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Record of Proceedings

Planning Commission Recommends 6-2 Approval of 204-Bedroom Student Housing on Toms Creek Road, May 7, 2019

Planning Commission — Tuesday, May 7, 2019
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionPlanning Commission
DateTuesday, May 7, 2019
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:30

Welcome to the regular meeting of the Blacksburg Planning Commission.

0:35

This is May 7, 2019.

0:37

And we hold our regular meetings here on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 at the Roger Hedge Path Chambers of the Blacksburg Municipal Building on 300 South Main Street.

0:50

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

0:58

Please speak at the podium.

1:00

Please state your name and address.

1:06

Please limit speaking time to a maximum of three minutes.

1:10

We'll be aided by a timer on the podium.

1:13

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

1:20

Please silence your cell phones.

1:23

We show show respect for all speakers.

1:26

And they're all all opinions to be expressed in the tolerant atmosphere.

1:30

With that, we'll call this meeting to order.

1:33

And could we have a roll call, please?

1:35

Mr.

1:35

Cowley?

1:36

Here.

1:37

Mr.

1:37

Davis?

1:38

Here.

1:38

Mr.

1:39

Jones?

1:39

Here.

1:40

Ms.

1:40

Jones.

1:42

Mr.

1:42

Cassot.

1:43

Present.

1:44

Mr.

1:44

Langrayer?

1:45

Present.

1:46

Ms.

1:46

Munning Hunt is here.

1:47

Mr.

1:47

Sutton?

1:48

Here.

1:49

We have form.

1:51

Great.

1:52

So tonight's consent agenda is comprised of approval of the Blacksburg Planning Commission minutes from April 2nd.

2:01

A uh the comprehensive plan review pursuant to Virginia Code 15-2232, a proposed connection of Graves Avenue within the town of Blacksburg to serve a proposed subdivision in McCumney County.

2:18

And then also rezoning 1900 one.

2:23

Request to resone 5.5 acres in the R5 Transitional Residential and General Commercial Zoning Districts to Planned Residential Zoning on North Main Street and Montgomery Street and Bros Drive for the development of a mixed-use student-oriented multifamily and commercial development.

2:45

And that'll be presented by John Neal of Gay O'Neill for the applicant, landmark properties, the contract purchaser.

2:54

The action on the consent agenda is to cancel the public hearing for tonight, May 7th, and to reschedule the public hearing for June 4th, 2019, first Tuesday in June.

3:11

Second.

3:13

All those in favor?

3:15

All right.

3:17

Great.

3:18

Moving on to our public hearing, as noted previously, the public hearing for rezoning 19001 1892 on North Main Street will be heard on June 4th.

3:35

And tonight we'll address the first public hearing, which is rezoning 18006 ordinance 1868.

3:46

A request to rezone three acres of vacant land from the RM48 medium density multi-unit residential zoning district to the planned residential zoning district.

4:20

And we should have a staff presentation.

4:22

Yes, thank you.

5:03

The Planning Commission public hearing at that point was scheduled for November 6, 2018.

5:09

However, the applicant submitted an email request to cancel the public hearing on October 11, 2018.

5:15

On March 1st, 2019, we received the resubmitted application from the from the applicant after the August 2018 submittal.

5:27

It remains the same.

5:28

The applicant did submit a highlighted version that shows the changes from the original submittal to what we have today.

5:35

So this is why we are hearing it today after all of the those pieces in the in the past year.

5:44

The applicant is Greystone Company's LLC.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Urban Planning███████████████████████████████████35%
Zoning Ordinance█████████████13%
Procedural███████████11%
Transportation Safety████████8%
Affordable Housing████████8%
Traffic Management█████5%
Historic Preservation█████5%
Parking████4%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Planning Commission Recommends Approval of 204-Bedroom Student Housing on Toms Creek Road, May 7, 2019

The Blacksburg Planning Commission held its regular meeting on May 7, 2019 at 7:30 PM in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. Commissioners voted 6-2 to recommend approval of a rezoning for a 204-bedroom student housing development at 1435 Toms Creek Road, and rescheduled another rezoning request for June 4. The meeting also included updates on other planning matters and a town council report.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the April 2, 2019 planning commission minutes.
  • Scheduled a public hearing for June 4, 2019 on the Comprehensive Plan review of a proposed connection of Graves Avenue to serve a subdivision in Montgomery County.
  • Cancelled the public hearing for RZN19-0001 (Ordinance #1892) - a request to rezone 5.55 acres on North Main Street for a mixed-use student-oriented development - and rescheduled it for June 4, 2019. All items passed 7-0.

Public Hearing: RZN18-0006 - 1435 Toms Creek Road Rezoning

Staff Presentation

Kinsey O'Shea presented the proposal: a request to rezone 3.0 acres from RM-48 (Medium Density Multi-Unit Residential) to PR (Planned Residential) for a single multi-family building with up to 204 bedrooms (53 units, 4-5 stories). The site is vacant at the intersection of Toms Creek Road and the US 460 bypass westbound on-ramp. The application includes 184 surface parking spaces (0.88 per bedroom), a request for a special exception to allow parking in front of the building line (79 spaces), a 6-foot-wide trail (town standard is 10 feet), and design features. Concerns were noted about open space fragmentation, building massing, and lack of specific recreation programming. The applicant proffered no vinyl siding and road improvements including left-turn lanes and pedestrian refuge islands.

