CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) The city’s new Development Code was ruled null and void in Charlottesville Circuit Court on Monday, June 30, 2025.

The default judgment ruling in favor of the plaintiffs by Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell means the city must now go back to its older rules. That after a law firm hired by the city failed to meet a deadline.

“What that means is that the plaintiffs get the relief that they requested in their underlying complaint, namely that the underlying zoning ordinance was void and that the city is prohibited from enforcing it,” said plaintiffs’ counsel Mike Derdeyn.

When the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint in April, Judge Worrel directed the city to submit an answer within 21 days. Gentry Locke, the firm hired by the city, failed to meet the deadline, leading to Judge Worrell’s ruling.

“I expect that the city will appeal this ruling and I’m not sure what else they can do,” he said.

The city’s new zoning ordinance increased development rights across the city, something with which many residents took issue.

The ruling also requires that the plaintiffs be awarded attorney fees, costs and any other relief.