Former Bamboo House on U.S. 29 in north Albemarle up for sale

Albemarle County and the University of Virginia are both betting that properties on U.S. 29 north of Airport Road will yield an economic development bonanza.  Now a development company representing the owners of the now-closed Bamboo House restaurant at 4831 Seminole Trail are hoping to capitalize on investment in both the Rivanna Futures project and […]

Judge reverses ruling that voided city’s zoning

Charlottesville is once again legally in the clear to implement a zoning code that was adopted in December 2023, and was intended to allow developers to build more places to live across the city. But legal clouds remain on the horizon.  In a written opinion published August 22, Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell reversed a […]

Orangedale residents want city to crack down on illegal fireworks

On the night of July 4, anyone living in the southern portion of Charlottesville’s Fifeville neighborhood was treated to several hours of fireworks. For years, different groups have set up launch points at Forest Hills Park and other key locations. The explosions were still continuing at around 11pm when gunfire broke out on Orangedale Avenue […]

A look at planned hotel rooms in the Charlottesville area

The number of hotel rooms under construction in the United States is at a five-year low, according to data collected by the company CoStar. The publication Construction Dive reports that the number of rooms being built decreased 11.9 percent year over year in June. While the exact data for Albemarle and Charlottesville is not available, […]

Charlottesville pledges to restore new zoning code

The City of Charlottesville has stopped taking any applications for new development while officials figure out how to move forward after its zoning code was thrown out by Judge Claude Worrell on June 30 for a technical error.  On July 1, the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development Services let builders and developers know that all […]

One West Main Street commercial establishment closes while another goes private

When Charlottesville City Council granted permission for three student apartment buildings to be constructed on West Main Street in the 2010s, the zoning rules at the time required that the ground floor have space for commercial establishments. Since then, several of the required spaces have remained vacant while other businesses have struggled to stay afloat. […]

UVA Health unveils concept plan for Oak Lawn

Since the University of Virginia purchased the Fifeville estate known as Oak Lawn in October 2023, officials have pledged to include the neighborhood in the discussion of how the 5.2-acre property will be used. A concept plan for the future of Oak Lawn was shared with members of the Fifeville neighborhood during a June 18 […]

CRHA gives City Council an update on recently purchased homes

The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority has been on a roll in recent years with renovations at Crescent Halls and new units at S. First Street.  In August 2022, the government agency began a new era of buying what Executive Director John Sales called “naturally occurring affordable housing.”  “This portfolio started after a couple properties […]

Jack Jouett District candidates square off at Free Enterprise Forum

The two candidates hoping to succeed Diantha McKeel as Jack Jouett District supervisor offered differing views on economic development and growth in Albemarle County at a recent campaign event sponsored by the Free Enterprise Forum.  School teacher Sally Duncan and economist David Shreve are on the ballot in the June 17 Democratic primary.  Since 1980, […]