When Charlottesville City Council granted permission for three student apartment buildings to be constructed on West Main Street in the 2010s, the zoning rules at the time required that the ground floor have space for commercial establishments.
Since then, several of the required spaces have remained vacant while other businesses have struggled to stay afloat. A chain restaurant in The Standard at Charlottesville closed for the final time earlier this month.
“Potbelly – Charlottesville, which was operated by a multi-partner franchise group in Virginia, was forced to close as a result of the franchisee’s personal financial challenges,” reads a statement from the corporate office…