Blacksburg Planning Commission Meeting - September 3, 2019

The Blacksburg Planning Commission met on September 3, 2019, at 7:30 pm in the Municipal Building. The meeting included a consent agenda with routine approvals, two public hearings on a floodplain overlay district amendment and a conditional use permit for an office on the ground floor, and reports from commissioners. Key decisions were made to recommend denial of the floodplain amendment and approval of the office conditional use permit.

Consent Calendar

• Approved unanimously (6-0) the following items:
  • Approval of the August 6, 2019 meeting minutes.
  • Scheduling a public hearing for October 1, 2019, for rezoning requests at 900/1002 Glade Road (RZN19-0005), 1401 Giles Road (RZN19-0006), and the North End Center properties (RZN19-0007, CUP19-0006, RZN19-0008, ROW19-0001).
  • Cancellation of the September 3 public hearing for RZN19-0004 (1310 North Main Street) and rescheduling it to November 5, 2019.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Douglas White (760 Triangle Street) spoke on both public hearing items. On the floodplain amendment, he expressed concerns about existing flooding issues and urged Virginia Tech to conform to town standards. On the conditional use permit, he acknowledged the need to fill vacant spaces but worried about Virginia Tech's encroachment into town commercial areas and questioned how far the town would allow that growth.
• Mike Dunn (1603 Boxwood Drive), Virginia Tech Transportation Planner, thanked the Commission for considering the floodplain amendment request, noting that the Western Perimeter Road project had been tabled but the amendment would be valuable for future infrastructure projects.

Discussion Items

• Zoning Ordinance Amendment #46 (Floodplain Overlay District)

  • Staff Presentation: Town Engineer Kafi Howard explained the amendment would allow infrastructure projects in the University zoning district to be excluded from the Floodplain Overlay District if they receive an approved Conditional Letter of Map Revision from FEMA. The amendment was prompted by Virginia Tech's Western Perimeter Road project (now tabled) and would apply only to university infrastructure projects with no residual impacts on town lands. Blacksburg currently has a stringent "no rise" standard for floodplain elevation increases; FEMA allows minor increases. Staff would continue to review each project.
  • Commission Discussion: Commissioner Moneyhun moved to recommend denial, arguing the road project was tabled and there was no current need. Commissioner Langrehr expressed discomfort with deferring to FEMA standards. Commissioner Kassoff noted Blacksburg's hyper-conservative floodplain position. Commissioner Sutphin believed safeguards existed. Commissioner Colley stated he lacked sufficient information.
  • Vote: Motion to recommend denial to Town Council passed 4-2. Commissioners Colley, Jones, Langrehr, and Moneyhun voted yes; Kassoff and Sutphin voted no.

• CUP19-0005 (Conditional Use Permit for Office on Ground Floor at 620 North Main Street, Suite 104)

  • Staff Presentation: Comprehensive Planner Maeve Gould detailed the request for a Virginia Tech Ombudsperson office to serve faculty and staff. The space (1,267 sq ft) has been vacant since June 2018. Currently, ground-floor offices comprise 43.5% of the block; approval would raise that to 51.5%. Staff noted a direct conflict with Zoning Ordinance Amendment #44 (recommended by the Planning Commission) which would prohibit university offices on the ground floor in the downtown commercial district. Staff recommended approval with two conditions: (1) substantial conformance to the application, and (2) the space limited to a Virginia Tech Ombudsperson office use.
  • Applicant Presentation: Bill Ellenbogen (Keith, LLC owner) explained the building's challenges: retail decline due to internet shopping, inability to accommodate a restaurant due to lack of a hood, and high vacancy. He argued the office would serve 14,000 university employees (part-time and full-time) and be similar to a lawyer's office. The Ombudsperson office would provide neutral dispute resolution off-campus.
  • Commission Discussion: Commissioner Moneyhun opposed because the office does not serve the general public. Commissioner Colley, whose office is in the same building, noted limited pedestrian traffic in that area. Commissioner Kassoff interpreted ZOA #44 as applying only to new buildings. The motion to approve with staff conditions was made by Commissioner Jones and seconded by Commissioner Colley.
  • Vote: Motion to recommend approval to Town Council passed 4-2. Commissioners Colley, Jones, Kassoff, and Langrehr voted yes; Moneyhun and Sutphin voted no.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously. Several public hearings were scheduled for October 1, 2019, and one was rescheduled for November 5, 2019.
• ZOA #46 (Floodplain Overlay Amendment): Recommended denial to Town Council (4-2). The amendment would have allowed infrastructure projects on Virginia Tech's campus to seek FEMA map revisions for minor floodplain elevation increases.
• CUP19-0005 (Office for VT Ombudsperson): Recommended approval to Town Council (4-2) with conditions limiting the use to a Virginia Tech Ombudsperson office and requiring substantial conformance to the application.
• Town Council Report: Commissioner Sutphin noted that the old Blacksburg High School rezoning will be discussed further at the Planning Commission work session on September 17 and continued to a September 24 Town Council public hearing.
• Other Reports: Chair Kassoff provided a report from the Montgomery County Planning Commission regarding a rezoning near the "bug shop" on Harding Avenue and updates on village planning efforts.