The Blacksburg Town Council held a regular meeting on September 8, 2026. Mayor Michael Sutphin presided with Councilmembers Darryl Campbell, Jerry Ford Jr., Joel Goodhart, Andrew Kassoff, and Vice Mayor Susan Anderson present; Lauren Colliver was absent. The council unanimously approved a consent agenda, conducted two public hearings for conditional use permits (CUPs), made reappointments, and received reports.
Conditional Use Permit 26-01 (Resolution 9-B-26) This request sought a permit for a financial institution with a drive-through at 1800 Prices Fork Road. Town Planner Nicholas Baker presented a redesigned site layout featuring an entrance on Plantation Road, 39% impervious surface ratio, and 25% open space (exceeding the 21% minimum). Staff supported the request and a related variance, recommending conditions that limit the use to a financial institution and require mitigation for sight distance issues. The Planning Commission recommended approval 6-0. Applicant John Neel of Foresight Design acknowledged the collaborative effort with staff and the planning commission to refine the proposal. Councilmember Joel Goodhart praised the process and the final product.
Conditional Use Permit 26-02 (Resolution 9-C-26) This request sought a permit for general office, medical office, or fine arts studio uses at 700 and 706 South Main Street and 105 Eakin Street. Nicholas Baker presented the plan, which includes converting three existing residential structures and adding a new 5,314 square foot building. An existing sewer lateral issue will be resolved as part of the project. Conditions included operating hours (8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with studio events until 10 p.m.) and a waiver-eligible four-foot sidewalk requirement on Eakin Street. The Planning Commission recommended approval 5-0. Applicant Gary Buss stated the project would improve the Main Street corridor while preserving neighborhood character, with construction planned for spring 2027. During discussion, Councilmember Goodhart clarified that the properties can retain or revert to residential use, meaning no housing is permanently lost (a point of concern raised to the Planning Commission). Councilmember Susan Anderson, a former resident of 700 South Main, voiced strong support for the project.
Council Reports & Announcements
We will go ahead and get started. Will the council please come to order and will the clerk call the roll? Anderson, present Campbell. Present. Oliver's absent forward. Here. Goodhart? Here. Cassoff? Present. Set Finn. Here. We will move on to the Pledge of Allegiance. Will the Vice Mayor please lead us in the pledge? I pledge allegiance to 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 will move on to the consent agenda. We have several items on the consent agenda tonight. Item A is the town council minutes for August 18th and August 25th, which we will be approving. Item B is ordinance 2073, an ordinance to update the town's home state ordinance to reflect state law changes and establish civil penalties by amending town code sections 6601, 6602, 6605, and 6606. We'll be introducing that ordinance tonight and scheduling the public hearing for October 13th, 2026. Item C is ordinance 2117 and ordinance to amend sections 22700, 22703, 22704, and 22705 of the town code pertaining to meals tax to update definitions and exemptions from the tax and establish an additional penalty for late payments. I will again be introducing the ordinance and scheduling the public hearing for October 13th. And then we have item D, which is ordinance 2121, an ordinance authorizing the conveyance of a utility easement over town property at Appalachian Power Company. We will also be up introducing that ordinance and scheduling the public hearing for October 13th. What is council's pleasure on the consent agenda? I move approval of the consent agenda. Second. We have a motion and a second. Any discussion? Seeing none, will the clerk call the roll? Campbell. Aye. Or aye. Good heart. Aye. Cassoff. Set Finn? Aye. Anderson. Aye. The motion passes and the consent agenda is approved. We will move on to public hearings, and we have two public hearings tonight. We will begin with resolution 9B 26, which is a resolution granting a conditional use permit for a drive-through use in the planned commercial district at 1800 prices for Cro. This is also CUP 2601. We will begin tonight with the staff presentation. So here's an aerial view of the site that just shows there's an existing BP gas station stored directly across from Plantation Road to the east, a holiday and express mini warehouse to the north, and the BRECS housing development to the west, and um growing clinic and other office space directly across Prices Fork Road to the south. The subject parcel is currently zoned PC planned commercial.