OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Planning Commission Meeting - June 6, 2023

Planning Commission — Tuesday, June 6, 2023
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionPlanning Commission
DateTuesday, June 6, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 36:13

Transcript — Verbatim
0:16

Welcome to the regular meeting of the Blacksburg Planning Commission, which are held here at the Roger Headspath Chambers of the Blacksburg Municipal Building on the first Tuesday of each month at 6 30 p.m.

0:31

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

0:39

Please speak at the podium.

0:40

Please state your name and address.

0:42

Please direct comments only to the commission.

0:45

Please limit speaking time to a maximum of three minutes.

0:49

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

0:54

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

1:04

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

1:06

May we have a roll call, please?

1:08

Mr.

1:08

Ford.

1:09

Mr.

1:09

Herbine.

1:10

Here.

1:10

Ms.

1:10

Jones.

1:11

Mr.

1:11

Cass.

1:12

Ms.

1:12

Reinhardt.

1:13

Ms.

1:13

Walker.

1:14

Mr.

1:14

Watson.

1:15

Here.

1:15

We have a full house.

1:17

Wonderful.

1:19

Our first item of business is our consent agenda.

1:23

First item on the consent agenda is the approval of the planning commission minutes from May 2nd, 2023.

1:29

The action is to approve.

1:32

Second action is CUP 23003, a conditional use permit request for hotel use and additional height in downtown commercial DC zoning district at 501 South Main Street by Balzer Associates for midtown redevelopment partners.

1:51

And the action is to schedule a public hearing for Thursday, July 6, 2023.

2:04

A request to zone rezone 0.816 acres from downtown commercial to planned residential at 208 Turner Street by Balzern Associates, the applicant for 208 Turner LLC.

2:20

And the action proposed there is to cancel the public hearing for July 6th and reschedule for a later date.

2:29

Do we have a motion on the consent agenda?

2:32

I move approval of the consent agenda as read.

2:35

Second.

2:36

All those in favor?

2:40

Moving on.

2:42

We'll hear our public hearing for tonight.

2:44

We have a single public hearing.

2:46

And it is SUB2301, which is a major subdivision preliminary plat review for 55 acres on 55 lots on 36 acres at 2150 Progress Street Northwest for North Side Park, revised section 7 by uh 12, excuse me, revised section 12 by Balzarn Associates, the applicant for CC and B development, LLC, the owner.

3:16

And we have a staff presentation.

3:20

Thank you.

3:20

This is subdivision 23-0001 for North Side Park Section 12.

3:26

This is a preliminary plat review.

3:28

The location is uh approximately at 2150 Progress Street, and we are looking at 36 acres.

3:35

The current zoning is R for low density residential and also with the open space overlay district.

3:41

The present use is undeveloped and the proposed use is single family residential.

3:47

This is an aerial map showing the 36 acres outlined in blue.

3:52

You can also see through the site runs the existing right-of-way for Progress Street.

4:00

And this shows the general lot layout.

4:02

This was included in the application in your packet.

4:06

And the orientation here is a little bit different.

4:08

We've kind of rotated to the side here.

4:10

You can see Progress Street running along here.

4:16

A little bit of background about the plat review process.

4:19

We don't see quite as many of these, but the state sees subdivision of land as a by-right use, provided that all standards can be met or that variance is granted and the remaining standards met.

4:30

The state does require planning commission review and approval or disapproval of preliminary plats for subdivisions where there are 50 lots or more.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Urban Planning███████████████████████████████████████39%
Stormwater Management█████████████████17%
Public Engagement████████████████16%
Procedural████████████12%
Transportation Safety██████████10%
Floodplain Management███3%
Environmental Protection███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Planning Commission Meeting - June 6, 2023

The Blacksburg Planning Commission held a regular meeting on June 6, 2023, at 6:30 PM in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The meeting included a consent agenda and a public hearing for a major subdivision preliminary plat. All actions passed unanimously (8-0). The meeting adjourned at 7:06 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the May 2, 2023, Planning Commission meeting were approved unanimously.
  • CUP 23-0003: A conditional use permit request for a hotel and additional height at 501 South Main Street was scheduled for a public hearing on July 6, 2023.
  • RZN 23-0001: A rezoning request for 0.816 acres at 208 Turner Street NW was canceled from the July 6 hearing and will be rescheduled.

