Information Charlottesville

Eleven months down, one more to go. This year has seen a lot of transactions that are well over the official city assessment, and November was no exception. What will the assessments be like in 2022? Is it possible to determine yet if the Future Land Use Map of the Comprehensive Plan has influenced purchases? Is there a trend towards more limited liability companies owning homes, or has that always been going on?

Those are questions beyond the reach of this summary, which is another anecdotal account of the many individual transactions that took place.

On November 15, 2021, City Council adopted a new Comprehensive Plan that includes a much-debated Future Land Use Map. That includes area listed as “sensitive community” areas. According to the map’s legend, these areas “allow for additional housing choice, and tools to mitigate displacement, within existing residential  neighborhoods that have high proportions of populations that may be sensitive to displacement pressures.”

Work has already begun on translating the aspirational language of the Comprehensive Plan into a zoning map that will be discussed throughout much of 2022. Property transactions do not wait, however.

This piece was first published on Charlottesville Community Engagement as a first-look post. I’m grateful to my hundreds of supporters for helping me do this work as often as I can.

Please let me know if you have questions.

November 1, 2021

• A three bedroom townhouse in the cul-de-sac on Middlesex Drive in the Meadows neighborhood sold for $367,000. That’s 3.56 percent over the 2021 assessment. Most of Middlesex Drive is within Albemarle County except the end of the street.  
• A three bedroom single-family house on 6 ½ Street SW in the Fifeville neighborhood sold for $367,500. That’s 21.45 percent over the 2021 assessment. The two-story is in an area that the Future Land Use Map classifies as a “sensitive community.” Let’s take a deeper look.
  
  In 2009, the house was foreclosed on and purchased by Citimortgage for $97,900. At the time, that was 39.86 percent over the assessment. A private citizen purchased the house that November for $56,000, which was 65.6 percent below the assessment. That person repaired the foundation and reframed the house and then sold it in 2010 for $236,400, which was 45.21 percent over the 2010 assessment. The property sold again in June 2015 for $272,500 (25.4 over assessment).  City records indicate the house was built in 1925, but a nomination form for the Fifeville and Tonsler Neighborhoods Historic District puts construction at around 1900. 
• A three bedroom house on Fendall Avenue in the Venable neighborhood sold for $854,000, which is 1.42 percent below the 2021 assessment.

November 3. 2021

• A fourplex in the 1100 block of Monticello Road in Belmont sold for $600,000, which is 60.77 percent over the 2021 assessment. The land is currently zoned M-1 and the property was purchased by 1114 Monticello LLC, which has a Loudoun County address.
• A two bedroom house on Spruce Street in Belmont sold for $380,500, which is 67.84 percent over assessment. A separate lot was created out of this transition that sold on November 24 for $225,000.
• One half of a duplex in the 1700 block of East Market Street in the Woolen Mills sold for $245,000. That’s 19.51 percent over the 2021 assessment. 
• A 894 square foot unit in an apartment complex at 2100 Jefferson Park Avenue sold for $250,000. That’s 40.69 percent over the 2021 assessment.
• A five bedroom unit on Harmon Street in the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood sold to an entity called 128 Harmon Street for $365,000, or 0.22 percent over the 2021 assessment. 

November 4, 2021

• A duplex with an additional apartment unit sold on Harmon Street sold in the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood sold for $715,000, or 0.27 percent below the 2021 assessment. The purchaser is 111 Harmon LLC. 
• A three bedroom house on Crestmont Avenue sold for $370,000, which is 1.36 percent below the 2021 assessment. The new owner is Krum 2 LLC. 

November 5, 2021

• Mallard Marsh Properties LLC purchased another single-family home, this time in the 1600 block of Meridian Street in the Belmont neighborhood. The purchase price is $289,000, which is 15.97 percent over the 2021 assessment. This is the Ivy-based entity’s sixth unit in the city. 
• An entity called Wendell W. Gibson Inc. purchased in the 1000 block of St. Clair Avenue sold for $250,000, which is 11.5 percent below the 2021 assessment. 
• A three bedroom home in the 1700 block of Yorktown Drive in the Greenbrier neighborhood sold for $562,500. That’s 29.22 percent over the 2021 assessment. 
• A four bedroom house on Baylor Lane in the Ridge Street neighborhood sold for $356,000, which is 18.63 percent over the 2021 assessment. 
• A three bedroom home on Elkhorn Road in the Johnson Village neighborhood sold for $365,000. That’s 3.62 percent below the 2021 assessment. 

November 8, 2021 

• A three bedroom house built in 1925 on Montrose Avenue in Belmont sold for $400,000. That’s 34.91 percent over the 2021 assessment. Electrical work was done on the house earlier this fall. 
• A newly built four-bedroom home on Lochlyn Hill Drive sold for $795,913. Arcadia Builders purchased the lot in May for $197,400. It has been assessed at $140,000. 
• A three bedroom house on Meadowbrook Heights Road in the Greenbrier neighborhood sold for $550,000, or 24.8 percent over the 2021 assessment. 

