OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Planning Commission Regular Meeting - February 4, 2025

Planning Commission — Tuesday, February 4, 2025
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionPlanning Commission
DateTuesday, February 4, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 36:02

Transcript — Verbatim
0:48

Well approval of the Planning Commission minutes.

0:53

Welcome to the regular meeting of the Blacksburg Planning Commission.

0:57

Which are held here on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.

1:02

Roger E.

1:03

Hedge Math Chambers of the Blacksburg Municipal Building.

1:06

Citizens may address the planning commission during specified times on the agenda and are required to adhere to the following.

1:13

Please speak at the podium, state your name and address, direct comments only to the commission.

1:18

Please limit speaking time to a maximum of three minutes and speak only once during a specific hearing or comment period.

1:25

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

1:32

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

1:34

May we have a roll call, please.

1:35

Mr.

1:35

Britt?

1:36

Here, Mr.

1:36

Ehrman, Mr.

1:37

Ford, Ms.

1:38

Jones, Mr.

1:39

Cassoff, Mr.

1:40

Casey.

1:41

Ms.

1:42

Reinhardt?

1:42

Here.

1:42

Ms.

1:43

Walker.

1:43

We have a quorum.

1:44

Right.

1:45

Thank you.

1:46

Our first item is our consent agenda.

1:48

There's a single item on the consent agenda, which is the approval of the Planning Commission minutes from January 7th.

1:57

Do we have a motion?

1:58

I move approval of the consent agenda.

2:01

Second.

2:02

All those in favor?

2:04

We'll move on to our public hearings.

2:07

Our first public hearing tonight is a conditional use permit request to permit lighting at a public park or field at 2100 Tom's Creek Road.

2:16

C UP 244 on behalf of the town of Blacksburg.

2:21

And we have a staff presentation by Carolyn Collins.

2:26

Good evening, everybody.

2:28

Excuse me.

2:29

Tonight we'll be looking at CUP 24-4, lighting at a public park or field.

2:34

The applicant is Dean Crane on behalf of the property owner, the town of Blacksburg, and the properties located at 2100 Toms Creek Road.

2:42

The acreage is approximately 9.33 acres, and it's zoned rural residential one.

2:48

The current height of the light poles are 53 feet with the proposed height being 60 feet.

2:54

And additionally, there's proposed zero foot candles of illuminance on adjoining residential properties as well as roadways.

3:02

Some existing conditions of the site, the parcel is elevated above Tom's Creek Road, however, it does sit lower than the surrounding properties.

3:23

Current operations, uh they do have activities year-round, however, there's a stronger emphasis in the fall, spring, and summer seasons.

3:31

Events do typically conclude by 10 p.m.

3:34

with lights shutting off at 10 30 p.m.

3:36

And the fields also available uh for public as well as private leagues.

3:41

And you can see here on an aerial image, the subject property outlined in blue.

3:53

Um existing foot candle measurements have been confirmed, and the applicant is currently evaluating the potential barriers that were mentioned regarding the screening, and he'll go over more of this in his presentation later.

4:07

Some key elements the planning commission may wish to consider uh when evaluating this application is the increased height of the light poles may result in greater visibility to surrounding areas and the potential effects of exempting the screening requirement on adjacent properties and roadways.

4:24

And a little bit of of um a request overview.

4:28

We have the current six light poles.

4:29

They stand at 53 feet tall.

4:32

We do see a little bit of a significant light spillage due to the outdated technology as well as dark spots that can cause um player safety issues during night games.

4:41

And the proposed uh six uh six light poles, which will go in the exact locations where the current ones are, are proposed to be 60 feet tall, so an increase of seven feet.

4:52

They'll have new LED technology, and while uh the LED technology it will be brighter.

5:06

And as a result, this would help address the light spillage issue as well as dark spots, thus enhancing the player safety.

5:14

As you can see here on the left, we have a diagram of the proposed light pole with the shielding that I had mentioned.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation████████████████████████████████████36%
Zoning Ordinance████████████████████20%
Procedural█████████████13%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████9%
Urban Planning████████8%
Water And Wastewater Management███████7%
Transportation Safety███████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Planning Commission Regular Meeting - February 4, 2025

The Blacksburg Planning Commission held its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 6:30 PM in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. Commissioners approved two items unanimously: a conditional use permit for lighting improvements at Toms Creek Athletic Field and an ordinance amending sanitary sewer design standards. The meeting adjourned at 7:05 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the January 7, 2025, meeting minutes. Motion passed 7-0.

Public Hearings

Conditional Use Permit CUP-24-4: Lighting at Toms Creek Athletic Field (2100 Toms Creek Road)

  • Staff presentation: Senior Planner Caroline Collins explained the request to replace six existing 53-foot light poles with six 60-foot LED poles with directional shielding to improve light efficiency, reduce dark spots, and enhance player safety. The existing poles cause light spillage and dark spots. The property is zoned Rural Residential 1. The applicant requested an exemption from the required evergreen screen along the western side due to steep topography, but later withdrew that request after confirming no utilities were present in that area. Staff recommended conditions including conformity with the photometric plan dated December 26, 2024, and installation per the November 27, 2024 application.
  • Applicant presentation: Dean Crane, Parks and Recreation Director, stated the project supports a Town Council goal to improve amenities. Citizens in a 2024 facilities report requested more lighted fields. The field currently hosts about 1,000 hours of programming per year. The town only has two lit fields. Current lights are 40 years old and difficult to service. New lights will provide better concentration and less spillage. A 25-year maintenance contract is planned. Estimated energy savings of $33,000 over 25 years. The photometric plan shows zero foot candles of light spillage across Toms Creek Road. The lights are designed with a "sky lid" to direct light downward. The applicant called Miss Utility and found no utilities along the western border, so they are open to installing vegetative screening.
  • Public comment: None.
  • Motion and vote: Commissioner Jerry Ford Jr. moved to approve CUP-24-4 with all staff recommended conditions. Commissioner Susanna Rinehart seconded. The motion passed 7-0. Commissioner Brian Britt noted the presentation was well done and the lights are better. Chair Andy Kassoff liked the improved safety for players.

