The Executive Director of the Wintergreen Property Owners Association barely mentioned the proposed Renaissance Ridge development in his initial presentation at the 2023 annual meeting on November 11th.
But during the question and answer part of the meeting a property owner voiced concerns about “workforce housing” being part of the development. Jay Roberts was ready to ad-lib the long and detailed answer in the video above.
He explained how the property was added to Wintergreen’s campus in 2004 over WPOA’s objections and how WPOA is now approaching the proposed residential subdivision.
The answer was long, but it is a complex situation.
The good news is that Renaissance Ridge would not likely become a financial burden on WPOA, Roberts said, laying out the details of the income and expenses that would come to WPOA from the development. The additional homes are seen as unlikely to stress fire, rescue, or police services.
He questioned how “affordable” the affordable workforce housing in the development might be, pointing to the cost of WPOA assessments. Every Renaissance Ridge homeowner will pay what all Wintergreen property owners pay every year. Roberts said those living in Renaissance Ridge who do not pay their WPOA annual assessment will be foreclosed upon. “Workforce (housing) in Wintergreen is not workforce in downtown Charlottesville,” he said.
While it may be difficult to understand, the developers of Renaissance Ridge do not have any legal obligation to work with WPOA, Roberts stressed. When asking questions or voicing concerns about what is being proposed, he works to be a “diplomat.” He indicated he feels that the developers have good intentions.
Read the March 25th, 2021 letter here from WPOA to Wintergreen property owners regarding Renaissance Ridge. For more background on this development, see the initial announcements here.
