The Town of Blacksburg has received a conditional use permit application for additional height for the proposed Blacksburg Police Department headquarters and parking garage on a 1.571-acre parcel located along Clay Street and Church Street in the Midtown development. The parcel will have frontage on Clay Street and the new segment of Church Street which will be constructed as part of the Midtown development.
A portion of the 1.571 acre site is currently owned by the town and the remainder is owned by Midtown Redevelopment Partners, LLC. A lot line adjustment is currently under administrative review by the town that will reconfigure existing lots and result in an exchange of property with Midtown Redevelopment Partners, LLC, such that all of the 1.571-acre site will be under the ownership of the Town of Blacksburg. Both the town and Midtown Redevelopment Partners, LLC are applicants for this request as they are both property owners at this time. The parcel is zoned Downtown Commercial (DC) and was part of the May 2019 rezoning of the Midtown development on what is commonly referred to as the Old Blacksburg Middle School site.
The Blacksburg Police Department headquarters will be a two-story building with the main entrance located at the intersection of Clay Street and Church Street with a multi-story parking garage attached. The parking garage will serve the Police Department and the Midtown development.
The additional height is requested to accommodate the parking garage that will front the interior commons area of the Midtown development and the Clay Court condominiums. The parking garage may be a 6-story or 7-story structure and includes roof mounted solar panels.
The building height is measured from the corner of Clay Street and the new segment of Church Street. The maximum height proposed in the application is 86’ for a 7-story garage with solar panels. Additional height in the downtown commercial district can be considered through the Conditional Use Permit public hearing process. The maximum height allowed by-right in the downtown commercial district is 60’.
The designation for this area on the town’s Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use map is Civic.
The following meetings have been scheduled to consider this application:
- Neighborhood Meeting: Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. in the Blacksburg Motor Company Building at 400 S. Main St. This is an informal meeting that will give the applicant the opportunity to present the plans and provide attendees with the opportunity to ask questions. A staff member from the planning department will forward the notes from the meeting to the planning commission and the town council.
- Town Council Work Session: Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. in the Blacksburg Motor Company Building at 400 S. Main St. The town council will review the request, the staff report, and the 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
- Planning Commission Work Session: Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. in the Blacksburg Motor Company Building at 400 S. 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.
- Town Council Work Session: Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. in the Blacksburg Motor Company Building at 400 S. Main St. The town council will review the request, the staff report, and the 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
- Planning Commission Public Hearing: Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers of the municipal building at 300 S. Main St. The planning commission will hold a public hearing on the request and make a recommendation to the town council. There will be an opportunity for the applicant and the public to comment.
- Town Council Public Hearing: (time and date tentative) Tuesday, April 14, 2020, at 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers of the municipal building at 300 S. Main St. 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.