The rewrite of the zoning ordinance is underway with sometimes heated conversations happening all over Charlottesville. This monthly summary of property transactions in the city is my way of checking out what’s happening as the rules of development change. There have been many claims that speak with certainty about what might happen, but I am a professional skeptic and I will continue this anecdotal look as long as I am able to do so.
This time around I am including the total acreage for each parcel as well as the current Future Land Use Map designation. It’s possible the specifics for each parcel will change but the map is an adopted part of a Comprehensive Plan that assumes every parcel will have more development rights. The way those new development rights may be realized will depend on the size and shape of the plot. That’s where the zoning rewrite comes in.
Take a look at the draft Zoning Diagnostic and Approach Report and the draft Inclusionary Zoning report for more information on how these dimensions will play a role in determining how many residential units can be on each lot.
This work is intended to increase general awareness of the various rules that are in play. As I have disclaimed before, I am a property owner in Charlottesville and my financial future depends in part by recognizing what value I might have. If I sell my house now, will the sales price reflect the additional density I could get on my land, which is designated Middle Intensity Residential? Do I sell to a friend? Do I hold?
Some questions in the back of my head that aren’t strictly rhetorical:
- Are people who are selling their houses now being informed of the potential worth?
- What steps are being taken right now to stop displacement from happening?
- Who will do the work of building all of the infill units?
August 1, 2022
- One half of a two bedroom duplex on Riverside Avenue in the Woolen Mills neighborhood sold for $187,460. That’s 26.07 percent over the 2022 assessment of $148,700. (General Residential, 0.07 acres)
- Two duplexes on 7 ½ Street in the Fifeville neighborhood sold for $450,000. That’s 23.51 percent below the combined 2022 assessment of $588,300 for both properties. The new owner is Downeast Properties LLC. The seller was Sunset Associates which picked up both structures for $58,800 in 1978. The units were built in 1967. The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority was hopeful to acquire these but the deal was not worked out in time. (General Residential Sensitive Communities, 0.416 acres)
- A three story house in the 700 block of Lexington Avenue in the Martha Jefferson neighborhood sold for $790,000. That’s 13.54 percent over the 2021 assessment of $695,800 and 4.82 percent over the 2022 assessment of $753,000. (Medium Intensity Residential, 0.367 acres)
- An 890 square foot unit with two bedrooms in the Charlottesville Towers building on 1st Street North in the North Downtown neighborhood sold for $190,000. That’s 0.26 percent above the 2022 assessment and 3.37 percent above the 2021 assessment. The purchaser is Daugherty-Pates Real Estate LLC. Later this month, that entity will acquire a second property in the building through a title transfer. (Higher Intensity Residential, N/A)
August 2, 2022
- A three bedroom townhouse built in 2017 on Longwood Drive in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $389,900. That’s 19.86 percent over the 2022 assessment of $325,300. This area was rezoned in 2009. (Medium Intensity Residential, 0.04 acres)
- A four bedroom house on Rugby Road in the Venable neighborhood sold for $2 million. That’s 22.36 percent over the 2022 assessment of $1.634 million. (Medium Intensity Residential, 0.62 acres)
- A two bedroom house on Shamrock Avenue near Scott Stadium in the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood sold for $594,000. That’s 50.99 percent over the 2022 assessment of $393,400. (Higher Intensity Residential, 0.157 acres)
- A second two bedroom house on Shamrock Avenue near Scott Stadium in the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood sold for $594,000. That’s 45.09 percent over the 2022 assessment of $393,400. These appear to be two different transactions with the exact same price with the same new owner. If not, the new owner got a great deal. (Higher Intensity Residential, 0.172 acres)
- A 1,123 square foot apartment with three bedrooms in a structure on Valley Road Extended in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $265,000. That’s 11.39 percent over the 2022 assessment of 11.39 percent. (General Residential, N/A)
- What’s the going rate for one of the buildable lots in the Lochlyn Hill neighborhood? Arcadia Builders purchased 502 Lochlyn Hill Drive for $171,328. How much will the finished house sell for? Check back later this year! (General Residential, 0.144 acres)
