Re-Fashioned Square
After years of increasing vacancies and rumors of big development plans, Fashion Square Mall has a new owner: Home Depot. The Atlanta-based hardware big-box company purchased the entire property at the corner of Seminole Trail and Rio Road, minus the Belk Women’s store and the former JCPenny location on September 1, according to Athena Emmans, marketing manager for Jones Lang LaSalle, the company that manages the site.
“Our teams are all working together to create a plan for the future,” Emmans wrote in an emailed response to questions last week.
Home Depot’s corporate office did not respond to a request for comment, but Emmans says all current leases will continue, and the mall is actively seeking new tenants.
“In the past several months, we have or will be opening just over 31,000 square feet of new retail including Bintastic, Elite Empire, Snap Trapp and Nails Next Door with an additional five new tenants before the holidays,” writes Emmans.
The Home Depot purchase isn’t the only recent development at the site. This summer, Albemarle County supervisors approved a plan to spend millions to convert the former JCPenney into a public safety operations center. The space will be used for a variety of purposes, including parking, maintenance, and storage of emergency vehicles and other gear.
Police investigate multiple shootings, deaths
On September 10, the Charlottesville Police Department responded to a shots fired incident on the 300 block of East Main Street on the Downtown Mall at around 6:40pm. In a press release issued four days after the crime, the department reported that there were no injuries or property damage, but offered no additional information.
On September 15, a Charlottesville police officer reported to the Emergency Communications Center that he “was out with a wanted suspect with whom he was familiar with” at around 4:22pm, according to a city press release. The suspect soon fled in his vehicle at a high speed, and crashed into multiple cars at intersections surrounding Elliott Avenue. As officers approached the suspect’s vehicle, he shot himself. Emergency personnel later declared the suspect deceased. Anyone with additional information about the incident should contact Detective Cundiff at 970-3373.
The CPD also responded to a shots fired report on the 300 block of Third Street NE on September 17. At around 3am, officers discovered a man who had been shot, later identified as 29-year-old Daquain Anderson. Anderson was taken to the hospital, where he died of his injuries. Anyone with information regarding the homicide can contact CPD at 970-3280.
And on September 18 at around 12:43am, the CPD responded to a multiple shots fired call in the area of Ninth Street NW and West Street. Officers found shell casings on the 800 block of Hardy Avenue. There were no injuries. Witnesses reported hearing a car speeding off, but did not see any suspects, according to a University Police Department community alert.
In brief
Tuition rebate
The University of Virginia will give in-state undergraduate students a one-time $690 rebate to pay them back for the 4.7 percent tuition increase for the 2022-23 school year. The school’s Board of Visitors voted on September 16 to join 13 other public state institutions in keeping tuition flat, as requested by Governor Glenn Youngkin earlier this year. Students will see the rebates—which will cost UVA $7.5 million—on their accounts during the current semester and spring 2023 semester.
Human rights survey
Charlottesville’s Human Rights Commission is seeking public input on the city’s legislative priorities regarding human rights concerns, as it drafts recommendations for City Council. To take the survey, visit charlottesville.gov/hrcsurvey before it closes on October 3 at 5pm.
False alarm
The CPD received a 911 call at around 1:20pm on September 19 claiming that “a number” of Charlottesville High School students were hurt—but later determined the call was a hoax after putting the school on a 40-minute lockdown, according to a statement issued by Principal Rashaad Pitt. Multiple Virginia schools, including Culpeper, Lynchburg, and Shenandoah County, were locked down after receiving false threats the same afternoon.
Plane crash
One person was killed in a small plane crash in Albemarle County on September 14. Shortly before 11:30pm, county officials received a distress call from an unidentified pilot of a private, single-engine plane, and attempted to help him land at Charlottesville Albemarle Airport, but the plane was unable to make it, according to Virginia State Police. The plane crashed and caught fire in a wooded area near Plank and Stillhouse Creek roads. The pilot was the only occupant, and died in the crash.
Media star comes home
Slate senior editor and former local resident Dahlia Lithwick will return to Charlottesville for a discussion of her new book, Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America. Lithwick, an acclaimed legal commentator and host of the Amicus podcast, will appear in conversation with Amy Woolard, chief program officer for the ACLU of Virginia. The event happens Thursday, September 22, at 6:45pm at PVCC’s Earl Dickinson Auditorium. It is free and open to the public. No reservations required.