Ordinance #2070: Amendment to Subdivision Ordinance Section 5-701 (Sanitary Sewer Construction and Design)

  • Staff presentation: Planning Director Andrew Warren explained the changes came from a recommendation by the Subdivision and Zoning Stakeholders Group. The amendments allow basement sewer ejector pumps by-right (instead of requiring a special exception), clarify that STEG/STEP systems are intended for subdivision developments (not individual lots), and remove references to outdated definitions of major and minor subdivisions. The goal is to reduce barriers to development while maintaining town goals. The ordinance was discussed at a work session two weeks prior.
  • Discussion: Commissioners asked about applicability to existing single-family homes, reliability of STEP/STEG systems, and input from engineering staff. Warren noted that the stakeholder group, which includes developers, supported the change. The primary motivation is to avoid very deep sewer laterals (up to 25 feet) that are expensive and dangerous to construct. Technology has improved, and many municipalities allow basement pumps by-right.
  • Public comment: None.
  • Motion and vote: Commissioner Jerry Ford Jr. moved to approve Ordinance #2070. Commissioner Susanna Rinehart seconded. The motion passed 7-0.

Citizen Comment

  • None.

Unfinished Business

  • Zoning Ordinance Review Committee: Not met.
  • Historic or Design Review Board: Commissioner Michael Ermann reported the board is working with a homeowner who performed work on a historic property without approval (removed chimney, replaced front door). The board also discussed the impact of demolitions due to property neglect.
  • Montgomery County Planning Commission: No meeting held.
  • Additional Items: None.

New Business

  • Chair’s Report: None.
  • Planning Director’s Report: Andrew Warren thanked commissioners for their retreat survey responses and said they will be compiled and reported. He suggested discussing lower-tier survey items at the upcoming work session if appropriate.
  • Town Council Report: Commissioner Jerry Ford Jr. reported on the January 7, 2025, Town Council work session. Topics included the sanitary sewer ordinance (same as the one just approved), an update on the zoning ordinance rewrite (RFP for consultant to be issued), and a pilot project to lower speed limits by 5 mph in the 16 Blocks area to improve safety for vulnerable road users. A public outreach campaign will precede the speed limit changes.

Key Outcomes

  • CUP-24-4: Approved 7-0. Lighting at Toms Creek Athletic Field will be upgraded with 60-foot LED poles, directional shielding, and vegetative screening along Toms Creek Road. The photometric plan must be followed, and lights installed as per the November 2024 application.
  • Ordinance #2070: Approved 7-0. The Subdivision Ordinance is amended to allow basement sewer ejector pumps by-right, clarify STEG/STEP system use for subdivisions, and remove outdated definitions.
  • Next steps: The ordinance will go to Town Council on February 11, 2025, for consent agenda and a public hearing in March. The Planning Commission work session is scheduled for February 18, 2025, at 5:00 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Well approval of the Planning Commission minutes. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Blacksburg Planning Commission. Which are held here on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Roger E. Hedge Math Chambers of the Blacksburg Municipal Building. Citizens may address the planning commission during specified times on the agenda and are required to adhere to the following. Please speak at the podium, state your name and address, 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 a tolerant atmosphere. With that, we'll call the meeting to order. May we have a roll call, please. Mr. Britt? Here, Mr. Ehrman, Mr. Ford, Ms. Jones, Mr. Cassoff, Mr. Casey. Ms. Reinhardt? Here. Ms. Walker. We have a quorum. Right. Thank you. Our first item is our consent agenda. There's a single item on the consent agenda, which is the approval of the Planning Commission minutes from January 7th. Do we have a motion? I move approval of the consent agenda. Second. All those in favor? We'll move on to our public hearings. Our first public hearing tonight is a conditional use permit request to permit lighting at a public park or field at 2100 Tom's Creek Road. C UP 244 on behalf of the town of Blacksburg. And we have a staff presentation by Carolyn Collins. Good evening, everybody. Excuse me. Tonight we'll be looking at CUP 24-4, lighting at a public park or field. The applicant is Dean Crane on behalf of the property owner, the town of Blacksburg, and the properties located at 2100 Toms Creek Road. The acreage is approximately 9.33 acres, and it's zoned rural residential one. The current height of the light poles are 53 feet with the proposed height being 60 feet. And additionally, there's proposed zero foot candles of illuminance on adjoining residential properties as well as roadways. Some existing conditions of the site, the parcel is elevated above Tom's Creek Road, however, it does sit lower than the surrounding properties. Current operations, uh they do have activities year-round, however, there's a stronger emphasis in the fall, spring, and summer seasons. Events do typically conclude by 10 p.m. with lights shutting off at 10 30 p.m. And the fields also available uh for public as well as private leagues. And you can see here on an aerial image, the subject property outlined in blue.

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