It’s the intersection of three counties. The big bend in the river. Where Route 20 and Route 6 meet. And where history, arts, and the environment all come together to create Scottsville.

“A very cool town with a nice little vibe.” At least that’s how entrepreneur Daisa Pascall describes her adopted home.

Levees have long put an end to regular floods devastating Scottsville. But it is not immune to ravages from a July afternoon micro-burst like the one that recently sent golf-ball-sized hail and torrents of water coursing through the streets. And some shops.

When Pascall’s and her partners’ newly opened store, We Grow, was flooded, she was buoyed by the outpouring of support. “Neighbors came with towels and fans. They helped us move all our stuff – twice! The mayor gave us keys to Victory Hall for temporary storage. It was such an affirming moment that, despite the water damage, we knew Scottsville was the right place for our business. And the right place to call home.”

Flood Waters Recede

The rich soil in the flood plain of the James River made Scottsville ideal for farming and that bend in the river made it the most important port upstream from Richmond. Favorable for ferry service across the river. An ideal stopping-off point for the flat-bottomed batteau boats floating down the canal from Lynchburg to Richmond. Essential for fishing and transportation, there would be no (formerly) Scotts Landing, no Scottsville today without the James River.

Until recently, the James held the town hostage, stunting long-term growth, with its frequent floods. There were 21 devastating floods from the mid-1700s to 1972. The heights of the devastation were Hurricane Agnes at 34 feet and “The Great Fresh of 1771” 10 feet above that. Finally, a dam and impoundment on Mink Creek and levees dedicated in 1990 successfully turned away floodwaters thereafter.

Canal Basin Square, on Main Street, celebrates Scottsville’s love-hate relationship with the James. Certainly, more love now than hate. The outdoor park, with its replica batteau boats, placards, photos, and the Floods of Record monument, recreate the history of the river and canal. The annual James River Batteau Festival brings river life in the 1800’s alive each summer.

The nearby Scottsville Museum elaborates on the stories of the people that make up Scottsville’s history. Much of the downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places. Thomas Jefferson even practiced law in the old county courthouse.

With such a rich history, it might be easy to get stuck in the past. But make no mistake, while Scottsville appreciates from whence it came, the town is squarely focused on where it’s headed.

Incremental Growth: People and Business

After significant population losses from the 1950s through 1990, Scottsville has seen a bit of a boom this century. The population grew nearly 2% from 2000 to 2010 and more than 10% in the most recent decennial census. The 2020 count lists the population at 626.

It’s not only additional households that are helping Scottsville grow. New businesses like outdoor sporting goods company, James River Outdoors, and Pascall’s creative plant and flower store, We Grow, are critical to emanate that cool small-town vibe.

Pascall grew up in Charlottesville and, before redistricting, was bussed to Walton Middle School, not far from Scottsville. “Floating the James has always been my favorite thing.” So, when in 2018 the opportunity arose, she bought a home just over the bridge on the Buckingham side of Scottsville.

Pascall’s business partners, Clark & Kelsey Bechtle, moved from Crozet and bought a house in the Scottsville area two years ago.

Why Scottsville? “It’s our home now,” says Kelsey. “When we started looking at Scottsville, it had everything. It was affordable. We were able to buy a home and four acres. We grow vegetables, have bees and chickens. And now we have a business and are a part of this incredibly tight-knit community.”

“This feeling that we all prosper or fail together is what makes Scottsville special,” echoes Town Councilman Scott Gritsko. “Whatever we can do to collectively support a thriving and growing community while at the same time appeal to visitors and tourists will be the formula for our success and manageable growth.”

Matthew Holt, REALTOR® with 1^st Dominion Realty, Inc – Scottsville, says of the business district, “Many of the downtown buildings are owned outright and have a mixed-use component with apartments above retail or offices. That helped owners navigate through that initial Covid period where many businesses were closed. It has enabled the business district to stay economically viable during those tough times. And now we are bouncing back in a big way.”

Feeding the People

As in any respectable cool town, Scottsville is home to unique restaurants and storefronts owned by locals, a brewery, and nearby wineries. Tavern on the James occupies the corner of Valley Street (Route 20) and Main Street, offering up daily lunch and dinner and attracting locals and tourists alike. Further from the river, shops like Baine’s Books & Coffee, Lumpkin Restaurant (look for the giant rooster), Luv N Oven, Beijing Kitchen, and others serve up a wide array of tasty provisions.

Adjacent to Mink Creek, James River Brewery offers an outdoor beer garden and fire pit, and regular musical performances by which to enjoy the multitude of beers on tap.

Recently sold, Thistle Gate Vineyard in Fluvanna County will soon transition to a new name as new owners Andrea and Rob Nickels become part of the Scottsville food and entertainment scene.

Outdoors is King

No matter where you are in Scottsville, you’re not far from the James and its influence. And that’s the way locals like it. Scottsville attracts a brand of person partial to enjoying what the outdoors has to offer. Like Jeremy and Ginger Allen, owners of James River Outdoors. Specializing in fishing gear and supplies, and other outdoor sports gear, the store has been a boon to Valley Street and the downtown district, as well as local outdoor sports participants who used to shop out of town for their favorite gear and bait.

