Blacksburg Planning Commission Meeting – April 2, 2019
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Blacksburg Planning Commission Meeting – April 2, 2019
The Blacksburg Planning Commission held a regular meeting on April 2, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The meeting included a public hearing for a conditional use permit (CUP) for a financial institution with a drive-through, approval of consent agenda items, and updates on future hearings. A work session preceded the meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the Planning Commission minutes from March 5 and March 19, 2019.
- Scheduled a public hearing for May 7, 2019, for a rezoning request (RZN19-0001) to rezone 5.55 acres at 1000 block of North Main Street for mixed-use student housing and commercial development.
- Cancelled the public hearing originally set for April 2, 2019, for a rezoning request (RZN18-0006) at 1435 Toms Creek Road and rescheduled it for May 7, 2019.
Public Hearings
CUP19-0001: Financial Institution with Drive-Through at 2701 Prices Fork Road
- Staff Presentation (Maeve Gould): The application seeks a Conditional Use Permit for a Freedom First Credit Union with a drive-through (one teller-assisted window, two interactive teller machines (ITMs), and a bypass lane) in the PR Planned Residential zoning district. The site currently has a vacant gas station and car wash. Key issues included landscaping conflicts: seven required street trees and shrubs were shown in a sanitary sewer easement and public right-of-way where they are not permitted. The applicant requested a modification to reduce the perimeter planting bed width from 10 feet to 7.2 feet. Staff noted that a modification to the street tree standard would also be needed. Of 13 proposed parking spaces, seven are in front of the building line, which is not typical for commercial development in this district. The closest residential use (Fox Ridge apartments) is about 400 feet away. The proposed operating hours are Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m.–1 p.m.; ITM hours are not specified. The town’s traffic engineer found the trip analysis accurate and noted a decrease in traffic compared to the existing use. No citizens attended the February 28 neighborhood meeting.
- Applicant Presentation (Keith Boyd, Hurt & Proffitt): Stated Freedom First is committed to a first-class facility that will improve the site. Responded to a commissioner’s question about grading issues at the entrance shared with Heathwood Square, indicating they will regrade as needed. Agreed to work on a revised conceptual layout to address landscaping concerns before the Town Council hearing.
- Public Comment: None.
- Commission Discussion and Motions: The commission first voted on modifications to landscaping standards. They approved (by voice vote) two modifications: (1) a reduction in the perimeter planting bed width to less than 10 feet under zoning ordinance Section 5427(f), and (2) a modification to the street tree requirement under Section 5428, as the required seven street trees cannot be placed in the sanitary sewer easement or right-of-way. The commission emphasized that an alternative vegetative buffer along Prices Fork Road must be shown on a revised conceptual plan. Following that, the commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the CUP with two conditions: (1) development in substantial conformance with the February 1, 2019, application and the revised conceptual site layout dated January 31, 2019 (date-stamped March 26, 2019), except for street trees shown in the right-of-way and shrubs in the sanitary sewer easement; and (2) the owner shall install and maintain all landscaping shown on a modified conceptual plan to provide a non-compliant vegetative buffer along Prices Fork Road.
Citizen Comment
- No members of the public addressed the commission.
Unfinished Business
- Zoning Ordinance Review Committee: Announced a meeting on Monday, April 15, 2019, at 5:30 p.m. at Blacksburg Motor Company to discuss an amendment to the downtown commercial district board.
- Historic or Design Review Board: No report.
- Montgomery County Planning Commission: No report (commissioner attended only the first meeting).
- Additional Items: None.
New Business
- Chair’s Report: None.
- Planning Director’s Report: None.
- Town Council Report: No report (liaison absent).
Key Outcomes
- Consent Items: All three consent agenda items approved (minutes, scheduling, cancellation/rescheduling).
- CUP19-0001: Approval of modifications to landscaping standards (voice vote); recommendation to Town Council for approval of the Conditional Use Permit with two conditions (unanimous vote). The second public hearing (RZN18-0006) was cancelled and rescheduled to May 7, 2019.
- Future Meetings: Planning Commission Annual Training on April 11, 2019, Work Session on April 16, 2019, and next regular meeting on May 7, 2019.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to the regular meeting of the Blacksburg Planning Commission. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month, and typically they start at 7 30. We're starting a little late today due to a work session that we just finished up. They're held here in the Hedge Pass chambers of the Blacksburg Municipal Building, 300 South Main Street in Blacksburg, Virginia. 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. Please direct your comments only to the commission, and please limit your speaking time to a maximum of three minutes. Speak only once during a specific hearing or comment period. Please silence all cell phones. Show respect for all speakers, and allow all opinions to be expressed in the toller and atmosphere. With that, we'll call this meeting to order. Can we have a roll call, please? Mr. Colling? Here. Mr. Davis. Here. Mr. Jones. Here. Ms. Jones. Absolutely. Mr. Gasall. Present. Mr. Langer's absent. Greg Money Hun here. And Mr. Sutman is absent, but we do just barely have. With that, we'll move on to the consent agenda, which is the approval of the Planning Commission minutes for March 5th and March 19th. Also a request to a zone 5.55 acres in the R5 transitional residential and general commercial zoning districts to planned residential zoning district at the 1000 block of North Main Street for the development of a mixed use multifamily student housing and commercial development by John Neal of Gay and Neal, the applicant and landmark properties. And the actions to schedule the public hearing for May 7th. We also have the rezoning 18006, 18 ordinance 1868, a request to rezone three acres to vacant land from the RM48 medium density multi-unit residential zoning district to planned residential zoning district at 1435 Toms Creek Road for the development of a multifamily student housing development by Kirk Johnston and Thomas Frith. The action on that will be to cancel the public hearing for tonight, April 2nd, and reschedule for May 7th. Let me move approval of the consent agenda. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Moving on to the public hearing. We have one public hearing tonight for a conditional use permit 1900 one, a request for a conditional use permit for a financial institution with a drive-thru in the planned residential zoning district at 2701 Prices Fork Road by Keith Boyd of Hurt and Profit on behalf of Freedom First Credit Union and the Lester Development Court. We have a staff presentation. This request is for a financial institution with a drive-thru in the Heathwood Plan Residential District. The applicant is Heath Boyd of Hurt and Profit on behalf of Freedom First Credit Union, and the owner is Leicester Group Development Corporation. The tax map number and parcel ID includes two parcels, one that fronts on Price's Fork Road and one that runs on Heathwood Boulevard. The CUP would only apply to the 0.76 acre parcel at 2701 Prices Fork Road.
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