Charlottesville has seen many periods of growth since its founding in 1762, and new development rules adopted in late 2023 point the way to a more dense future.
Along the way, city leaders have made decisions about whether some buildings should be preserved, assigning the Board of Architectural Review—the governing body that makes such decisions—a powerful role.
In the mid 2010s, two developers of large buildings on West Main Street were required to incorporate four 19th-century structures into their projects after the BAR refused to approve their demolition…