The Cavalier Daily
Serving the University Community Since 1890

City seeks to increase middle-class housing

(This is the second part in a three part series about Charlottesville's efforts to attract middle-income residents.)

Attracting middle income residents and creating new homes go hand in hand, said Charlottesville officials as they continue efforts to increase available city housing.

City officials are now considering large and small parcels of land throughout the town for residential development.

"We need to create more choices for people," City Councilman David Toscano said.

City Council already has heard preliminary plans for the construction of the Wrenson Development Park, which would create about 120 residential units on the site of a former sewage treatment plant.

The site has been cleaned and reclaimed for development, Charlottesville Vice Mayor Meredith Richards said.

The plan is "very environmentally sensitive," Richards said.

Toscano said the city now owns the land but will sell it to the developer.

Houses at the Wrenson site would range in cost from $120,000 to over $200,000, he said.

The developer, Robert Hauser Homes Inc., had their concept approved by Council at their Sept. 7 meeting, Richards said.

The plans call for mixed types of homes, including single family homes, town houses and rental units, she said.

The city also has various vacant parcels within its borders with potential for development.

Toscano said there are places in the southern part of the city which are zoned for duplex or multi-family units, but the city would prefer these be developed into single family homes.

"We don't want to create too many duplex or rental units," he said.

Richards said Council would consider making city-owned property available for creating access roads to vacant parcels as an incentive to build more single family homes.

But Council needs to convince private owners to think about the best interests of the city, rather than develop high-density rental units, Toscano said.

"There's a lot of public spirited people in this area," Toscano said, referring to developers who would take less in profit to create a better housing project for the city.

All of the homes the city hopes to make available are not necessarily new homes.

The city, in a partnership with the Piedmont Housing Alliance, upgraded and renovated existing homes that were for sale or slated for demolition.

The PHA is a non-profit organization that revitalizes old housing for low to moderate-income families in the Charlottesville area, PHA Director Stu Armstrong said.

Last year, the PHA rebuilt four houses in the Starr Hill District and they now are working on a project to add six houses and 450 feet of sidewalk to Hinton Avenue, Armstrong said.

The PHA "encourages reinvestment in neighborhoods," he said, while building partnerships with businesses and governments to keep costs down.

The city also must prepare for the potential growth and it's effect on local schools.

City schools are not filled to capacity, Toscano said. Growth "will not place a burden on the schools."

Schools in Albemarle County are filled to capacity and the county is being forced to build new schools, he said.

School enrollment is projected to shrink, Richards said.

Comments

Latest Podcast

The University’s Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment and Undergraduate Admission, Greg Roberts, provides listeners with an insight into how the University conducts admissions and the legal subtleties regarding the possible end to the consideration of legacy status.



https://open.spotify.com/episode/02ZWcF1RlqBj7CXLfA49xt