Information Charlottesville

This is the 19th month that I’ve written up a summary of property transactions in Charlottesville and shared it with the public as part of my work covering land use issues in the greater community. I hope you’ll find this bit of my research informative and useful.

I started this newsletter over two years ago as a way to get information out about the details of what’s happening in an area that continues to grow. There are a lot of moving parts in this community, and I’ve spent a lot of my career trying to keep track of as much as I can.

This September marks the 20th anniversary of my arrival in the Charlottesville area, as well as the 30th anniversary of my introduction to journalism. Somehow while a student at Virginia Tech, I decided to try my hand at making a career out of reporting and to this day I’m trying my best to make a go of it. 

I am grateful to the hundreds of people who have opted to help support my work with a paid subscription to this newsletter or through Patreon support. In exchange, I do my best to stay up to date on as much as I can so that readers and listeners can also be informed. 

One of the biggest issues in our community, and the nation, is the cost of housing. I’ve covered the conversation for over 15 years, including stories that are still on the Charlottesville Podcasting Network. For the past two years, I’ve collected my stories on Albemarle, Charlottesville, and UVA land use on Information Charlottesville. All of this is made possible by support from readers and listeners who want to know what’s going on.

So, that’s why this summary of property transactions is temporarily behind a paywall. I am hopeful those of you who haven’t yet subscribed will do so so I can continue to keep going. Ting will match your initial payment because they also support the kind of detailed journalism for which I am known. 

There’s no analysis intended in this report, and I am hoping to add more value to this report in coming months, but for now I had a spare moment in between the rest of my reporting. Please let me know if you have any questions and go back to previous installments for my basic rules for how I do this each month. All of the records from the city’s Open Data portal. The property’s designation in the adopted Future Land Use Map is listed in parentheses, unless the sale is for a unit in a larger structure.

July 1, 2022

• One entire four-story 47-unit building that makes up half of a condominium complex at 1000 Linden Avenue North sold for $4,124,490. That’s 17.5 percent below the 2022 assessment of just under $5 million for a property on the southeastern tip of the City of Charlottesville in the Belmont neighborhood. The purchaser is CB North LLC, and the registered agent is Accesso Properties.
  
  Accesso Properties is the owner of some of the units in the other building, as well as several other Limited Liability Companies. There are a couple of individual hold-outs. What are the long term plans? The existing structure was built in 1989. The Future Land Use Map calls for this property to be Higher-Intensity Residential.
  
  “Provide opportunities for higher density, multi-family, focused development. Incentivize affordability and increased density to meet Affordable Housing Plan goals.”
  
  We’ll see one sale for the south building later this month.

• A 1,170 square foot one-bedroom apartment in the Randolph Building at 210 10th Street NE sold for $625,000. That’s 21.93 percent over the 2022 assessment of $512,600. The Randolph was built in 2007. 
• A 1,028 square foot two-bedroom unit in the McGuffey Hill condominiums in North Downtown sold for $401,000. That’s 26.38 percent over the 2022 assessment of $317,300. 
• A four bedroom house in the 400 block of 3rd Street NE sold for $725,000. That’s 43.62 percent over the 2022 assessment of $504,800. According to realtor.com, it was set up as two residential units at the time of sale. This property is designated as Urban Mixed Use Corridor which has the definition of “Higher intensity mixed use development arranged along corridors between employment, commercial, and civic hubs of the city.”
• A three bedroom house on Banbury Street in the Greenbrier neighborhood sold for $326,000. That’s 0.15 percent over the 2022 assessment, and 17.44 percent over the 2021 assessment of $277,600. (General Residential)
• An 802 square-foot unit with two bedrooms in an apartment building of the 600 block of Cabell Avenue in the Venable neighborhood sold for $235,000. That’s nine percent over the 2022 assessment of $215,600. (Higher Intensity Residential)
• A three bedroom on Willard Drive in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $438,000. That’s 62.34 percent over the 2022 assessment of $269,800. (General Residential)
• A four bedroom house on Elkhorn Road in the Johnson Village neighborhood sold for $601,000. That’s 48.36 percent over the 2022 assessment of $405,100. According to a search of building permit records, the last two owners made upgrades. One upgraded the electrical system and the other installed a gas line for a cooking range. (General Residential)

