Charlottesville Virginia Real Estate

Development and Utilities

A new condo complex has been proposed close to downtown. Just across the train tracks from the new Transit Center, may be a a environmentally friendly building. A building built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design specifications, or (LEEDS). One plan for the building would be 101 ft tall, including 116 condominiums, and 22,000 Sq. Ft. of commercial space. This is in the preliminary stages of development and has not been presented to the Planning Commission, but had a meeting with Neighborhood Services recently.

The neighborhood planner for Belmont mentioned new development being a strain on utilities. This is a very important statement. A couple of weeks ago we had a flash heat wave with temperatures getting into the high 90’s. I didn’t think too much about it working in an air-conditioned office, but when I came home, I noticed my clock was blinking. There were no power outages, but brown-outs. This happened a couple of days during the week when it was hot. Will the City and urban ring of Albemarle handle the influx of development that is being proposed with the current utility infrastructure? The Biscuit Run development is one big topic currently being discussed, just south of the Belmont Neighborhood.

This summer has been very dry, and water plans are being discussed to help provide for the influx of population expected in the near future. As the area grows so will the infrastructure. Charlottesville & Albemarle are not the only governing bodies dealing with the water situation. Fluvanna & Louisa Counties are dealing with water problems as well.