“curious if you are familiar with the fifeville neighborhood in charlottesville. and if so what you think about the huge price tags on houses in a neighborhood that is clearly still in the early stages of gentrification”

Thank you for the question.

For starters, I wrote about Fifeville last year.

From a market perspective, I like Fifeville. I like its location between the Downtown Mall and University of Virginia’s Main Grounds and its proximity to the restaurants that have sprouted up along West Main Street (cVillain has started using the term “Midtown” to describe this part of the City). As I have said many times before, (almost) any house or neighborhood that offers “walk-ability” to desirable “stuff” – coffee shops, restaurants, shopping, grocery, parks, gyms – will likely be well poised to take advantage of the local real estate market going forward.

Fifeville offers walk- and bike-ability that is almost unparalleled in the City of Charlottesville.

There is opportunity in Fifeville, and hopefully not just that of “making a buck” by flipping houses; the shifting real estate market has seen to that. I have found that those moving into Fifeville seem to be moving with the intent of becoming part of the neighborhood – and that is better for all involved. Is Fifeville in the “early” stages of gentrification? I’d say they’re in the early-mid stages, closer to “mid.”

While I intended to post this question later this week, C-Ville’s Will Goldsmith today puts forth an outstanding and comprehensive story about Fifeville.

Click here for a larger, legible map.

More also at Charlottesville Community Design Center’s site.

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There is an awful lot of information that can be found online. Maps are plenty, but being able to fold one up and take it with you is something that the internet has not yet accomplished. All of the relocation packages I send out have color-coded (courtesy of Crayola) maps that highlight some of the most important landmarks and sub-regions of the Charlottesville/Albemarle area. While talking this week to a potential client who may be relocating to the area, I was trying to convey this without the use of visual aids. When I hung up, I had a revelation – why not make a map online?

When searching for homes, I have found it useful to work from a process of elimination. The quicker we can eliminate at least two of these areas, the better the search results will be. An important note is that from virtually every part of our area, commute times are under 45 minutes, which is a tolerable commute for many, especially those who are coming from larger metropolitan areas.

The CharlAlbemarle area is becoming more and more segmented, and I break it down like this –

- 29 North
- 29 & 20 South
- Crozet (West)
- Pantops (East)
- City of Charlottesville

Within the map, I have the Downtown Mall, the University of Virginia and my office location – three of the most well-known landmarks in the area (ok, my office is only well-known to my clients) …

Each section has its own grocery store, (most) have a Starbucks, elementary schools, etc. Frequently residents of Crozet never have occasion to go to 29 North – why would they?

View Larger Map

Also, I have a “Town Center” map.

While it’s pretty neat to have this resource – is it helpful?

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They are setting a lofty goal and vision that should set the standard for new developments in the Charlottesville region. Yesterday I had attended a presentation given by the developers of the new Belvedere development and the builders – Hauser Homes and Church Hill Homes.

The approval is for up to 775 units. They have the vision – “Enhance lives by creating great places to live and work.” They are using the right buzzwords – “stewardship” “LEED” “sustainable.” They will have an organic farm run by a local organic farmer (and current candidate for Albemarle’s BoS). They’re saying the right things – “green space within 250 feet of every front door.”  Healthy skepticism and cynicism dictates that judgement be reserved for a couple of years … but they are certainly on the right track (in spite of the recent negative press).

A few notes and thoughts on yesterday’s presentation for Realtors:

- None of the floorplans (not yet online) are more than 3,000 square feet. This is a huge accomplishment for the developers – recognizing that buyers want smaller, smarter and high quality space is surprisingly innovative for such a large development.
- Realtors who are representing buyers will have to be more educated on this development than they would have to be on other developments – there is just more “to it.” As such, Agency disclosures will be even more crucial. And … the process seems to be so integrated that finding room for buyer representation will be challenging. My fear is that buyers will think that they don’t need buyer representation. For an example of a “worst-case scenario” – read this (and no, I am not implying that this will be the case here).
- There will be a soccer facility there – immediately bringing in the “beating heart” of the community.

