Lori Graham
Contributing Writer
CHRISTIANSBURG – Residents spoke against a conditional use permit requested by DAJ Ventures LLC’s to allow 21 townhouses in Christiansburg during Tuesday’s town council meeting.
The townhomes would be built on approximately 2.149 acres located at the western end of Montgomery Street, NE, and between the south side of Church Street, NE and the north side of Lucas Street, NE. The property was previously zoned B-3 General Business and is designated as residential on the Future Land Use Map of the 2013 Christiansburg Comprehensive Plan, according to the Christiansburg Town Council’s meeting agenda.
Steve Simones with Balzer and Associates addressed Christiansburg Town council as the engineering firm that is representing the owners of DAJ Ventures. Citizens had previously spoken at the Planning Commission meeting recently about some work that has been happening near this proposed site, but Steve says this is unrelated to their project. According to Simones, this work is part of the gas line improvement project.
“Our main entrance would be off of Church Street,” Simones said.
There is a proposed private entrance for the purpose of emergency use only, that would connect to Montgomery Street, at a point that is currently terminated at the property. The property also has its own designated storm water management facility.
Suggestions from the Planning Commission had included the townhome developers to add dumpsters from one to two and with an additional recycling bin. Balzer and Associates has made these adjustments to their waste facilities.
Council member Johana Hicks requested further information from Semones on the proximity of the proposed townhomes to the car wash.
“Is there anything that’s going to be covering the backs of those townhomes?” Hicks said.
“There would be landscaping that would go across, we don’t have that specified yet,” Semones said.
Hicks also asked about the neighboring Headstart preschool building, and how busy the street can be at times when the school is open.
“They are not supposed to be parking on this property, but we understand from some of the neighbors that they park…along the street to drop the kids off, but again, that is not part of this project,” Semones said.
Norma-Jean Landis spoke on behalf of her mother who lives very close to the proposed DAJ townhome project. Both mother and daughter are opposed to the construction of the townhomes based on the proximity, but also the size of project.
“The DAJ Ventures application to build 21, let that number sink in, 21 townhomes and 60 parking spaces…on a 2.149-acre lot has been adopted by the Planning Commission. I’m here to speak out against this build,” Landis said.
Landis also asked if impact studies on neighboring residential areas surrounding the townhomes had been completed.
Another Montgomery Street resident, John Dunning, also urged the Council to reject the permission to build 21 townhomes on the lot located near his residence.
“I would like to share why I bought a house in Christiansburg in 1999,” Dunning said. “The lady selling the homes [said] this is a great place for a kid to ride a bicycle.”
Dunning recommended building single-family small homes in the location versus a townhome complex.
“I highly encourage you to think of it as a citizen side, not just think of it as this is going to bring revenue to the town. It will bring revenue to the town, but I don’t think it’s long-term revenue,” Dunning said. “Build generational wealth.”
Barbara Early also spoke against the project as a long-time resident of the neighborhood near the proposed townhome project.
“We bought our retirement home in the ‘80s that was built by Robert Gearheart that used to work in this town,” Early said. “We pay our taxes and pay our taxes on time. We are natives of this area, and we are very much against this project because it affects our property.”
