OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - September 24, 2024

Town Council — Tuesday, September 24, 2024
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, September 24, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 42:54

Transcript — Verbatim
0:19

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

0:23

Anderson, present.

0:25

Oliver?

0:25

Here.

0:26

Board is absent.

0:27

Hager Smith here?

0:28

Mattingley?

0:29

Here.

0:30

Sat Finn?

0:30

Here.

0:31

Watson.

0:32

Present.

0:34

We'll begin this evening with our consent agenda.

0:36

And the first item there is approval of town council minutes for September 10.

0:41

And in addition, we have a resolution 9A24 approving the Blacksburg Transit Title 6 program.

0:49

We'll uh adopt that resolution.

0:51

What is council's pleasure?

0:53

I move approval of the consent agenda.

0:55

Second.

0:56

We have a motion in a second.

0:57

Will the clerk please call the roll?

0:59

Oliver?

1:00

Aye.

1:01

Agora Smith.

1:02

Aye.

1:02

Mattingley?

1:03

Aye.

1:03

Sutfin?

1:05

Watson.

1:06

Anderson.

1:06

Aye.

1:08

Tonight we have one public hearing, and that is on resolution 9B 24.

1:15

This is a resolution granting a special exception related to agriculture at 301 Royal Lane.

1:22

And we'll begin with the staff presentation.

1:24

Matthew Sampa has the staff presentation.

1:39

This is a special exception request to allow an agriculture use on a lot that is less than two acres in our one zoning district.

1:47

The request was made by the property owner, Anthony Grafski, and the subject property is located at 301 Royal Lane.

1:57

The request was initiated after town council received complaints about farm animals on the property.

2:06

The applicant was sent a violation letter on June 24, 2024, and the special exception request was subsequently filed on July 7th.

2:15

The request is to keep one pig and two goats as pets on the property.

2:23

The subject parcel is a one-acre corner lot with frontage on Royal Lane and Farmview Drive.

2:29

The lot contains a single family dwelling with a fenced rear yard.

2:36

And here's an aerial view showing the subject area outlined in special exceptions are evaluated per uh section 1112 of the zoning ordinance.

2:51

Exceptions can be granted by the town council, and the comprehensive plan, purpose of the zoning district, and intent of the standard in question should be considered when evaluating the exception.

3:02

Special exceptions typically you are typically use and design standards, such as parking in front of the front building line or buffer yard modifications.

3:12

And most special exceptions may be heard uh with an accompanying conditional use permit or rezoning and acted upon in conjunction with the action on the CEP or rezoning petition.

3:24

However, exception requests to use and design standards may be made without an accompanying rezoning or CEP application.

3:38

And here's the site layout provided with the application that shows the enclosure area for the animals.

3:58

Applicable sections of the plan should be included in the review of the application.

4:04

The future land use uh designation of the subject area is low density residential.

4:10

Specific uses are also governed by the implementing zoning district.

4:15

Agriculture is a by right use in the R and one zoning district.

4:18

The subject area is also an urban development area H and is in a suburban residential neighborhood.

4:29

And this is uh map showing the future land use of the property.

4:38

And this map shows the R1 uh zoning district.

4:48

Matthew, while you have that up there.

4:50

Um in our work session we talked about how it is that a two-acre lot would have accommodated this without any exceptions.

4:56

So are some of these uh pictures here two-acre lots?

5:01

Um in the uh in the cul-de-sac there um with the subject property, there are two lots to have that are two acres, but the rest are pretty much one acre.

5:13

So among all those two of the uh sites are two acres.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Agricultural Land Use█████████████████████████████████████37%
Public Engagement█████████████████17%
Procedural████████████12%
Arts And Culture███████████11%
Zoning Ordinance██████████10%
Technology and Innovation██████6%
Environmental Protection████4%
Animal Welfare███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - September 24, 2024

The Blacksburg Town Council held a regular meeting on September 24, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The meeting included a consent agenda, a public hearing on a special exception for agricultural pets, citizen comments, and council announcements. The meeting was adjourned at 7:12 p.m.

Consent Calendar

  • Town Council Minutes (September 10, 2024): Approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 9-A-24: Adopted, approving the Blacksburg Transit Title VI Program.

