After years of effort, the Charlottesville Planning Commission finally entered the formal review process for the draft zoning ordinance. Though the city has emphasized community involvement throughout the project, the September 14 public hearing to discuss the draft lasted more than five hours. City leadership hopes to adopt the zoning ordinance by the end of 2023, but Charlottesville residents remain divided on how to best balance affordability, density, and current communities.
The city has been working since 2017 to address the area’s progressively worsening housing crisis through changes to zoning, including priorities outlined in comprehensive and affordable housing plans.
Planning Commissioner Hosea Mitchell opened the public hearing by emphasizing that the meeting would not be a dialogue, but rather a listening session for community members to voice their thoughts on the draft zoning ordinance.
Before opening the floor for public comment, Director of Neighborhood Development Services James Freas said that though the project has come a long way, much work remains. “I don’t believe this draft that we have before us is our final draft,” he said. “As we hear new ideas, as we hear new perspectives, I think it’s important that we are able to respond and make tweaks as necessary or as appropriate.”
City Council chambers were at capacity at the start of the meeting, and residents came prepared to comment.
Though the current draft attempts to increase the amount of affordable housing available in the area, some opponents expressed concern that increasing density and allowing for more areas of mixed use could negatively impact existing residents. They voiced their opinions about the plan’s impact on neighborhoods, traffic, parking, tree cover, land value inflation, and more.
Diane Walkett, who lives in the Greenbrier neighborhood, showed up with a signed petition from her neighbors that urged the commission to not change the current zoning. “[It’s] a family-focused part of Charlottesville that is populated by those who want their children to safely walk to Greenbriar Elementary School, who want to walk their dogs and ride their bikes along the road without having to dodge cars that drive fast … who want to have yards and space to live in,” she said. “To change this street and to subject our families to more traffic, less safety, the density of multiple unit complexes, and to change the nature of our property is not a wise, appropriate, or necessary decision by the Planning Commission.”
“My worry is that the impact of the zoning is gonna change our entire Greenbrier neighborhood. It’s so safe right now,” said Gerry Scott. “It’s just a good neighborhood. And good neighbors.”
Other critics of the current draft zoning ordinance support the project’s work to improve access to affordable housing and address inequities, but are concerned that well-intended provisions may not be as effective as imagined without further protections against gentrification. “Increased density across the city does not necessarily mean increase in affordability,” said Al Pola. Comparing the proposed Dairy Market expansion and Cherry Avenue developments, Pola claimed the plan does not adequately address infrastructure and protect communities.
But many proponents of the draft ordinance said it takes key steps in addressing the area’s housing crisis.
Speaking in support of the plan, Liam Keough argued against allowing “the privileged desires of older residents to outweigh the needs of potentially thousands of new residents, low-income residents, and non-white residents.” He added that “dog whistles such as protecting the safety, the charm, and the peace of their neighborhoods inhibit the change. We cannot let these dog whistles also dissuade the change needed to address the vast increase in population in Charlottesville. We cannot let quaint neighborhoods impede change.”
Andrew Shelton, a lifelong Charlottesville-area resident, spoke about being priced out of town. “The existing housing market is simply not sustainable for young people who don’t have existing investment in their home that’s been built for 30 years,” he said. “We don’t have enough housing for the amount of people who want to live here. … I would like to live in town, the town I grew up in, I’m not able to.”
With the current state of housing in the city, Shelton urged the commission to not only adopt the plan, but to consider the recommendations outlined in the housing coalition letter released earlier this year. “I would like to ask you to particularly pay attention to the need to not displace further Black neighborhoods, and to hopefully expand density in the neighborhoods that have historically had exclusionary zoning.”
The commission anticipates that consideration of the zoning ordinance could continue into October.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to better clarify that opponents of the draft zoning ordinance vary in their opinions and criticisms.