July 5, 2022

• A four bedroom house on Kerry Lane in the Greenbrier neighborhood sold for $275,000. That’s 37.64 below the 2022 assessment of $441,000. (General Residential)
• A 1,780 square foot unit in the Melbourne Park Circle neighborhood in Locust Grove sold for $379,000. That’s 17.08 percent over the 2022 assessment of $323,700. 
• A 2,536 square foot unit on Bing Lane in the Cherry Hill Planned Unit Development sold for $436,000. That’s 5.62 percent over the 2022 assessment of $412,800 and 17.43 percent over the 2021 assessment of $371,300. 

July 6, 2022

• A three bedroom house in the 1100 block of Avon Street sold for $529,700. That’s 19.87 percent over the 2022 assessment of $441,900. (Medium Residential)
• Accesso Properties picked up two units in the south building at 1002 Linden Avenue for $175,000. That’s 20.98 percent below the 2022 assessment of $221,000 for both units. 
• A 1,988 square foot townhouse on Brookwood Drive in the Ridge Street neighborhood sold for $405,000. That’s 19.12 percent over the 2021 assessment of $340,000, but only 1.45 percent over the 2022 assessment of $399,200.
• An 834 square foot unit in the apartment building at 1800 Jefferson Park Avenue sold for $225,000. That’s 17.74 percent over the 2022 assessment of $191,100. 

July 7, 2022

• A three bedroom house built in 1952 on Wellford Street in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for $726,500. That is 109 percent over the 2022 assessment of $347,600. There have been no recent building permits, but realtor.com notes that the property is currently generating over $3,000 a month in AirBnB income. (General Residential)
• A three bedroom house in the 800 block of Anderson Street in the 10th and Page neighborhood sold for an even $400,000. That’s 25.94 percent over the 2022 assessment of $317,600. The property last sold in 1985 for $35,000. 

July 8, 2022

• Aspiring Developments LLC purchased 1622 East Market Street in the Woolen Mills Neighborhood for $283,500. That is exactly the 2022 assessment and 20.9 percent over the 2021 assessment of $234,500. According to my records, Aspiring Developments LLC has purchased other properties this year, including one on Bailey Road on June 14, one on Altavista Avenue, and one on Piedmont Avenue. The latter was purchased for 7.58 percent below the 2022 assessment on April 1. Renovations were made and that property was sold on June 3, at 20.95 percent over the 2022 assessment. (General Residential)
• A three bedroom house built in 2005 in the 600 block of Monticello Avenue sold for $619,500. That’s 35.89 percent over the 2022 assessment of $455,900. (Medium Intensity Residential)
• A three bedroom house built in 1951 in the 1600 block of Oxford Road sold for $980,000. That’s 55.06 percent over the 2022 assessment of $632,000. The previous owner made several utility upgrades in 2017. (General Residential) 
• A two bedroom house in the 1100 block of Locust Avenue sold for $386,000. That’s 40.88 percent over the 2022 assessment of $274,000. 

July 11, 2022

• A three bedroom townhouse built in 2019 on Junction Lane in the Belmont Station development sold for $501,000. That’s 25.22 percent over the 2021 assessment of $400,100 and 8.37 percent over the 2022 assessment of $462,300. 
• A single-family detached house on Castalia Street Extended in the Belmont Point development sold for $612,500. That’s 41.88 percent over the 2022 assessment of $431,700. The structure was built in 2020 and last sold in December of that year for $443,083. (General Residential)
• A two bedroom house in the 500 block of Druid Avenue sold for $375,000. That’s 20.5 percent over the 2022 assessment of $311,200. The house was built in 1949. (General Residential)
• A single-family detached home on Burnet Way in the Ridge Street neighborhood sold for $446,000. That’s 20.57 percent over the 2021 assessment of $369,900 and 3.65 percent over the 2022 assessment of $430,000. The structure was built in 2016 as part of the Burnet Commons development. 
• A three bedroom house built in 2014 in the 300 block of Harris Road in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $525,000. That’s 12.64 percent over the 2021 assessment of $466,100 and 1.96 percent over the 2022 assessment of $514,900. (Medium Intensity Residential)