Chris Schooley’s comment in May seems to be a reality. They will be building 800-1200 square foot cottages in the development.

While the current data don’t clearly demonstrate this trend locally:

In 2004, 52% of homes sold in Charlottesville/Albemarle were less than 2000 square feet finished and in 2007, the percentage was 56%.
In 2004, 27% of homes sold in Charlottesville/Albemarle were more than 2500 square feet, compared with 25% in 2007.

The trend is there and will grow.

Bacon’s Rebellion has a post today about Belvedere as well as a more in-depth story that points out a major hole in the development:

The project will not include a grocery store. That hole in the retail offering will generate thousands of off-site trips every month, adding to congestion, gasoline consumption and pollution.

So close to perfect …

The vision is admirable and was lamentably lacking in the past five to seven years. Lauding a visionary goal is one thing; lauding implementation of said vision will come later. If they can pull it off, they will provide the best model (yet) for new developments in the region.

(larger image here)

Tonight I am attending an “Exclusive Information Session” for interested buyers on behalf of out-of-town clients. Whether there is any difference between their message to Realtors and their message to the public remains to be seen.  More tomorrow.

Update 18 October 2007: The presentation was the same, but the questions from the audience were new.

- There is a persistent them that the development will be “family friendly.”
- Concerns about the soccer facility came to light – there will be traffic to and from the fields and this likely will be a concern for some, although the benefits far outweigh the negatives.
- Streets will be narrow to encourage slower traffic and more walking – “activating the street” as they say.
- The buzz around this facility is unique. At no time did anybody speak of agency or representation. Who they select to market the development will be interesting, for many reasons. More on this in a later post.

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Dave Norris put together an impressive array of historical photos (read the comments, too) of the Martha Jefferson neighborhood and raises the question – if the Martha Jefferson community had input, what would become of the Martha Jefferson campus?

The Martha Jefferson Hospital is the major center of activity and employment in the plan area, which generates some related uses in the neighborhood …

For 90 years, Martha Jefferson has been the hub of this part of the City of Charlottesville. What should the new hub look like?

C-Ville asked the question last week; likely there will be a mix of development – condos (what price-point?), mixed-use retail, and be fiscally viable – remember, this isn’t a charity; even with possible proffers, the redevelopment has to make economic sense.

If you had to choose – what direction would you point the Martha Jefferson folks? Condos? Office space? Grocery store? Library? Youth center?

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Located East of the Downtown Mall and flanked largely by 250 East and 20 South and more specifically “on the north by East High Street. The Rivanna River and the CSX railroad form the eastern and southern edges of the neighborhood. Meade Avenue creates the western boundary of the neighborhood,” Woolen Mills is a unique part of the City of Charlottesville, with a character all its own. There is more information online about this Charlottesville neighborhood than most. Biking distance to the Downtown Mall and Pantops for shopping (although driving to Pantops would be a better route if you’re concerned with self-preservation) and a very active homeowners’ organization (not Association)

Albemarle Historical Society:

“The Woolen Mills neighborhood is one of the earliest textile mill villages in the South, and though the neighborhood is threatened by development pressures, it remains largely intact,” says Historical Society executive director Dr. Douglas Day. “This exhibit is a labor of love, by a neighborhood with a mission, it is the kind of project we’d like to encourage from each of the area’s historic neighborhoods.”

Topography: Gently rolling hills, sidewalks in many places
Housing Prices: Unfortunately, there is no good way to search for homes for sale in the Woolen Mills area, other than looking at the results and knowing which streets are within the Woolen Mills ‘hood. Generally, prices range from $225k to $550k.
House Styles: More varied than most neighborhoods. Bungalow to Cottage to traditional single family to the occasional townhouse to a small new “green” development.
Proximity to Green Spaces: Good. Meade Park is quite close
Broadband Internet Coverage: 100%
Schools: Check out the City’s interactive map, generally Woolen Mills kids will go to the Burnley-Moran elementary school.

