Marty Gordon
Contributing writer
The line continues to be drawn in the sand on a proposed boarding house along Roanoke Street in Christiansburg. A packed house attended Tuesday’s regularly scheduled town council meeting with speakers on both sides of the debate.
Developers announced plans earlier this summer to renovate a former hotel and adjoining building. The facility would house individuals released from jail after a drug conviction. In most of the cases, the individuals would be graduates of an area “drug court.”
The discussion was heated at times on Tuesday as speakers voiced their opinions at others in the audience and not to council or the planning commission that participated in the joint meeting. The proposed plan is to turn around a piece of property that had become empty and an eyesore for the town.
Staff had gone as far as to mark it for demolishing if the owner, or in this case, new owners did not repair it and tear down several buildings on site.
Christiansburg business owners Marie and Jared March bought the property earlier this year with the intent to fix it up. The couple, who also own Due South BBQ and Fatback Soul Shack, told the council they felt called to help individuals once they leave jail and attempt to re-enter society.
Lenny Hall with the Sons of Thunder Ministry of Floyd said it would be acting as the ministry agency to help the individuals living at the proposed facility. The hope is to have a coffee house and possibly another business on-site.
“Most of the people at this site will be those coming out of the drug court,” he said.
No full-time staff member would be located there 24/7. As many as 15 localities, including Montgomery County, currently operate drug courts in the Commonwealth.
They began popping up around the country in the late 80s as a way for nonviolent offenders to avoid incarceration and become drug free.
According to documents from the Virginia Court System, there are various sanctions if the participants fail a drug test or fail to participate in required community service and/or counseling. In many ways, the court provides treatment to the drug offenders. The court is then active in monitoring the defendant’s progress and applies sanctions when necessary.
Some judges in the state have been frustrated when loss of freedom and jail did little to correct the person’s addiction and criminal behavior. Thus, the drug court was created for a new way of doing business.
The question is whether the drug court and this new facility can work hand in hand along with neighbors who worry about their personal safety in and around the location.
Christiansburg resident Marvin Nunley, who is against the plan, said that there are a lot of children near the site, and he worried for their safety.
“I don’t think we have brainstormed this subject enough,” he said. “I am a Christian, but I have problems with these plans. This is not the best location, and no one wants it by their house.”
Nunley added that the developers and those involved with the plan are not his enemies, but he hoped council understood there are concerns from adjacent neighbors.
John Lilly, homeowner on Roanoke Street, has repeatedly said he is not against halfway houses, but believed the location is simply inappropriate due to the close proximity to residential neighborhoods, a day care and churches.
“In addition, this location is not near resources that former offenders often require,” he said.
Barbara Martin, who lives near the property, was fearful that property values would decrease because of the facility’s opening.
The town has proposed rewriting part of its zoning ordinance to include “true” definitions for “boarding houses” and in what zoning areas they can be located. Initially, the development was called a “halfway” house, causing confusion of the overall project.
The town currently defines boarding houses as a building where lodging or meals are provided for compensation for at least two and up to 14 individuals.
Boarding houses are currently allowed in three business districts, and by rite, this new one can be located in the B-3 General Business zoning district. The potential developer is in the beginning phase of renovating existing buildings to house one to four residents.
Under the new ordinance being considered, boarding houses with 1-4 people in B-1, B-2 and B-3 zoning districts would be required to have a conditional use permit.
The proposed site on Roanoke Street has as many as four buildings, including a former hotel that dates to the early 70s. It served as housing for several individuals over the past 10 years but has been vacant for two years.
As many as three other boarding/halfway houses exist within the town’s limits.
The planning commission will discuss the matter next week, and council could vote on the zoning changes at its Sept. 11 regularly scheduled meeting.
Other news
In other matters, council learned the Regional 911 Authority has agreed to keep its funding formula the same for the upcoming fiscal year.
The group had been considering have each locality in the authority to pay their fair share based on the number of calls answered by dispatchers.
Under that formula, the Town of Christiansburg could have had to pay more as numbers show the locality has the highest number of calls. Now, the authority will keep funding at 25 percent for each entity involved (Christiansburg, Blacksburg, Virginia Tech and Montgomery County).
Also, council said goodbye to Town Attorney Theresa Fontana, who is leaving to become an assistant county attorney in northern Virginia.
Council also agreed to set the personal property tax relief percentage for citizens with qualifying vehicles at 37.14 percent, a slight decrease from 37.85 the previous year.
The amount is directly connected to the state’s elimination of the car tax several years ago.