July 12, 2022

• A three bedroom house currently split into two units on Belleview Avenue in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $390,000 to Hooville Housing LLC. The transaction is 10.08 percent over the 2022 assessment of $354,300. (General Residential)

July 13, 2022

• A one bedroom house built in 1924 in the 900 block of Nassau Street sold for $175,000. That’s 21.7 percent over the 2021 assessment of $143,800 and 6.9 percent over the 2022 assessment of $163,700. (General Residential, Sensitive Communities)
• An 865 square foot apartment in the Gleason at 200 Garrett Street sold for $519,000. That’s 13.34 percent over the 2021 assessment of $457,900 and 0.15 percent over the 2022 assessment of $518,200. 
• A two bedroom house in the 1100 block of Locust Avenue sold for $412,500. That’s 13.39 percent above the 2022 assessment of $363,800. (General Residential)
• A company called Cardinal Ventures Inc. purchased two houses in the 1300 block of  King Street in the Fifeville neighborhood for $560,000. That’s 17.26 percent below the combined 2022 assessment of $676,800 for both properties, which total 0.339 acres in size. (General Residential)

July 14, 2022

• 1939 Thomson Road LLC is the new owner of 1939 Thomson Road. That is a five bedroom house in the Lewis Mountain neighborhood built in 1938. The previous owners invested in new plumbing to support an addition. The transaction is 9.52 percent over the 2022 assessment of $1.1824 million. (General Residential)

July 15, 2022

• A two bedroom house on Montrose Avenue in the Belmont neighborhood sold for $431,000. That’s 91.64 percent over the 2022 assessment of $224,900. (General Residential)
• One half of a duplex in the 700 block of Prospect Avenue sold for $251,000. That’s 41.49 percent over the 2022 assessment of $177,400. This unit last sold in early May, when the previous owner paid $135,000 for the property. That person did renovations according to realtor.com, but these do not show up in the building permit database. This is highest sales price in the Orangedale neighborhood within the last ten years. (General Residential, Sensitive Communities)
• A three bedroom house on Hill Street in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $379,900. That’s 19.02 percent over the 2022 assessment of $319,200. (General Residential)
• A 615 square foot apartment in the apartment building at Jefferson Park Avenue sold for $172,500. That’s 4.35 percent below the 2022 assessment and 5.23 percent above the 2021 assessment of $156,800. 
• A four bedroom house in the 1600 block of Rugby Avenue sold for $700,000. That’s 18.7 percent over the 2021 assessment of $589,700 and 2.9 percent over the 2022 assessment of $680,300. (Medium Intensity Residential)
• A three bedroom house on Fern Court in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $560,000. That’s 30.84 percent higher than the 2022 assessment of $428,000. (General Residential)
• A six bedroom house on 1.11 acres on Hilltop Road in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for $2.45 million. That’s 54.45 percent over the 2022 assessment of $1,586,300. (General Residential)
• An 845 square foot unit in the Charlottesville Towers sold for $265,000. That’s 35.9 percent over the 2022 assessment of $195,000. 

