Charlottesville Settles the Legal Dispute That has Left it Without a Zoning Code Since June

The city plans to fund two impact studies to settle the suit and move forward with enacting its 2023 zoning plan update.

1 minute read

October 30, 2025, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Walkable red brick street with restaurant patios and small shops in Charlottesville, Virginia.

MargJohnsonVA / Shutterstock

After months without a zoning code, the Charlottesville, Virginia City Council voted to settle a lawsuit that has held up the city’s zoning update. 

As Ryan Kushner explains in Smart Cities Dive, the lawsuit was brought by residents who claimed the city failed to follow proper procedures such as conducting an impact study when it updated its zoning code to allow more density in 2023. According to Kushner, “The city’s updated zoning eliminates single-family zoning and parking space requirements at new developments, moves intended to address the city’s housing affordability crisis.” 

Now, the council voted to fund two infrastructure and transportation studies in an effort to settle the suit and move forward with the zoning update. City Attorney John Maddux called the settlement “the best outcome in this case,” saying, “It’ll help us move forward with clarity and purpose with our zoning.”

Wednesday, October 29, 2025 in Smart Cities Dive

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