The Eagle has landed… at Belvedere
Write a letter to the editor
Same houses, new logo, now that Eagle Construction has taken Church Hill Homes under its wing.COURTESY CHURCH HILL HOMES
Mark Twain famously said “the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” and it seems the same quote may hold true for Church Hill Homes. Although the local residential building act known for its craftsman-style construction has been rumored to be in trouble for the past several months, leaving the fate of several developments in question, there’s good news now that a bigger company has swooped in and taken Church Hill under its wing.
“This is a great opportunity even without the challenges we’ve been facing,” says Church Hill owner Josh Goldschmidt, of the deal with Eagle Construction, a 24-year-old privately held construction company based in Richmond. Eagle, Goldschmidt says, has purchased the 11 lots Church Hill owns at Belvedere, the massive green development off Rio Road, as well as two houses already under construction there. But despite those purchases, the Church Hill name isn’t going away. Instead, Goldschmidt and his Church Hill partner, Jamie Spence, have become Eagle employees and will continue to oversee the Belvedere projects under the Church Hill name.
Goldschmidt says Eagle was attracted to Church Hill’s “strong brand” in the Charlottesville market and its capture of the Craftsman-style niche. “They came to us to add value to what Eagle does,” says Goldschmidt, who adds he was thrilled to join with Eagle, which he calls both “financially and organizationally strong.”
Eagle spokesperson Jeff Kornblau did not immediately return the Hook’s call.
While Eagle has taken over Church Hill’s Belvedere projects, outside of Belvedere, “Church Hill still exists,” Goldschmidt insists. “Everyone keeps saying we’re filing for bankruptcy, but we’ve not done that.”
Still, he acknowledges the Eagle deal doesn’t solve all of the company’s problems. Those problems, he says, stem from “a housing market that’s slowed, and significant land debt.” Among other Church Hill projects are Carter’s View in the Ridge Street neighborhood, Wickham Pond in Crozet, and Water’s Edge in Greene County.
Goldschmidt says Church Hill is still working to finish and sell those properties on “a case by case basis.”
#
Write a letter to the editor
Church Hill has long been a class act for Charlottesville families seeking shelter. Congratulations on surviving and thriving in these tough times.
[...] And that is a very good thing. From today’s HooK blog: [...]
The Twain qoute is a bit much. Still calling Belvedere a green development is just a lie. The fires are out now and the clear cutting is done. All that is left to do is clean up the roads after all of this rain has covered them with mud. You might have ten feet between you and the house next to you maybe. I hope they do go bankrupt they deserve it for what they did to this land.
Thank you, Giant.
You really couldn’t plan a worse environmental disaster,
or a worse contributor to needless congestion on Rio, and/or
“the Parkway,’ than by building more of these single-family, detached solar ovens, attracting schmucks, bent on mowing and poisoning their yards, ( and the Rivanna,)and by jamming that many units into an area without potential for walking and biking to services.
And why on Earth is The Hook bolstering this real estate blunder?
Giant and R. Arthur -
This was a recent discussion on my blog - It all depends on what you consider green - that addresses some of these concerns. I have written quite a bit about Belvedere since they started because I think that of all the communities in the area, they have some of the most potential to do “good” - and Church Hill’s homes are quality as well.
“these single-family, detached solar ovens”
And what do you live in, R. Arthur, a yurt?
I agree with Whatever. What are they supposed to build? Since 1995 there have been over 23,000 jobs created in central Virginia http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/area_job_growth_slows/27055/. Where are the workers supposed to live? I say to everyone, “You are just as much a part of the problems with growth that you perceive. Why don’t you leave and make room for other people?”