Public Hearing: Special Exception for Agriculture at 301 Royal Lane (EXP-24-1)

  • Item: Resolution 9-B-24, a request by Anthony Grafsky to permit agricultural use (one pig and two goats as pets) on a one-acre lot in the RR-1 zoning district, which requires lots over two acres for agriculture.
  • Staff Presentation: Town Planner Matthew Sampa noted the lot is one acre, inconsistent with the two-acre standard. Town code section 5-105 restricts pigs to agricultural or forestal districts, creating a discrepancy with the zoning ordinance. Staff recommended four conditions: only the existing animals, specific enclosure location, expiration of the exception after 10 years, and effectiveness upon resolution adoption.
  • Planning Commission Recommendation: 3-2 vote in favor, with two abstentions.
  • Applicant Statement: Anthony Grafsky introduced the animals (Brutus the pig, LJ and Ziggy the goats) as family pets, rescued from euthanasia or slaughter. He described their care, enclosure, and minimal impact.
  • Public Comment: Two neighbors spoke in support: Bruce Herman (300 Layman Court) attested to no noise or smell, and Lisa Sedlak (303 Royal Lane) praised the animals' behavior and communication from the Grafskys. Both urged approval.
  • Council Discussion: Council members expressed mixed feelings but noted strong neighbor support, narrow conditions (existing animals only), and the need for future zoning reform. Concerns about precedent and code violations were raised, but most found the exception reasonable given the circumstances.
  • Vote: Motion to approve Resolution 9-B-24 passed unanimously (6-0).

Citizen Comments

  • Zach Weiss (1711 Whipple Drive): Advocated for incentivizing electronic recycling, citing environmental and ethical reasons (conflict minerals in electronics). He urged the town to promote refurbished devices and repair culture.
  • Lisa Sedlak (303 Royal Lane): Thanked town staff for addressing speeding on Farmview Drive near her home.
  • Rita Brame (16 Blocks Magazine): Expressed dismay over the removal of the outdoor piano on Draper Road, arguing it was a significant public art piece removed without community input. She shared public comments and criticized the process.
  • Hart Fowler (16 Blocks Magazine): Voiced concerns about lack of care for public art, alleged that the piano was damaged after removal by the town, and questioned the transparency of decisions made by committees. He filed a FOIA request on related communications.

Council Announcements

  • Councilmember Mattingly and Anderson reminded citizens of upcoming events: early voting available (register by October 15), Blues Brews and Barbecue festival on Saturday, and a replacement piano for Draper Road is on its way (the fourth piano, as outdoor pianos have limited lifespan).
  • Councilmember Anderson noted early voting at the registrar's office and that the Blacksburg Rec Center will have an early voting location from October 21.

Meeting Transcript

Will council please come to order and will the clerk please call the roll? Anderson, present. Oliver? Here. Board is absent. Hager Smith here? Mattingley? Here. Sat Finn? Here. Watson. Present. We'll begin this evening with our consent agenda. And the first item there is approval of town council minutes for September 10. And in addition, we have a resolution 9A24 approving the Blacksburg Transit Title 6 program. We'll uh adopt that resolution. What is council's pleasure? I move approval of the consent agenda. Second. We have a motion in a second. Will the clerk please call the roll? Oliver? Aye. Agora Smith. Aye. Mattingley? Aye. Sutfin? Watson. Anderson. Aye. Tonight we have one public hearing, and that is on resolution 9B 24. This is a resolution granting a special exception related to agriculture at 301 Royal Lane. And we'll begin with the staff presentation. Matthew Sampa has the staff presentation. This is a special exception request to allow an agriculture use on a lot that is less than two acres in our one zoning district. The request was made by the property owner, Anthony Grafski, and the subject property is located at 301 Royal Lane. The request was initiated after town council received complaints about farm animals on the property. The applicant was sent a violation letter on June 24, 2024, and the special exception request was subsequently filed on July 7th. The request is to keep one pig and two goats as pets on the property. The subject parcel is a one-acre corner lot with frontage on Royal Lane and Farmview Drive. The lot contains a single family dwelling with a fenced rear yard. And here's an aerial view showing the subject area outlined in special exceptions are evaluated per uh section 1112 of the zoning ordinance. Exceptions can be granted by the town council, and the comprehensive plan, purpose of the zoning district, and intent of the standard in question should be considered when evaluating the exception. Special exceptions typically you are typically use and design standards, such as parking in front of the front building line or buffer yard modifications. And most special exceptions may be heard uh with an accompanying conditional use permit or rezoning and acted upon in conjunction with the action on the CEP or rezoning petition. However, exception requests to use and design standards may be made without an accompanying rezoning or CEP application. And here's the site layout provided with the application that shows the enclosure area for the animals. Applicable sections of the plan should be included in the review of the application. The future land use uh designation of the subject area is low density residential.

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