Charlottesville residents are rallying to have a say in Dairy Market expansion

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Friday, Aug. 4, 2023

Last night, the 10th & Page Neighborhood Association in Charlottesville hosted a community meeting about the proposed development in the lots to the southeast of Dairy Market.

The developer who owns those lots released plans last week to build multi-story, mixed use buildings there. But their community meeting to share those plans were met with resounding frustration and anger from neighbors who felt that Stony Point Development Group is excluding one of the most diverse, and historically Black neighborhoods in Charlottesville from its designs.

The planned buildings look like modern cubes that take up most of the lots, much like the 10th and Dairy apartments that were built in 2020. They don’t save anything from the current buildings and don’t look much like the neighborhoods around them. And, if they’re like 10th and Dairy, the one bedroom apartments will be priced between $2,000 and $3,000 a month, well beyond what many residents of the 10th & Page neighborhood can afford.

Dairy Market neighbors mobilize to have their say in the development of more large, mixed-use buildings that most of them can’t afford to live in

Community organizers asked that reporters not attend the Thursday evening meeting, and Neighborhood Association President Vizena Howard did not immediately return our call this morning, so we don’t know what its next steps will be. But this issue, and our coverage of it, is far from over.

We’ve heard from hundreds of Charlottesville residents who have responded to our short survey asking for opinions on what should be built in these lots. By far, the most common response is affordable housing. Another common response is to preserve existing businesses — especially the laundromat, which is essential for many neighbors. There are folks nearby who don’t have washing machines, or cars to carry their laundry across town.

If you’ve not yet taken our survey — please do! It’s at this link. 

The results of this survey matter. The president of Stony Point Development Group, Chris Henry, told us and the Daily Progress that he’s pausing his plans to learn more about what the neighborhood and surrounding community want from this site. And, he’s already asked us to view the results.

We will keep covering the proposed development and publish what we learn from the survey for everyone to see. (But we will not share the names of respondents unless they’ve given us their permission.)

We’re also sharing below two community events coming up, where you can find our reporters and partners in Charlottesville Inclusive Media. We hope you can attend!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Jessie Higgins, Charlottesville Tomorrow

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