- A recent podcast about the history of Woolen Mills
- A little bit of political controversy.
- They have their own website.
- Charlottesville Community Design Center
- The Neighborhood Plan laid out by the City (PDF)
- Google MyMap of Woolen Mills

Don’t miss one of the coolest displays of housing data there is, showing growth over the past 100 years.
For those residents of Woolen Mills – what do you love about your neighborhood? What would you tell to a prospective neighbor walking down the street asking questions?

Read all stories in the Charlottesville Neighborhood Series.

Technorati Tags: charlottesville, woolen mills

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I am partial to this part of Charlottesville for a variety of reasons, first and foremost being that I grew in this general vicinity. This section of the area defines the term I use frequently – CharlAlbemarle – meaning the blending of the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle – hence, CharlAlbemarle.

The hub of this area of Charlottesville is the Barracks Road Shopping Center, home the only two stores I personally need -  Greenberry’s coffee shop and a Barnes and Noble.

The Charlottesville Community Design Center defines the area thusly: (again, check out their great maps!)

The Barracks Road, Rugby, Greenleaf, Kellytown area is a combination of many neighborhoods located in the north central portion of the city. This 386.44 acre area of the city is bordered by Barracks Road Commercial Corridor to the south and the 250 bypass to the north. This area was annexed into the city during the 1916, 1938 and 1963 annexations. The majority of the neighborhood is owner occupied single family dwellings.

My description of the area expands a little bit to the North and West, just beyond City limits. The City line ends and the County of Albemarle line begins near Finley’s Service Center on Barracks Road (one of the only honest mechanics I know). Generally, this is a very pleasant and convenient place to live.

Topography: Gently rolling to level. As this is a more established part of Charlottesville (CharlAlbemarle), there tend to be more trees than the more newly-developed areas.
House prices: The gamut, ranging from about $250k – $1.5 million. Generally, house prices are in the $300k-$450k range for a single-family detached house with at least three bedrooms and two full bathrooms.
House styles: Traditional brick ranch and two story homes. Many have been updated over the years, as the majority of the homes were built (very broad generalization coming) in the mid-50’s to 70’s.
Proximity to green spaces: backyards are usually a good size – average of about 1/3 of an acre or so. Greenleaf Park is nearby, as is Albemarle High School with their abundant fields. You may find access to St. Anne’s Belfield lower school more appealing. Even better, Sugar Hollow, one of my favorite hiking and swimming holes, is about fifteen to twenty minutes to the West.
Broadband internet coverage: Generally 100% (I cannot think of any location in this general vicinity that would have neither cable nor DSL)

“Good things” about living in this area – close proximity to Barracks Road Shopping Center, easy access to the bypass and Interstate 64, trees.

Depending on where you live in this area, you may find yourself in the County, which has a lower tax rate than the City. On the flip side, living in the County means that there is no curbside recycling.
“Not so good things” – traffic can be (by our standards) a bit difficult in the mornings and afternoons at peak hours.

An idea I wish I had thought of sooner – a permanent link to search for homes in the Barracks Road area here.

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The Martha Jefferson neighborhood, located in the heart of Charlottesville, is bordered by North Downtown, Woolen Mills and Belmont, is facing a significant transition – Martha Jefferson is leaving the neighborhood. This neighborhood is a prime example of how quickly a neighborhood can change, and also why it is important for a buyer to do his or her own due diligence when shopping for a home. Already, developments are popping up in the new location, marketing themselves due to their close proximity to the new hospital location.

From the C’Ville Design Center’s excellent site:

The Martha Jefferson Hospital is the major center of activity and employment in the plan area, which generates some related uses in the neighborhood, including a number of doctor’s offices. Historic Maplewood Cemetery is located just to the west of the plan area but within the MJANA area, with graves dating from the 1840’s. Taylor Walk at the Martha Jefferson Hospital commemorates Fairfax Taylor, the first African American property owner in the area. Fairfax Taylor and his family lived in the neighborhood during the mid 19th Century.

