Development Code digest: Five units in Lewis Mountain neighborhood

A major theme of the Cville Plans Together initiative was to eliminate zoning districts that only allow one unit per lot.

“Single-family zoning, which is prevalent in Charlottesville, has historically been a tool to create and reinforce racial segregation in Charlottesville and nationwide and has restricted the development of housing, contributing to rising housing costs,” reads the executive summary of the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Plan.

The plan recommended strategies to end what consultants and advocates referred to as “exclusionary zoning” and the Future Land Use Plan of the adopted Comprehensive Plan created a new designation called General Residential which called for at three units per lot.

The new zoning code created the Residential-A and Residential-B districts which implement that strategy. This newsletter exists to track what happens including the property transaction summaries.

One transaction in the Lewis Mountain went unnoticed until a reader brought it to my attention.

On March 11, the owner of 108 Bollingwood Road subdivided the 0.43 acre property creating a new independent lot on Cameron Lane. Both lots are zoned Residential-A, which means three units can be on each with no requirement that apartments be subsidized. Permits have been applied to fully max out the property.

A building permit was applied for in November 2025 to seal “off the rear of the existing house to create a second dwelling unit, and adding a floor aligned to the existing houses attic level as well as a new dedicated stair.”

This was issued in March but there are other steps remaining before completion before that second unit could come online, steps that will require inspections by city officials.

In January, the property owner applied for the subdivision and the permit application has this description:

“Lot 7 (108 Bollingwood Road) abuts both Bollingwood Road and Cameron Lane. The Owner would like to split the lot in half, so that the proposed new lot is accessed solely from Cameron Lane.”

On June 9, a commercial building permit was applied for a three-story apartment building with three four-bedroom apartments. That would be allowed under the Residential-A zoning. There is no affordability requirement. Details can be seen here.

Meanwhile, the property owner has filed an additional permit to take advantage of the one remaining development right. This would be for a 2.5 story 5 bedroom single-family residential building.

What’s happening in your neighborhood? This newsletter exists to help you find out. I am not a builder. I am not an advocate. I just want people to have information.

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