Abby Whitt
Contributing writer
The first Blacksburg Town Council meeting of the new fiscal year had several public hearings and set the schedule for regular meeting dates.
Regular meetings will be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building at 300 S. Main St. in Blacksburg. Council meetings set for July 22, Nov. 11 (Veteran’s Day), and Dec. 23 are cancelled.
Work sessions will be held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 11 a.m. at the Blacksburg Motor Company Building. Work sessions on July 15 and Nov. 4 (Election Day) are cancelled.
In the case of inclement weather, meetings will be held at 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the Thursday following the regularly scheduled meeting.
Four of the public hearings on July 8 centered on rezoning and future developments, including the Clydesview Development, which would establish single-family dwellings on .655 acres of land at 103 Jefferson St. and East Roanoke Street downtown.
The project was approved by the Planning Commission’s last meeting, and Council Member Jerry Ford Jr. said members “gushed” at the rendering of a two-story white house with a front porch.
The council approved the project with Vice Mayor Michael Sutphin saying it’s “much needed.”
The next two hearing matters were presented together and had to do with the area between North Main Street, Kabrich Street, Winston Avenue and Progress Street northwest.
One of the hearings was to vacate the town-owned alley right-of-way beside the old Speedway, and that ordinance passed unanimously. The alley provided no residential use, and it is separated from the Speedway parking lot by a retaining wall.
The second matter rezoned 2.8 acres to Planned Residential and Residential/Commercial in the form of multi-family homes above commercial retail space and townhomes on Winston Avenue for a total of about 103 beds.
Council member Susan Anderson said the proposed development is too dense. She said the location would be good for student housing, but it’s too many beds.
Council Member Liam Watson said the number of bedrooms will make the biggest impact on the town and noted it’s a “supply and demand” problem.
The project was approved 5-1.
Council also approved an “encroachment” of the right-of-way in the alley behind Blacksburg Motor Company Building to add a four-foot ramp/walkway for deliveries and approved using office space at 104 Draper Rd. for town purposes. The space was previously leased by Virginia Tech, which did not renew its lease in December 2024.
One of the last public hearings held July 8 was in regard to lowering the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph from Old Glade Road to Main Street via Prices Fork.
Town staff member Carolyn Howard presented the hearing to the Council and said that pedestrian traffic is up by about 75% and vehicular traffic is up by 6.4%.
Ford said he “enthusiastically” supported the speed limit change because it helps protect the vulnerable parties on the road, including the pedestrians, cyclists, runners, etc., especially when there are “interactions” between them and vehicles.
Two public hearings were scheduled for Aug. 12:
A conditional use permit request for an outdoor educational and recreational camp at 2190 Merrimac Rd.
An ordinance to amend town code sections to add a new section and to update the town procurement code.