Homes’ ages range from the early 1900’s to the 1970’s with the odd new, in-fill home here and there.

Garages/Basements: Finding a garage would be rare. Finding a functional (clean, dry) basement – not so difficult, but your definition of functional may change from “livable” to “I could do laundry here.”
Home prices and Architecture: the gamut. From ranches to capes. From 1920’s to 1950’s cottages. From this $449k brick home to this nearly $2 million home.
Topography: Mostly level, with sidewalks on Locust Avenue.

Being an older, established neighborhood, the homes are older themselves, and have many of the limitations that come along with purchasing an older home – potentially smaller homes with more traditional, separated floorplans – versus the current trend towards open floorplans, systems that may be in need of attention and generally they are less energy-efficient. However … two of the most compelling reasons to move to the Martha Jefferson neighborhood are the mature trees and sidewalks that make for an easy walk to the Downtown Mall.

The question remains – What will the Martha Jefferson neighborhood look like … when Martha Jefferson leaves?

Rumor: I have heard a rumor that UVA will be buying the soon-to-be-old hospital …

Read about all of the Charlottesville Neighborhoods covered so far.

Update 02/04/2008: “A once in a generation opportunity” to redevelop the Martha Jefferson site.

Technorati Tags: charlottesville, martha jefferson, real estate

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I’m cheating this week. The City’s “In our Backyard – Newsletter for our Neighborhoods” (PDF) has just been released, and it features Fry’s Spring, located very close to the University of Virginia, in the South/South West part of the City of Charlottesville.

Fry’s Spring neighborhood is an area rich in history and overflowing with architectural and natural beauty.  From its springs to its streetcars, the neighborhood has contributed greatly to the character and integrity of our city. 

Today this neighborhood is still largely residential and boasts a variety of housing types and architectural styles. The old rail lines now lay beneath lush, green medians at the center of the neighborhood’s main corridor, Jefferson Park Avenue.  While most properties contain single-family units, some homes have been converted to rental properties for students, due to the neighborhood’s proximity to the University.

Centered around the Fry’s Spring Beach Club, the neighborhood is mature with something that is all-too rare in this day and age – trees.

Much of the Fry’s Spring area is in the Jackson Via elementary school district, which can be highlighted at the City’s decent school district map. Generally, single family houses in the area range from $250-$400k.

Follow the Fry’s Spring neighborhood google group here.
Read about some of the Fry’s Spring news at Charlottesville Tomorrow.

You can read about all of the neighborhoods in the Neighborhood Series here. So far, the following have been covered:

Starr Hill
Willoughby
Fifeville
Belmont
The Downtown Mall

The next neighborhood will be Martha Jefferson on Monday.

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Just until next week. I have been out of town for the past several days (still am) and the other postings have been posted auto-magically. The series will resume on Monday. In the meantime, these are the other ones that have been covered so far.

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“This area was just called Fifth Street. My family didn’t call it “Starr Hill.” That name has been used a lot since the redevelopment began. The name originated in earlier days when some folks called it Starr Hill because most of the prominent Blacks lived up on the hill here. It was up high, and they prided themselves because they owned their own homes here–no one rented. Quite a few of the ministers lived here. We didn’t know anything about “blacks” then. Everyone used the word “Negro.” Whites and blacks lived together in the neighborhood until segregation was legally promoted and then the whites moved away. Almost all the houses on Oak Street were owned by whites. My neighborhood was close-knit and friendly. Many of the residents were railroad workers, both black and white. (Source: an oral history of Charlottesville)

I cannot hope to capture the history and character of this particular neighborhood, so I won’t even try;  It remains one of my personal favorites in the City. From a location point of view, this neighborhood is one of the best.

