CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Less than a year after Charlottesville’s revised zoning ordinance survived a legal challenge, city officials said they need more data to determine whether the policy is producing the desired outcomes. The goal of the ordinance, originally passed by the City Council in the fall of 2023, was to increase allowable density to raise the overall housing supply, supporting a greater number of affordable units as part of new development projects.

Monday, the council received a report from staff on potential adjustments to the legislation that may be necessary in order to achieve those objectives. Mayor Juandiego Wade said he remains confident that the policy will work but added it is going to take time to see that impact.

“As this new code is rolled out, we’re realizing that there are some things that we can clean up, and so the public is saying they want some more substantial ones on other things and that’s what we’re looking to do, getting a timeline for that,” Wade said. “To be honest, we really haven’t seen anything big yet. I think about a year ago this month is when all of the lawsuits got settled and, you know, for more developers, more housing, it takes time for that and this economy with the different tariffs and the taxes, there’s some reluctance from what I’m hearing.”

Part of the challenge facing the city is striking a balance between encouraging development to increase housing availability while also preserving historic neighborhoods.

There has been community opposition to approved projects by the council including a 700-unit luxury apartment building that would overlook the historic Westhaven public housing neighborhood as well as a planned residential expansion near the Dairy Market. Despite the uncertainty, the Mayor says the city is committed to the redevelopment of the public housing inventory in the city.

“What we’re doing is that Friendship Court has three or four different phases and now they’re moving on to Phase 3,” Wade said. “And what we’re saying to Friendship Court is that we’re partnering with you in this effort. You’re providing deeply affordable housing and you’re increasing the value of that land, so we want to pour that value back into the property to make the homes deeply affordable for the next 99 or 100 years or whatever. So, this is the type of collaboration, partnership to implement that we have as a locality, we have to go through these formalities.”

The formalities Wade is referring to stem from a resolution that the council passed at the Monday meeting to enter into a performance agreement to support Phase 3 of the redevelopment of the public housing neighborhood, which is just off of the Downtown Mall. It would be prime real estate as it was set at the market rate, but is part of the larger affordable housing priorities of the council, designated as public housing, with income restrictions.

The council continues to walk the delicate line between managing growth and preserving affordability, and the mayor and his colleagues on council believe only time will tell if their efforts will succeed.