Legal woes continue to mount for the Southern Poverty Law Center. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced a civil investigation into the nonprofit on May 11, four days after it pleaded not guilty on all counts filed by the Department of Justice. The DOJ alleges that SPLC engaged in wire fraud, false statements, and conspiracy […]
In the afternoon sun along the Rivanna River Trail, Joshua Ballou paced the edges of the burnt-black patch of public land that used to be his home. The Charlottesville Fire Department responded to the blaze that destroyed Ballou’s shelter late on May 9, at the encampment adjacent to the trail. The fire burned just northeast […]
In the latest test of Charlottesville’s new zoning code, City Council voted 3-2 on May 4 to allow developers of a private seven-story student housing project to make minor changes to two historic buildings on Seventh Street SW. “We need more housing,” said Mayor Juandiego Wade during the Council meeting. “This project is the best […]
In a community with as much wealth as Albemarle, providing new housing units at an affordable price can be challenging. Nonprofit developers use many tools to subsidize costs, such as selling tax credits for money that can be used for construction. In February 2024, Albemarle County supervisors created an Affordable Rental Housing Incentive Program to […]
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information since its original publication. Two weeks after Common House Charlottesville suddenly shut its doors, the social club’s Richmond landlords handed the coworking, dining, and event venue another eviction notice. In an April 28 press release, the owners of 303 W. Broad St., a 1914 brick […]
On the brisk morning of May 1, the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce assembled about two dozen people in the parking lot of the sprawling Seminole Square Shopping Center to walk to its counterpart on the other side of U.S. 29. “This shopping center is going through a transformation and is a sign of the […]
At its May 4 meeting, Charlottesville City Council received an update on “The State of Homelessness” from a coalition of service providers. Led by continuum-of-care coordinator Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless, the conversation covered everything from the latest data on the local unhoused population to ambitious plans for shelter and housing programs. Every […]
When Albemarle County supervisors adopted a new Comprehensive Plan last October, they retained a growth management policy intended to limit development in crucial areas. “The Natural Resources chapter of AC44 places importance on water resource protection, especially the public water supply system,” said county planner Jered Tate at an April 28 public hearing on a […]
It’s gonna be May (Day) An estimated 500 people gathered in Charlottesville on May 1 for a day of no work, no school, and no shopping, according to organizers. The area’s May Day Strong event, one of 3,000 nationwide organized by a coalition of activists including Indivisible and the Democratic Socialists of America, began with […]
There is a trend of late in Albemarle County for developers to return to the Community Development Department to amend previous rezonings and request that commercial space be swapped out for more residential units. For instance, in April the Board of Supervisors approved a request from Great Eastern Management Company to add more than 700 […]