I sold a couple houses (two of them) in this neighborhood several years ago – one of them twice – and met many of the neighbors along 6th Street NW – all of whom were good folks. Neighbors brought one of my clients some excellent cookies as soon as he moved in and I would gladly hold Open Houses just to hang out on the porch or in the so-narrow-it-should-be-a one-way-street. One of the unfortunate results of this short selling spree was that assessments went up dramatically. Nothing has sold along that street for a couple of years – and perhaps that is a good thing. This is one of those areas that thrives on neighborhood.

When marketing the houses along this street, which range from colorful stuccos to brick to aluminum siding, my marketing tag-line was “Sell the car!” which was a very valid statement (unlike the properties marketed as “walking distance to the Downtown Mall” which are really about 15 blocks!)

A primer from the Charlottesville Community Design Center – (excellent maps here)

The City Yard occupies most of the property between residential Brown Street and Preston Avenue. The City Yard property was once the site of the City Jail. The neighborhood has a history of owner occupied houses and homeownership was recently increased when two new houses were built and two others were rehabilitated. (ed. note: “recently increased refers to about 5-6 years ago)

Starr Hill was historically integrated and remains integrated today. In the early part of the 20th Century many African American professionals and their families lived in Starr Hill. During the first half of the 20th Century the Union Station property on West Main Street was the transportation hub of the Charlottesville community.

One minor irritation – it has taken me this long in the Neighborhood Series to discover the comprehensive maps offered by the Design Center!?

Read about all the neighborhoods I have covered here.

Technorati Tags: starr hill, real estate

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Willoughby – located in the southern part of the City is the only development that I am immediately aware of that straddles the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle. This unique aspect necessitates a decidedly more deliberate verification of school districts, as many families are want for their children to be located in either City or County schools. This development is representative of the relationship between the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle – one of symbiosis.  Individually, each is a fine product, but combined they are far better and more marketable.

Architecture – traditional that one would expect of homes built in the mid-1980s and 1990s, all well-kept three- to four- bedrooms with average to large yards.
Garages/Basements – some of the homes here have garages, and/or basements. More have basements than garages.
Home prices – generally range from ~$250k-$350k for single-family and $190-$230k for attached homes
Topography – gently rolling hills with more trees than one will find in a new development that has been clear-cut and the landscape leveled.

Location – for those who are seeking proximity to the Downtown Mall area (~1 mile) or any of the University of Virginia schools – UVA Medical Center, UVA Grounds, etc – (on average ~1-2 miles) this neighborhood offers an exceptional location for those who don’t mind a relatively short bike ride, with very few hills!

From a current resident (not Resident as far as I am aware):

In the 3-1/2 years we’ve been there, I’ve personally known at least two UVA-affiliated doctors who’ve bought and moved in.  We’ve also had our law student move in this past summer.  The neighborhood gives those who work at the hospitals easy access.

Here are a three homes in Willoughby that are currently on the market.

Google Map:

Read about all the neighborhoods covered so far in this series here

Technorati Tags: albemarle, charlalbemarle, charlottesville

Update 19 January 2009: These are homes for sale in Willoughby:

Search the Charlottesville MLS here.

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From a reader:

I live near the intersection of 5th St. SW and Dice.  There is some question as to what my neighborhood should be called.  One realtor tried to market the area north and south of West Main Street as “midtown,” though it hasn’t really caught on.

The city calls the area south of West Main “Fifeville” after the Fife family, who once owned a farm in this area.  However, Oak Street resident and self described “old-house-hugging preservationist” Antoinette Roades notes that a portion of what the city calls Fifeville (the part bordered by Ridge Street to the east, Cherry Avenue to the south, 5th St. SW to the west, and West Main Street to the north) was not part of Fife’s farm, but was developed separately in the 1840s and 1850s by Allen Hawkins. An ongoing survey of the architectural history of the neighborhood found that the Hawkins land was once known as “Castle Hill.”  I like that name, and it describes the area of “Fifeville” I know best, so I’ll write about Castle Hill and the neighboring blocks.  People also refer to the same area as “5th Street” or “5th and Dice.”  According to a UVA oral history of the area, Castle Hill was home to prominent African Americans and whites at the turn of the 20th century, until, in 1912, the city resolved that it should be illegal for whites and blacks to live next to each other and “the whites moved away.”

