The affordable housing project at 1000 Wertland St., currently stalled in the approval process, would include 180 units.
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 Wertland St., would include 180 units priced at 60 percent of the area median income. A group called Preservation of Affordable Housing is overseeing the project.
In late 2024, the Board of Architectural Review asked for design changes after a second preliminary review, and the project failed to qualify for low-income tax credits issued by Virginia Housing.
On January 5, City Manager Sam Sanders asked for direction on this project, which Council balked at providing funding for last year, and two other requests for major capital investment.
The Wertland Street project would be built on land donated by the University of Virginia Foundation, but so far UVA is not providing any direct funding. New City Councilor Jen Fleisher said perhaps the university could be persuaded to contribute.
“I think that location of that building is ideal for close living,” Fleisher said. “You don’t need a car to live there.”
Councilor Michael Payne said he does not support the Wertland Street project. He said city funding should first go to housing projects for households between zero and 30 percent of AMI and then to projects that serve 50 percent and below.
“Those are people who are working in public works, parks and recreation, teachers, and firefighters,” Payne said. “The median Black household in Charlottesville is at 50 percent AMI. For white households, that number is over 100 percent AMI.”
Councilor Natalie Oschrin said she would also be open to negotiations with UVA on the Wertland project because it would create a lot of affordable units in the heart of the city. Mayor Juandiego Wade agreed that there should be further negotiations with UVA.
“UVA doesn’t get punished if we don’t support this project,” Oschrin said. “The people who would be able to live there get punished if we don’t support this project.”
A second project in the Piedmont section of Grounds, is being overseen by the Piedmont Housing Alliance. A nonprofit partner has not been named yet for a third location within the UVA Foundation’s North Fork Discovery Park.
Oschrin was also supportive of a request from Brick Lane Properties for $1.75 million to help finance the conversion of the Holiday Inn on Emmet Street into 192 apartment units, even though only 10 percent of them would be reserved for households below 60 percent AMI.
“It is a lot of units and we need those units,” Oschrin said. “It’s an all types of housing for all types of people kind of situation.”
In addition, councilors all seemed to support a $900,000 request from Community Services Housing to rehabilitate 40 existing units.
No final decisions were made at the January 5 meeting. Sanders will present a budget to Council and the public on March 2.
