OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Regular Meeting - October 10, 2023

Town Council — Tuesday, October 10, 2023
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, October 10, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:10:47

Transcript — Verbatim
0:33

I love Cam.

0:33

Can check it.

0:34

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

0:40

Anderson.

0:40

Present.

0:41

Bush.

0:42

Here.

0:42

Oliver.

0:43

Here.

0:44

Ford?

0:44

Here.

0:45

Across here.

0:46

Mattingley.

0:47

Here.

0:48

Sutton.

0:48

Here.

0:49

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

0:55

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

1:00

And to the Republic for which it stands.

1:03

One nation.

1:04

Under God.

1:05

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:13

We begin this evening with our consent agenda.

1:16

And that includes approval of the town council minutes for September 19 and 26.

1:24

Ordinance 2031, vacating a greenway trail easement on land located at 1505 Bradley Lane.

1:31

We're going to introduce that this evening and then have a public hearing on November 14.

1:37

We have a resolution 10A23 to transfer appropriations to the fiscal year 2324 operating budget from prior fiscal year encumbrances.

1:47

We're adopting that this evening.

1:49

Resolution 10B 23, transferring a million eight hundred nine thousand seven hundred eighteen dollars between general fund capital projects and fund balance, transferring a million eight hundred forty-five and a hundred thirty-four dollars between the water sewer fund capital projects and retained earnings, and transferring 14,177 between stormwater fund capital projects and retained earnings.

2:16

We will adopt that this evening.

2:44

Second.

2:57

Oliver.

2:59

Bush.

3:00

Aye.

3:00

Anderson.

3:01

Aye.

3:03

We're moving on now to public hearings.

3:06

And um before we launch into item A, which has three parts.

3:19

So I'll be abstaining from voting on ordinance 2035 and any related actions.

3:36

So I'll be uh stepping out during this portion of the meeting.

3:42

Ordinance 2035 concerns the town council's consideration of a rezoning of land at the 1200 block of Airport Road requested by Habitat for Humanity New River Valley.

3:52

I am on the board of the NRV Bike Kitchen Incorporated, which is a non-profit providing repaired renovated bicycles to income eligible persons in the New River Valley.

4:02

The bike kitchen has been provided rent-free space for its operations by Habitat for Humanity Restore.

4:08

Although the town attorney has admi advised me that under the conflict of interest act, I may vote on this matter, and although I believe I can consider this matter fairly objectively and in the public interest, I am concerned about the perception of a conflict of interest due to the assistance that has been provided to the bike kitchen.

4:27

For that reason, I hereby abstain and recuse myself from any involvement in the discussion consideration deliberation or vote considering ordinance 2035.

4:46

If this discretionary decision is approved, I will return to consider the secondary issues related to the property and uh redevelopment.

4:57

Thank you.

5:03

Thank you.

5:08

This is a rezoning request for just over one acre of land next to the Hubbard Street Fire Station on Airport Road.

5:14

If approved, the two duplex buildings that are existing would be demolished.

5:19

The rezoning area is shown in blue on this aerial image, and it does include the area that is subject to the right-of-way vacation request as well.

5:29

This is a proposal for 11 townhome units in two buildings.

5:32

The development is proposed by Habitat for Humanity, and the townhomes would be subject to income restrictions for residents earning less than 80% AMI.

5:41

All units would be added to the community land trust with ARPA funding to ensure permanent affordability.

5:47

Each of the units will be three bedrooms, totaling 33 bedrooms across the 11 units.

5:52

Surface parking is proposed behind the units to the rear of the property.

5:56

The units are oriented around a central green space.

5:59

There will be one access point on Airport Road that will handle entrance and exit traffic.

6:04

And the applicant is also proposing a pedestrian connection to the neighboring Dehart Street Park.

6:09

You can see on this aerial image the two rows of buildings.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Urban Planning████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Affordable Housing████████████████████████24%
Procedural████████████12%
Zoning Ordinance████████████12%
Community Engagement█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Economic Development█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Regular Meeting - October 10, 2023

The Blacksburg Town Council held its regular meeting on October 10, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The meeting covered a consent agenda, several public hearings including a rezoning for affordable housing and a conditional use permit for a hotel, citizen comments, and council announcements.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the Town Council minutes from September 19 and September 26, 2023.
  • Introduced Ordinance 2031 to vacate a greenway trail easement at 1505 Bradley Lane and scheduled a public hearing for November 14, 2023.
  • Adopted Resolution 10-A-23 to transfer appropriations to the FY2023/2024 operating budget from prior fiscal year encumbrances.
  • Adopted Resolution 10-B-23 transferring $1,809,718 between General Fund capital projects and fund balance, $1,845,134 between Water/Sewer Fund capital projects and retained earnings, and $14,177 between Stormwater Fund capital projects and retained earnings.
  • Adopted Resolution 10-C-23 authorizing interdepartmental transfers of unexpended appropriations as of June 30, 2023.
  • Authorized the Town Manager to sign a contract amendment for professional services related to the Prices Fork Road Interchange Study.
  • All consent items were approved unanimously on a roll call vote.