November 9, 2021

• A five bedroom house in the 500 block of Lexington Avenue in the Martha Jefferson neighborhood sold to a couple for $1.1 million. That’s 132.61 percent over the 2021 assessment, but the previous owner renovated the interior including installation of a new gas line. Silas Properties bought the 0.16 acre property in October 2020 for $410,000, which was 29.04 percent over that year’s assessment. 
• A four bedroom house on St. Charles Avenue sold for $470,000, which is 1.09 percent below the 2021 assessment. 
• One half of a townhouse duplex on Roades Court in the first phase of the Burnet Commons development sold for $465,000, which is 19.81 percent over the 2021 assessment. The structure was built in 2015. 

November 10, 2021

• A three bedroom townhouse on Junction Lane in the Belmont Station development sold for $420,000. That’s 10.24 percent over the 2021 assessment. The structure and its companions were constructed in 2019 on land zoned B-2. 
• A three bedroom house on Palatine Avenue in the Belmont neighborhood sold for $390,000. That’s 24.52 percent over the 2021 assessment. The house was built in 1990 and is near Quarry Park. 
• A duplex built in 2014 in the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood sold for $550,000. That’s 0.05 percent below the 2021 assessment. 
• A 2,060 square foot unit on the 5th floor of the Gleason Building on Garrett Street in downtown Charlottesville sold for $1.3 million. That’s 27.23 percent over the 2021 assessment. 

November 12, 2021

• A three bedroom house in the 1600 block of Meridian Street in the Belmont neighborhood sold for $415,000. That’s 32.33 percent over the 2021 assessment. There are no recent building permits. 
• A three bedroom house on Riverside Avenue in the Woolen Mills neighborhood sold for $320,000. That’s 53.33 percent over the 2021 assessment. A solar panel array was installed on the roof within the last year. 
• A three bedroom house on St. Clair Avenue in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $385,000. That’s 2.75 percent over the 2021 assessment. 
• A pair of duplexes on Stribling Avenue exchanged hands. Piedmont Realty Holdings I LLC purchased one duplex for $399,000 from a family. That’s 6.88 percent below the 2021 assessment.
  
  At the same time, that same family purchased a duplex for $399,000 from Piedmont Realty Holdings. That’s 10.93 percent over the 2021 assessment. Piedmont Realty Holdings owns four other duplexes on the same block. 
• A two bedroom house in the Venable neighborhood on Hemlock Lane sold for $305,000. That’s 12.13 percent over the 2021 assessment. The structure was built in 1946. 
• A vacant 0.33 acre lot on Dairy Road sold for $270,000. That’s 105.32 percent over the 2021 assessment for the property zoned R-1. 
• One half of a duplex in the 800 block of Prospect Avenue in the Fifeville neighborhood sold for $180,000. That’s 29.31 percent over the 2021 assessment. 

November 15, 2021

• Both halves of a duplex near the end of Longwood Drive in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $485,000. That’s 84.83 percent over the 2021 assessment. 
• A three bedroom home on Riverside Avenue sold for $229,000. That’s 12.86 percent over the 2021 assessment. 
• Daddy Rabbit Inc. purchased a home on Charlton Avenue for $160,000, which is 9.36 percent over the 2021 assessment. This property is currently zoned R-1S and is within one of the Sensitive Communities in the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan.
  
  What will happen with this house? Daddy Rabbit has purchased and renovated a few single-family homes in Charlottesville and sold them for much higher prices. Here are their other transactions from this year.
  • In January, a home the company had purchased in April 2020 for $145,000 sold for $525,000.
  • The company purchased a home on Center Avenue in June for $236,000, 8.56 percent under assessment. In October, this property sold to another LLC for $400,000. 
  • In July, Daddy Rabbit sold a house on Forest Street for $470,895. They had bought the undeveloped lot the previous July for $35,000.

November 16, 2021

• A three bedroom house in the 1300 block of Rugby Road in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for $1.285 million. That’s 49.11 percent over the 2021 assessment. There does not appear to have been any recent work done, according to a search of the city’s building permits database. 
• One half of a duplex on Cleveland Avenue built by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville sold for $160,000. That’s 23.66 percent below the 2021 assessment. 
• A three bedroom house on Meade Avenue sold for $375,000. That’s 12.65 percent over the 2021 assessment. 
• A building on Stewart Street in the Martha Jefferson neighborhood sold for $310,000 to a firm called DEBH LLC. That’s 74.84 percent over the 2021 assessment. The 0.17 acre property is zoned B-2. 
• A three bedroom house in the 700 block of Wilder Drive in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $369,500. That’s 6.88 percent over the 2021 assessment. 
• A four bedroom house in the 600 block of Wilder Drive sold for $450,000. That’s 21.56 percent over the 2021 assessment. What’s the next chapter for this building on Stewart Street?

