City Manager Sam Sanders often points out that Charlottesville is a place that likes to punch above its own weight. That’s an idiom that means the city takes on more challenges than other communities the same size.
Every quarter, Sanders updates the City Council on the progress toward his work plan, a series of initiatives staff is working on.
“So, a one year document identifying the various things that we want to make sure that gets done,” Sanders said. “It’s not exhaustive, it’s not everything. Everybody has a work plan. This is mine collectively that has built in things that I’m working on as well as things for the team.”
In late September, Sanders restructured his administration to reduce three deputy positions into one and to add two assistants, plus an assistant for himself. Other positions are open such as the grant-funded Economic Mobility Officer.
One of the initiatives this year has been a series of “quick-build” projects that use low-cost materials to change traffic patterns. In June, Council agreed to use a half million from the Capital Improvement Program contingency fund toward the effort by the Department of Public Works.
“They are working their list, trying to finish that list by the end of this year, which was the mandate that I gave them when we handed them the funds,” Sanders said. “So these demonstrations are meant to install the infrastructure, allow us as the community to use it, give feedback, and then if we determine that it works, we’ll make it permanent. If we think there’s some issues, we can tweak it, extend the demonstration, and then make sure that we are testing what it is that we’re applying.”
Negotiations continue for the city to obtain Oak Lawn, a 5.2 acre property in Fifeville that the University of Virginia purchased in October 2023 for potential use as a child-care facility. Officials there opted to transfer it to Charlottesville after a planning study determined development might be more complicated than previously thought. The Board of Visitors signed off on the transfer in early September.
“We are working on the lease that you all gave the approval to pursue, or at least you will give the approval to pursue,” Sanders said. “But the university has completed their process to make it possible for us to receive this property free of charge. At this moment, the goal is to make sure that we can get it conveyed permanently.”
Sanders said the city is working with the School Board to determine if this will be the location for a pre-K facility.
One emerging issue is whether the city will step in to help some residents of Kindlewood with their rents. The Piedmont Housing Alliance has completed one phase of redevelopment of a community that began life as Garrett Square and then was named Friendship Court. Former Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker has raised concerns that some of the people who have moved back cannot afford to live there.
“It is complicated and that is a multi-tiered income spectrum for who lives there and the subsidies that are associated with it.,” Sanders said. “Some individuals who’ve gone back to the property are not going back at the income level that they currently exist in. They’re taking units that are at a higher income level because the income units that they’re looking for are not available. So what it’s causing is an inability to pay. We have found that there is significant delinquency on that project.”
More information on that will come out at a work session on December 2. One reason for the delay is that the person who had been the city’s housing program manager has left the position.
Other highlights:
- City Attorney John Maddux has extended an offer to the last remaining vacancy in his office
- A bus shelter is now in place at Midway Manor for the trolley-style bus that runs past it
- A new fire station on the U.S. 250 bypass is now open
- Take a look at the full presentation here
- Take a look at the written work plan update here
Before you go: The time to write and conduct research for this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment comes from the October 22, 2025 edition of the program. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.
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