July 18, 2022

• One half of a duplex on Birdwood Court in the North Downtown neighborhood sold for $340,000. That’s 34.44 percent over the 2022 assessment of $252,900. (General Residential)
• A two bedroom, open-concept single family detached structure newly built on Nicholson Street in the Lochlyn Village development sold for $695,791. Arcadia Builders purchased the lot for $134,505 in February. (General Residential)
• A three bedroom townhouse in the Ridgecrest development in the Belmont neighborhood sold for $265,000. That’s 29.21 percent over the 2022 assessment of $205,100. 
• A two bedroom single family detached house in the Fifeville neighborhood in the 1300 block of Grove Street sold for $326,000. That’s 28.35 percent over the 2022 assessment of $254,000. (General Residential)

July 19, 2022

• The City of Charlottesville purchased a 0.40 acre parking lot at 921 East Jefferson Street for $1.65 million. That’s 73.14 percent over the 2022 assessment of $953,000. I wrote about the pending transaction in early July. (Urban Mixed Use Node)
• A four bedroom single family attached home built in 2016 as part of the Burnet Commons development in the Ridge Street neighborhood sold for $625,000. That’s 15.4 percent over the 2022 assessment of $541,600 for this property on Almere Avenue. (Medium Intensity Residential)

July 20, 2022 

• A three bedroom house on Oxford Place in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for an even $700,000. That’s 14.98 percent over the 2021 assessment of $608,800 and 0.34 percent below the 2022 assessment of $702,400. (General Residential)
• One half of a duplex on Moseley Drive in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $325,000. That’s 40.81 percent over the 2022 assessment of $230,800. The space is recently remodeled according to realtor.com. (General Residential)

July 21, 2022

• A three bedroom house on Lyons Court built in 1939 in the North Downtown neighborhood sold for $1.055 million. That’s 35.33 percent over the 2022 assessment of $779,600. (General Residential)
• A three bedroom house on Caroline Avenue in the Woolen Mills neighborhood sold for $253,000. That’s 0.6 percent over the 2022 assessment of $251,500 and 2.05 percent below the 2021 assessment of $258,300. (General Residential)
• A four bedroom house on Nelson Drive in the North Downtown neighborhood sold for $390,000. That’s 14.6 percent over the 2021 assessment of $340,300 and 5.58 percent over the 2022 assessment of $369,400. The purchaser is Shade IP LLC. (General Residential)
• A 764 square foot unit with one bedroom in the Walker Square apartment complex sold for $295,000. That’s 27.6 percent over the 2022 assessment of $231,200. 
• A three bedroom house in the 200 block of Dice Street in the Ridge Street neighborhood sold for $336,000. That’s 8.42 percent over the 2022 assessment of $309,900. (General Residential, Sensitive Communities)
• A three bedroom townhouse on Rainer Road built in 2009 as part of the Cherry Hill Planned Unit Development sold for $415,000. That’s 11.83 percent over the 2021 assessment of $371,100 and 0.53 percent over the 2022 assessment of $412,800. 

July 22, 2022

• One half of a three bedroom duplex on Riverside Avenue in the Woolen Mills neighborhood sold for $325,000. That’s 65.48 percent over the 2022 assessment of $196,400. The previous owners repaired the foundation in 2021 according to a search of building permits. (General Residential)
• An 870 square foot unit in the apartment building at 1600 Monticello Avenue sold for $225,000. That’s 14.56 percent over the 2022 assessment of $196,400.

July 25, 2022

• A three bedroom house in the 700 block of Stonehenge Avenue in the Belmont neighborhood sold for $320,000. That’s 12.52 percent over the 2022 assessment of $284,400. The purchaser is 720 Stonehenge Avenue LLC and the house was built in 1903. (Medium Intensity Residential)
• A two bedroom house in the 1500 block of Green Street in the Belmont neighborhood sold for $405,000. That’s 30.77 percent over the 2022 assessment of $309,700. (General Residential)
• A newly-built four bedroom house on Nicholson Avenue in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $701,914. Arcadia Builders purchased the lot in February for $134,505. (General Residential)

