915 East High Street project goes back to Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review

The Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review plays a key role in the city’s new Development Code with design control over projects within historic districts Architectural Design Control Districts.

The BAR meets at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. This time around there are no action items and only two pre-application conferences. One of them resumes a conversation last held in December 2023 with a proposed project to construct an apartment building at 915 East High Street, the site of the former Martha Jefferson Hospital.

“The building’s form, layout, and massing are sensitive to the urban context and existing architectural features of the neighborhood,” reads the BAR submission produced by Two Street Studio. “The parking structure is wrapped by apartments, concealing it from street view and presenting the street with active uses on all sides.”

The 2.31 acre property is zoned Downtown North Corridor which means it could be twice that height.

One note to the city on communications of this staff report. The staff report for this refers to BAR# 26-0015 but that’s now how the permit is in the system. The permit lists it as HST26-0015.

A preliminary site plan included in the April 2026 submission for a five-story building with 192 residential units and 10,226 square feet of commercial space. Preservation Planner Jeff Werner noted in an August 6 email that this is not sufficient for a full review for a Certificate of Appropriateness. He also said it’s been over two and a half years since the BAR last took a look.

“While the BAR expressed general support for the design and materiality, there was concern for the long, unbroken elevation along Lexington Ave,” Werner wrote. “To be clear, the proposed heights were not an issue; the BAR even suggested going taller at the south end, which would accommodate introducing a break in the west elevation.”

A major site plan is also under review (PL-25-0060) with the most recent activity in the permit portal listed as a denial letter on April 24, 2026.

The second pre-application conference is for an addition to the Village School’s building at 301 East High Street.

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