- A three bedroom house on Wellford Street in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for $625,000. That’s 17.95 percent over the 2022 assessment of $529,900. (General Residential, 0.288 acres)
August 3, 2022
- A three bedroom house in the 1600 block of East Market Street sold for $400,000. That’s 15.14 percent over the 2021 assessment of $347,400 and 2.96 percent over the 2022 assessment of $388,500. (General Residential, 0,376 acres)
- A three bedroom house on Trailridge Avenue in the Johnson Village neighborhood sold for $429,000. That’s 6.56 percent over the 2021 assessment of $402,600 and 2.54 percent below the 2022 assessment of $440,200. (General Residential, 0.27 acres)
- A three bedroom house on Willard Drive in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $486,000. That’s 11.44 percent over the 2022 assessment of $436,100. (General Residential, 0.22 acres)
- A 608 square foot apartment with two bedrooms in the complex at 1800 Jefferson Park Avenue sold for $172,125. That’s 8.53 percent over the 2021 assessment of $158,600 and 1.3 percent below the 2022 assessment of $174,400. (Higher Intensity Residential, N/A)
August 4, 2022
- A four bedroom house in the 700 block of Park Street constructed in 1920 sold for $810,000. That’s 19.67 percent below the 2022 assessment of just over $1 million. (General Residential, 0.802 acres)
August 5, 2022
- A three bedroom house in the 1500 block of Meridian Street in the Belmont neighborhood sold for $212,400. That’s 30.78 percent below the 2022 assessment of $306,900. (General Residential, 0.231 acres)
- A two bedroom house built in 2013 on Huntley Avenue sold for $510,000. That’s 25.8 percent over the 2022 assessment of $405,400. (General Residential, 0.06 acres)
August 8, 2022
- A four bedroom townhouse on Brookwood Drive in the Ridge Street neighborhood sold for $492,000. That’s 26.09 percent over the 2021 assessment of $390,200 and 7.59 percent over the 2022 assessment of $457,300. (Medium Intensity Residential, 0.085 acres)
August 9, 2022
- A three bedroom house on Cottonwood Road in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $385,000. That’s 10.43 percent over the 2021 assessment of $326,000 and 6.49 percent below the 2022 assessment of $385,000. (General Residential, 0.216 acres)
- A three bedroom townhouse on Danbury Court in the Belmont neighborhood sold for $273,000. That’s 34.35 percent over the 2022 assessment of $203,200. (Medium Intensity Residential, N/A)
August 10, 2022
- A four bedroom house on Marie Place in the Greenbrier neighborhood sold for $588,400. That’s 26.87 percent over the 2022 assessment of $463,800. (General Residential, 0.48 acres)
- A two bedroom house on Robinson Place sold for $300,000. That’s 24.22 percent over the 2022 assessment of $241,500. (General Residential, 0.132 acres)
- A two bedroom house on Huntley Avenue built in 2013 as part of a Planned Unit Development sold for $475,000. That’s 18.34 percent over the 2022 assessment of $401,400. (General Residential, 0.58 acres)
August 11, 2022
- A two bedroom house on Gentry Lane in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for $479,000. That’s 32.25 percent over the 2022 assessment of $362,200. (General Residential, 0.33 acres)
- A commercial building at the corner of West Main Street and 10th Street NW sold for $1.3 million to a firm called 917 West Main Street LLC. Their registered agent has an address in North Chesterfield. This site is a contributing structure in the West Main Architectural Design Control District and demolition would need to be approved by the Board of Architectural Review. Here’s an uncategorized story on Charlottesville Tomorrow from when that requirement was added. (Urban Mixed Use Corridor, 0.07 acres)
ugust 12, 2022
- A three bedroom house on Morgan Court in the Huntley Planned Unit Development sold for $535,000. That’s 16.05 percent over the 2022 assessment of $461,000. (General Residential, 0.097 acres)
- A five bedroom house split into two units on Jefferson Park Circle sold for $662,000. That is 45.18 percent over the 2022 assessment of $456,000. (General Residential, 0.519 acres)
August 15, 2022
- A two bedroom house on Davis Avenue in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $600,000. That’s 47.42 percent over the 2022 assessment. (Medium Intensity Residential, 0.392 acres)
- A three bedroom house in the 500 block of Stonehenge Avenue built in 1949 sold for $380,000. That’s 23.66 percent over the 2022 assessment. (General Residential, 0.101 acres)
- A three bedroom house on Burnet Street built in 2004 as part of the first phase of the Burnet Commons Planned Unit Development sold for $460,000. That’s 20.89 percent over the 2021 assessment of $380,500 but 3.2 percent below the 2022 assessment of $475,200. (General Residential, Sensitive Communities, 0.103 acres)
