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Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Planning Commission Meeting - March 19, 2019: Rezoning of Old Blacksburg Middle School Property

Planning Commission — Tuesday, March 19, 2019
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionPlanning Commission
DateTuesday, March 19, 2019
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:12

Welcome to the rural meeting of the Planning Commission.

0:16

This is actually a bit of an irregular meeting because our regular meetings are typically held here in this room in the Blacksburg Municipal Building, the Hedge Path Chambers on the first Tuesday of each month.

0:30

But today we're holding a public hearing on the third Tuesday.

0:36

Citizens may address the Planning Commission during specified times on the agenda and are requested to adhere to the following.

0:42

Please speak at the podium.

0:45

State your name and address.

0:47

Direct comments only to the commission.

0:49

Please limit speaking time to a maximum of three minutes.

0:53

And speak only once during a specific hearing or comment period.

0:57

Please silence cell phones, show respect for all speakers, and allow all opinions to be expressed in the tolerant atmosphere.

1:10

I'd just like to explain that on March 5th, two weeks ago, we heard the staff presentation for for this for the public hearing that we'll have tonight.

1:29

We'll open public comment back up and then we'll have a brief setup update, then we'll open public comment back up, and then we'll open up for an applicant report if they so choose, and then we'll have a motion discussion and action.

1:47

So with that, I'll call the meeting to order.

1:49

Do we have a roll call?

1:51

Mr.

1:51

Collie.

1:52

Here.

1:53

Mr.

1:53

Davis?

1:55

Mr.

1:55

Jones?

1:56

Here.

1:57

Ms.

1:57

Jones?

1:58

Here.

1:58

Mr.

1:58

Cassov?

1:59

Present.

2:00

Mr.

2:00

Langreyer?

2:01

Present.

2:02

Ms.

2:02

Money Hun.

2:03

Present.

2:04

And Mr.

2:04

Sutton?

2:05

Yeah.

2:06

We have four.

2:07

Great.

2:09

Tonight's meeting we uh we have no consent agenda to address.

2:14

So we'll drop right into the public hearing, which is continued, as I mentioned, uh, from March 5th.

2:20

This is rezoning 17006.

2:23

So request to rezone 21.13 acres of vacant land from our Ford or residential uh density residential zoning district to 10.59 acres rezoned to downtown commercial zoning district and 10.54 acres to be rezoned to PR planned residential zoning district for the land that comprises the old Blacksburg Middle School property at 501 South Main Street.

2:53

And we'll have a brief step update.

2:56

I just have a few comments for you, just a few reminders.

2:59

Um you are looking at the revised proffer statement that's dated March 12th.

3:04

We also included for you last Friday a state memo March 15th, which outlined the minor changes that were in this proffer statement.

3:12

Uh proffer number 12 was revised to clarify PR plan residential parcel combinations.

3:18

That wording mirrors what was done with the downtown commercial parcels.

3:22

Exhibit B was revised to clarify the width of the main street sidewalk at 10 feet, and the applicant revised uh page 32 in the application.

3:31

We have density calculated both in bedrooms and units, and the applicant has added it'll be whichever is less.

3:38

So you have the offer statement, which is 16 proffers with exhibits.

3:42

Most of those exhibits A through J are those cut sheets from the pattern book that talk about what happens on each of the parcels and street frontages.

3:50

Exhibit K is an explanation of the relationship of the proffers to the issues, and then in exhibit L is just the ownership interests in the parcels.

3:59

So for this evening, I just was going to say I have some graphics.

4:02

Should any members of the public want to use them or the applicant want them?

4:05

We have the aerial, we have this kind of an outline that shows the zoning line between downtown commercial planned residential and the parcels, and then this which is kind of a broader look at the whole development.

4:16

So if those are of any benefit, all someone has to do is ask, and we'd be happy to pull those up for them.

4:21

And that concludes my remarks.

4:25

Any questions for Anne?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Urban Planning█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Procedural█████████████13%
Zoning Ordinance███████████11%
Arts And Culture█████5%
Stormwater Management█████5%
Traffic Management████4%
Sustainable Development████4%
Housing███3%
Transportation Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Planning Commission Special Meeting

March 19, 2019, 7:30 p.m. | Blacksburg Municipal Building

The Planning Commission held a continued public hearing (from March 5, 2019) on a rezoning application (RZN17-0006) for the 21.13-acre Old Blacksburg Middle School property at 501 South Main Street. The proposal seeks to rezone the site from R-4 Low Density Residential to Downtown Commercial (DC, 10.59 acres) and Planned Residential (PR, 10.54 acres) for mixed-use development. After hearing staff updates, public testimony, and applicant rebuttal, the Commission voted 5-3 to recommend approval to Town Council.

Consent Calendar

  • None.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Donna Dunay (302 Washington St) expressed fundamental concerns: the proposal gives developers too much flexibility, lacks control over multifamily housing (75% allowance), fails to guarantee signature mixed-use buildings on Main Street, and disregards the adjacent Historic District. She urged more specific design commitments.
  • Mark Bennet (803 Gracelyn Ct) noted the property has been vacant for 18 years and urged the Commission to approve the plan and move forward.
  • Chris Belluzzo (business owner on South Main St) stated he was previously an opponent but now strongly supports the revised rezoning application.
  • Javad Torabinejad (1600 Winslow Dr) voiced concern about the transportation grid system and questioned the Commission voting without seeing the development agreement being negotiated.
  • Sophia Midkiff highlighted the lack of affordable space for nonprofit organizations in Blacksburg (citing the Children's Museum, YMCA art space, Indian culture center, and Chinese school) and asked the Commission to work with the developer to reserve 3–4 acres for a community art and culture center.
  • Bri Wills (212 Prospect St) expressed concern about existing traffic congestion on South Main Street and questioned the impact of the proposed density.

