Albemarle Supervisors approve zoning amendment to allow 40 units at Hollymead Town Center Area C

There are several different developments that could be described as Hollymead Town Center and this is the first of two stories this month about land use activity in that portion of the Places29 master planning area.

The Albemarle Board of Supervisors approved a portion known as Area C on August 6, 2003. A month before, they approved Area B, which cleared the way for the shopping center occupied by Target, a Harris Teeter, and many other stores.

Another document that usually accompanies a rezoning is called a Code of Development and this specifies what will be built and where. Over the years there have been other code changes for various aspects of Hollymead Town Center including Area C.

On March 18, 2026, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors was asked to consider a request from a firm associated with Dr. Charlie Hurt to grant another amendment in Block VII and Block IX of Area C. (item materials)

“The applicant is seeking to amend the existing Code of Development and proffers to add 40 dwelling units to the maximum number of dwelling units permitted in area C,” said J.T. Newberry, a senior planner with the Community Development Department. “That would take the maximum number of dwelling units from 370 to 410.”

Newberry said the developer also wants to eliminate the minimum level of non-commercial required in Block IX to make it fully residential. The Places29 Master Plan, adopted in February 2011, designates those areas for commercial use.

“The master plan recognized that as development continued to occur, there would be eventual conversion of these areas to a more mixed use type of development where residential and non retail uses would develop and support the centers around them,” Newberry said.

The Planning Commission voted unanimously in October to recommend the amendment.

Civil Engineer Justin Shimp said the rezoning in 2003 is too strict and conditions do not exist for commercial to be viable. Work in Block IX started but was never finished.

“Dr. Hurt started to build a building in 2010 or so, a commercial building that never got finished and essentially that now will be torn up and replaced by townhomes or similar structures because that’s now the demand for the area,” Shimp said.

Aside from Shimp, no members of the public spoke at the public hearing.

Before you go: The goal of Town Crier Productions is to increase awareness about what is happening at the local, regional, state, and federal government levels. Please share the work with others if you want people to know things. Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the April 1, 2026 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement.  You can either subscribe through Substack or make a charitable contribution.