Development Digest: Breezy Hill is back with changes

Southern Development has heard the Rivanna Village community’s concerns about the company’s planned Breezy Hill subdivision and has submitted a new plan for the development. The new plan for Breezy Hill, which is dated Aug. 19, includes fewer homes and offers some key traffic improvements to the area. Southern Development has offered to align the timing of several traffic lights and to fund a new JAUNT bus service to the area similar to the Crozet Connect. Charlie Armstrong, vice president of Southern Development, said that he heard from residents that they wanted to see transportation improvements now rather than waiting for Albemarle County to use funds provided by the developer. “We didn’t expect that we would necessarily be able to improve the situation to be better than it is today, but that’s what we ended up being able to do,” Armstrong said. County transportation planner Kevin McDermott said that he is waiting on the Virginia Department of Transportation to confirm or deny that claim. He said that the Crozet Connect is a success but it does not take enough drivers off the road to change congestion. McDermott said what the Crozet Connect does provide is more options for residents, who might struggle to find parking where they work. Other ways to decrease traffic in places like the Village of Rivanna and Crozet that McDermott mentioned are promoting mixed-use places and teleworking, because these strategies reduce residents’ need to drive into Charlottesville. The county is working on improving the intersections where U.S. 250 connects with Route 20 and Interstate 64. The county has ranked the widening of U.S. 250 between Sleepy Hollow Lane and Route 22 to a reversible three-lane road in its second tier of transportation priorities. The road scored relatively high for its ability to improve safety and traffic but low in the number of homes and commercial areas served. McDermott said the ranking means that the county would like to address the situation if given the opportunity.

location: Breezy Hill Lane, south of U.S. 250
scale: 160 single-family, and potentially attached, homes
amenities: walking trails
price range: more expensive than 200-home proposal
affordability: no requirement but proffering to sell or rent 15% of total homes to families making 80% of the area median income, or pay $507,000 to the county or a nonprofit instead
next steps: Albemarle Planning Commission public hearing

The drive-through for the new Human Bean location would face U.S. 250 and the front of the building would face Hunter’s Way. Credit: Credit: Henningsen Kestner Architects

New coffee shop planned for Pantops area

As Grit Coffee opens its new location in Riverside Village on Pantops, a competitor has seen a need for coffee shops further east of the Pantops area. Heartrock Farm, LLC is developing a drive-through coffee shop and hardware store on Hunter’s Way off U.S. 250. The plans show Oregon-based coffee company The Human Bean as occupying the corner drive-through. Based on the company’s “Find a Bean” online map, the Hunter’s Way shop would be The Human Bean’s first location on the East Coast. Land planner Kelsey Schlein of Shimp Engineering, which is working on the project, said that Hunter’s Way is planned as a Human Bean location but the project needs a few more approvals before it can become reality. The Albemarle Architectural Review Board provided preliminary comments on Heartrock Farm’s application on Sept. 16.

address: 2300 Hunter’s Way
scale: two-story commercial building
price range: $2.25 for a small, fresh-brewed coffee to $7.50 for a large, Java Chip smoothie, in Lexington, KY
next steps: Albemarle Architectural Review Board meeting

Downtown Scottsville. Credit: Credit: Emily Hays/Charlottesville Tomorrow

Redevelopment of Scottsville tire factory projected to cost $25 million

Redeveloping the former Hyosung tire factory in Scottsville into a mixed-use building would cost approximately $25 million, according to Waukeshaw Development. Much of that cost could be offset by income from the building, Virginia’s Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit program and a variety of state grants, Waukeshaw said. Scottsville hired Waukeshaw to determine what of community feedback from surveys and studies by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission is financially feasible. Waukeshaw and TJPDC presented to the Scottsville Town Council on Sept. 16. Scottsville’s next step is to turn the studies into a draft small area plan that connects the tire factory to the larger western downtown context.

location: Bird Street, Scottsville
scale modeled: 100 apartments, 196,000 square feet of commercial or office space
rent for apartments: $950 per month, including utilities
next steps: Scottsville Planning Commission meeting planned for Nov. 4