Charlottesville, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Real estate expert Michael Guthrie joined Morning News to discuss a growing concern among Charlottesville developers: uncertainty and delays tied to the city’s new zoning ordinance. Guthrie highlighted how developers, like Mr. Levine, have backed out of major projects due to extended timelines and unclear expectations. “He just got to a point that he was like, it’s taking too long, I’m out,” Guthrie said of Levine, who withdrew plans for a 200-unit mixed-use project at the Downtown Mall due to zoning confusion and affordability mandates.
Guthrie noted that a new zoning ordinance has been in effect for over 16 months, but litigation and lack of clarity continue to cause setbacks. “People who are trying to take a piece of property and develop it to its best fullest potential and its highest and best use, don’t know exactly what to do,” he said. As a result, projects stall, affecting not just developers but contractors and families ready to move into new homes…