This law was struck down by the Supreme Court a few years later.  The forthcoming historical survey should tell us more.  More recently, the neighborhood became notorious for drugs, gangs, and crime, especially at the intersection of 5th and Dice, which was the setting and title of a 2004 play at Live Arts about life in an urban ghetto.  As late as 2002, run down houses in this area could still be had for a song, and for good reason.  My neighbors who lived here during that time say that prostitutes would sit on the steps of abandoned houses and call out to passersby.  By the time the play hit the stage, however, things had already begun to change quite a bit. Joe Mallory, an African American man who grew up nearby, had been buying and renovating houses near the intersection with the help of the Piedmont Housing Alliance in 2002.

Mallory’s efforts, along with a police crackdown on prostitution, the success of the Downtown Mall, the growth of the University, low interest rates, etc. drew investors, speculators, and homebuyers in search of value to Castle Hill.  I count 24 houses that have been gutted and renovated within one block of 5th and Dice since 2003.  Nalle St., 7Th Street, and 7 ½th Street have also seen significant renovation and building activity.  Coran Capshaw’s 225 apartment-turned-condo Walker Square Building is the largest new development in this recent wave.  It was completed in 2005.  On 5th Street, two 6-house “cottage” developments were completed around the same time.  They were joined in 2006 by the “5th Street Flats” building, with 12 condos and an architect’s office.  Several infill single-family houses are currently under construction along with a small (6 units, I believe) “green development” on Grove St.  The neighborhood association has succeeded in stopping (for now) two proposed condo projects, one on Estes Street, near Walker Square and the other at the corner of Ridge and Cherry.

Proximity to the Downtown Mall and the UVA Medical Center (for those of us who work there) is the main attraction of Castle Hill.  The neighborhood is about a half-mile walk from the Downtown Mall and about a mile walk from the Rotunda.  West Main is increasingly becoming an attraction in its own right.  The Main Street Market, a collection of food shops and restaurants, is my favorite spot on West Main, followed closely by the resurrected breakfast-anytime Blue Moon Diner.  The Starr Hill Restaurant and Music Hall, L’etoile, and Continental Divide are also nice places to eat.  Castle Hill also has quite a few unique, charming, and historical old houses, some of which were built before the Civil War.  The negatives of living here are mostly those of living in an old, mixed-income urban neighborhood.  The houses are old; the yards tend to be small; parking is scarce; the streets are narrow and sometimes noisy.  Closing can also be complicated, especially if the house hasn’t changed hands for a while.  I know of several sales that have been delayed months or scrapped altogether because of title issues.  Also, unlike Belmont, where gentrification began earlier, most of the houses that come up for sale are in still in need of major renovation, which is hard to swing if you can’t afford to pay rent, mortgage, and construction costs at the same time.

Housing prices here vary quite a bit.  At the high end, a renovated old house sold for $385k about a year ago (302 5th St. SW).  The new cottages and condos sell for $250 to $350.  A rare vacant lot sold in September for $114k (222 5th St SW).  Houses in need of complete renovation sell for $100-$200k, depending on size, condition, and potential (414 Dice sold in Feb. 2006 for $125k; 418 Oak sold in Nov. 2006 for $137,500; 716 Nalle sold for $170k in Apr. 2006; 402 Dice, now the gem of the neighborhood, sold for $200k completely gutted in 2005).  Nearly all of the gentrification is concentrated in northern part of the neighborhood.  Prices go down as you move south.

There is very little that I can add to this excellent depiction of Fifeville. My thanks go out to this Fifeville resident for his time and efforts. Referencing the homes that need renovation – the FHA 203(k) program is excellent and allows for just that.

The City’s Neighborhood newsletter featuring Fifeville is here (pdf).

