Today’s sponsor: Sign up for emails from the Ragged Mountain Running and Walking Shop
Nine years have now passed since the Unite the Right Rally took place in Downtown Charlottesville when white nationalists descended on what is now called Market Street Park to protest the planned removal of a Confederate statue. Three people including two State Police officers died and dozens were injured. The protest and counterprotest changed local politics in many ways, ways still unfolding. Charlottesville Community Engagement wants to know your thoughts
In this edition:
The Stony Point Development Group has submitted plans for a third phase of Dairy Central with two five-story residential buildings and a one-story hotel
Governor Spanberger encourages Virginians to become poll workers for upcoming elections
The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority opens up the wait list for a September 12 amnesty day for electronic waste
A project to build new sewer infrastructure for existing homes at Southwood is moving forward
The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority will hold a work session tomorrow on a minimum rent policy and a revised pet policy
The rolling topography of the Charlottesville area might keep some people away from choosing cycling as an option to get around. Perhaps an e-bike is in order?
That’s where Charlottesville’s eBike Lending Library comes in! E-bikes are a great way to get around the community but there are many brands and styles to choose from. Because many e-bikes are sold online, it can be a challenge to try an e-bike before buying one.
The Charlottesville E-bike Lending Library is a free, not-for-profit service working to expand access to e-bikes in the area. They have a small collection of e-bikes that they lend out to community members for up to a week, for free. You can experience your daily commute, go grocery shopping, or even bike your kids to school, and decide whether e-bikes are right for you. Check out this service for yourself!
Nine years ago, the Stony Point Development Group was taking the first steps toward redeveloping the former Monticello Dairy on Preston Avenue into a mixed-use development.
Since then the original structure from 1937 had been repurposed as a 30,000 square foot food hall with 50,000 square feet of office space. There’s also a relatively new 180 unit apartment building called 10th and Dairy.
Plans for a third phase at the intersection of Preston Avenue and 9th Street NW were announced in July 2023 but were put on hold after opposition from some nearby residents. City Manager Sam Sanders said in August of that year he would encourage the company to enter into a community benefits agreement.
Such a step is not required by the Development Code but the property is within a zoning overlay district which caps buildings at a maximum of five stories without permission from City Council for a special exception permit.
The Dairy Market Central Phase 3 project would appear fall short of the threshold for such a permit. Representatives of the Stony Point Development Group have filed a major site plan with the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development Services in June after paying a $10,000 fee.
The plans call for demolition of two existing buildings and construction of three new five-story structures. Two of these would be residences and one would be a hotel.
“The redevelopment plan includes 277 multifamily units, a 133 room hotel, and a parking deck,” reads a narrative for the Traffic Impact Analysis conducted by the firm Gorove Slade. “If approved, the redevelopment is expected to be completed by 2029.”
The property is zoned Corridor Mixed Use 3 which allows five stories only if the project has satisfied the requirements for bonus height which includes providing enough affordable units.
NDS staff issued a first letter of denial on July 24 with over a hundred notes including a need for more information on the mix of affordable units. The first denial is a routine part of the review process with the developer receiving comments about what needs to be done to become compliant with the many aspects of the Development Code.
For instance, a traffic demand management permit is required because the project exceeds 50,000 square feet. A community meeting must be held.
“The City is committed to transparency and meaningful engagement,” reads section 3.4.2.b of the city’s Development Review Procedures manual. “Applicants beginning the Development Review process are strongly encouraged to conduct a community meeting and to keep impacted neighborhood updated.”
The city also requires all developments to obtain an Affordable Dwelling Unit Certification from the city’s housing division.
The project is also adjacent to properties zoned Resident Neighborhood A, a zoning district intended to reduce impacts on areas indicated in the Comprehensive Plan as “Sensitive Communities.” The current proposal has one deficiency in this area by not providing adequate step backs.
“Per Section 34-4.7.1.B.1, a Type A Street Lot Line Transition is required where RN-A zoned property is across a street, including across 9th Street NW and West Street,” the comment letter continues. “It is not demonstrated that Residential Building B provides this transition.”
There are also questions about whether the project exceeds five stories in some areas and whether there is enough “active depth” on areas facing 9th Street SW and Preston Avenue. There are also notes that the project does not include enough to satisfy tree canopy requirements.
Firms working with the Stony Point Development Group on the project have until October 23, 2026 to submit revisions.
The project will need to go before the Planning Commission for a Certificate of Appropriateness as it is within one of the city’s entrance corridors.
For decades, technological change has been rapid with the average American household likely containing physical devices which are obsolete and hard to recycle or otherwise remove.
The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority will offer 488 qualifying households the chance to drop off unwanted electronic items at an amnesty day at the Ivy Solid Waste and Recycling Center on September 12.
“The free bi-annual event welcomes cell phones, tablets, computers, Plasma/LCD/LED screens, DVD players, VCRs, camcorders, stereos, printers, scanners, corded and cordless telephones, gaming systems, fax machines, adding machines, calculators, charging cables, and digital cameras,” reads an information release sent out this morning.
Registration is required and the wait list is now available by clicking here.
Each household can dispose of ten items but are limited to two monitors or televisions with cathode ray tubes (CRT). The amnesty day is limited to residents of Albemarle County, Charlottesville, and the Town of Scottsville.
Share Charlottesville Community Engagement
There are 83 days until Election Day with Congressional races on the ballot as well as various Constitutional amendments. In five of the six localities of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District, voters will be asked to approve a one percent sales tax increase to dedicate funds for school construction.
