The bank owns Patricia Kluge’s would-be housing development now. #
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
Do they get to continue living there if they pay rent?
There was one completed spec house in the development which went to foreclosure last year. That was a separate loan and a different bank, I believe. Kluge/Moses satisfied the delinquent loan and own that house, Glen Love, and reside there. While its within the development that is part of this proceeding, it isnt directly affected. I wonder if they’re kicking themselves for paying that loan off and not buying it back on the courthouse steps for probably $.50 on the dollar?
Interestingly, now that the bank owns all (or almost all?) of the other lots, they probably have complete control over design restrictions, etc. While the location, lot sizes and land dont exactly lend themselves to down-scaling the development significantly, there probably wouldn’t be anything legally to stop them from putting tract-houses on the rest of the lots. (I really wanted to say trailers, but there are County zoning restriction on where you can place them)
****-
I’m not clear in my memory of that development, but I thought in order to build in that area designated as agricultural the lots had to be a certain size that would be significantly larger than a normal housing development.
@****
The “Glen Love” house, the one completed spec house, was the first Patricia Kluge property that went to auction “on the courthouse steps”. Kluge and Moses were the only bidders and re-purchased the property using a lawyer as an intermediary for the court house steps bidding.
Re: “the design restrictions”
Back during the R.E. Bubble Patricia Kluge asked for a Zoning variance for smaller lots, so there could be more houses (5 acre lots).
The Poor White Trash around the corner on Blenheim Road got scared that the property values would triple on their run down shacks, and that they would be priced out of their own neighborhood.
So when Patricia asked for the zoning variance (or whatever it’s properly called) the PWT turned out en mass to object.
She was denied her rezoning request, and decided to do the “by right” development that is the current development failure which the bank owns.
The “by right” size of the lots are 21 acres per parcel for a total of 24 parcels.
The bank is subject to the same restrictions on the property that Kluge-Moses were saddled with and that isn’t likely to change. With the dollar amount of the debt the bank incurred with their failed loan to Kluge-Moses, it is highly unlikely that they will put “tract-homes” or even “Trailers” on the property.
Although for the record – if they wanted to put trailers on the property the lot size is plenty large enough to satisfy Albemarle county zoning requirements. Their requirements to put a “trailer” on a piece of land- is that the parcel of land can be no smaller than 2 acres. Most the type of people that would buy a “trailer” can’t afford the price of 2 acres in Albemarle county to locate it on.
I went back and checked the original story on the Glen Love auction and yes, they were the only bidders in a court-house-steps auction, though, unlike all of their other foreclosure proceedings which have involved the bank buying the property for $.50 to $.70 on the dollar, the only bid on Glen Love was for the total principle and interest due. Meaning that the bank got $1.00 on the dollar. Which was approx $1 million over assessment. I find that interesting.
The 6,600-square foot house on 2.895 acres was built in 2007 and is assessed for $2.76 million. It’s on one of 24 lots that make up the 511-acre Vineyard Estates
My memory must be real bad because the one person who I remember making the most compelling argument against the variance was not the PWT you so kindly refer to, but John Grisham.
If my facts are incorrect, then blame the hook. It was from their article, linked to above by waldo, from which I took my info, and by reading your initial post on the subject, It appeared that you had not read.
@Gan
Last time I looked – the argument, “it’s going to make my property values increase/decrease too much” was not an argument that people give any merit to. So of course they find other more politically correct ways to say, “we don’t want it because…”
Because the writer was the speaker you most remember, doesn’t mean anything I wrote was less true.
@Just Bob,
You may be right,referring to the folks on Blenheim Road as Poor White Trash does not make what you wrote less true. It does make you look small.
@Just Bob– loads of people fought both the Farm Shop AND the development. Those objecting included most of the immediate neighbors, including Val Matthews (mom of Dave) and many many more. I’ve never heard those objecting characterized as “white trash” before. A very diverse cross-section of folks live on Blenheim Rd. FWIW, the original development as planned would have ended up less onerous to the neighbors. However, for very good reasons, they couldn’t trust that a rezoning to smaller parcels wouldn’t end up an eventual disaster.
It all began when a condescending letter from Kluge went out to nearby neighbors, grandly announcing her plans. The inference was that their lives were all about to improve because of her. Needless to say, because of the attitude contained in the letter, there was a lot of resistance.
PK had many good ideas for the Winery, Farm Shop, and development, but had chronic problems making them happen, primarily due to an abysmal management style and an attitude that employees are nothing more than a disposable commodity, much like paper cups or Kleenex. The neighbors were aware of all of this, and I dare say it drove some of their objections. Plain and simple– she wasn’t liked because of the way she treated people.