Read about all the neighborhoods here

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Perhaps one of the the first neighborhoods within Charlottesville to experience the benefits (and unintended consequences) of gentrification is Belmont. Belmont was not always like this. Contrast today’s image of Belmont as a hot bed of urban hipsters living in gentrified Victorians walking and riding bikes to the Downtown Mall with this fascinating paper written in 1980 by James H. Buck, Jr. (PDF):

Belmont is, at present, a lower middle class neighborhood located in the southeastern area of the city of Charlottesville, Virginia. Belmont has seen many changes in its approximately ninety years of existence.

In many ways, Belmont epitomized the changes that have been ongoing in the City of Charlottesville. People identify Belmont with Charlottesville. There have been myriad stories written about Belmont’s gentrification over the years.

My, how times change. Mr. Buck’s prediction came true:

Belmont has, in the past, somewhat of a bad reputation, but critics need to take a new and closer look at this promising neighborhood of the future.

Its proximity to the Downtown Mall is one of the driving forces behind its growth. When selling a house on Hinton Avenue a couple of years ago, I was astonished to find that the tenant had no idea where my office is – on the busiest corridor in the area – because he never left the Belmont/Downtown Mall area. (related reading: Are there two Charlottesvilles?)

Frequently parts of Woolen Mills are marketed as being in Belmont, but in reality just aren’t. You can try to capitalize on Belmont’s “buzz,” but when you get to Belmont, you know it. Generally, housing costs in Belmont range from $250,000 to $425,000, but they really run the gamut, from $150k on up. When the $400k threshold was broken – now that was news!  Condos are the latest trend, with (LEED certified) green condos on the way, and new construction condos generally have not suffered the same drop off that condo conversions have.

A note from a reader:

We chose where we are in order to be able to walk to just about everything, and have not been disappointed.

Where is Belmont? Generally here.

The Belmont-Carlton Neighborhood Association.
La Taza Coffee House
Mas Tapas bar was featured in Food & Wine magazine
A recent review of Belmont’s own barbeque restaurant

I have only touched on Belmont, and welcome any additions, comments, etc. Contact me.

Read about all of the neighborhoods covered here.

Technorati Tags: belmont, charlottesville, condo, green, real estate

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Do you love your neighborhood? Tell me! As part of the series, I would love to include stories written by those who actually live in the varied neighborhoods. While I have lived in Charlottesville for nearly 20 years, and have been in real estate for six, I have actually lived in just a few of the neighborhoods. So, consider this a “help wanted” post!

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While not technically a “neighborhood,” the cultural hub of the City of Charlottesville is the Downtown Mall. The list of “things to do” in and around the Downtown Mall is long and varied. One of the better and more selective lists has been compiled by the University of Virginia Law School.

The cultural draw emanates from the Mall to all neighborhoods with even a peripheral or tangential relationship to the Mall. Far-flung neighborhoods are frequently marketed as “walk to the mall,” when, in all reality, that “walking distance” is more equivalent to a healthy bike ride. Some of the more popular neighborhoods that are within a reasonable walk to the Mall are: (links are to large PDFs)

10th & Page
Belmont
Fifeville
Locust Grove
Martha Jefferson
North Downtown
Ridge Street
Starr Hill
Woolen Mills

Note that not all parts of all of these neighborhoods are “walkable,” but most are walkable, if not bike-able.

An interesting podcast that touches on the history of the Downtown Mall can be found at CvillePodcast.

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Tomorrow begins an ongoing series on the neighborhoods in and around Charlottesville, Virginia. Reader input is welcomed, encouraged and needed/wanted. If you want your neighborhood listed, want to write your own description about your neighborhood, or have link you want added, please contact me or note you comments below. What’s good about your neighborhood? What do you like? Dislike?

Within the City of Charlottesville, here are the neighborhood association contacts. The goal? To eventually cover every neighborhood in the area – not just those in the City of Charlottesville, but within the County of Albemarle, Fluvanna and (slightly) beyond.

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Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCentralVA.comwhere this was originally posted.