Public Hearings

Ordinance 2035 & Related Actions (Habitat for Humanity – Airport Road)

  • Ordinance 2035: Rezoning of 1.10± acres at 1200 block of Airport Road from Low Density Residential to Planned Residential Zoning. Councilmembers Sutphin (recused due to potential conflict of interest) and Ford (abstained due to perception of impropriety) did not vote. The motion passed 5-0 with two abstentions.
  • Ordinance 2033: Vacating portions of public rights-of-way at Airport Road. Approved 6-0 (Sutphin abstained).
  • Habitat for Humanity Development Agreement: Provided $1 million in ARPA funds plus vacated right-of-way (approx. $33,000 value) for 11 permanently affordable townhomes (3-bedroom units, income-restricted to 80% AMI). Approved 6-0 (Sutphin abstained).

Ordinance 2036 (Rimrock Drive Right-of-Way Vacation)

  • Vacated approximately 0.47 acres of town-owned right-of-way to allow expansion of the Blue Ridge Cancer Center, including a 6,000 sq ft building addition and 160 parking spaces (17 reserved for a Montessori school). Approved unanimously.

Ordinance 2037 (Public Utility and Sidewalk Easement Vacation – Research Center Drive)

  • Vacated public utility and sidewalk easements adjacent to Rimrock Drive, related to the previous ordinance. Approved unanimously.

Resolution 10-D-23 (Midtown Hotel Conditional Use Permit)

  • Granted a conditional use permit for a hotel and additional building height (up to 75 feet, but effectively 90 feet from Main Street due to grade difference) in the Downtown Commercial Zoning District as part of the Midtown development. The building will include ground-floor commercial, hotel rooms, office space, and a rooftop terrace. Approved 4-3 (Councilmembers Anderson, Bush, and Mattingly voted no; Colliver, Ford, Hager-Smith, and Sutphin voted yes).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • William Kirshbaum spoke in favor of the hotel development, emphasizing the need for multi-use spaces, residential availability, and improved transit. He also addressed affordable housing during citizen comments.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously.
  • Habitat for Humanity Rezoning (Ordinance 2035): Passed 5-0 (2 abstentions).
  • Airport Road Right-of-Way Vacation (Ordinance 2033): Passed 6-0 (1 abstention).
  • Habitat for Humanity Development Agreement: Passed 6-0 (1 abstention).
  • Rimrock Drive Right-of-Way Vacation (Ordinance 2036): Passed unanimously.
  • Easement Vacation (Ordinance 2037): Passed unanimously.
  • Midtown Hotel CUP (Resolution 10-D-23): Passed 4-3.
  • Council directed staff to explore a more comprehensive approach to building height regulations in downtown.

Meeting Transcript

I love Cam. Can check it. Will council please come to order and will the town attorney call the roll? Anderson. Present. Bush. Here. Oliver. Here. Ford? Here. Across here. Mattingley. Here. Sutton. 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. We begin this evening with our consent agenda. And that includes approval of the town council minutes for September 19 and 26. Ordinance 2031, vacating a greenway trail easement on land located at 1505 Bradley Lane. We're going to introduce that this evening and then have a public hearing on November 14. We have a resolution 10A23 to transfer appropriations to the fiscal year 2324 operating budget from prior fiscal year encumbrances. We're adopting that this evening. Resolution 10B 23, transferring a million eight hundred nine thousand seven hundred eighteen dollars between general fund capital projects and fund balance, transferring a million eight hundred forty-five and a hundred thirty-four dollars between the water sewer fund capital projects and retained earnings, and transferring 14,177 between stormwater fund capital projects and retained earnings. We will adopt that this evening. Second. Oliver. Bush. Aye. Anderson. Aye. We're moving on now to public hearings. And um before we launch into item A, which has three parts. So I'll be abstaining from voting on ordinance 2035 and any related actions. So I'll be uh stepping out during this portion of the meeting. Ordinance 2035 concerns the town council's consideration of a rezoning of land at the 1200 block of Airport Road requested by Habitat for Humanity New River Valley. I am on the board of the NRV Bike Kitchen Incorporated, which is a non-profit providing repaired renovated bicycles to income eligible persons in the New River Valley. The bike kitchen has been provided rent-free space for its operations by Habitat for Humanity Restore. Although the town attorney has admi advised me that under the conflict of interest act, I may vote on this matter, and although I believe I can consider this matter fairly objectively and in the public interest, I am concerned about the perception of a conflict of interest due to the assistance that has been provided to the bike kitchen. For that reason, I hereby abstain and recuse myself from any involvement in the discussion consideration deliberation or vote considering ordinance 2035. If this discretionary decision is approved, I will return to consider the secondary issues related to the property and uh redevelopment. Thank you. Thank you. This is a rezoning request for just over one acre of land next to the Hubbard Street Fire Station on Airport Road. If approved, the two duplex buildings that are existing would be demolished.

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