City seeks redevelopment plan for unfinished Dewberry site

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The City of Charlottesville is taking steps to address the long-unfinished development at 201 East Water Street, commonly known as the Dewberry property, and has formally requested that the property owner provide a concrete plan for its future within 60 days.

The unfinished structure has remained in the heart of downtown Charlottesville for nearly two decades. Construction began in 2008 and stopped the following year. The property has been under its current ownership since 2012 and remains an unfinished concrete and steel structure.

"The unfinished Dewberry project has been a scar on downtown for far too long," said City Manager Sam Sanders. "The City continues to believe the best outcome would be for the owner to sell the property to someone ready, willing, and able either to finish the building or remove the existing shell and start over. What we are no longer willing to accept is an indefinite continuation of the status quo."

In a letter dated August 19, City Attorney John Maddux requested that the property owner provide the City with a written plan within 60 days identifying:

• Whether the owner intends to complete the building, sell the property, or remove the existing structure;
• Specific milestones and target dates for that course of action, including anticipated permit or site plan applications; and
• Interim measures to secure and maintain the site and improve the exterior, including plans for the weathered vinyl wrap.

The City also intends to conduct a current inspection and structural evaluation of the property. The most recent structural study in the City's possession dates to March 2017, and City staff will coordinate with the property owner to arrange access for an updated assessment.

The City has taken a patient approach to the property for many years in the expectation that market conditions or the owner's stated intentions would ultimately result in either completion of the building or a sale to another party. That has not occurred.

Absent a sale or an adequate plan for moving the property forward, the City is actively evaluating the tools available under Virginia law, including the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and provisions addressing unsafe, derelict, blighted, and nuisance structures.

The City's goal is a clear path forward for a property that occupies a prominent location in downtown Charlottesville.

"We want to see this property become an asset to downtown and to the community," Sanders said. "We are giving the owner an opportunity to show us a realistic path to get there. If that does not happen, the City is prepared to evaluate the appropriate next steps available to us."