Blacksburg, VA
Home MenuDowntown Northwest Zoning Ordinance Amendment (ZOA #60)
Zoning Ordinance Amendment #60/Ordinance #2001 - Zoning Ordinance Amendment to amend the text of the Town’s Zoning Ordinance to create a new Downtown Northwest zoning district for the area bounded by North Main St., Turner St., and Prices Fork Rd.
Update
Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. There will be an opportunity for public comment.
Planning Commission held a public hearing on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. The public hearing was continued on Tuesday, September 3, 2024 and closed without further action. Planning Commission will discuss this further at its work session in October and will re-advertise the public hearing later this fall.
After several revisions to the Draft Ordinance text, the Town hosted a public input meeting to go over the changes and receive public comment on Thursday, June 13th at 5:30 pm in the Blacksburg Motor Company Conference Room. The revised draft text, previous documents, and updated meeting schedule can be found below.
The Town of Blacksburg completed its Strategic Plan for Downtown in 2019. The plan presents a strategic vision to guide the evolution of Blacksburg’s Downtown into the years ahead. Rooted in community input and analysis, the plan provides a blueprint for action through policy, capital improvements, and development that advance community priorities. The full plan can be viewed with the link below.
One of the outcomes of the Downtown Strategic Plan was adopting a districting framework, which defined six geographic areas, or sub districts, within Downtown that have their own distinct characteristics, identities, and mixes of uses. Each of these districts has their own assets and opportunities along with a unique vision for each. The Downtown Northwest sub district consists of the area bounded by North Main Street, Prices Fork Road, and Turner Street. The vision for this area is more dense, mixed-use, architecturally appealing, and walkable development. This is also the only area identified in the plan as suitable for the inclusion of student housing.
To implement the vision of the Downtown Northwest sub district, a new zoning district needs to be created and added to the Town’s Zoning Ordinance. Creation of the district does not change existing zoning. Should property owners want to use the new district; a rezoning through a public hearing process will be required. The district will include new form-based zoning regulations, which have more specificity in building and site design requirements than typically found in traditional zoning districts.
The chart below shows the schedule for the Zoning Ordinance Amendment. Public input is welcome throughout the process. Staff contacts and email addresses are provided below. All meetings are open to the public, but public input will only be taken at the Public Input Meeting and at the Planning Commission and Town Council Public Hearings.
Upcoming Meetings:
| Public Input Meeting |
Thursday, June 13, 2024, 5:30 pm in the Blacksburg Motor Company Conference Room, 400 South Main Street, Blacksburg. |
This is an informal meeting at which Town Staff will provide information about the proposed amendment and provide attendees with the opportunity to ask questions. Notes from the public input meeting will be sent to the Planning Commission and Town Council. |
| Planning Commission Work Session |
Tuesday, July 16, 2024, 5:00 pm. Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 5:00 pm in the Blacksburg Motor Company building, 400 South Main St. |
The Planning Commission will review the request and the staff report. There will be an opportunity for the applicant to present the proposal. The public is welcome to attend; however, this is not a public hearing, and there will not be an opportunity for public comment. |
| Planning Commission Public Hearing |
Tuesday, August 6, 2024, 6:30 pm in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. (Motion to continue Public Hearing to 09/03/24) Tuesday, September 3, 2024, 6:30 pm in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 6:30 pm in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers, 2nd Floor, Municipal Building, 300 South Main St. |
The Planning Commission closed the public hearing on September 3, 2024. No action was taken. Public hearing is now scheduled for December 3, 2024. There will be an opportunity for public comment. |
| Town Council Work Session |
TBD Please check back for updates. |
The Town Council will review the request, the staff report, and Planning Commission's recommendation. There will be an opportunity for the applicant to present the proposal. The public is welcome to attend, however, this is not a public hearing and there will not be an opportunity for public comment. |
| Town Council Public Hearing |
TBD Please check back for updates. |
The Town Council will hold a public hearing on the request and take final action. There will be an opportunity for the applicant and the public to comment. |
Previous Meetings:
| Public Input Meeting |
Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 6:00 pm in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers, 2nd Floor Municipal Building, 300 South Main Street. |
This is an informal meeting at which Town Staff will provide information about the proposed amendment and provide attendees with the opportunity to ask questions. Notes from the public input meeting to the Planning Commission and Town Council. |
| Planning Commission Work Session |
Tuesday, November 15, 2022, 5:00 pm in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers, 2nd Floor Municipal Building, 300 South Main Street. |
The Planning Commission will review the request and the staff report. There will be an opportunity for the applicant to present the proposal. The public is welcome to attend, however, this is not a public hearing, and there will not be an opportunity for public comment. |
| Planning Commission Public Hearing |
Tuesday, December 6, 2022, 6:30 pm in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers, 2nd Floor Municipal Building, 300 South Main Street. (Recommended approval with a vote of 4-3) (A vote on a motion to request staff and Town Council further consider specific standards in the district, |
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the request and make a recommendation to Town Council. There will be an opportunity for the applicant and the public to comment. |
| Town Council Work Session |
Tuesday, November 15, 2022, 11:00 am in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers, 2nd Floor Municipal Building, 300 South Main Street. |
The Town Council will review the request, the staff report, and Planning Commission's recommendation. There will be an opportunity for the applicant to present the proposal. The public is welcome to attend, however, this is not a public hearing and there will not be an opportunity for public comment. |
Revised Draft Ordinance Text
Downtown Northwest ZOA #60/ORD #2001 - Revised Draft Ordinance Text - May 2024 (pdf)
Current Documents
Downtown Northwest ZOA #60/ORD #2001 - Staff Memo to Planning Commission - October 11, 2024 (pdf)
Downtown Northwest ZOA #60/ORD #2001 - Re-referring Resolution from TC to PC - October 8, 2024 (pdf)
Downtown Northwest ZOA #60/ORD #2001 - Staff Update Memo - July 12, 2024 (pdf)
Downtown Northwest ZOA #60/ORD #2001 - Public Input Meeting Notes - June 13, 2024 (pdf)
Older Documents
Downtown Northwest ZOA #60/ORD #2001 - PC to TC Memo - December 6, 2022 (pdf)
Downtown Northwest ZOA #60/ORD #2001 - Staff Memo with Attachments - November 10, 2022 (pdf)
Downtown Northwest ZOA #60/ORD #2001 - Public Input Meeting - Presentation - October 12, 2022 (pdf)
Downtown Northwest ZOA #60/ORD #2001 - Staff Memo to PC with Attachments - October 14, 2022 (pdf)
Staff Contacts: Matt Hanratty, mhanratty@blacksburg.gov