July 26, 2022

• A two bedroom house in the 900 block of Montrose Avenue in the Belmont neighborhood sold for $335,000. That’s 54.38 percent over the 2022 assessment of $217,000. According to realtor.com, the unit is newly renovated. (General Residential)
• A three bedroom house on Burnet Street built in 2004 as part of the Burnet Commons development sold for $540,000. That’s 41.92 percent over the 2021 assessment of $380,500 and 10.2 percent over the 2022 assessment of $490,000. (General Residential)
• A three bedroom house on Carter Lane in the Greenbrier neighborhood sold for $400,000. That’s 0.78 percent above the 2021 assessment of $396,900 and 8.47 percent below the 2022 assessment of $437,000. (General Residential)

July 27, 2022

• One half of a duplex built in 2019 as part of the Sunrise Park Planned Unit Development on Midland Street sold for $350,000. That’s 20.23 percent over the 2022 assessment of $291,100. (Medium Intensity Residential)
• A 371 square foot unit in the Cedars in the Meadows neighborhood sold for $100,000 to Malam Jabba LLC. That’s 19.62 over the 2022 assessment of $83,600. 

July 28, 2022

• A 1,115 square foot apartment with two bedrooms in the apartment building at 202 Douglas Avenue sold for $648,000. That’s 33 percent over the 2022 assessment of $487,200. 
• A three bedroom house in the 2100 block of Tarleton Drive in the Greenbrier neighborhood sold for $375,000. That’s 9.94 percent over the 2022 assessment of $341,100. (General Residential)
• A unit in the apartment building at 218 West Water Street sold for $1.35 million. Further  information on this property is not accessible through the GIS system as the property has been consolidated with another unit in the building. 
• A four bedroom house in the 1500 block of Dairy Road sold for $850,000. That’s 25.46 percent over the 2022 assessment of $677,500. This lot is on 1.365 acres. (General Residential)
• A 785 square foot unit in the Walker Square apartment complex sold for $306,000 to WV Commercial Property LLC. That’s 32.35 percent over the 2022 assessment of $231,200. 

• Several commercial buildings changed hands in one transaction worth $10.5 million. 2PIC LLC bought four parcels from JA-ZAN LLC. The total purchase price is 44.56 percent below the 2022 assessment of just over $19 million.
  
  The properties are:
  • 401 – 407 East Water Street – currently occupied by the Thomas Jefferson (Downtown Core)
  • 364 – 380 Hillsdale Drive in the Seminole Square Shopping Center 
  • 384 – 398 Hillsdale Drive in the Seminole Square Shopping Center 
  • 176 – 198 Zan Road in the Seminole Square Shopping Center (Urban Mixed Use Node)
• 2PIC LLC also purchased 414 East Market Street for $650,000. That’s 62.32 percent below the 2022 assessment of $1.725 million. (Downtown Core)

July 29, 2022

• An office condominium at 619 East High Street sold for $90,000. That’s 15.01 percent below the 2022 assessment of $105,900. 
• A four bedroom house on Highland Avenue in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $163,000, which is 52.23 percent below the 2022 assessment of $341,200. This is a sale within a family and not an arms-length transaction. 
• A four bedroom house on Thomson Road in the Lewis Mountain neighborhood sold for $1.3 million. That’s 99.14 percent over the 2022 assessment of $652,800. (General Residential)
• A two bedroom house on Oakleaf Lane in the Barracks / Rugby Avenue sold for $329,000. That’s 6.65 percent above the 2021 assessment of $308,500 and 7.53 percent below the 2022 assessment of $355,800. (Medium Intensity Residential)
• A 621 square feet unit with one bedroom in the Cedars sold for $145,500. That’s 22.27 percent over the 2022 assessment of $119,000. 
• A three bedroom house on Gentry Lane in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for $750,000. That’s 107.58 percent over the 2022 assessment of $361,300. The previous owner added space in the form of a two-story addition. (General Residential)
• A two bedroom house on 7th Street in the Fifeville neighborhood sold for $435,000. That’s 19.11 percent over the 2022 assessment of $365,200 for property and the structure built in 2006. (General Residential, Sensitive Communities)

Thanks for reading. Any questions? I’ll be here again soon with the August report.