South First Street Resident-Led Neighborhood Redevelopment

brwarchitects partnered with the City of Charlottesville and the predominantly African-American public housing neighborhood at South First Street to lead a resident-driven design process for a re-envisioned neighborhood redevelopment.

Critical to the success of resident-led planning is to tend to the specific cultural and historical context of each neighborhood and community. The process is not “one size fits all.” For the neighborhood at South First Street, the team faced a complex history of displacement and still-painful memories of the destruction of Black neighborhoods downtown. Despite added economic and site constraints, the project aims to create a community vision that balances non-displacement, revitalization, and equity.

Through a series of weekly workshops, 15 Resident Planners were trained in technical planning skills and guided to articulate a design reflective of their values and aspirations. Despite a tight timeline and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the planners developed a neighborhood plan that honors the area’s heritage, strengthens affordable housing, and enriches the neighborhood resources.

The plan replaces 58 barracks-style units from the 1970s with 113 thoughtfully designed townhouse and stacked townhouse homes. With brwarchitects coordinating architectural documentation, sustainability initiatives, and stakeholder collaboration, the project secured $18 million in critical funding, including a $2 million Vibrant Communities Initiative Grant. Now poised for construction, the redevelopment reflects the power of community leadership in shaping inclusive, sustainable neighborhoods.