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Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - September 13, 2022

Town Council — Tuesday, September 13, 2022
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, September 13, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 40:52

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:44

Will council please come to order and will the clerk please call the roll?

0:48

Anderson.

0:49

Present.

0:50

Bush?

0:50

Here.

0:51

Oliver.

0:51

Here.

0:52

Or here.

0:54

Addingly.

0:55

Here.

0:57

Will the Vice Mayor please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

1:04

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

1:09

And to the Republic for which it stands.

1:11

One nation.

1:13

Under God.

1:14

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:20

Begin this evening with our consent agenda.

1:23

And that starts with the approval of town council minutes for August 23 and September 6th.

1:30

We have a resolution 9A22, a resolution authorizing interdepartmental transfers of appropriations for the fiscal year 2022 to 23 operating budget.

1:42

We have a donation of obsolete bus parts from Blacksburg Transit to the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

1:49

And uh we have an ordinance 1988, amending town code 10-100, 10-200, 10201, and 10203 regarding erosion and sentiment regulations.

2:09

Ordinance 1994, rezoning three acres of uh of land at 1800 Whipple Drive from transitional residential to planned residential.

2:21

Our action there will be to introduce the ordinance and to schedule it for a public hearing also on October 11.

2:28

And ordinance 1998, vacating a waterline easement on land located at 200 Cedar Point Drive.

2:41

What is council's pleasure on this consent agenda?

2:44

I move approval of the consent agenda.

2:46

Second.

2:47

We have uh motion and a second.

2:49

Will the clerk please call the roll?

2:51

Bush.

2:51

Aye.

2:52

Oliver.

2:53

Aye.

2:54

Ford?

2:54

Aye.

2:57

Aye.

2:58

Aye.

2:59

Anderson.

2:59

Aye.

3:03

I'm fascinated.

3:05

I don't know.

3:05

But do we know what the I sent you an email?

3:10

But I don't, I certainly understand why you didn't read it like every with Brussels.

3:14

Um but it's a uh it's an electrical charging device.

3:17

There's a bunch of electrical things on the bus that are operating with electricity.

3:21

The doors, um, the starting system.

3:23

It's not a battery, but it's a charging system.

3:26

And it was for a 1998 uh new flyer bus that we had that we donated to the uh museum.

3:33

So it's uh it's not a very interesting part, quite candidly.

3:37

I wish they can maybe a spark plug.

3:40

It's it's a charging device, it's like 24 volt.

3:44

Thank you.

3:46

Good question.

3:48

Okay.

3:49

Uh on to public hearings.

3:51

And the first is a conditional use permit request for personal improvement service use in the office zoning district at 120 professional park drive, suite eight by Valley Active Fitness and Rehab.

4:04

And um let's see, does she stamp out now or later?

4:10

Um, since I've already disqualified myself, um, I will just step away.

4:18

And we begin with a staff presentation.

4:25

Good evening.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Ordinance████████████████████████████████32%
Procedural██████████████████████████████30%
Public Engagement██████████████████18%
Urban Planning███████████████15%
Public Safety█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - September 13, 2022

The Blacksburg Town Council held a regular meeting on September 13, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The meeting covered consent agenda items, two public hearings for conditional use permits, citizen comments, and an appointment.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from August 23, 2022, and September 6, 2022.
  • Adopted Resolution 9-A-22 authorizing interdepartmental transfers for the FY2022-2023 operating budget.
  • Authorized Blacksburg Transit to donate an obsolete bus part (a 24-volt charging device from a 1998 New Flyer bus) to the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
  • Introduced Ordinance 1988 amending town code regarding erosion and sediment regulations, scheduling a public hearing for October 11, 2022.
  • Introduced Ordinance 1994 to rezone 3.08± acres at 1800 Whipple Drive from Transitional Residential to Planned Residential, scheduling a public hearing for October 11, 2022.
  • Introduced Ordinance 1998 vacating a waterline easement at 200 Cedar Pointe Drive, scheduling a public hearing for October 11, 2022.
  • The consent agenda was approved by a unanimous roll call vote (7-0).

