Ten years after Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville purchased the Southwood Mobile Home Park in Albemarle County for redevelopment, construction is still years away. But a group of residents working closely with Habitat staff and architects plans to bring the vision of redevelopment to reality in phases. Habitat leaders ...

Plans for both the future Biscuit Run State Park and the redevelopment of the Southwood Mobile Home Park took a step forward Thursday as Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation celebrated a key land exchange. “There were a lot of things that ...

The group that oversees the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund elected a new chairman Wednesday, two weeks after the City Council decided to significantly increase funding for the program. “Going forward, this committee’s role, in addition to [reviewing] policy, is to find leverageable partners for use of those funds in ...

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has unanimously passed a resolution backing the county’s collaboration with an area housing nonprofit as it redevelops Southwood Mobile Home Park. At the board’s meeting Wednesday, Supervisor Rick Randolph said the resolution marked an “exciting launch of a new era” for Southwood ...

The opening of the new 5th Street Station will bring more shopping and dining opportunities for area residents, but some planners and activists are hopeful commitments made during the land’s rezoning will be a catalyst for the southern urban area’s bike and pedestrian network. “There is tremendous potential ...

A change of the guard is taking place in Charlottesville government as a new person settles in as the city’s expert on housing policy. “Affordable housing is something I’m very passionate about because I see it as the basis for every family’s success,” said Stacy Pethia, who ...

Charlottesville City Council has voted to allocate $480,000 from the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. The investment will support the purchase of 16 lots in mixed-income neighborhoods. In July 2015, Habitat requested $450,000 to support their then-new Project 20 initiative to build ...

The General Assembly is considering a proposal from Gov. Terry McAuliffe to raise $140 million for state parks through the sale of bonds, including $42.5 million in funding for the proposed Biscuit Run State Park in Albemarle County. “With the proximity to downtown Charlottesville, we believe it will be ...

A shortage of housing options for well-off families in the city of Charlottesville has reduced the supply of homes for people with moderate incomes, according to a report from a national real estate firm. "There’s an undersupply for those people earning over 120 percent of the median income,” said ...

A project to rebuild Interstate 64’s interchange with U.S. 29 is ranked near the bottom of a list of statewide transportation projects, but area officials still will plan for ways to revamp Exit 118. “It doesn’t mean the need decreases for our region,” said Chip Boyles, the ...

The Charlottesville Planning Commission has recommended approval of a special-use permit that would allow a private club called Common House to operate at 206 W. Market St. “What we’re looking for out of applicants are [people] creative in arts and commerce,” said Ben Pfinsgraff, one of the club’s ...

As Charlottesville continues to grow both in population and age, city planners are continuing work on an initiative designed to make streets safer for bikes and pedestrians. “The primary problem is that we have older streets that we like, but the standards for the new streets create ones we don ...

The Charlottesville Planning Commission has begun its review of a projected $80 million five-year capital improvement program budget, including $21.6 million in spending next fiscal year. “This is the first draft and we’re just now beginning to get a picture of the revenues,” said Ryan Davidson, the city ...

Two dozen people took the stage at the Paramount Theater on Friday to explore how the world could change if people asked themselves “What if?” That two-word question was the theme of the third annual TEDx Charlottesville, a day-long series of short talks held by a nonprofit group that puts ...

Jenn Horne, who teaches English at Charlottesville High School, wonders what would happen if schools stopped tracking students by academic level. “What if teaching this way is a viable solution when we are faced with an achievement gap; a stratification that looks like segregation?” Horne asked. “I’m teaching de-tracked ...

The preparations for next year’s Charlottesville budget began this week when the Planning Commission met to establish funding priorities for the capital improvement program. “The role of the Planning Commission is to guide development and development activities in the city,” said Alexander Ikefuna, the city’s new director of ...

As construction continues on two new buildings on West Main Street, Charlottesville officials continue to review possible changes to the zoning code to reduce the height and massing of future structures. “You’ve gotten really large buildings that people don’t like and they’ve asked you to take a ...

The Charlottesville Planning Commission has weighed in on a concept for a new look for West Main Street, a rapidly developing corridor that has been the subject of many years of study. “There are many steps still left in this,” said Missy Creasy, the interim director of the city’s ...

One of Albemarle County’s preschool programs received good news Monday. Bright Stars — Albemarle’s pre-K program for at-risk 4-year-olds — has been selected for the $10,000 Youth Service Award grant from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation. In a new program, staff from the University of Virginia’s Curry School ...

The Albemarle School Board is undecided over how to best serve a growing population of the county’s neediest preschoolers. On Thursday, the board received the fiscal year 2014 annual report for Bright Stars, Albemarle’s program for at-risk 4-year-olds. This conversation marked the elected body’s first meeting since ...

As Albemarle County has watched the waiting list for the Bright Stars preschool program grow to about 90 in the last two years, officials have found a group of between 50 and 75 children in one neighborhood alone are eligible for pre-K services in the fall. However, with only 16 ...

A recently completed economic impact study indicates that Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville has made a significant economic impact on the community and generated big financial savings for its residents. The local nonprofit that helps low-income households build affordable homes has now set its sights on its next big ...

The Charlottesville Planning Commission has indicated they like the general direction that developer Oliver Kuttner has in mind for an apartment complex and commercial center at the corner of 2nd Street SE and Garrett Street. “They are aiming for a product that is not really in the downtown area,” said ...

The Charlottesville Planning Commission has endorsed an $18.2 million capital improvement budget for the next fiscal year, but also asked the City Council to consider adding more money for new street trees and to encourage the fire department to transition to smaller vehicles. The five-year capital plan totals $87 ...

A proposal to replace a city-owned parking lot in downtown Charlottesville with a nine-story structure will go before the City Council in December. The Council originally had been scheduled to consider the Market Plaza proposal this month but the Planning Commission took additional time to reach agreement. Over the course ...