- An 829 square foot apartment in the Monticello Overlook apartments on Monticello Avenue sold for $212,500. That’s 11.43 percent over the 2022 assessment of $190,700. There are two bedrooms. (High Intensity Residential, N/A)
- A two-bedroom condominium built as part of Habit for Humanity’s Sunrise Court development on Carlton Avenue in 2012 sold for $184,900. That’s 32.93 percent over the 2022 assessment of $139,100. (Medium Intensity Residential, N/A)
- A three bedroom house in the 1800 block of Chesapeake Street sold for $135,000, which is 58.14 percent below the 2022 assessment of $322,500. This is not an arms-length transaction. (General Residential, 0.34 acres)
August 16, 2022
- A 656 square foot one bedroom unit in the Charlottesville Towers building on 1st Street North in the North Downtown neighborhood sold for $225,000. That’s 22.28 percent over the 2022 assessment of $184,000. (High Intensity Residential, N/A)
- A five bedroom house on Wayside Place in the Venable neighborhood sold for $1.4 million. That’s 39.58 percent over the 2022 assessment of $1.003 million. (General Residential, 0.27 acres)
August 17, 2022
- A three bedroom in the 1500 block of East Market Street sold for $640,000. That’s 129.47 percent over the 2022 assessment of $278,900. The entry on realtor.com states the house has been recently renovated. (General Residential, 0.229 acres)
- One half of a duplex with three bedrooms on Cleveland Avenue in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $309,001. That’s 36.24 percent over the 2022 assessment of $226,800. (General Residential, 0.089 acres)
- One half of a duplex with three bedrooms in the 700 block of Orangedale Avenue in Fifeville sold for $210,000. That’s 32.66 percent over the 2021 assessment of $158,300 and 6.6 percent over the 2022 assessment of $197,000. (General Residential, Sensitive Communities, 0.083 acres)
- There’s a new owner for a property in Fifeville that contains a former grocery store. Woodard Properties has paid $3.5 million for five properties including 501 Cherry Avenue across from Tonsler Park. The combined properties total 1.361 acres and have a combined 2022 assessment of $1.568 million. They are within the jurisdiction of the city’s Cherry Avenue Small Area Plan, which notes the lack of a grocery store where residents can buy fresh produce. For many years, the Estes IGA store was an anchor for the community. Read more in a story I wrote on Information Charlottesville.
August 18, 2022
- Choctaw American Insurance is the new owner of 963 Rives Street in the Belmont neighborhood. They paid $246,000 for the three bedroom townhouse built in 1993. That’s 38.51 percent over the 2022 assessment of $177,600. (General Residential, 0.087 acres)
- A three bedroom house in the 1400 block of Avon Street in the Belmont neighborhood built in 2016 as part of the Belmont Cottages Planned Unit Development sold for $407,900. That’s 13.62 percent over the 2022 assessment of $359,000. (General Residential, 0.066 acres)
- A three bedroom house in the 400 block of Moseley Drive in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $416,000. That’s 34.8 percent over the 2022 assessment of $308,600. (General Residential, 0.418 acres)
- A three bedroom house on Camellia Drive in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $350,000. That’s 15.36 percent over the 2022 assessment of $303,400. (General Residential, 0.272 acres)
August 19, 2022
- An 846 square feet two bedroom unit in the Charlottesville Towers building on North 1st Street N sold for $265,000. That’s 48.29 percent over the 2022 assessment of $178,700. (High Intensity Residential, N/A)
- A three bedroom house in the 1000 block of Grady Avenue sold for $590,000, or 17.95 percent over the 2022 assessment of $500,200. This is a block away from Dairy Market. (General Residential, Sensitive Communities, 0.086 acres)
- A three bedroom townhouse on Brookwood Drive in the Ridge Street neighborhood sold for $330,000. That’s 17.95 percent over the 2021 assessment of $279,900 and 2022 assessment of $329,400. (Medium Intensity Residential, 0.04 acres)
- The other half of the duplex on Orangedale that sold on August 17 also changed hands for $195,000. That’s 12.39 percent over the 2022 assessment. This one also has three bedrooms. (General Residential, Sensitive Communities, 0.08 acres)
August 22, 2022
- Lichen Properties LLC purchased 820 5th Street SW for $190,000, which is 8.39 percent over the 2021 assessment of $175,300 and 1.45 percent below the 2022 assessment of $192,800. The original owners are all deceased, and the property sold at auction on July 14 per order of the Charlottesville Circuit Court. Thank you to the person who notified me of this, allowing me to clear up a question I had asked when this summary was behind a paywall. (Medium Residential Density, 0.641 acres)
