The Westhaven Master Plan proposes a renewed vision for Charlottesville’s oldest public housing community. Emerging from a 3-year planning process that involved resident planners, long-time residents, UVA School of Architecture studios, and local designers, the master plan is built from the ground up. It envisions a neighborhood with multi-family housing, townhomes, and a mixed-use community center interwoven with spaces for recreation, connection, and reflection. 

The Westhaven public housing community reflects a history of disenfranchisement and discrimination. Once the center of Charlottesville’s African-American community, the nearby Vinegar Hill neighborhood was demolished as part of large-scale “urban renewal” initiatives in the mid-1960s. Following demolition, many of the neighborhood’s displaced residents were relocated to public housing in Westhaven. A far cry from the dynamism of Vinegar Hill, Westhaven currently lacks common open spaces, shared amenities, and pedestrian-friendly streets. 

The new vision focuses on health and well-being as well as accessibility and connectivity. Playgrounds, open fields, sports courts, and picnic pavilions are distributed throughout the 10-acre site. Accompanying the recreational spaces, gardens, courtyards, and a series of outdoor rooms create spaces to rest and gather. Critical improvements to sidewalks and streets are also planned to improve safety and enhance walkability, and a new accessible promenade re-establishes a direct connection from the neighborhood to West Main Street. An homage to the historical Cedar Street that once connected Westhaven to the larger urban fabric, the promenade offers opportunities for gathering, celebration, and reflection on history and memory.

Community-driven and historically situated, the Westhaven Master Plan is equal parts practical and visionary. It aspires to create functional spaces that serve a diverse and growing population while also reclaiming a sense of place and connection to a larger community.

LOCATION:
Charlottesville, Virginia

CLIENT:
Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority

PROJECT TEAM:
Riverbend Development - Owner’s Representative
Arnold Design Studio - Architect
Timmons Group - Civil Engineer
Community Engagement - Brick & Story