After more than two decades of preparation, Riverbend Development has secured several dozen acres of land in Albemarle’s southern growth area for a mixed-use community. “Land assemblage by our company began over 20 years ago and we’ve been in the active rezoning process for four years,” said Riverbend Vice President Ashley Davies. “Directing housing into […]
As Charlottesville’s zoning code continues its third year of implementation, the new rules face many challenges, some of which will go through the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals. On March 19, the quasi-judicial body will take up the definition of student housing as it relates to a proposed seven-story apartment building on Seventh Street SW. […]
Many public hearings for land use changes in Albemarle County are well-attended by nearby residents concerned about the impact of new development on their properties. Already in 2026, decisions on two rezoning requests have been deferred after the planning commission was persuaded by arguments from neighbors. On February 24, there was no opposition to a […]
When Charlottesville City Council adopted a new zoning code in December 2023, the intent was to streamline the development process to make it easier for new construction to get built. “As expected with any framework, we identified areas that need a refinement and over the past year, staff and the Planning Commission has worked to […]
When the City of Charlottesville agreed to fund Piedmont Housing Alliance’s redevelopment of Friendship Court into Kindlewood, the nonprofit developer was responsible for building a minimum of 425 units. PHA’s executive director appeared before City Council on February 2 to provide an update before residents get to work overseeing the design of a fourth and […]
As one of her first acts in office, Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed an executive order to create a task force to recommend ways to reduce barriers to building houses. “Slow permitting, outdated zoning, labor shortages, and paper-based processes are driving up costs and delaying housing across the Commonwealth,” reads the order to create the Commission […]
In 2019, former University of Virginia president Jim Ryan announced an affordable housing initiative in which the public institution or its real estate foundation would provide land to help bring down the overall cost of a given project. So far, no such developments have broken ground. The one furthest along in the process, at 1000 […]
The Albemarle Planning Commission has recommended denial of a developer’s second request to fill in a portion of the floodplain in order to build a commercial building in the county’s Broadway Blueprint. The Commission had voted 4 to 3 in April 2025 to recommend approval of Elemental Ecotech’s first version of the permit, but the […]
The Albemarle County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a rezoning that would allow a mixed-use development with 600 homes on 62.5 acres of land close to the junction of U.S. 29 and Interstate 64. In September, members of the appointed body thought the plan was too vague with a proposed minimum of 100 units […]
Two transactions in Charlottesville this fall illustrate how student housing is a lucrative global business with healthy cash flow fueled by households that can afford to pay premium prices for places to live. In the past dozen years, three student-housing buildings—all valuable commodities for investors—have been constructed on West Main Street. Madison Loft LLC sold […]