- A four bedroom townhouse built at Old Fifth Circle in 2006 sold for $380,000. That’s 20.18 percent over the 2022 assessment of $316,200. (Medium Intensity Residential, 0.051 acres)
August 23, 2022
- New construction of a house on Piedmont Avenue South off of Fontaine Avenue in the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood sold for $279,900. This is a home built and sold by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. (Higher Intensity Residential, 0.104 acres)
- A newly built four bedroom house on Lochlyn Hill Drive sold for $877,466. Arcadia Builders purchased this lot in March for $157,658. (General Residential, 0.13 acres)
- One third of a triplex on Longwood Drive built in 2021 sold for $424,995. That’s 15.11 percent over the 2021 assessment of $369,200 and 6.92 percent over the 2022 assessment of $397,500. (Medium Intensity Residential, 0.078 acres)
August 24, 2022
- Rialto Townhomes, LLC purchased four lots along the cul-de-sac of Rialto Street in Belmont for $300,000. That price is 40.17 percent below the combined 2022 assessment of $501,400. These are within the Rialto Beach Planned Unit Development along Moores Creek at the border with Albemarle County. (General Residential, various sizes)
- A three bedroom house built in 1958 on Carter Lane sold for $425,000. That’s 4.91 percent over the 2021 assessment of $405,100 and 4.56 percent below the 2022 assessment of $445,300. (General Residential, 0.3 acres)
August 25, 2022
- A one bedroom apartment in the condominium building at 200 Douglas Avenue sold for $505,000. That’s 27.85 percent over the 2022 assessment of $395,000. (Higher Intensity Residential, N/A)
- A three bedroom house on Middleton Lane in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $474,750. That’s 50.86 percent over the 2022 assessment of $314,700. (General Residential, 0.16 acres)
- A five bedroom house on Meadowbrook Road in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for $1.05 million. That’s 10.71 percent over the 2021 assessment of $948,400 but 8.16 percent below the 2022 assessment of $1,143,300. (General Residential, 0.53 acres)
- Chabad of Charlottesville LLC has purchased 124 Piedmont Avenue North in the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood for $550,000. That’s 31.7 percent over the 2022 assessment of $417,600. In 2020, the property was assessed $297,500. (Higher Intensity Residential, 0.137 acres)
ugust 26, 2022
- A three bedroom house on Mobile Lane in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $319,000. That’s 23.88 percent over the 2022 assessment of $257,500. (General Residential, 0.189 acres)
- A three bedroom house in the 1400 block of Rugby Avenue sold for $635,000. That’s 72.04 percent over the 2022 assessment of $369,100. (Medium Intensity Residential, 0.2 acres)
August 29, 2022
- A three bedroom townhouse on Longwood Drive built in 2012 sold for $350,000. That’s 11.64 percent over the 2022 assessment of $313,500. (Medium Intensity Residential, 0.035 acres)
- A four bedroom house in the 2000 block of Greenbrier Drive sold for $455,000. That’s 13.66 percent over the 2022 assessment of $400,300. (General Residential, 0.31 acres)
- A two bedroom house on Cambridge Circle in the Barrack / Rugby neighborhood sold for $300,000 to a firm called Silas Properties LLC. That transaction is 0.74 percent over the 2021 assessment of $297,800 and 12.61 percent below the 2022 assessment of $343,300. (General Residential, 0.323 acres)
August 30, 2022
- The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority purchased two duplexes on Coleman Street in the Locust Grove neighborhood for $675,000. The transaction is 10.48 percent below the combined 2022 assessment of $754,000. For more information, take a look at my article on Information Charlottesville. (General Residential, 0.23 acres each)
- Four vacant lots on Carlton Road totaling 0.631 acres sold for $429,000 to Carlton 4 LLC. That’s 14.29 percent below the combined 2022 assessment of $500,500. (
General Residential, Sensitive Communities, Neighborhood Mixed Use Corridor, 0.631 acres)
August 31, 2022
- A two bedroom house in the 500 block of Meade Avenue sold for $375,000. That’s 63.33 percent over the 2022 assessment of $229,600. The structure was built in 1935. The new owner is Blue Ridge Realty 542 LLC, because the street address is 542. Clever! (Urban Mixed Use Corridor, 0.17 acres)
- As I completed this summary, I wondered where Daddy Rabbit has been. The firm purchased this three bedroom house in the 1300 block of Rose Hill Drive for $332,500. That’s 26.79 percent below the 2022 assessment. (Medium Intensity Residential, 0.29 acres)
