Pipeline report: Nearly 4,000 housing units under review in Albemarle 

If you ever want to know details about what is happening with a specific land use project in Albemarle County, staff regularly publish snapshots of data on what they call a development pipeline. 

“The Development Pipeline is a term for a project’s progression through Albemarle County Community Development’s permitting process and build-out,” reads one answer on the FAQ section of the website. 

The development dashboard has information on both residential and commercial units and has running tallies of what has been approved and what is still in the development process. 

As of October 1, 2024, there are a total of 3,988 housing units under review by staff. These range from a rezoning request for 70 units for a project called Berkmar Flats in the Rio District to a rezoning request for 53 units in the expansion of the Beaver Hill Manufactured Home Park. 

The latest report also shows that there are 134 residential by-right units approved but not yet built as well as 11,255 unbuilt units authorized through the legislative review process. 

“By-right projects are those that can be built per a property’s current zoning district,” the FAQ continues. “Legislative review projects are for proposed developments that require either a different zoning district (rezoning) or are only allowed by special use (special use permit) in order to be permitted.” 

The pipeline breaks out the approved list by planning neighborhoods, seven of which are numbered. 

Neighborhood 1 includes Stonefield where 686 out of 800 approved units have been built. This also covers the 140 units at what had been called Premier Circle and is now Vista29. There are also the 250 units on Rio Road West and the 244 Woodbrook Apartments.

Neighborhood 2 includes Belvedere where 638 units out of an approved 775 units have been built. There’s also Parkway Place which used to be known as Rio Point. A total of 328 units are authorized there. There are 22 units not yet built in the fourth phase of Lochlyn Hill. That’s a rare development that straddles the border into Charlottesville. 

Pantops is Neighborhood 3. A total of 93 units have been built at Riverside Village with another 12 unbuilt. 

Neighborhood 4 includes Galaxie Farm where 61 out of 65 units have been constructed. A planned residential development at 1805 Avon Street allows for 85 units, none of which had been built by October 1, 2024. 

In neighborhood 5, there is the potential that 100 units could still be built on a remaining portion of the Biscuit Run neighborhood. So far 131 units have been built in the first phase of Southwood with another 39 allowed. There are a total of a thousand units allowed at the second phase of Southwood. There’s also the Granger property to the south of the Fontaine Research Park where 203 units have been enabled. 

Neighborhood 6? Zippo! 

Neighborhood 7’s biggest project is the Old Ivy Residences project where a total of 525 units have been approved. 

Then there’s Crozet. Unbuilt projects include the 122 units at Montclair. A group of neighbors filed suit on February 1, 2024 in Albemarle County Circuit Court against the developer and Stanley Martin Homes. The suit is listed as active but no hearing dates have been set.  Another 115 units are expected at Old Dominion Village. So far, 56 of 106 units have been built at Wickham Pond II. 

The listing for Old Trail Village is misleading. Originally 2,200 units were approved there, but the developers later came for a rezoning to lower the minimum number of homes that would be built. 

“Expected buildout is approx 1,200 units,” reads the entry in the development pipeline. 

So far 1,155 units have been built. 

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 is from the November 20, 2024 edition of the newsletter. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.