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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Planning Commission Regular Meeting - August 7, 2018

Planning Commission — Tuesday, August 7, 2018

BodyBlacksburg, Virginia

SessionPlanning Commission

DateTuesday, August 7, 2018

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:51:22

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

1:03

Planning commission meeting to order.

1:05

We meet first Tuesday of each month here at Blacksburg Town Hall.

1:10

Start with the roll call.

1:12

Mr.

1:12

Langreer.

1:13

Present.

1:13

Ms.

1:14

Money Hun?

1:14

Here.

1:15

Mr.

1:15

Cassell.

1:16

Present.

1:16

Mr.

1:16

Sutton?

1:17

Mr.

1:18

Collie?

1:19

Mr.

1:19

Davis?

1:20

Mr.

1:20

Jones is absent.

1:21

I'm Mel Jones.

1:22

I'm here.

1:23

We have Quamp.

1:24

Okay.

1:25

First item on the agenda is the consent agenda.

1:27

And bear with me as I go through some of these items.

1:30

Uh the on the cons first item on the consent agenda is a variance request for a subdivision ordinance to request a reduction in roadway width in the RR1 zoning district from the Kinlock subdivision at 2600 North Main Street.

1:47

And that'll be heard on September 4th, 2018.

1:52

The second item is a request to rezone 3.818 acres from planned residential with conditions.

2:00

Uh an RM27 low density residential to planned residential with recommended conditions in the 500 block of Warren Street and the 600 block of Green Street.

2:12

And that also will be heard on September 4th.

2:16

The third item is a request to vacate approximately 0.327 acres on Warren Street.

2:24

It's related to the previous agenda item.

2:26

That's also scheduled September 4th.

2:29

The fourth item is a request to rezone 21.14 acres of land from the R4 low density residential zoning district to the planned residential and downtown commercial uh district.

2:42

That uh item refers to the midtown proposal that would be located on the old Blacksburg Middle School property.

2:49

That public hearing scheduled for September 4th.

2:53

The next item, the fifth item, is a request to rezon approximately 1.49 acres from the R5 residential district on South on the 500 uh block of South Main Street.

3:06

That item has been postponed and it will be rescheduled.

3:10

Um it's postponed from today.

3:13

It'll be rescheduled for September 4th.

3:16

Uh and related to that is another conditional use permit for office on the ground floor in the downtown commercial district at 500 510 South Main Street.

3:26

That again was supposed to be heard today.

3:28

It's going to be rescheduled for September 4th.

3:32

Uh then the last item is a uh or next to the last item is request resoned 1.7 acres of four 402 Clay Street from R5 Transitional Residential Zoning.

3:45

Um this is going to be rescheduled.

3:49

We don't have another date for that.

3:51

Okay, so we're rescheduling uh that public hearing.

3:55

Okay, those are I guess uh seven items.

3:59

Then we have uh another item, an appeal to a planning commission to determine the applicability of universal design features for new construction of accessory apartments not located in a basement, and that's on the consent agenda, and that uh would be an approval of direction uh given to planning staff.

4:21

Okay.

4:22

So we have about eight items on the agenda, and I'd like to get a motion for them.

4:27

I'd like to request that we remove item H um from the consent agenda and vote on it separately.

4:33

Okay, we have a motion.

4:35

Second, okay, so we have a motion and a second to separate item H and new line.

4:41

We didn't we didn't need a motion to do that.

4:43

You just need a motion to approve the consent agenda as amended.

4:46

As amended, yeah, you don't need a motion to remove it.

4:49

Oh, okay.

4:50

All right, so as amended.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Urban Planning█████████████████████████████29%

Zoning Ordinance███████████████████████23%

Traffic Management██████████████14%

Public Transportation██████6%

Transportation Safety█████5%

Disability Rights████4%

Technology and Innovation████4%

Public Engagement████4%

Affordable Housing███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Planning Commission Meeting - August 7, 2018

The Blacksburg Planning Commission held a work session at 6:00 p.m. followed by a regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. on August 7, 2018, in the Blacksburg Municipal Building. The Commission discussed several rezoning requests, a conditional use permit, a right-of-way vacation, and an appeal regarding accessory apartment design standards. Key actions included approvals for the Terrace View redevelopment, a communications tower at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (VTCRC), and a controversial rezoning at 1435 Toms Creek Road.

Consent Calendar

STP17-0020, RZN17-0003, ROW17-0001, RZN17-0006, RZN18-0007, CUP18-0005-0009, RZN18-0004: All items were approved to schedule public hearings or cancel/reschedule as noted, with the exception of Item H (see below). Motion passed 7-0.
Item H - Appeal on accessory apartments at 1402 Honeysuckle Drive: Removed from consent agenda for separate consideration. After initial motion to approve staff direction failed 3-4, the Commission later under Unfinished Business approved the appeal (staff memo) by a 4-3 vote, directing staff to treat above-garage apartments with the same universal design requirements as basement apartments.

