Blacksburg Town Council Work Session – July 5, 2023

The Blacksburg Town Council met in a work session on July 5, 2023, at Blacksburg Motor Company to review public hearings scheduled for August 8, 2023, and to discuss Downtown Northwest zoning. The session was primarily a discussion and consensus-building meeting; it adjourned at 12:50 p.m.

Discussion Items

• Review of Public Hearings scheduled for August 8, 2023

  • CUP 23-0003 – Midtown DC-2 Hotel and Increased Height Request: Senior Planner Kinsey O'Shea provided an overview of the request for hotel use and increased height above 60 feet at 501 South Main Street. The building is proposed to have a maximum height of 75 feet. The hotel use would be a 144-room hotel on Midtown DC Parcel 2; this room count is a reduction from the original request. Staff made recommendations related to sidewalk and landscaping. Council raised concerns about the building height's effect on the view-shed and about accessibility to the public commons area. Steve Semones of Balzer and Associates addressed those concerns and said the developer had been in contact with the hotel to confirm the common area would be closed as needed for community events.
  • Ordinance 2025 – Vacation of Waterline Easement at 615 Southgate Drive: Engineering Director Randy Formica summarized the request to vacate a waterline easement at the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport. Virginia Tech plans to build a hangar, and the waterline easement would encroach on that project. The Town has no interest in the easement, and the vacation would assist the project.
  • Ordinance 2016 – Westview Cemetery Green Burial Regulations: Town Manager Marc Verniel provided a refresher on the proposal to amend the Westview Cemetery Rules and Regulations to establish green burial regulations. There were no changes since the last meeting, and Council had no questions.
  • Ordinance 2029 – Town Cemetery Code Amendments: Town Manager Marc Verniel also reviewed proposed amendments to Town Code Sections 7-100, 7-103, 7-104, 7-105, 7-108, and 7-109 pertaining to the Town Cemetery. There were no changes since the last meeting, and Council had no questions.

• Downtown Northwest Zoning Discussion: Planning Director Anne McClung provided a brief review of the issues to be addressed for the Downtown Northwest District. She noted that the meeting was intended to gather Council's general thoughts on the district and then presented the strategic plan and a more formalized framework for the district. Council expressed overall consensus with moving forward and indicated that more discussion on the tiered approach to building heights would be needed.

• Council/Staff Exchange – Summer Arts Festival Funding: Town Manager Marc Verniel noted that the Summer Arts Festival organization had requested an additional $1,000 for the Summer Arts program and asked whether Council would approve taking that amount from the contingency fund. Council was in agreement.

Key Outcomes

• Council reached overall consensus to move forward with the Downtown Northwest District discussion and requested continued discussion on the tiered approach to building heights.
• Council agreed to provide an additional $1,000 from the contingency fund to the Summer Arts Festival organization for the Summer Arts program.
• No formal votes were recorded; the work session was preparatory for the August 8, 2023 public hearings.