CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW/THE DAILY PROGRESS) – North Garden developer Jeff Levien is no longer under contract to purchase the 200 West Main property that contains The Violet Crown, as The Daily Progress reports his large apartment project proposal is now history. Levien fired the warning shots in February when he asked City Council to take action enabling the speeding up of some of the permitting processes he said he was discussing with an affordable housing partner for the project with over 200 apartment units. At the time, he was trying to get a demolition permit which was approved a short time later, but The Progress reports two other permit approvals have still not happened.

In February, Levien told Council he was discussing the project with an affordable housing entity with an objective of providing more affordable housing than minimally required.

“We got to the part of our conversation about what are the next steps and what to do, and I said, well, no one can tell me what I can build on this site”, Levein told Council.

He wanted to build an 18-story building but could not get clarity in permitting to do so.

“The developer can’t go on a year-plus process and find out at the end the building can be cut down dramatically in height, so I ask you please take action and urgency is critical here.”

Even with this project abandoned, there’s still no clarity for the future of The Violent Crown. The Progress reports the theater’s contract continues to have an expiration at the end of next year. Click here for more on that as well as the entire Progress story.