The Blacksburg Planning Commission held a regular meeting on September 5, 2023, at 6:30 PM in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The commission approved a consent agenda, conducted two public hearings on right-of-way vacations and a rezoning for affordable housing, and heard citizen comments. All votes were unanimous 7-0.
Hello, welcome to the regular meeting of the Blacksburg Planning Commission. Um these are held on the first Tuesday of every month at 6 30 p.m. in the Roger E. Hedge Path Chambers of the Blacksburg Municipal Building here at 300 South Main Street. Uh 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, and please limit speaking time to a maximum of three minutes. Speak only once during the specific a specific public hearing or comment period. A wireless microphone is available for anyone requesting assistance. Please silence your cell phones, show respect for all speakers, and allow opinions to be expressed in a tolerant atmosphere. Shall I turn it over to the chair? Thank you. Apologize for my tardiness. And here we have a quorum. Uh minutes from August 1st, 2023, and the action is to approve. Do we have a motion? I move planning commission to approve the consent agenda as approved as presented. Second. All those in favor? Moving on to our public hearings for the evening. Our first public hearing is right of uh right-of-way 23, ROW 2301, which is a request to vacate approximately 20,439 square feet of town-owned right-of-way adjacent to tax parcel 347-81 at 2600 research center drive by Gretchen Merrick's of Balzner Associates, the applicant on behalf of Snyder Hunt Company. LLP the owner. And we have a staff presentation. This is a request to vacate the Rim Rock Drive right of way located off of Research Center Drive. The request was brought to the town by the applicant, Gretchen Merrick's of Balzer and Associates on behalf of Snyder Hunt LLP. The right-of-way vacation request is in conjunction with a buy-right building and parking lot expansion for Blue Ridge Cancer Care located at two 2600 Research Center Drive. The right-of-way will be combined with the cancer care parcel and adjacent parcel owned by Georgia Ann Snyder Falkenham. The size of the right-of-way is 0.47 acres, and it is and it is a built street containing public and private utilities as well as a a private sidewalk or a public sidewalk. Here is an aerial view of the right-of-way and surrounding parcels. And this is a closer view of the right-of-way and surrounding area. The proposed expansion will add 6,000 square feet to the existing building. When finished, the parking lot will have a total of 160 parking spaces, 17 of which will be designated for mine, me, and us, Montessori School. This is the proposed layout that was included in the site plan of the proposed expansion. The planning commission is asked to evaluate the application based on that the alley and right of way vacation process. In the administrative manual, in the administrative manual accompanying the comprehensive plan, particularly steps two through five contained in the evaluation criteria document attached to the staff report. Staff has provided the following findings to assist in the evaluation of the application. There are no transportation connections envisioned in the comprehensive plan for Rim Rock Drive. It contains one sidewalk that begins at the end of the street and continues along Research Center Drive. There are no proposed routes for bicycle or pedestrian infrastructure for the right-of-way on the path to the future map. Both parcels with driveway access from the right-of-way will be incorporated in the proposed expansion. Mind me and us has frontage on the right-of-way, but does not object to the uh vacation. Given the size, shape, and location of the right-of-way area, it is unlikely to be used as parkland or public open space. In discussion with the town attorney, staff have determined the value of the right of way by averaging the Montgomery County assessed land value of the adjoining parcels applied on a square foot footage basis, square foot basis used using deeded acreage information. Value of Rim Rock Drive is roughly 226,000. The Rim Rock Drive right of way contains existing public and private utilities. The applicant has verified the waterline depths and a variance request to lessen water line cover from four feet to 3.25 feet will be reviewed with the site plan. The existing sanitary sewer line in the right of way will be abandoned as the buildings it currently serves will be demolished. The existing public storm network that is currently located on Rim Rock Drive will become private as it will continue to serve the private drive only once the vacation is approved. As previously stated, public sidewalk currently exists from the edge of the right-of-way to Research Center Drive. Staff recommends that that the applicant dedicate a sidewalk easement for the existing portions of sidewalk serving Research Center Drive. Private utilities also exist within the right-of-way.