The Blacksburg Town Council met on December 13, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The meeting covered a consent agenda, five public hearings, an appointment, and council announcements. All votes were unanimous.
A. Resolution 12-B-22 – 2022 Updates to the Comprehensive Plan
B. Ordinance 2000 – Fare-Free Blacksburg Transit Service
C. Ordinance 2004 – Rescue Chief Position
D. Ordinance 2005 – Competitive Negotiation Threshold
E. Ordinance 2006 – Budget Amendment for Revenue Sharing Funds
No citizens spoke.
None.
Councilmember Susan Mattingly raised the issue of the recent Montgomery County property reassessment, noting many citizens experienced 50–100% increases. She requested a conversation with county officials and potential relief options. Council agreed to place the topic on the January 2023 work session agenda. It was noted that the deadline to file a claim with the county was December 16, 2022.
Please come to order. And will the clerk please call the roll? Anderson. Present. Bush. Here. Oliver? Here. Or here. Here. Addingly? Here. 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. To the Republic for which it stands one nation. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. It's okay to check your phone. Okay, we'll begin tonight with a consent agenda, and that includes approval of the minutes of December 6th. The recommended capital improvement program for 2023 through 24. We're going to schedule a public hearing for January 10. We have a conditional use permit request for increased height at three town midtown way. And uh we'll take that up at a public hearing on January 10th. Ordinance 2002, an ordinance to amend the zoning ordinance to define and regulate small scale alcohol productions facilities by amending sections 2103, 3141, 3151, 3161, 3191, 3201, 3211, 3301, and 5502, and adding a new section 4562. And in that case, we will be scheduling a public hearing also on January 10. Item E is the Blacksburg Police Department 2023 towing contractor agreements. We'll authorize the police chief to sign agreements with campus automotive with Walnut Springs Automotive and Auto Repair Specialists and also all called towing. Resolution 12A22, amending the proffer statement of the North End Special Signage District located near Prices Fork and Turner Street. We'll adopt that as well as the Blacksburg Transit Safety Plan. What is council's pleasure on the consent agenda? I move approval of the consent agenda. Second. We have a motion and a second. Will the clerk please call the role? Bush. Oliver. Igor Smith. Aye. Sutton? Aye. Anderson. Aye. We'll move on now to public hearings, and the first is for resolution 12B22, approving 2022 updates to the comprehensive plan. And Maeve Gould will have the staff report. And the corresponding map is proposed to be a new map in the land use map series. And in 2019, council wanted to articulate a more specific policy around high-density student housing and demand for student housing development. And at that time, council passed a resolution that encouraged the redevelopment of older existing student housing at higher densities. So between 2017 and 2021, 3,500 new bedrooms, approximately 3,500 new bedrooms of multifamily student housing were approved by town council. So at full build out, we will have about 26,300 bedrooms of student-oriented housing in town. Keep in mind that does not include students who choose to live in single-family homes and those bedrooms located outside of town limits.