Discussion Items

Staff Update: Planning Director Anne McClung reviewed a March 15, 2019 staff memorandum and the revised proffer statement (dated March 12, 2019). Changes included: clarification of PR parcel combinations (Proffer 12), widening of the Main Street sidewalk to 10 feet (Exhibit B), and density calculation in both bedrooms and units (whichever is less). The 16 proffers include exhibits A–J (pattern book cut sheets), K (proffer-issue relationship), and L (ownership interests).

Applicant Rebuttal: Attorney Jeff Geiger thanked staff and the Commission for their time. He announced that the applicant agreed to remove synthetic stone as a building material from the DC portion of the site. He encouraged a recommendation of approval.

Commission Deliberation:

  • Motion: Commissioner Sutphin moved to recommend approval; seconded by Commissioner M. Jones.
  • M. Jones supported the variety of housing and commercial expansion, noting the flexibility in the pattern book is essential for such a large phased development. She expressed faith in Town Council and the development agreement.
  • Moneyhun voiced concerns: the Clay Street parcel (PRD parcel 2) is too close to the Historic District; the adjacent park appears to serve as a private amenity rather than a public space; no specific remedy to housing affordability; no elevations for Main Street buildings; the building height measured from internal curb rather than Main Street; and concerns about self-certification for sustainability (Proffer 7) undermining third-party verification. She also noted the lack of a commitment to sustainable design for the DC parcels.
  • Davis stated he would not support the rezoning because of insufficient detail, especially for DC parcels 1, 2, and 4. He suggested a proffer requiring separate development reviews for each parcel in the DC area.
  • Sutphin cited multiple work sessions and supported the project for its expansion of commercial, housing, and civic opportunities.
  • Colley expressed excitement but was concerned about ambiguity on Main Street parcels, the lack of specific design commitments compared to the previous application, and the absence of a sustainability commitment for DC parcels.
  • J.B. Jones supported the rezoning, stating it is a good project that requires trust in the developer.
  • Langrehr expressed concern that transportation planning (grid system) and the indicated roadway cannot handle the proposed density. He wanted sustainability included for DC portions but acknowledged the developers had done a decent job adhering to town goals.
  • Kassoff remarked that the town is at a crossroads with out-of-scale development demands. He believed the goals from town planning studies are respected and that flexibility is necessary because the market cannot provide excessive detail for a 10-year build-out. He noted the property has been vacant for 18 years. He supported approval.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote on RZN17-0006 (Ordinance #1866): The motion to recommend approval to Town Council passed 5-3. Voting yes: Jones (Mr.), Jones (Ms.), Kassoff, Langrehr, Sutphin. Voting no: Colley, Davis, Moneyhun.
  • Other Decisions: None; the rezoning referral will now go to Town Council.
  • Town Council Report: Commissioner Sutphin updated that Town Council’s March 19 work session included the Town Manager’s announcement of the town’s pending purchase of two-thirds of the Old Blacksburg High School property on Patrick Henry Drive for $2 million (land) plus $1.3 million toward demolition and infrastructure.
  • Upcoming Meetings: Planning Commission regular meeting April 2, 2019; Annual Training April 11, 2019; Work Session April 16, 2019.

Unfinished Business

  • Zoning Ordinance Review Committee: Commissioner Moneyhun noted upcoming meetings.
  • Historic or Design Review Board: No report.
  • Montgomery County Planning Commission: Commissioner Colley provided an update on recent items.
  • Additional Items: None.

New Business

  • Planning Director Report: Reminder of the New River Regional Commission Training event in April.
  • Chair’s Report: None.
  • Town Council Report: (See Key Outcomes above.)

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the rural meeting of the Planning Commission. This is actually a bit of an irregular meeting because our regular meetings are typically held here in this room in the Blacksburg Municipal Building, the Hedge Path Chambers on the first Tuesday of each month. But today we're holding a public hearing on the third Tuesday. Citizens may 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. Please limit speaking time to a maximum of three minutes. And speak only once during a specific hearing or comment period. Please silence cell phones, show respect for all speakers, and allow all opinions to be expressed in the tolerant atmosphere. I'd just like to explain that on March 5th, two weeks ago, we heard the staff presentation for for this for the public hearing that we'll have tonight. We'll open public comment back up and then we'll have a brief setup update, then we'll open public comment back up, and then we'll open up for an applicant report if they so choose, and then we'll have a motion discussion and action. So with that, I'll call the meeting to order. Do we have a roll call? Mr. Collie. Here. Mr. Davis? Mr. Jones? Here. Ms. Jones? Here. Mr. Cassov? Present. Mr. Langreyer? Present. Ms. Money Hun. Present. And Mr. Sutton? Yeah. We have four. Great. Tonight's meeting we uh we have no consent agenda to address. So we'll drop right into the public hearing, which is continued, as I mentioned, uh, from March 5th. This is rezoning 17006. So request to rezone 21.13 acres of vacant land from our Ford or residential uh density residential zoning district to 10.59 acres rezoned to downtown commercial zoning district and 10.54 acres to be rezoned to PR planned residential zoning district for the land that comprises the old Blacksburg Middle School property at 501 South Main Street. And we'll have a brief step update. I just have a few comments for you, just a few reminders. Um you are looking at the revised proffer statement that's dated March 12th. We also included for you last Friday a state memo March 15th, which outlined the minor changes that were in this proffer statement. Uh proffer number 12 was revised to clarify PR plan residential parcel combinations. That wording mirrors what was done with the downtown commercial parcels. Exhibit B was revised to clarify the width of the main street sidewalk at 10 feet, and the applicant revised uh page 32 in the application.

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