August 11 was National Poll Worker Recruitment Day and Governor Abigail Spanberger put out an information release encouraging people to consider working to serve as an Officer of Election.
“Ahead of our upcoming elections, I am encouraging more committed Virginians who would like to serve their communities to do so in this deeply meaningful way,” Spanberger is quoted in the release.
The Virginia Department of Elections has a lot of information about becoming a poll worker on their website including who can perform the task.
“An Officer of Election/poll worker must be a competent citizen and a qualified voter of the Commonwealth and complete an application,” reads the answer to a frequently answered question.
Charlottesville Community Bikes turns 25 this year and is celebrating a quarter century of getting people the wheels they need to get around.
This summer, they need your help and want to know if you have bikes for kids to replenish their inventory. If you have any bicycles you’re no longer using, the organization could use them!
To follow along with their efforts, follow along on Facebook!
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville purchased the Southwood Mobile Home in October 2007 for $7 million with the purpose of redeveloping the land without displacing residents.
Construction of the first phase began in October 2020 and 335 of 450 approved homes have been constructed as of April 1, 2026 according to the county’s Development Dashboard.
Up to a thousand homes are allowed under the second phase and preparation is underway as can be glimpsed through several recent public notices in the Charlottesville Daily Progress.
For instance, one combined notice from Albemarle County in the August 8 edition satisfies requirements from the federal government related to the construction of a new sewer system to replace a failing one that serves several dozen existing homes in a section of Southwood that won’t be redeveloped for some years.
In February, Albemarle County announced a $2 million Community Development Block Grant to help cover some of the costs of the $3.735 million project. According to the notice, the county will formally ask the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to release the funds.
“This project will involve the replacement of failing septic systems serving the existing mobile homes with new sewer infrastructure, which will serve a total of 63 current Southwood resident households with incomes no greater than 80 percent area median income,” reads the notice. “The newly installed infrastructure will be adopted into the public sewer system managed by the Albemarle County Service Authority.”
Albemarle also conducted an “Environmental Review Record” required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and came up with the determination of “Finding of No Significant Impact.” That means no further environmental review is needed. Copies of the document are available in the Office of the Housing at 1600 5th Street Extended and can be reviewed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
You might also get a copy by emailing someone who name address is listed in the notice. Take a look here. Public comments are being taken through August 24 on the FONSI. The notice also states that any legal action will be under federal jurisdiction.
The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development “will consider objections to its release of funds” through September 7, 2026 but the scope is limited to four topics as you can see in the notice.
The use of CDBG funds means that there must be a notice of the kinds of jobs that might be done.
Landscaping
Installation of water line and laterals
Installation of sewer line and laterals
Installation of stormwater management systems
“In carrying out this project the County of Albemarle, its contractors and subcontractors will, to the greatest extent feasible, utilize qualified persons who permanently reside within Albemarle County for employment and training positions,” reads that notice. (August 8, 2026, Charlottesville Daily Progress)
A second notice is required to spread awareness to minority or female owned businesses so they may be considered.
There are still two vacancies on the Board of Commissioners for the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority, a government agency currently in the midst of a construction boom.
One of the seats is reserved for a person who lives in a CRHA property and the other is for an at-large position.
On Thursday, the CRHA Board will meet in City Council Chambers for a work session. They’ll go over a revised pet policy, review a policy to reimburse CRHA employees for professional education, and talk about a draft minimum rent policy that officially sets that amount as $0. (agenda) (meeting materials)
To learn more about the CRHA and those open positions, visit the city’s Boards and Commissions page.
Share Charlottesville Community Engagement
Articles by other journalists you are encouraged to read next:
UVA names committee members for provost search, Mike Mather, UVA Today, August 10, 2026
RSA puts onus on Gordonsville to sign transition agreement before it lowers sewer rates, Chuck Jackson, Piedmont Journal-Recorder, August 12, 2026
Chesapeake Bay osprey populations are struggling, Patrick Larsen, VPM News, August 12, 2026
Va. resident seeks answers from state education superintendent over genocide definition, Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury, August 12, 2026
Today’s edition seems more like it though my brain is really still quite sluggish. I’m so ready for the fall and the humid weather has been particularly draining this year. So is the drain on my bank account. This year has been much more difficult due to the additional cost of everything.
I’m trying to remain positive and look forward to the challenge of continuing to run this newsletter. Yesterday I wrote to three recent paid subscribers at the end of my workday. I’m caught up for the first time in a long time.
If you’re a paid subscriber, you will note that you did not see the two shout-outs this week. I have been experimenting with that as a perk for paid subscribers. “Shout-outs” are the old Patreon-supported bits and I am phasing these out. Paid subscribers will see the top-line sponsorship as well as one display ad per edition. I’m still figuring it out. This is a business after all.
So far, I’ve had no grants and I will never ask Albemarle County or Charlottesville for funding. I’m still also trying to figure out how to work with the charitable contributions people have made to support the journalism. I have new skill sets to learn, something made difficult when I spend every day reporting.
Will I figure it out? This summer has been a real test. All I can do is keep working and keep asking people to support with a paid subscription. All I can do is keep trying.
Please keep reading. Please keep sharing. Please keep commenting. Please keep asking questions. Please keep some sort of hope that we can figure out how to be a better people.
This song comes on as I get to the end.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.