Second development plan for Westhaven increases number of units to 266

Consultants hired by the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority have filed a second set of plans to prepare construction documents for a new Westhaven community.

The Timmons Group filed a first major development plan in early October and the Department of Neighborhood Development Services issued a first comment letter on November 18 that pointed out several discrepancies that needed to be addressed.

The first plan called for a total of 264 units but the second version increases that to 266 with shows 102 townhouse units and 164 apartment units. The first plan capped building heights at 48 feet but the new one increases that to 72 feet. That building form is allowed under the Residential Mixed Use 5 zoning.

There are currently 126 units.

A new plan was accepted by NDS on December 15. One of the requested items is a Traffic Demand Management plan required by the Development Code because the overall project exceeds 50,000 square feet. A community meeting will need to be held in the future.

According to a December 11 letter from the Timmons Group as well as the site plan itself, the project will be phased.

The first phase would see construction of two multifamily buildings on the southern border directly behind what is now known as Yugo Crestline and a proposed student housing building at 843 West Main Street. A pad site would be created for a mixed-use building on 10th Street The second phase would see construction of the townhomes and the mixed-use building.

CRHA has also asked to have streetscape requirements be modified as well as a request to be able to build on critical slopes.

Traffic engineer Caleb Smith has already reviewed the TDM plan and expressed concerns.

“The document fails to stipulate the performance objectives for minimizing single-occupancy vehicle trips as it does not articulate plans to enact any specific strategy, or combination of strategies to do so,” Smith wrote in his response.

Charlottesville City Council has agreed to contribute $15 million toward the financing of the project.

Riverbend Development is serving as the owner’s representative. The architect of record is the Arnold Design Studio of Christiansburg.

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