Public Hearing

SUB 23-0001 – Northside Park Section XII Revised Major Subdivision Preliminary Plat

  • Staff Presentation: Kali Casper presented the proposal for 55 lots (reduced from 66) on 36 acres at 2150 Progress Street NW. The site is zoned R-4 (Low Density Residential) and is currently undeveloped. Three variances were requested: to end Primrose Drive in a cul-de-sac rather than extending it, to allow a 1,500-foot block length on Claire Drive (standard is 1,200 feet), and to eliminate required medians on collector streets. Staff found all variances reasonable based on topography and stormwater management needs. The plat complies with all other standards, including stormwater, sewer, and public utility easements. Town Council will separately consider vacation and relocation of Progress Street right-of-way and an existing trail.
  • Applicant Presentation: James Taylor of Balzer & Associates explained that the revised plat improves lot configuration over the 2011 approved plan, better fits the site topography, and provides adequate space for stormwater management per current regulations. The street connection for Primrose Drive would require additional variances for grade and landing, making a cul-de-sac preferable.
  • Public Comment:
    • Mandy Lamb (402 Craig Drive) expressed support for the cul-de-sac and requested consideration of smaller lots and a wider vegetation buffer in the valley to preserve wildlife and stormwater absorption. She opposed making Craig Drive a through street, citing traffic safety concerns on North Main Street.
    • Javad Torabinejad asked whether perennial streams on the property had been addressed and if the applicant had contacted the Army Corps of Engineers.
  • Applicant Rebuttal: James Taylor confirmed that wetland and stream delineations have been performed and will be rechecked during site plan review. He noted that larger lots in the valley area are intentional to manage stormwater conveyance.
  • Motion and Discussion: Commissioner Joel Herbein moved to approve the preliminary plat with all requested variances. Commissioner Liam Watson seconded. Commissioner Mel Jones noted that the Planning Commission is limited by state law; he compared the block length variance to prior discussions where street length was deemed less critical than grade and landing. The motion passed 8-0.

Key Outcomes

  • SUB 23-0001 Approved: The major subdivision preliminary plat for Northside Park Section XII (Revised) was approved with variances for a cul-de-sac, block length, and median elimination. The vote was 8-0.
  • Consent Agenda Passed: All consent items were approved 8-0.
  • Commissioner Farewell: Commissioner Liam Watson attended his last meeting; he was thanked for his service.
  • Upcoming Meetings: A work session is scheduled for June 20, 2023, and the next regular meeting (public hearing) will be Thursday, July 6, 2023, due to the July 4th holiday.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the regular meeting of the Blacksburg Planning Commission, which are held here at the Roger Headspath Chambers of the Blacksburg Municipal Building on the first Tuesday of each month at 6 30 p.m. Citizens may address the Planning Commission during specific uh 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 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. With that, we'll call the meeting to the order. May we have a roll call, please? Mr. Ford. Mr. Herbine. Here. Ms. Jones. Mr. Cass. Ms. Reinhardt. Ms. Walker. Mr. Watson. Here. We have a full house. Wonderful. Our first item of business is our consent agenda. First item on the consent agenda is the approval of the planning commission minutes from May 2nd, 2023. The action is to approve. Second action is CUP 23003, a conditional use permit request for hotel use and additional height in downtown commercial DC zoning district at 501 South Main Street by Balzer Associates for midtown redevelopment partners. And the action is to schedule a public hearing for Thursday, July 6, 2023. A request to zone rezone 0.816 acres from downtown commercial to planned residential at 208 Turner Street by Balzern Associates, the applicant for 208 Turner LLC. And the action proposed there is to cancel the public hearing for July 6th and reschedule for a later date. Do we have a motion on the consent agenda? I move approval of the consent agenda as read. Second. All those in favor? Moving on. We'll hear our public hearing for tonight. We have a single public hearing. And it is SUB2301, which is a major subdivision preliminary plat review for 55 acres on 55 lots on 36 acres at 2150 Progress Street Northwest for North Side Park, revised section 7 by uh 12, excuse me, revised section 12 by Balzarn Associates, the applicant for CC and B development, LLC, the owner. And we have a staff presentation. Thank you. This is subdivision 23-0001 for North Side Park Section 12. This is a preliminary plat review. The location is uh approximately at 2150 Progress Street, and we are looking at 36 acres. The current zoning is R for low density residential and also with the open space overlay district. The present use is undeveloped and the proposed use is single family residential.

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