charlottesville is completely surrounded by Albemarle County, which means there are bound to be several areas where land-use decisions made in one place affect the other—or vice versa.  One of the places in the new Future Land Use Map where this comes into play is the conversion of around three dozen parcels in the city’s […]

Head start?

Since Virginia legalized marijuana in 2021, laws surrounding the drug have been hazy. Though adults 21 and over can legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow up to four plants at home, it will not be legal to sell weed until January 1, 2024. State Democrats unsuccessfully tried to speed up that […]

Training for life

As a professional boxer, George Rivera fought under the name “Wartime.” Growing up poor and mixed-race, he learned to fight to survive. But now he’s taken on a different battle: Inspired by his late sister, Rivera is turning his Charlottesville gym into a nonprofit called Wartime Fitness Warriors, using boxing to help at-risk young people […]

For a price

There’s a long way to go until the end of 2023, but key metrics are coming in on how the real estate market fared in the last 12 months. But what impact will this new information have on transactions between now and December?   “Assessed values are a number that people look at, and while […]

In brief

Return of SROs? After replacing school resource officers with unarmed safety coaches, Albemarle County Public Schools is considering bringing police back into Albemarle High School, in response to parents’ complaints about fights, truancy, vaping, sexual assault, and other student misconduct.  “Working with the police department to hire and assign a highly effective, well-trained school resource […]

Who is Dashad Cooper?

“So, Dashad Cooper. … Who is Dashad Cooper?” Cooper asked, repeating the question back to C-VILLE. Cooper is new to politics and has not had the time to perfect his elevator pitch. But once he found his footing, he was able to explain his motivation for seeking office. “Dashad Cooper is a native from Charlottesville,” […]

A denser city

Of all the streets in a changing Charlottesville, Cherry Avenue may be one to watch closely to see how the new Comprehensive Plan might translate into a denser Charlottesville.   While the stretch from Ridge Street to Roosevelt Brown has always seemed ripe for eventual redevelopment, all of the properties from the 1000 block to […]