5-star offensive: Council okays incentives for Dewberry Hotel

City Council approved 4-1 a financial assistance package estimated at $1.1 million over 10 years to assist John Dewberry in finishing the derelict hotel that’s loomed over downtown Charlottesville for the past eight years. The folksy owner of the Landmark Hotel appeared before the council dais March 6. “I’m not used to people seeing my […]

Hell no: City responds to parking center proposals

In the ongoing melodrama between the city and Charlottesville Parking Center owner Mark Brown, a letter from City Manager Maurice Jones says there’s no way the city will sell its Water Street Parking Garage shares to or even work with Brown, who, perhaps not coincidentally, announced plans to sell the Main Street Arena and take […]

CPC floats four parking scenarios

The parking wars have quieted since a judge rejected the Charlottesville Parking Center’s petition for an emergency receiver June 27 and CPC owner Mark Brown decamped to Greece. But here in the dog days of August, CPC general manager Dave Norris, whose June 24 proposal was rebuffed by the city, offers four scenarios for settling […]

Parking garage ‘soap opera’ leads city to reject Brown’s offer

Mayor Mike Signer and City Councilor Kathy Galvin insist there is nothing personal in the city’s dispute with Mark Brown over control of the Water Street Parking Garage. In meetings with reporters July 6 after the city rejected Charlottesville Parking Center’s June 24 proposed settlement of the escalating controversy over the fate of the garage the city co-owns with Brown, […]

No emergency: Judge rejects parking center petition for special receiver

A judge heard Charlottesville Parking Center’s emergency petition to appoint a receiver to run the Water Street Garage June 27, three days before the parking center’s contract with the city expired, and he concluded such a move wasn’t justified. “This is an emergency of your own making,” said Judge Rick Moore in Charlottesville Circuit Court. “I […]

DBAC urges city and parking center to knock off bully tactics

The Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville sent a letter to city councilors and Charlottesville Parking Center owner Mark Brown today requesting the city and the CPC “reach a quick agreement on the parking stalemate” over the Water Street Garage and withdraw “extreme threats” such as eminent domain and closing the garage. Mary Beth Schellhammer wrote on […]

City lawyer: Condemnation of Water Street Garage has begun

How many lawyers does it take to schedule a hearing? Well, if it has anything to do with the highly contentious battle between the city and Mark Brown’s Charlottesville Parking Center, that would be five attorneys in Charlottesville Circuit Court today to set a date for CPC’s petition for the appointment of an emergency receiver. During the hearing, the […]

Escalation clause: City threatens eminent domain of Water Street Garage

In this week’s episode of Charlottesville v. Mark Brown over the Water Street Parking Garage, the city makes an offer to buy Brown’s shares of the garage. If he declines, it plans to initiate eminent domain proceedings, according to the city’s outside attorney. “For months Mark Brown has been trying to bully the City into […]

Surprise resolution: City makes move to buy Water Street Garage

City Council unanimously passed a resolution June 6 authorizing City Manager Maurice Jones to make an offer to buy the parking spaces owned by Charlottesville Parking Center in the Water Street Garage. Both the city and CPC owner Mark Brown have said they are in talks to resolve issues that led to the entities suing […]