Public Comments & Testimony

Kim Snyder (Habitat for Humanity): Expressed support for the Terrace View rezoning due to a partnership with Reliant Group to recycle materials from demolition, donating them to Habitat's ReStore to fund affordable housing.
Stonegate Drive residents and others: Multiple residents expressed concerns about traffic congestion on Toms Creek Road, overflow parking, construction noise, and inadequate notice of the Terrace View proposal. They questioned the traffic study's accuracy and urged the Commission to delay approval until impacts are fully assessed.
Nikki Martin (Village of Blacksburg): Raised concerns about overflow parking and construction noise from the Terrace View development.
Diane Agud (Sunridge Drive): Stated that Virginia Tech should increase on-campus dormitories rather than relying on the town to house students, and noted overcrowding on Blacksburg Transit buses.
Gordon Engelbrecht (404 Ridgeview Drive): During Citizen Comment, he discussed dangerous pedestrian and traffic conditions on Clay Street due to cut-through traffic and a proposed Montgomery County multifamily development, urging collaboration between town and county.
Steve Semones (agent for Honeysuckle Drive property owners): Urged the Commission to support the accessory apartment appeal to allow his client to build a garage apartment for a mother-in-law without full ADA requirements.

Discussion Items

CUP18-0004 – Broadcasting/Communications Tower at 1770 Forecast Drive: Staff presented a request for a 71-foot telescoping tower and two dish antennas for atmospheric research by Virginia Tech's Hume Center. Exceptions were requested for height (11 ft over max), non-monopole design, and a Type D buffer yard waiver. No public comment. The Commission approved the exceptions and the conditional use permit with staff conditions (6-0-1, Jones abstained).
RZN18-0005 – Terrace View Rezoning (13.42 acres): Staff detailed the proposal to rezone from RM-48 to PR Planned Residential for a 505-unit (1,530-bedroom) development with structured parking, commercial space, and pedestrian improvements. Applicant Steve Semones highlighted design innovations and traffic improvements. Public comment raised concerns about traffic, parking, and bus overcrowding. The Commission voted 7-0 to recommend approval to Town Council, citing the project's density near campus and structured parking.
ROW18-0001 – Snyder Lane Right-of-Way Vacation (5,617 sq ft): Companion to Terrace View rezoning. Staff and applicant explained realignment for improved access and a new traffic circle. No public comment. Approved 7-0.
RZN18-0006 – 1435 Toms Creek Road Rezoning (3 acres): Staff presented a proposal for a 53-unit (204-bedroom) building with surface parking and a special exception for parking in front of the building line. Outstanding issues included stormwater plan approval and VDOT comments on a center turn lane. Applicant Kirk Johnson noted site challenges and willingness to address issues. Public comment opposed due to incomplete reviews. After approving the parking exception 6-1, the Commission voted 4-3 to recommend approval to Town Council, with conditions that outstanding issues be resolved before council action. Dissenters cited lack of bus access and incomplete staff review.
RZN18-0007 and CUP18-0005-0009 (500 block South Main Street): Public hearings cancelled and rescheduled for September 4, 2018.

Key Outcomes

Approvals forwarded to Town Council: Terrace View rezoning (RZN18-0005, 7-0), Snyder Lane right-of-way vacation (ROW18-0001, 7-0), and 1435 Toms Creek Road rezoning (RZN18-0006, 4-3).
Conditional Use Permit approved: CUP18-0004 for broadcasting tower (6-0-1).
Appeal on accessory apartments resolved: The Commission approved the appeal at 1402 Honeysuckle Drive (4-3), directing staff to apply the same universal design standards as for basement apartments to above-garage apartments, pending future ordinance revisions.
Consent Agenda items: All routine scheduling actions approved, including cancellation of two public hearings for 500 South Main Street.
Future meetings: Work session August 21, 2018; next regular meeting September 4, 2018.

Meeting Transcript

Planning commission meeting to order. We meet first Tuesday of each month here at Blacksburg Town Hall. Start with the roll call. Mr. Langreer. Present. Ms. Money Hun? Here. Mr. Cassell. Present. Mr. Sutton? Mr. Collie? Mr. Davis? Mr. Jones is absent. I'm Mel Jones. I'm here. We have Quamp. Okay. First item on the agenda is the consent agenda. And bear with me as I go through some of these items. Uh the on the cons first item on the consent agenda is a variance request for a subdivision ordinance to request a reduction in roadway width in the RR1 zoning district from the Kinlock subdivision at 2600 North Main Street. And that'll be heard on September 4th, 2018. The second item is a request to rezone 3.818 acres from planned residential with conditions. Uh an RM27 low density residential to planned residential with recommended conditions in the 500 block of Warren Street and the 600 block of Green Street. And that also will be heard on September 4th. The third item is a request to vacate approximately 0.327 acres on Warren Street. It's related to the previous agenda item. That's also scheduled September 4th. The fourth item is a request to rezone 21.14 acres of land from the R4 low density residential zoning district to the planned residential and downtown commercial uh district. That uh item refers to the midtown proposal that would be located on the old Blacksburg Middle School property. That public hearing scheduled for September 4th. The next item, the fifth item, is a request to rezon approximately 1.49 acres from the R5 residential district on South on the 500 uh block of South Main Street. That item has been postponed and it will be rescheduled. Um it's postponed from today. It'll be rescheduled for September 4th. Uh and related to that is another conditional use permit for office on the ground floor in the downtown commercial district at 500 510 South Main Street. That again was supposed to be heard today. It's going to be rescheduled for September 4th. Uh then the last item is a uh or next to the last item is request resoned 1.7 acres of four 402 Clay Street from R5 Transitional Residential Zoning. Um this is going to be rescheduled. We don't have another date for that. Okay, so we're rescheduling uh that public hearing. Okay, those are I guess uh seven items. Then we have uh another item, an appeal to a planning commission to determine the applicability of universal design features for new construction of accessory apartments not located in a basement, and that's on the consent agenda, and that uh would be an approval of direction uh given to planning staff.

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