The Charlottesville Board of Zoning Appeals met on March 19 for a public hearing on a determination by the city’s zoning administrator that a proposed seven-story building in the 200 block of 7th Street NW qualifies as student housing.
Four members of the BZA voted to uphold a decision that The Mark is within a half-mile radius of the University of Virginia’s grounds.
“This was relating to the developer’s ability to pay into the housing fund as opposed to put affordable housing on site,” said Planning Commissioner Hosea Mitchell who serves as that body’s representative on the BZA.
The Mark would pay $4.5 million into the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund but that amount is lower than if the project was outside the radius. The eastern edge of grounds is a pocket park that will soon be upgraded by UVA.
“At the end of the day, we ruled in favor of the zoning administrator’s opinion,” Mitchell said. “[Zoning Adminstrator Read Brodhead] felt that the parking park was a part of the Central Grounds. But the ruling was a 2 to 2 ruling. When it’s a tie, the tie goes to the zoning administrator. But the applicant then has the opportunity to appeal and bring it back.”
Mitchell said the hope is that all five members will be present to provide a more definitive result.
Some recent stories to catch you up:
- BAR denies approval required for current plans for Fifeville apartment complex, January 9, 2026
- Charlottesville City Council weighs in on student housing changes, January 26, 2026
- New plans submitted for student housing building proposed in Fifeville, March 5, 2026
- Tie BZA vote means Fifeville building can be ‘student housing’, C-Ville Weekly, April 1, 2026
- Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition wants City Council to amend zoning, C-Ville Weekly, April 15, 2026
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