CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) In the wake of a missed filing deadline that led a Circuit Court judge to vacate Charlottesville’s new zoning ordinances, newly-appointed city attorney John Maddux has taken over the case, the city announced Wednesday.

Maddux, “is working to resolve the issues resulting from this representation and directing the course of the City’s next steps,” according to a statement from the city.

City Councilor Michael Payne told Cville Right Now that Maddux has been very aware of the situation since the deadline mistake had happened before he was hired, “so this is one of the first things he has to contend with right when he came on to the city.”

Payne said Maddux had informed Council and staff of possible outcomes, “and how we could move forward.”

“At this point, we have not discussed potential next steps but will meet together as a Council later this month for him to give a full update and discuss it with the City Attorney, the City Council, and city staff as a whole,” Payne said.

City manager Sam Sanders said he believes the zoning ordinance would have been upheld by the court, if not for the missed filing deadline and said the City Council will pursue restoring the ordinance, which aimed to create more affordable housing by increasing zoning for duplex and other multi-family dwellings. That ordinance went into effect in February 2024.

“Since this interruption was not based on the merits of the actual ordinance itself, we are confident the City Council will have the opportunity to ensure the bold zoning provisions will again be enacted to guide future development of the city,” Sanders said in a statement. “We have been considering actions on how to proceed with securing a zoning ordinance for the City that is unimpeachable on any front.”

According to the city release, Gentry Locke – the outside firm the city had been using in the case – “missed the deadline and have been engaged to remedy the impact of their critical lapse.”

Gentry Locke, a Virginia-based law firm with offices in Lynchburg, Richmond, Roanoke and Norfolk, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“It is terribly disappointing that a technical error of filing paperwork could lead to the City not having its development regulations available to the 50,000 residents and property owners in Charlottesville,” Sanders said. “Our internal staff, at multiple levels, have been working since learning the court’s ruling to evaluate the impacts of this decision and to determine how to function in the interim. We have concerned ourselves with developing answers to questions we anticipate for projects currently under construction and those being reviewed for approval to start. We are considering procedural changes we may need to enact to manage the period of actually having no ordinance in effect.”

Maddux took over as the managing director of the city attorney’s office on May 14.