Blacksburg Town Council Regular Meeting, September 27, 2022
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Blacksburg Town Council Regular Meeting, September 27, 2022
The Blacksburg Town Council held a regular meeting on the evening of September 27, 2022, at the Blacksburg Municipal Building. The council unanimously approved the consent agenda and heard a brief citizen comment from a local Boy Scout. A work session followed the regular meeting, focusing on the proposed Downtown Northwest Zoning District, and the council later convened a closed meeting for legal advice on student housing zoning regulations.
Consent Calendar
- Town Council Minutes: Approval of the minutes from September 13 and September 20, 2022.
- Resolution 9-D-22: Adoption of a resolution referring to the Planning Commission a proposed zoning ordinance amendment to establish regulations for small-scale alcoholic beverage production facilities.
- Resolution 9-E-22: Adoption of a resolution referring to the Planning Commission a proposed zoning ordinance text amendment to create a new optional Downtown Northwest Zoning District.
- The consent agenda was moved by Vice Mayor Susan Anderson, seconded by Councilmember Michael Sutphin, and passed unanimously on a roll call vote (All seven members present voted aye).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dylan McQuain of Boy Scout Troop 44 addressed the council to fulfill requirement five of his communications merit badge. McQuain is a 7th grader at Blacksburg New School. Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith and others briefly engaged him in conversation about his school and scouting.
Discussion Items
- Council Announcements: Vice Mayor Anderson noted that several council members would attend the Virginia Municipal League Annual Conference (October 2–4). Councilmember Lauren Colliver reminded citizens that early voting had begun and that voter registration changes might affect polling locations. The meeting adjourned early at 6:34 p.m. to allow time for the work session.
- Work Session – Downtown Northwest Zoning District: Planning Director Anne McClung presented a PowerPoint on the Downtown strategic plan (developed by Camiros). The objective is to create an optional zoning district called Downtown Northwest, located in the triangle bounded by North Main Street, Prices Fork Road, and Turner Street. The district would incorporate form-based zoning, have more detailed standards, and require an application for rezoning. Council members asked questions, and McClung noted that further discussion would continue at future work sessions.
- Closed Meeting: The council voted unanimously to adjourn to a closed meeting at 6:52 p.m., citing Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711(A)(8) for legal advice on regulating student housing through zoning. The council reconvened in open session at 7:56 p.m.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (7-0).
- Closed Meeting Certification: Resolution 9-F-22, certifying the propriety of the closed meeting, was adopted on a roll call vote of 6-0 (Councilmember Jerry Ford was absent during the vote).
- No further decisions or votes were taken on the Downtown Northwest Zoning District; the discussion was informational and will continue at a later work session.
Meeting Transcript
Will the council please come to order? And will the clerk please call the roll? Henderson. Present. Bush? Here. Oliver. Here. Board? Here. Agir Smith. Here. Addingly? Here. Here. We will uh go right on to our consent agenda this evening, and that includes the following items. Approval of the town council minutes for September 13 and 20. A resolution 9D twenty-two referring to the planning commission a proposed zoning ordinance amendment to establish regulations for small-scale alcoholic beverage production facilities. And a resolution nine E twenty-two referring a proposed zoning ordinance text amendment to the planning commission that would establish a new optional downtown Northwest Zoning District. And our actions today will be to adopt these. Second. We have a motion and a second. Will the clerk please call the roll? Bush. Aye. Oliver. Aye. Ford. Aye. Aye. Mattingley. Aye. Aye. Henderson. Aye. We have no public hearings this evening. Do we have citizen comments? Is it is this Dylan? Dylan, you want to say anything in the microphone? Just for fun. Yeah, that little flat bit is the microphone. And so if you want to talk there, the manager will start you on a green light. And uh you can talk about school or anything. Are you in middle school right now? Yeah. Okay. How how is middle school going? Middle school is good. Yeah. Yeah.
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