Charlottesville launches Downtown Mall Ambassador program

Charlottesville City Council agreed in June 2025 to spend $1.2 million on a “clean team” that would be charged with keeping the Downtown Mall tidy and hired a firm called Block by Block last September to manage the work.

What the city refers to as Downtown Mall Ambassadors are now at work according to a release sent out at 2:45 p.m.

“With six full-time ambassadors covering 20 blocks, the program boosts city services with environmental cleaning, hospitality, business engagement, and safety support with a visible, welcoming presence downtown,” reads the information release.

Block by Block is a national company that began operations in Louisville, Kentucky in 1995. According to the release, the firm uses a real-time “SMART tracking system” that provides data.

“The SMART System, which stands for Statistics Management and Ambassador Reporting Technology, has evolved from a basic idea, into a multi-faceted platform, which centralizes everything we need to manage our programs from one spot!” reads a description on the Block by Block website.

The program is a two-year pilot.

The funding traces back to a budget surplus from FY2024. Other projects approved that night include:

• $280,000 for a long-term solution for a public restroom on the Downtown Mall. The city currently rents from York Place.
• $425,000 to hire two employees for two years to do “street outreach” with individuals who are unhoused
• $100,000 for a generator for Key Recreation Center, which serves as an emergency shelter
• $1.2 million for a “Clean Team” for a two-year pilot to assist with upkeep of the Downtown Mall
• $500,000 for “urgent infrastructure” projects
• $250,000 for a dozen bus shelters
• $1.1 million for parks and recreation improvements (Downtown Mall, Meadow Creek Trail

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