Blacksburg Planning Commission Meeting - February 5, 2019
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Blacksburg Planning Commission Meeting - February 5, 2019
The Blacksburg Planning Commission held a brief regular meeting on February 5, 2019 at 7:30 PM in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The consent agenda was approved unanimously, a citizen spoke in favor of preserving a historic property, and the commission received reports on Montgomery County planning items and upcoming Town Council hearings.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Planning Commission minutes from January 3, 2019.
- Zoning Ordinance Amendment #41 (Ordinance No. 1888) to allow keeping of urban chickens in certain residential areas as a pilot program in the Bennett-Hill/Progress Street neighborhood. Scheduled for a public hearing on March 5, 2019.
- Rezoning request RZN17-0006 to rezone 21.13 acres of the former Blacksburg Middle School property (501 South Main Street) from R-4 Low Density Residential to 10.59 acres DC Downtown Commercial and 10.54 acres PR Planned Residential. Scheduled for a public hearing on March 5, 2019.
Public Comments & Testimony
- James Arderbright, a long-time area resident, spoke in favor of preserving the Reynolds House on Patrick Henry Drive. He proposed that the site be redeveloped with townhouses and a handicap-accessible structure (for college students or townspeople) while maintaining the historic farmhouse. He urged the commission to consider protecting the property.
Discussion Items
- Montgomery County Planning Commission Report (Commissioner TB):
- MM Garage Rezoning: Rezoning of 1.5 acres from agricultural to community business for vehicle repair (no gas sales), with limited entrance/exit. Approved 8-0.
- Walnut Springs Subdivision: A proposed development of 341 units (84 apartments, 126 townhouses, 22 duplexes, 109 single-family homes) on 155 acres of the Hogue Farm, estimated to house over 700 people. The plan includes widening of Prices Fork Road. Concerns were raised about the development's size and traffic impacts. Voting was postponed to the next month.
- Town Council Report: Upcoming public hearings on February 12, 2019 at 7:30 PM in the same chambers for One Street and 1222 Patrick Henry Street.
Key Outcomes
- The consent agenda was approved unanimously by voice vote.
- Both the urban chicken ordinance and the Middle School rezoning were scheduled for a public hearing on March 5, 2019.
- The Montgomery County Planning Commission postponed a vote on the Walnut Springs subdivision pending further review.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to what might be the shortest meeting in the history of regular meetings of the Blacksburg Planning Commission. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month here at the H at 7:30 at the Hedge Path Chambers of the Blacksburg Municipal Building. Citizens can address the Planning Commission during specified times on the agenda and are requested to adhere to the following. Please speak at the podium, state your name and address, direct comments only to the commission, and please limit your speaking time to a maximum of three minutes. And please speak only once during a specified hearing or comment period. And with that, we'll call the meeting to order. Can we have a roll call, please? Mr. Davis? Here. Mr. Cashall? Here. Mr. Langrier. Present. Ms. Jones? Yeah. Mr. Jones? Yeah. Mr. Collie? Yep. Rick Money Hunt. I'm here. Mr. Stephen? Here. We have forum. Great. Well, our first order of business is the consent agenda, which would include the approval of the Blacksburg Planning Commission minutes from January 3rd, 2019. Also on the consent agenda is a zoning ordinance amendment number 41, ordinance number 1888, an ordinance to allow for the keeping of urban chickens in a certain residential uh certain residential areas. And that's a pilot program in the Bennett Hill Progress Street neighborhood. Also on the consent agenda is rezoning request 17006, a request to rezone 23 or 21.13 acres of vacant land from the R4 logo density residential zoning district to 10.59 acres rezoned to the downtown commercial zoning district and 10.54 acres to be rezoned as planned residential zoning district for the land that comprises the old Blacksburg Middle School property at 501 South Main Street. And with that, do we have a motion? Move approved. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Tonight we have no public hearings, and that leaves us at the moment in our agenda where we have citizen comment. During this period, uh anyone from the public can address the planning commission on any issue that they so choose. Yes, please. State your name and address. Yes, sir. My name is James Arderbright, and my family has lived here since before the town existed. We actually can safely say our families always talked about being there when the Indians attack the English up here. Tonight I'm bringing a little piece of history to your attention that really needs to be protected, and that is the Reynolds House out on Patrick Henry Drive. The old farmhouse that sits there beside the rescue squad.
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