Residents fuming over land sale

Critics of a Ridge Street land sale were sparse at the Charlottesville City Council’s meeting Monday, with several city residents boycotting the council’s attempt to garner more public opinion on the proposal.

“What appears as neighborhood apathy is not that,” said Carla Manno, a Fifeville resident. Manno said she is not against growth, but she added, “We as a neighborhood were fully against this project.”

The public hearing Monday was the second the City Council held regarding the potential sale of 521 and 529 Ridge St., currently owned by the city. Charlottesville acquired the two lots, together assessed at $61,000, from the Virginia Department of Transportation in 1976, and they have since remained undeveloped. The plots total a third of an acre.

But several residents who live on or near Ridge Street decided not to attend the hearings, saying their concerns have not been considered despite their evident resistance to the project. Last year, nearly 100 residents signed a petition outlining the neighborhood’s opposition.

“They’ve already heard from us,” said Susan Lanterman, who lives on Ridge Street, in an interview. “I don’t know what else they want.”

Lanterman added that she believes councilors want to feel good about the sale, which is why they are soliciting more public comment.

Referring to councilors, Lanterman said, “They’re not really in reality, able to change the course they’re on.”

The city solicited proposals to develop the parcels in April, and received a single response from Southern Development Group, which hopes to combine the land with two acres it already owns. But even if the city does not sell, Southern Development could go ahead with a project of up to 64 residential units by right.

In the past three years, the development firm has come up with a multitude of plans for the site. The latest estimates that the mixed-use development would measure around 80,000 square feet. Information presented to councilors in September suggested the project would have about 40,000 square feet of commercial space and 40 residential units.

City councilors have said that selling the vacant parcels would give them more oversight over the project. For the firm to build its desired mixed-use development, it would have to obtain a rezoning from the city.

Councilor David Brown said the decision was not a matter of keeping the space green versus building a development. “That’s really not the choice before us,” he said.

While the sale had not gone through before Monday, neighbors said Southern Development had already proceeded with the project as if it had. Last month, a sign was posted saying that site work was being done on the city-owned land, even though the deal had not been made. The sign was taken down shortly afterwards, when it was brought to the attention of the city attorney.

Craig Brown, the city attorney, verified that the sign was placed on Ridge Street. He said that Southern Development was not doing site work and the developer did not know who put the sign there.

Neighbors say they are convinced that the land sale was, in essence, already a done deal. In a letter to the councilors, Oak Street resident Toni Roades wrote, “We will not attend that meeting or participate in that ‘public hearing.’ Our absence will be an act of protest. For you to construe or characterize it otherwise would constitute gross misrepresentation.” Roades continued to say that the City Council is holding a public hearing “because you want to make appear legitimate what is not legitimate.”

Selling the land could spur more growth in the city, said Chris Engel, Charlottesville’s assistant director of economic development.

“This could also potentially jumpstart development on Cherry Avenue,” Engel said at Monday’s meeting.

Officials also said the project would also contribute more money to the city’s tax rolls. City officials estimate that the project, once construction is complete and units become occupied, would bring in $325,000 annually in tax revenue. Southern Development has also agreed to contribute $253,000 to Charlottesville’s affordable housing fund. In an interview, Councilor Brown said the money would specifically be allocated for the Fifeville neighborhood.

The City Council had not made a decision on the land sale at press time.