Blocked sidewalk on West Catawba

Sept. 20. By Dave Vieser. The sidewalk in front of the Junker apartment project on West Catawba adjacent to the old Wher-rena business has been blocked off by a chain link fence, forcing pedestrians to move very close to traffic.

Town officials say they are aware of the situation, but not much is happening to correct it, at least for now.

The developer is able to remove the sidewalk to construct the new sidewalk that accommodates their development,” said Assistant Town Manager Tyler Beardsley.

Quotable

“The developers notified Town staff about removing this prior to the demolition and the Town posted this on social media about three weeks ago. The developer is currently relocating utilities along West Catawba. They anticipate this work taking 6-8 weeks. Once that work is complete, the developer will install the new sidewalk. The Town and developer have been and will continue to investigate a possible temporary sidewalk, however with the location of the utility relocation work a temporary measure may be difficult to accommodate,” Beardsley said.

A temporary measure would mean a gravel path.

However, as of this morning, there were no warning signs posted nor any indication of a gravel path being built. There is no sidewalk on the opposite side of West Catawba Avenue.

The Junker Project has been beset with controversy from day one.

Several former town commissioners who voted for the project’s rezoning lost re-election in 2021.
Castle Development Partners in Charlottesville Va., could not be reached for comment.

When completed the project will comprise 195 apartment units.