Charlottesville pauses enforcement action against owner of incomplete Dewberry Hotel

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - The City of Charlottesville is pausing enforcement action against John Dewberry, owner of the incomplete building over the Downtown Mall, after the city attorney’s office said the property is under contract.

In August, the property was given 60 days to make a plan. 29News had been asking the city for an update.

The city attorney’s office then shared a statement with 29News that said the property is under contract and the possible buyer hired an engineer to assess the building.

The buyer told the city the engineer found the building structurally sound and able to be used without major repairs.

That addresses concerns City Hall raised in its August letter and years of waiting for something to happen with the building.

The city said it is still prepared to act if the sale falls through. The statement tells Dewberry he should “not mistake the city’s willingness to abstain from acting to allow the sale to happen, for a willingness to accept the property’s current condition indefinitely.

29News has reached out to Dewberry for comment and has not heard back.

The entire statement is as follows:

The City’s goal is to see this project completed and this longstanding blight on Charlottesville’s skyline resolved. As explained in the letter to Mr. Dewberry, a sale to an owner with the resources and commitment to finish the work offers the best path forward.

The news that the property is under contract is encouraging. Enforcement action against the current owner is on hold to give the sale an opportunity to proceed.

The prospective buyer has also commissioned a structural assessment addressing concerns raised in the letter. Although the final written report is still pending, the buyer has informed the City that the engineer found the building structurally sound and expects the existing structure can be used without major remediation.

The City Council’s recently adopted legislative agenda requests the General Assembly grant localities additional tools to address blighted and derelict properties. Those tools would strengthen enforcement efforts, however, the City already possesses authority to act and is prepared to use that authority if the sale falls through. Mr. Dewberry should not mistake the City’s willingness to abstain from acting to allow the sale to happen for a willingness to accept the property’s current condition indefinitely.

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