The town’s Levee Walk is a mile-long elevated walkway that parallels the river and former canal system. It allows everyone to appreciate the close relationship between Scottsville and the James River. It connects both sides of town by passing under Route 20 and is part of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail.

Debi Dotson, REALTOR® with Real Estate III – West, says “Scottsville is awesome. The Levee Walk is one of my favorite things to do. Scottsville has always attracted people because of the river. And it seems to be more and more of a reason to visit and make this area home. Tubing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing. What we have here is special.”

Several outfitters make it easy to enjoy the river without having to own or transport boats, rafts, lifejackets, and all the other paraphernalia necessary for a river outing. Fishing guide services offer angling adventures on the James or nearby lakes.

In town, the 63-acre Van Clief Nature Area boasts its own stocked public fishing lake and dock. Plans are to complete a ring of hiking and nature trails, an emerald necklace, connecting the downtown business district, residential areas, and the Nature Area. Its location in the heart of downtown offers easily accessible green space for recreation and enhances flood control as well.

Besides all that, Scottsville is Virginia’s original Bee City. Spearheaded by Scottsville Supply Company, the efforts to assist the town and highlight pollination issues are assisted by the Scottsville Center for Arts and the Natural Environment (SCAN) as a non-profit facilitator.

Artsy Backdrop

If all Scottsville had to offer were the James River, a vibrant business district, and a small-town feel, it would be a winner. SCAN puts Scottsville on the map as the next best thing.

Created in 2005, “SCAN has had its share of ups and downs,” according to Executive Director Erin Root. Taking the helm three years ago, Root has focused on rebuilding the organization’s foundation of expanding the performing and visual arts while integrating it with the environmental landscape.

“During Covid, we took the opportunity to rebrand, recreate, and reach out. We successfully wrote grants that have increased our income for arts and environmental programming and have hired a new program director.

“Scottsville and the surrounding communities are diverse. Diverse in their income, race, education, and experiences. We want to celebrate, develop, and deepen our community’s knowledge of the arts and their relation to the environment. The challenge is in understanding that these are valuable.”

The upcoming Valley Street Scapes is one of SCAN’s efforts to enhance the community through public art. Starting September 25^th, SCAN will place art into vacant or underutilized storefronts. Not only will the art improve the visual impact on the street, but it will also draw attention in a positive way to opportunities for entrepreneurs and business people to use the available storefronts.

Another initiative integral to Scottsville’s future is SCAN Land, a project to redesign SCAN’s 13 acres into a public park through a Participatory Design process. The Hardware Street property will be a public outdoor space that welcomes diverse populations to learn about the environment, the arts, and the intersection in between. It already includes a budding apiary as part of the Bee City efforts.

While it’s easy to count programs, classes, and numbers of participants, measuring SCAN’s impact in Scottsville is more difficult. Public art boosts economies. As a backdrop to people’s daily lives, public art provides an immeasurable value to the quality of life, a lightening of the mood, a spark in the day. And a certain indescribable charge in that small-town vibe.

Real Estate & Options

This area perched atop the horseshoe bend of the James River has been prime real estate since the Monacan Indians settled there, through the period that Scott’s Landing was Albemarle County’s original county seat, and beyond to today.

Holt says Scottsville is in a good position for growth. “We have a lot of underutilized infrastructure. Our public water supply is only used at 30%. Our underground fiber optics is well under capacity.”

With Charlottesville only 19 miles north, Richmond 68 miles west, and Washington 132 miles north, buyers can custom fit their commute and their kids’ school situation. Proximity to Albemarle, Fluvanna, and Buckingham Counties, in addition to the Scottsville town proper, gives buyers distinct real estate choices.

The old tire factory adjacent to town is one real estate parcel that has held the imaginations of Scottsville residents and leaders for many years. Holt reports, “The upper 19 acres of the property was recently rezoned to a ‘Village’ designation from light industrial. This opens up the opportunity for cluster homes, but it may make it harder for us to get the rest of the property onto the market.”

As with the rest of Central Virginia, the major factor for frustrated buyers is the shortage of homes for sale.

“Just like everywhere else, this is a crazy seller’s market,” says Dotson. “I haven’t seen a market like this in more than 20 years. And if anything does come up, it sells in a second.”

There’s no room to move in a gridlocked market. “I worked with a local client who wanted to sell their million-dollar farm and move to Florida. Because they were unable to find a house in Florida, they took the house off the market here and timber the land instead. It’s frustrating, but this sustained low inventory can’t go on forever. I’m optimistic we’ll see a shift by January.”

Holt agrees. “Once prices for building materials start to drop, we’ll see a flurry of activity and that will loosen up the whole market.”

When that happens, be ready. The queue for buyers in Scottsville attracts value seekers, first-time homebuyers, retirees, people who grew up here and want to move back, people who love the outdoors and the river.

And bootstrapping entrepreneurs like Pascall and the Bechtles with a vision for their future and the town’s.

Gritsko thinks the future belongs to places like Scottsville. And Covid is supporting his claim. “A big part of the future of this country is small towns. Why not live where you can be part of building a small community?”

And they don’t come much better than Scottsville, with its nice little artsy vibe.

This appeared in the September 15, 2021 issue of the Charlottesville Area Assocation of REALTORS Real Estate Weekly.