Public Hearings

A. Conditional Use Permit for Personal Improvement Service (Valley Active Fitness and Rehab)

  • Staff Presentation: Assistant Planning Director Kali Casper explained that the business (formerly part of a medical office) now requires a CUP because it is no longer operated by a licensed practitioner. No site changes are proposed. The Planning Commission recommended approval 7-0.
  • Applicant Statement: Owner Dave Cecchini stated the permit is to bring the existing use into compliance; the business is low-volume with one-on-one sessions.
  • Public Comment: None.
  • Action: Councilmember Colliver recused herself due to a personal interest and stepped away. The motion to approve Resolution 9-B-22 passed 6-0 (Colliver did not vote).

B. Conditional Use Permit for Commercial Indoor Sports and Recreation (Blue Ridge Axe Throwing)

  • Staff Presentation: Planner Kinsey O’Shea detailed the applicant’s request to relocate from 120 Jackson Street to 125 North Main Street, Suite 200. The space is currently vacant. Staff recommended modifications for bike parking (reduce from 5 to 2 spaces) and conditions. Planning Commission recommended approval 7-0.
  • Applicant Statement: Owner Mitchell Tyler explained they are moving to a larger location to expand arcade and party room space, targeting families as well as students. He addressed safety policies regarding alcohol and axe throwing, noting staff training and monitoring for intoxication. He confirmed a five-year lease.
  • Public Comment: None.
  • Action: The motion to approve Resolution 9-C-22 passed unanimously (7-0).

Citizen Comments

  • Ruth Dennan of 630 Washington Avenue spoke against the recently adopted Resolution 8-B-22 (regarding women’s rights, privacy, and public health). She argued that the age of viability is decreasing with medical advances and described abortion procedures. She urged the council to reconsider.
  • Joseph Koshy of 403 Progress Street also opposed Resolution 8-B-22, stating it was unnecessary and not founded in the Constitution. He asked the council to reconsider and suggested a more moderate approach supporting women in crisis without reference to abortion.
  • John LeBran of 443 Lawrence Lane spoke against the resolution, sharing statistics that 68% of women seeking abortions report difficulty thinking they must end the pregnancy. He requested that the council retract the resolution and instead support options for carrying pregnancies to term.

Appointment

  • Mayor Hager-Smith nominated John Boyer, Public Works Director, as the Town Representative to the Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority. The motion passed unanimously (7-0).

Council Announcements

  • Vice Mayor Anderson thanked town staff, Virginia Tech staff, and students for a successful first home football weekend.
  • Councilmember Mattingly announced that the Blacksburg Partnership is hosting a tailgate event on Friday, September 16, from 5-9 p.m. on College Avenue and Draper Road, featuring family activities, a beer garden, bouncy houses, and inflatables.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Will council please come to order and will the clerk please call the roll? Anderson. Present. Bush? Here. Oliver. Here. Or here. Addingly. Here. Will the Vice Mayor please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation. Under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Begin this evening with our consent agenda. And that starts with the approval of town council minutes for August 23 and September 6th. We have a resolution 9A22, a resolution authorizing interdepartmental transfers of appropriations for the fiscal year 2022 to 23 operating budget. We have a donation of obsolete bus parts from Blacksburg Transit to the Virginia Museum of Transportation. And uh we have an ordinance 1988, amending town code 10-100, 10-200, 10201, and 10203 regarding erosion and sentiment regulations. Ordinance 1994, rezoning three acres of uh of land at 1800 Whipple Drive from transitional residential to planned residential. Our action there will be to introduce the ordinance and to schedule it for a public hearing also on October 11. And ordinance 1998, vacating a waterline easement on land located at 200 Cedar Point Drive. What is council's pleasure on this consent agenda? I move approval of the consent agenda. Second. We have uh motion and a second. Will the clerk please call the roll? Bush. Aye. Oliver. Aye. Ford? Aye. Aye. Aye. Anderson. Aye. I'm fascinated. I don't know. But do we know what the I sent you an email? But I don't, I certainly understand why you didn't read it like every with Brussels. Um but it's a uh it's an electrical charging device. There's a bunch of electrical things on the bus that are operating with electricity. The doors, um, the starting system. It's not a battery, but it's a charging system. And it was for a 1998 uh new flyer bus that we had that we donated to the uh museum. So it's uh it's not a very interesting part, quite candidly. I wish they can maybe a spark plug.

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