Blacksburg Town Council Retreat

Date: January 30, 2024 | Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Location: Highlander Hotel, Radford, VA

The Town Council held a special retreat to review strategic goals, prioritize initiatives for the next two years, and discuss topics including land use communications, the future of the old Blacksburg Police Building, capital project priorities, housing strategies, and updates to the Town Council Handbook. The retreat was facilitated by Kevin Byrd, Executive Director of the New River Valley Regional Commission.

Discussion Items

• Strategic Goals & Accomplishments: Town Manager Marc Verniel reviewed progress on goals, highlighting accomplishments such as Hand in Hand Park, the acquisition and development of Brush Mountain Park, and the Meadowbrook Trail. Council discussed the Town Council Handbook, with minor revisions noted for future review.

• Land Use & Development Communications: Council discussed improving communication on land use and development projects. Deputy Town Manager Matt Hanratty demonstrated a proposed project dashboard for the town website to allow citizens to view all development projects. Town Attorney Lawrence Spencer recommended adding an executive summary to make project information easier for the community to understand. Council emphasized the need for clear communication.

• Future Use of Old Blacksburg Police Building: Marc Verniel reviewed the building’s current uses: Montgomery County Tourism office, Parks and Recreation camp use, and Technology Department storage, with flex office space available. He proposed a walkthrough in the coming weeks. Mayor Hager-Smith and other members stressed the importance of not underutilizing the space.

• Capital Project Priorities: Verniel presented two major Capital Improvement Plan projects: the Progress Street parking garage and a new recreation center. Council discussed whether to prioritize the recreation center over the parking garage. The consensus was to seek larger community engagement before making a final decision.

• Housing Strategies: Council discussed current housing projects, noting strong demand, lack of supply, and general lack of affordability. After considerable discussion, Council concluded that options for more housing and increased density should be explored.

• Mayor’s Innovation Project Conference: Councilmember Lauren Colliver and Mayor Hager-Smith reported on their trip to Washington, DC. Topics of interest included an innovation showcase highlighting the benefits of a full-time grant writer and a service to assist citizens with starting a business.

• Neighborhood Associations: Councilmember Susan Anderson expressed interest in offering resources to neighborhoods interested in forming their own associations—not homeowners associations, but avenues for neighborhood improvement resources.

• Other Topics: Discussion included strategic goals for transportation (bike lanes and sidewalk lanes), food insecurity, and game day tailgating.

Key Outcomes

• Council agreed to pursue larger community engagement on the priority of the Progress Street parking garage versus the new recreation center.
• Council concluded that more housing options and density should be explored to address the housing market’s strong demand and lack of affordability.
• Staff will prepare a summary of the retreat discussion items for review and input at an upcoming work session.
• No formal votes were taken; the retreat was a discussion-oriented session.