Fifeville

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Fifeville
Fifeville.jpg
Fifeville
County Area Charlottesville

Schools*
Middle Buford Middle School
High School Charlottesville High School

Other Attributes


*Confirm attendance boundaries for individual homes with school divisions
Welcome sign on Cherry Avenue

Fifeville is a city-designated neighborhood in southwest Charlottesville. Much of the neighborhood is located southeast of the UVA Hospital and adjacent to the West Main Street corridor. Fifeville is primarily a residential scale development with commercial activity along Cherry Avenue. Housing types range from single-family homes, multi-family dwellings and PUD's.

History

Its name is derived from the original Fife family plantation which was part of about a half a dozen large family farms that surrounded the town of Charlottesville in the years prior to the Civil War. By the 1890's, Fife family members had subdivided and sold most the Albemarle farmland surrounding the large brick estate home (1818) and family cemetery. Fifeville was annexed by the City of Charlottesville on August 1, 1916.

The aftermath of the Civil War and emancipation caused a significant loss of Southern wealth. Personal property in the top 10% of the wealth distribution was valued at less than 90% of its original value.

Development

Many of its residents have called for a small-area plan to be conducted to guide future development. [1]

Fifeville Neighborhood Association

FNA’s monthly meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month at the Tonsler Park Community Center on Cherry Avenue. The meetings run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Boundaries

Nearly triangular in shape, the northeastern corner is the intersection of the CSX east-west railroad tracks and Ridge Street. From this point, the southeastern border is Ridge and 5th Street Extended until it meets Rock Creek at the neighborhood's southernmost point. Rock Creek is the southwestern boundary, back to the northwestern corner at the CSX tracks, which form the northern boundary.

The city further divides Fifeville into the Forest Hills, Orangedale, and Greenstone on 5th neighborhoods.[citation needed]

Educational & Recreational Facilities

The major educational and recreational facilities located within this neighborhood are:

Transportation

Major streets include Cherry Avenue and the 9th and 10th Street Connector. This road runs through the center of Fifeville and serves as a primary link to the University of Virginia Hospital and West Main Street. Fifeville is primarily residential, but also hosts commercial activity along Cherry Avenue, including many locally-owned businesses. The housing types vary from multi-family to small and medium sized dwellings.

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Cherry Avenue is the main corridor, running approximately east-west. Prospect Avenue also carries traffic at peak hour. [citation needed]

The railroad tracks to the north create a significant barrier to pedestrians between the neighborhood and UVa just across these tracks. [2]

Housing

Historically, much of the housing in Fifeville consists of large, early 20th century dwellings. Forest Hills Park and the neighborhood were originally part of the Oak Lawn estate.

Subdivisions

Some of the housing in Fifeville was built in the early part of the 20th century.

  • Pinecrest, in the western section of the neighborhood, was built during the 1950's.
  • Blue Ridge Commons (a privately subsidized housing complex), formerly Oak Ridge Gardens, was built in 1970.
  • Orangedale was developed in 1979. Both detached and attached units, meaning townhouses and stand-alone houses, are located in the Orangedale section.

Fifeville-Castle Hill Historic District

Parts of the neighborhood are included in the Fifeville-Castle Hill Historic District.

Development and redevelopment

Parts of the neighborhood are included in the Fifeville-Castle Hill Historic District.

Planning studies

A Cherry Avenue redevelopment plan was passed in 2005, and the Grove Square development was the first site plan approved to take advantage of the rezoning. [4]

The city was the Priority Neighborhood in the city's Community Development Block Grant and funds were spent on a partial streetscape. [5]

In the summer of 2016, the Charlottesville Planning Commission toured many areas for a potential small area plan. They visited Cherry Avenue on June 28, 2016. [6]

A Cherry Avenue Small Area Plan has been developed by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.

References

  1. Web. Fifeville neighborhood wants small-area plan for Cherry Avenue, Sean Tubbs, News Article, Charlottesville Tomorrow, June 20, 2016, retrieved January 11, 2017.
  2. Web. Track marks: These lines change lives, Wesley Hottot, The Hook, Better Publications LLC, May 30 2002, retrieved May 2 2011.
  3. Web. Charlottesville City Council meeting minutes, .pdf, Council Chambers, City of Charlottesville, April 1, 1991.
  4. Web. Mixed-use development near UVA medical center moves forward, Staff Reports, News Article, Charlottesville Tomorrow, July 28, 2008, retrieved January 22, 2021.
  5. Web. Charlottesville City Council meeting minutes, .pdf, Council Chambers, City of Charlottesville, January 3, 2012.
  6. Web. Planners tour Cherry Avenue in advance of hotel groundbreaking, Sean Tubbs, News Article, Charlottesville Tomorrow, June 29, 2016, retrieved February 21, 2021.

External Links