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Council initiates readoption process for 2024 development code after court default judgment
Summary
Following a default judgment in White v. Charlottesville, city staff recommended and council approved initiation of a readoption process for the 2024 development code and referred the matter to the planning commission for a 100-day review and public hearing.
Matt Aufely, development planning manager in Neighborhood Development Services (NDS), told council that on June 30, 2025, the Charlottesville Circuit Court entered a default judgment in White v. Charlottesville related to the city's current development code because of a procedural error. While the city awaits the written order and pursues legal options, staff recommended initiating a readoption process so the city could respond swiftly if re-adoption proved necessary.
Council voted to adopt a resolution referring the 2024 Development Code, Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances to the planning commission for review and recommendation. Staff said the planning commission will have 100 days to review the code and hold a public hearing under state regulation. Staff also clarified that internal work on code revisions has continued but that public-facing review was paused until legal clarity is available; staff are collecting input from the building community and preparing materials so a public process can resume when appropriate.
Council adopted the resolution by voice vote, 4–0. No immediate amendments to the code were made at the meeting; the action was procedural to enable timely readoption if required by court order or settlement.
