Blacksburg Town Council Work Session - January 21, 2025

The Blacksburg Town Council held a work session on January 21, 2025, at the Blacksburg Motor Company, 400 South Main Street, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:21 p.m. Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith, Vice Mayor Michael Sutphin, Councilmembers Susan Anderson, Lauren Colliver, Jerry Ford Jr., Susan Mattingly, and Liam Watson were present, along with Town Manager Marc Verniel, Town Attorney Lawrence S. Spencer, and Town Clerk Lorraine S. Spaulding. The session covered presentations on PFAS drinking water regulations, a review of upcoming public hearings, updates on the Capital Improvement Program, and a legislative agenda discussion.

Drinking Water Regulations/PFAS Presentation

• Dr. Bill Knocke (Virginia Tech) and Lisa Crabtree (Virginia Department of Health) provided an overview of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), noting their widespread use and slow environmental breakdown.
• They reviewed EPA regulations, risk assessments, and a comparison risk model, emphasizing that local water has extremely low PFAS concentrations and does not trigger a hazard index under VDH standards.
• Crabtree explained that VDH and DEQ collaborate in a PFAS task force, and the area has not seen PFAS levels warranting concern.

Review of Public Hearings Scheduled for February 11, 2025

• Assistant Planning Director Kinsey O’Shea presented three related items for the 801 North Main Street property (2.80± acres):
  • Ordinance 2062: Rezoning from General Commercial and R-5 Transitional Residential to Planned Residential District to allow an 8-story multifamily building with ground-floor commercial and townhome-style units, up to 759 bedrooms, and structured parking.
  • Ordinance 2063: Vacation of ±2,000 square feet of Town-owned alley right-of-way between the 800-block of Kabrich Street and the 900-block of Progress Street NW.
  • CUP-24-3: Conditional Use Permit to use an alley for non-single-unit residential dwellings accessing the townhome-style units.
• Town Manager Marc Verniel recapped the Regional Tourism Agreement (Ordinance 2072): a three-year term with multiple renewals, as previously presented by Montgomery County Deputy Supervisor Christopher Lawrence.
• Verniel reviewed Ordinance 2074: The Friends of the Huckleberry, Inc. proposes to convey a property at 2700 Meadowbrook Drive to the Town, then lease back a 5.499-acre parcel for five years to sub-lease the home and fund trails system improvements at Meadowbrook.
• Town Attorney Lawrence Spencer discussed Ordinance 2068: Rezoning 1.59± acres at 402 Clay Street from R-5 to Planned Residential, permitting two 3-story multifamily buildings with up to 72 bedrooms. The applicant adjusted the proffer statement regarding income-restricted housing.

Capital Improvement Program

• Town Manager Marc Verniel reviewed citizen concerns about specific CIP items, including the Laurel Ridge property (to be added to a future work session), the Draper Road Culvert (to be reviewed once the project begins), Progress Street parking garage costs, and disposal of Town electronic items. Council asked questions, but no decisions were made.

Legislative Agenda Discussion

• Town Attorney Lawrence Spencer presented a draft of the 2025 legislative priorities for Council consideration. After discussion, Council agreed to add items related to constitutional amendments and to consider adoption at the February 11, 2025 meeting.

Council/Staff Exchange

• Council discussed the Town Council Handbook regarding the use of Town letterhead.

Key Outcomes

• The Town Council Strategic Goals update was postponed to a later meeting due to time constraints.
• Council agreed to incorporate constitutional amendments into the 2025 legislative priorities and will consider formal adoption on February 11, 2025.
• No formal votes were taken on the public hearing items or the PFAS presentation, as they were informational or preparatory for the February 11, 2025, public hearings.