Pantops is one of three areas Albemarle planners hope to grow as an “activity center” as part of the county’s ongoing management strategy to avoid expansion of the growth areas. A new group has become one of the stakeholders.
One of Albemarle’s many private religious schools paid $4.355 million for 384 Worrell Dr., which includes about five and a half acres of land as well as a 10,691-square-foot building that formerly housed the Virginia Museum of Animal Art.
“Community Christian Academy was flourishing and we were literally busting at the seams with students and faculty,” said CCA Executive Director Kimberly Moore in a press release.
CCA was founded in 2012 and originally got a special use permit to operate a school at the Crosslife Community Church at 1410 Old Brook Rd. It later got an amendment to increase maximum enrollment to 150 as well as another in 2024 to construct modular buildings at that site to accommodate more students.
When Moore learned that the property was on the market, she launched a capital campaign that raised more than $1.5 million toward the purchase price. Most of the school’s fundraising efforts have traditionally been to help cover the cost of tuition for households that need the financial support.
“We knew that we needed a large facility but did not have a steady stream of income or a large amount of financial resources to invest in real estate,” Moore said.
There is enough room at the existing site for the school to begin operations in the fall. Staff in Albemarle’s Community Development Department signed off on a zoning clearance for the use in March.
Moore said CCA has room to expand in the future but the footprint of the existing building allows for a quick transition. The immediate goal will be to add 11th and 12th grades in the near future.
On June 9, the Albemarle Planning Commission learned that county staff see a lot of potential for Pantops, including undeveloped parcels.
“An Activity Center Plan here would focus on the redevelopment and reorientation of Pantops Shopping Center so that it relates to the Rivanna River as well as a focus on the South Pantops Drive-State Farm Boulevard corridor, supporting mixed-use redevelopment,” reads the staff report.
This change comes at a time when other properties in the area are also in play. While the CCA property currently only has vehicular access to U.S. 250, there is frontage along State Farm Boulevard.
On June 16, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors approved a special exception for a former bank building at 1652 State Farm Blvd. to exceed more than 4,000 square feet of laboratory space.
“The proposed sterile processing center would provide essential services to these facilities by supplying sterilized surgical instrument kits, thereby enhancing efficiency and reliability in medical procedures,” reads the application for an undisclosed business.
CWT Real Estate LLC paid $910,000 for the property in November 2025.
