STATEMENT OF OPPOSITION

Project Name: 624/626 Booker Street, Charlottesville VA

Current Zoning: R.1S Proposed Zoning: B.3

We, the undersigned, hereby ask City Council to deny the proposed rezoning of 624/626 Booker Street from R.1S to B.3.

1. 1. 624/626 Booker Street, Charlottesville VA 22903 is currently occupied by an unfinished structure that permitted to be built as a single-family dwelling.
   2. B.3 zoning would allow commercial use that could generate significant amounts of traffic, as well as problems, noise, odors, lighting glare, etc. Given the owner's property holdings elsewhere in the neighborhood, his proposal effectively annexes an historic portion of Rose Hill neighborhood to expand the commercial development of Preston and Rose Hill Avenue.
   3. Allowing 624/626 Booker Street to be rezoned to B.3 sets a precedent for other neighborhood properties to be rezoned.
   4. The owner's proffer to convert the current structure to a multi-family unit, consisting of three stacked single-family dwellings, isn't satisfactory to the neighborhood. The usage would be inconsistent with the current and historic nature of that specific block, and the neighborhood overall, which is a close-knit residential community.
   5. The Rose Hill Neighborhood, celebrating a 100-year anniversary this year, strongly desires to preserve the single-family, modest income character of this historic and culturally important neighborhood.