CRHA plans to buy 310-312 E Main for $2.65M; Board to sign off on $4M Avon sale

The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners meet at 6 p.m. at Crescent Halls. The meeting is not listed on their online calendar nor are the meeting  materials posted on the website. This meeting was postponed to the fifth Monday due to City Council meeting on the fourth Monday due to a snowstorm the week before.

The materials are usually posted after the meeting has concluded. Check here for their archives. I posted the agenda to cvillepedia for the purposes of this newsletter. (agenda)

After announcements, comments from the Public Housing Association of Residents, and updates from Commissioners, the Board will go into closed session to discuss the sale and purchase of property. 

The acquisition is $2.65 million for 310-312 East Main Street, an office building known as the Milgraum Center built in 1916 that last sold for $1.9 million. A 2014 news article describes the structure as a 25,000 square foot mixed building that at the time housed Silverchair and Vita Nova. Charlottesville GIS lists a gross of 17,895 square feet. The purchase price is 15.33 percent below the 2023 assessment of $3.129 million. Read Resolution #1468 for the details. 

The next item is consideration of resolution #1469 of the sale of 405 Levy Avenue to the City of Charlottesville for $4 million. More on that in the next newsletter.  

Highlights from the Deputy Director’s Report:

• A new coordinator is in place for the Family Self-Sufficiency Program and signed up 11 new participants in their first two weeks on the job. 
• There are 219 people enrolled in the CRHA’s Section 3 program. That’s a federally-mandated job training program, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs’ website. One individual was served, another is currently receiving support for employment, and there is one person employed through the Section 3 program. 
• There are 1,570 individuals signed up for CRHA’s Resident Services program. Seventy-nine people were assisted in the most recent reporting period. 
• At the January 9, 2024 Resident Services Committee, Crescent Halls residents reported elevators were down and that more transparency was needed. 
• CRHA will publish their Capital Fund on February 1, according to the report from Redevelopment Director Brandon Collins. Demolition of the older units at South First Street will begin around that time as well. Construction is expected to begin in April. 
• Breeden Construction is now working to complete the renovation at Crescent Halls and more apartments are expected to be available for occupancy in February. The contract with GMA was terminated in August. 
• An architect will soon be selected for the redevelopment of Westhaven. 

There will also be an update on the CRHA’s finances as well as an updating on housing choice vouchers run by the CRHA. As of December 31, the CRHA administers 722 vouchers in a variety of different categories, not including the 63 additional ones through the Charlottesville Supplemental Rental Assistance Program. Look at the details here. 

Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment comes from the January 29, 2024 Week Ahead. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.