Strategic Investment Area Plan
The Strategic Investment Area (also referred to as the “SIA”) is an approximately 330 acre area south and east of downtown, including portions of the Ridge Street, Belmont Carlton, North Downtown, Martha Jefferson and Fifeville neighborhoods. This target area was identified by the City as a potential “growth” area due to its low density and available land areas, and its location as a gateway to Downtown, including pedestrian connections to the Downtown Mall area. (SIA Plan PDF)
Small Area Planning
What is a Small Area Plan?
A "small area plan" is a detailed planning document that focuses on a specific, smaller geographic area within a larger city or region, providing targeted strategies for land use, development, transportation, and community design, often with a strong emphasis on community engagement and addressing unique local issues within that area; essentially, it's a more granular level of planning compared to a comprehensive city-wide plan.
The following are links to Charlottesville related plans:
Cherry Avenue Small Area Plan
Late in the summer of 2016, City Planning Commissioners designated the Cherry Avenue Corridor for the next small area planning initiative. The Commissioners cited several factors that influenced their decision to focus efforts on this area:
- Stresses on the neighborhood/corridor from commuter traffic .
- Large approved development under construction, anchoring the east and west ends of the corridor.
- Large numbers of vacant lots with potential for development along the corridor.
- The ability to utilize the groundwork laid by the neighborhood in developing a Visioning document dated May 12, 2016.
Visit the Cherry Avenue Small Area Plan website
Starr Hill Community Vision and Small Area Plan Concepts
In February 2019 the City executed an agreement with the New Hill Development Corporation to develop a small area plan for the Starr Hill Neighborhood which incorporates the former historical community of Vinegar Hill.
View the Starr Hill Community Vision Plan (PDF)
The Hydraulic Small Area Plan provides guidance and a vision for redevelopment and transportation solutions associated with the Hydraulic area. This study is one of several projects funded through the US Route 29 Solutions Projects, a $256 million investment to improve infrastructure along the congested US Route 29 corridor. The development of the Hydraulic Small Area Plan was guided by a twelve-member Advisory Panel comprised of representatives
from the City and County government, a representative of the environmental community, and private sector business leaders over an eight-month process.
The study reflects an intentional strategy to focus on land use associated with the US Route 29 corridor as the primary framework to inform future transportation solutions. The study area is located within the jurisdictions of both the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, providing an opportunity for a model of collaboration in community planning. Understanding the interaction of new development and redevelopment with transportation facilities serving the area is critical to inform the Conceptual Land Use Plan, land use codes and policy documents guiding development in this area.
The Hydraulic Small Area Plan is focused on Land Use but references transportation strategies developed in concert with the Virginia Department of Transportation. The goal is to ensure that land use decisions and transportation solutions are supportive of the goals for community development and the need for safe and efficient movement of traffic, pedestrians, and cyclists within and through the study area.
View the 2018 Hydraulic Small Area Plan here. https://tjpdc.org/reports-archive/2018-hydraulic-small-area-plan/