November 17, 2021

• A couple transferred three properties in the 100 block of Longwood Drive to three separate Limited Liability Companies. 
• A public transport company based in the United Kingdom has purchased the former Greyhound station on West Main Street for $315,000. I’ve not confirmed yet that the purchaser is indeed Firstgroup. Stay tuned. 

November 18, 2021

• A three bedroom home in the 1600 block of Oxford Road sold for 24.98 percent, which is over the 2021 assessment.
• A newly-built six bedroom house in the 800 block of Hinton Avenue sold for $1.58 million.  The Maple Ridge Group LLC purchased the 0.08 acre lot for $95,000 in March 2017. The property has changed several times. One notable transaction was in January 2003 when the vacant lot sold for $180,000. Ten years later, though, the property sold for $20,000. 
• A mixed-use building on the downtown mall at 510 East Main Street sold for $1.15 million, or 3.04 percent below the 2021 assessment. The storefront currently is occupied by a Wells Fargo cashpoint. The purchaser is 510 East Main Street LLC. 
• A three bedroom house on West Street in the 10th and Page neighborhood sold for $465,000. That’s 26.19 percent over the assessment. This is within a Sensitive Neighborhood area under the new Future Land Use Map in the Comprehensive Plan. 
• A four bedroom house on University Court in the Venable neighborhood sold for $525,000 to a company called Stultz LLC. That’s 14.55 percent over the 2021 assessment.

November 19, 2021

• Both sides of a duplex on Holmes Avenue in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $350,000. That’s 10.94 percent over the 2021 assessment. 
• A three bedroom house on Westwood Circle in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for $400,000. That’s 42.45 percent over the assessment and there do not appear to be any recent building permits. 
• A three bedroom house in the 900 block of Charlton Avenue in the Rose Hill neighborhood sold for $399,000. That’s 74.24 percent over the 2021 assessment. There do not appear to be any recent building permits. This property is within the Sensitive Communities area designated in the Future Land Use Map. A company called Aussieville Investments LLC purchased the property in August 2017 for $230,000 which at the time was 66.67 percent over that year’s assessment. 

November 22, 2021

• A unit in a row of townhouses in the 300 block of Quarry Road sold for $361,000. That’s 14.42 percent over the assessment. 
• A vacant 0.57 acre lot on Pine Top Road in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for $432,000. That’s 56.52 percent over the 2021 assessment. The property is zoned R-1 but designated for General Residential in the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan. The legend for that category states that this area “[allows] for additional housing choice within existing residential neighborhoods throughout the city.” 
• A five bedroom house on Washington Avenue in the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood sold for $437,000. That’s 18.72 percent over the 2021 assessment. The purchaser is Smmczyk Properties LLC.

November 23, 2021

• A 604 square foot unit on the third floor for of the apartment building at 1800 Jefferson Park Avenue sold for $149,000. That’s 5.58 percent below the 2021 assessment. 
• An apartment building on Gordon Avenue in the Venable neighborhood sold for $600,000, That’s 6.84 percent over the 2021 assessment. The purchaser is 1609 Gordon Avenue LLC. The seller is Equity Shelter LLC. 

November 24, 2021

• A recently subdivided vacant lot on Spruce Street in the Belmont neighborhood sold for $225,000. The property is zoned R-2 and is 0.161 acres in size. 
• A newly built three bedroom home on Raymond Road in the Ridge Street neighborhood sold for $525,111. That’s 5.27 percent over the 2021 assessment. 
• A four bedroom house on Camelia Drive in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $406,000. That’s 30.59 percent over the 2021 assessment. 

November 29, 2021

• A 948 square foot unit in the mixed-use building at 218 West Water Street sold for $682,343. That’s 68.27 percent over the 2021 assessment. 

November 30, 2021

• A three bedroom house on Augusta Street in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for 3.7 percent over the 2021 assessment. The structure was built in 1956 and is on 0.212 acres. 
• A three bedroom house on Highland Avenue in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $530,000. That’s 19.4 percent over the 2021 assessment. Realtor.com states that house was recently remodeled, but there do not appear to be any building permits in the database. 
• A four bedroom house on Marshall Street in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $641,000. That’s 2.98 percent below the 2021 assessment. 
• A three bedroom house in the 100 block of Stribling Avenue sold for $468,000. That’s 14.73 percent over the 2021 assessment. The structure was built in 1925 and sits on 0.433 acres. 

Previous installments (on Information Charlottesville):

• January 2021
• February 2021
• March 2021
• April 2021
• May 2021
• June 2021
• July 2021
• August 2021
• September 2021
• October 2021

Feel free to share the email version of this with others. Paying Substack and Patreon subscribers get a first look, but this information is public record and will be posted to the Information Charlottesville archive on Monday, December 6.