This seems like an excellent location to support sustainable, affordable housing. I would like to see plans that prioritize occupant health, energy efficiency, and access to equitable and affordable transit (low-to-no cost public transit, walking and biking infrastructure).

At least 1/3 of the housing units at this site should be affordable to people at or below 50% AMI. HUD regulations will require 5% of units to be wheelchair accessible. If you construct the inaccessible units on the ground floor with 36 inch doorways, walk in showers, entrance at ground level, and one bedroom and full bathroom on ground level, it will be much easier to construct the accessible units, and it will be much cheaper for you or the tenant to convert it to accessible unit.

I ask that access to this housing includes outreach and support for community member for which English is not their heritage language.

I hope the university will insist upon sustainable building practices for this initiative. To the extent possible, the university should push developers to follow the latest building codes (even if those codes have not yet been adopted state-wide). The emphasis should be upon energy efficiency and clean energy. This location should incorporate rooftop solar to the maximum extent possible, possibly with battery backup on-site. The houses should attempt to generate electricity equivalent to their full needs on-site, if possible. All houses should be full electric - no gas. Electrical panels should perhaps install smart panels able to handle and manage modern electrical demand - even during outages. The overall construction should consider resilience for quick recovery from storms. Can bidirectional charging infrastructure be built in, to prepare for cars to supply battery backup during outages? Get the university sustainability experts to help in designing a forward-looking smart sustainable affordable housing site.

I favor whichever proposal maximizes the number of available units. The only solution for truly affordable housing is to build more units of housing. When demand far exceeds supply, “affordable housing development” is whatever development increases housing supply. Ignore the noise and simply build more housing as fast as possible.

As an RN in a procedural area at UVA we have difficulty staffing our area due to housing costs in Charlottesville. In order to work in these area where you must be on call there is a requirement that you live within 30 minutes even in the most heavily trafficked time of day. We often hear potential employees say they cannot find affordable housing within this time frame.

Why not build student housing on Grounds, for students only (undergrad & grad), charge a fair fee/rent, and mandate students live in student housing. Hopefully, as a shortish term approach, it would alleviate demand for Cville rentals (thus reducing rents). Give the city a chance to work out it’s own mess. UVA can focus on education and students while at the same time generating tax revenue and student spending income for the city (county and state).

The UVA property on Wertland Street is adjacent to the Wertland Street Architectural Design Control (ADC) District. This street is also on the National Register of Historic Places. My request is that the structure that UVA builds on this site is compatible and complementary to this important historic streetscape.
The current apartment building on this site was not buit to be compatible with this historic district. The structures that UVA considers building here will undoubtedly be large. In order not to overpower the neighborhood, please consider design features that minimize the appearance of an unduly massive & imposing structure. Perhaps building several different buildings on this site would benefit the neighborhood. Significant central entrances will also be important to feature in this building or buildings.
According to Charlottesville ADC Districts Design Guidelines, chapter 3, a large new structure "should employ design techniques to reduce its visual presence. These could include varying facade wall planes, differing materials, stepped-back levels, and irregular massing."
Please take advantage of the Charlottesville ADC Districts Design Guidelines when designing any new building near the University. Thank you.

My hope is that UVA will allocate a percentage of housing for those many living wage employees that are the engine of the Health Center and University.

It is great for UVA and UVAF to commit to urban redevelopment projects that help address and improve the affordable housing issues in the Charlottesville region. This site is an excellent choice (overall) for affordable housing -- especially considering it's proximity to the University, UVA Health System, and other existing employment centers, land uses, and transit routes.

However, with intensified land uses at this site, it is critical to incorporate transportation infrastructure upgrades - including (most critically) adding a left turn lane for motorists/buses turning left from 10th onto Wertland. Increased/intensified land use at this site absolutely requires a widened ROW on 10th to accommodate a signalized left turn lane, since that turning movement can already create a backup ripple effect up 10th Street towards West Main -- which is both inconvenient for motorists and adjacent businesses, and also unsafe for emergency response. But adding a signalized left turn lane would help avoid that sort of congestion and bottleneck. Additionally, please correct the alignment of the intersection with Wertland and 10th to be 90 degrees; and please incorporate bicycle lanes and enough ROW for a safer, more convenient sidewalk width in this dynamic urban area.

Please also commit to incorporating urban canopy trees in this redevelopment site, as 10th & Page and adjacent Starr Hill have the lowest tree canopy coverage of any neighborhoods in Charlottesville (less than half of neighborhoods such as Rugby and North Downtown). Finding creative ways to incorporate urban canopy trees, while also redeveloping and intensifying the use of this site, is a very important environmental sustainability goal as well as an environmental justice and equity goal.

Finally, please engage the 10th & Page community and other Cville residents on urban placemaking along the 10th Street streetscape. "Welcome to 10th & Page" or similar signage and public art should be a commitment at this site, considering it is the physical threshold between the West Main neighborhood and the historic 10th & Page neighborhood. This project can go a long ways to help draw positive attention to, and celebrate, the heritage and history of the historically and predominantly Black 10th & Page neighborhood.

Good luck on making this a Great project; and thank you for doing the Good work to make C'ville better.