Monthly Archives: November 2021

Village of Rivanna group debriefs after Breezy Hill rezoning

Posted on by Leave a comment

Albemarle County staff have begun work on the update of the Comprehensive Plan with a public kick-off expected sometime in January. A major aspect of the current plan is a growth management policy which designates specific areas for density. This plan was last updated in 2015 and since then Supervisors have adopted several other policies, such as the Housing Albemarle plan.

“To accommodate this growth, the County will need to add approximately 11,750 new units to our housing stock over the next 20 years,” reads Objective 1 of the plan, which was adopted by Supervisors in July. “The county must support the development of an additional 2,719 units to fully accommodate projected household growth through 2040.” 

Read more

New Chipotle franchise proposed for long-closed TGI Fridays site; Habitat filed rezoning for Southwood Phase 2

Posted on by Leave a comment

Time now to take a look at recent land use applications in Albemarle County.

First, a site development plan has been submitted for a new Chipotle restaurant to be located in Hollymead Town Center. Before the pandemic, there would be site plan review meetings for the public to comment, but those have not been held. However, the Albemarle officials are looking to begin to resume the public process. 

“These projects are ‘by-right’, which means that if the proposed plans meet the minimum requirements of the County’s zoning, site plan, or subdivision ordinances, they must be approved,” reads the notice for this application. (take a look)

Read more

Charlottesville real estate transfers for October 2021; Two key Court Square properties change hands

Posted on by 2 comments

Ten months have passed this year, and I’ve now published summaries of property transactions in Charlottesville for each of them. I look through each purchase and title transfer in order to better understand the market. I am not a real estate expert, but I have been writing about the way land is used in this community since 2005.  Like many of you, I have experiences with many of these places. My work overall is improved by a parcel-by-parcel review.

This month, the anecdotal trend of residential properties trading above assessment continues. There are also several purchases of properties by Limited Liability Companies. The buildings occupied by a Guadalajara, Atlas Coffee, and JLK have new owners. Lots, developed or undeveloped, continue to trade hands at higher prices.

This month I’ve also begun referring to a staff report from a 2013 Charlottesville Planning Commission work session that covered Planned Unit Developments. These are specialized zoning districts that have been used for many years to add higher residential densities. As the community looks ahead to a rewriting of the zoning code, it is useful to note the historic presence of these Planned Unit Developments in the community.

(This piece is paid for by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. Consider signing up for a subscription to ensure I can keep going with research like this each and every week! If you do, Ting will match your first payment!)

Read more