Applicant Presentation

Kirk Johnson and Shivon Dosky of Graystone Properties spoke. They emphasized the difficulty of the triangular, sloped site and their efforts to design a workable project. They stated the six-foot trail was the maximum possible. They highlighted the building's interior amenities (study areas, exercise facility) and noted the project would be more affordable than newer competitors because it has no pool or structured parking. They cited a need for additional student housing density in Blacksburg.

Public Comment

Javad Torbinejad of 1600 Winslow Avenue spoke in opposition. He argued the traffic analysis was inadequate (data from a single day in April 2018, before the 460/North Main Street diversion) and that the Toms Creek Road/Patrick Henry Drive intersection already experiences severe congestion. He stated the proposed density is too high for the existing infrastructure.

Commission Discussion

Commissioners discussed several issues:

  • The need to properly program outdoor open spaces and promote alternative transportation.
  • The importance of ride-sharing and shuttle services to reduce car trips.
  • Concerns about the trail width, parking layout, and emergency vehicle access.
  • The building's scale and its visibility from the US 460 bypass as a main entrance to town.
  • The project's alignment with the comprehensive plan's high-density residential designation.
  • The trade-off between increased density and relaxed standards (setbacks, trail width, open space).
  • Some commissioners expressed appreciation for affordability and rain water harvesting, while others worried about setting a precedent and lack of meaningful open space.

Key Outcomes

  • Special Exception Approved: Motion to recommend approval of the exception to allow parking in front of the front building line passed 7-1 (Commissioner Jones voted no).
  • Rezoning Recommended: Motion to recommend approval of RZN18-0006 (Ordinance #1868) to Town Council passed 6-2 (Commissioners Jones and Moneyhun voted no). The recommendation includes the modification to allow a sign within five feet of the right-of-way along Toms Creek Road.
  • Next Steps: The rezoning will be forwarded to the Town Council for a public hearing. The public hearing for the other rezoning (RZN19-0001) is scheduled for June 4, 2019.

Unfinished Business

  • Zoning Ordinance Review Committee: Scheduled to meet in May.
  • Historic or Design Review Board: Commissioner Davis reported approval of a townhouse project at Lee and Church Streets, which involves demolition of two historic structures but preservation of the Kelsey House for a restaurant. A conditional use permit will be required.
  • Montgomery County Planning Commission: Commissioner Davis reported that a 79-townhome development on Merrimac Road was approved unanimously by the county commission.

New Business

  • Chair's Report: None.
  • Planning Director's Report: None.
  • Town Council Report: Commissioner Sutphin provided updates from the May 7 work session, including a presentation on the Hale Community Garden (5-acre garden to be donated to the town), an update on Freedom First CUP (landscaping and parking changes), the final public hearing for the old Blacksburg Middle School set for May 14, and discussions with Virginia Tech about the larger-than-expected freshman class enrollment.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:49 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the regular meeting of the Blacksburg Planning Commission. This is May 7, 2019. And we hold our regular meetings here on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 at the Roger Hedge Path Chambers of the Blacksburg Municipal Building on 300 South Main Street. 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. Please state your name and address. Please limit speaking time to a maximum of three minutes. We'll be aided by a timer on the podium. And please speak only once during a specific public hearing, a specific hearing or comment period. Please silence your cell phones. We show show respect for all speakers. And they're all all opinions to be expressed in the tolerant atmosphere. With that, we'll call this meeting to order. And could we have a roll call, please? Mr. Cowley? Here. Mr. Davis? Here. Mr. Jones? Here. Ms. Jones. Mr. Cassot. Present. Mr. Langrayer? Present. Ms. Munning Hunt is here. Mr. Sutton? Here. We have form. Great. So tonight's consent agenda is comprised of approval of the Blacksburg Planning Commission minutes from April 2nd. A uh the comprehensive plan review pursuant to Virginia Code 15-2232, a proposed connection of Graves Avenue within the town of Blacksburg to serve a proposed subdivision in McCumney County. And then also rezoning 1900 one. Request to resone 5.5 acres in the R5 Transitional Residential and General Commercial Zoning Districts to Planned Residential Zoning on North Main Street and Montgomery Street and Bros Drive for the development of a mixed-use student-oriented multifamily and commercial development. And that'll be presented by John Neal of Gay O'Neill for the applicant, landmark properties, the contract purchaser. The action on the consent agenda is to cancel the public hearing for tonight, May 7th, and to reschedule the public hearing for June 4th, 2019, first Tuesday in June. Second. All those in favor? All right. Great. Moving on to our public hearing, as noted previously, the public hearing for rezoning 19001 1892 on North Main Street will be heard on June 4th. And tonight we'll address the first public hearing, which is rezoning 18006 ordinance 1868.

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