Browsing Category Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods within and without Charlottesville, Virginia

Belvedere in Charlottesville – Now Growing. Fast

The neighborhood may not be 100% what was originally envisioned, but from my outsider’s point of view, I would argue that it is better – the neighborhood has taken ownership and initiative. … 2 – It’s in a great location; well-positioned to both Downtown Charlottesville and the 29 North (DIA/NGIC) Corridor 3 – The inventory has shifted and adjusted to the market – quite a few townhomes are selling there now. … Walking back down to the heart of the neighborhood, we ran into one of my clients who has lived in Belvedere for nearly a year and she spoke of how much she and her family love living here. … We go into the builder’s model home, talk for a while and upon coming outside, see that the cookie-and-lemonade-sellers have been joined by a girl on a stool in a tie-dye shirt strumming a guitar.

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Willoughby Neighborhood is Growing

The following was sent in by a reader (and I’m grateful): “Don’t know if you’re repping any homes in Willoughby or any of your buyers are looking there, but there are some plans in the city and county that they may wish to consider. … All 100 units will enter and exit on Harris Road in Willoughby, as the property is constrained by Moore’s Creek and I doubt the County would give permission to build an automobile crossing into the Avon Center development, should it ever be built. … * Part I of the city plan looks to be about half the units and beds — 25 units/100 beds or so. — From Albemarle’s “County View” : (bolding mine) ZMA 201100003, Willoughby Apartments Planner: Claudette Grant PROPOSAL: Rezone 5.671 acres from Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning district which allows residential (3 – 34 units per acre), mixed with commercial and industrial uses to PUD zoning district to add residential density to plan.

…I contacted an attorney who graciously bent his ear for 20+ minutes about the very possible encroachment or developing on Willoughby Common Property in the City without legal right of way and he said to hire a surveyor and have him/her survey the area, mark it and record it, then we will have an expert determine if this is true.

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A Good Neighborhood (in Charlottesville) – Belvedere

Bret in Belvedere writes : The other day the weather was nice and children and their parents were on the playground, on the sidewalks, and in the alleys, laughing, chatting and generally having fun. I felt a familiar feeling and searched for what it was and realized that this neighborhood, on these days, reminds me of Sesame Street. … I always tell my buyer clients to visit neighborhoods without me at various times – Sunday afternoons, Friday nights, Monday mornings … I have had several buyers tell me that they found the Belvedere neighborhood to be the most active neighborhood they visited. * as an aside, I’m baffled by the wide range of Walk Scores in Belvedere – n/a to 18 to 77 .

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Reader Question – What do you think about Fifeville?

“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. … 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.

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Charlottesville relocation map

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…. 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 CharlottesvilleWithin 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?

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Green building in Charlottesville is about to (hopefully) take a major step forward

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.”…  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….  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.

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What should the Martha Jefferson neighborhood look like?

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?…  Grocery store?…  Youth center?

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