Brian Wimer’s Thoughts On Gentrification In Belmont, The Belmont Bridge Project And Creating A Charlottesville, Va That Is Less Auto Centric

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Editor’s Note: This is episode one in a three episode Brian Wimer series.

When Charlottesville, Virginia talks about Belmont today, we often highlight restaurants like MAS Tapas, The Local Restaurant and Catering and tavola restaurant, the increasing real estate values in the neighborhood or the easy walk to The Charlottesville Downtown Mall.

Brian Wimer has witnessed the gentrification of Belmont firsthand. Brian and his wife purchased what is now the Southern Crescent Galley & Bar restaurant more than 20 years ago. The family renovated and converted the structure from a rental duplex to a single family home. In what is now the dining room of the Southern Crescent, Brian’s wife sat in an inflatable tub and home birthed one of their daughters. They were making happy memories, but at that time, the neighborhood wasn’t cooperating with family life.

“The home two doors up [from us] was doing a lot of the drug dealing in town. Right across from Fitzgerald’s Tires, every night there was a group of kids that would throw rocks at cars and also deal drugs,” said Brian, who moved to Belmont after a successful stint in New York City as a creative director at an advertising agency. “I saw stuff in Belmont that we didn’t see in New York City. One day, I walk in front of my house, and there was a large bleeding man. He looked and me and said, ‘Can you give me a ride?'”

Brian, the creative director at the IX Art Park, or as he calls himself, “The Wizard Of Ix,” moved his family from the Southern Crescent location to Belmont Avenue for an improved quality of life. Brian was one of the driving forces behind creating the beautiful street mandala on Belmont Avenue. He was influenced by artists in Portland, Oregon who were using art to positively impact traffic patterns.

“[Portland] really changed a lot of the intersections there by painting them,” said Brian, who explained that getting approval from the City of Charlottesville was an arduous process. “[The Portland artists] brought it back from the auto culture to a [community culture].”

The Belmont Avenue street mandala, a large, beautifully painted circle that’s located right in the middle of an intersection, is routinely re-painted and freshened up during the Belmont block parties.

“They did enough tests [on the street mandala], and it did slow traffic [in Belmont],” Brian said. “It was one of the first experiments on seeing how art [impacts neighborhoods in Charlottesville].”

Brian is also very passionate about the development and evolution of the Belmont Bridge. He calls the current version “an Eisenhower era mistake.”

“You go from a two lane road into a four lane weirdo thing with rails on the side of it,” Brian said of the bridge. “You’re like, ‘What is that?'”

Brian hopes the new Belmont Bridge or “Belmont Gateway” will be less auto focused. He believes (frankly, so do I.) that City Hall should focus on making Charlottesville, Virginia less “auto centric.”

“I’ve seen what it can be [in Amsterdam and Copenhagen],” Brian explained. “That’s why I so often advocate for [the walking and biking] elements of life. They really change not just how you’re getting to work, but a lot of your mindset, your quality of life. It even changes your health.”

Episode 1 of “The Brian Wimer Story” is powered by Greenberry’s Coffee at Barracks Road. Greenberry’s has served Charlottesville and Central Virginia for more than 25 years!

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy Journalist Hawes Spencer Discusses His New Book: “Summer Of Hate” And Other Charlottesville, Va Events On The I Love CVille Show and Is Charlottesville, Virginia A Better Place Today Than It Was 30 Years Ago?

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CEO Jerry Miller

Jerry Miller is the CEO of The Miller Organization, The I Love CVille Network, VMV Brands, The Blue Ridge Venture Fund, I Love CVille Real Estate and Charlottesville Business Brokers which are all headquartered in Downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. Jerry is passionate about the #ShopLocal movement and supporting locally-owned businesses. Get to know Jerry at JerryMillerNow.com.