ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, October 1, 1996 TAG: 9610010048
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: MARK CLOTHIER STAFF WRITER
The town's Planning Commission tonight will hold a public hearing on proposed revisions - Blacksburg's first in at least two decades - to the zoning ordinance and zoning map.
After the 7:30 p.m. hearing, the commission will make a recommendation to Town Council, which is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the zoning changes Oct. 8. Both public hearings will be held in Town Council chambers at the Blacksburg Municipal Building, 300 S. Main St.
Town Council can vote on the new map and ordinance that night, but likely will not, said Town Manager Ron Secrist. The new rules would be effective as soon as they're approved.
The revised zoning map is the town's first in more than 20 years, said Adele Schirmer, Blacksburg's planning and engineering director.
The ordinance revision is an attempt to clarify an oft-amended document and bring it back in line with the new comprehensive plan, adopted in June.
A town's comprehensive plan is its vision of where it wants to be and what it wants to look like when it gets there. Zoning ordinances are the local laws to enforce the plan.
The following is a list of the town's new zoning categories expected to affect the most people:
*Low Density Residential (R4): The neighborhoods affected are mostly made up of older single-family homes, like McBryde Village, the Draper Road-Preston Avenue neighborhood and Highland Park.
The new zoning is designed to protect the stability of those established neighborhoods and to make sure nearby areas are compatible. It also calls for fewer pockets of drastic changes in uses within those areas. Like, for example, an apartment complex in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
*Transitional Residential (R5): This district is intended to provide for a gradual transition from a single-family neighborhood to something else like apartments or commercial property. This is a new district. Before there was either single family housing zones or apartment zones, with nothing in between. This transitional zone is geared towards single family homes, but allows duplexes, and small or low-traffic office and commercial buildings, like those on South Main Street.
*Old Town Residential (OTR): This zone allows, with special use permits, a wide variety of uses, but still tries to keep the historic quality. It's similar to R5, but allows more: beds and breakfasts, professional offices, specialty shops, small cafes and single-family homes.
The purpose behind it is to have a pedestrian-oriented area close to downtown, with walkways and street post-type lighting, Schirmer said.
*Medium-density Multi-unit Residential (R48): The town's apartment zone. Allows up to 48 bedrooms per acre. Now, apartments are counted on the number of units per acre, which is a less accurate reflection of an apartment complex's population, Schirmer said.
The zoning is designed to encourage the development of one- and two-bedroom apartment complexes.
*Special Housing Overlay (SHO): Special housing is defined as student organizations recognized by Virginia Tech, like fraternities and sororities, or other groups bound by a common purpose and charter.
In areas where there's Greek housing now, this gives them the opportunity to apply for a permit to fix their houses. It's not a guarantee, Schirmer said, it just allows the groups to apply for a special use permit. The applicant is subject to a public hearing and preconditions.
Schirmer said the biggest concern she's heard from residents is that the special housing overlay areas could become Greek rows. She said the town's comprehensive plan for the area is designed to prevent that and to keep its historic character, improve existing properties and add offices and specialty shops.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Map: Proposed zoning Town of Blacksburg. color.by CNB