Marty Gordon
At the Christiansburg Planning Commission meeting this week, developers presented rezoning requests for multiple sites along Peppers Ferry Road for new housing, mixed-use residential and commercial development.
In a public hearing, Stateson Homes presented plans for the former Halberstadt family farm next to Peppers Ferry Road, at Quin W. Stuart Blvd. and Stafford Drive.
The Stateson Homes plans, labeled “Clifton Town Center” describe development of town homes, stand-alone apartments and mixed-use and a commercial area on the nearly 29-acre parcel that has been the site of the town’s fireworks display for the last two years. Recently, a signal light was added at the major intersection entering the property.
Stateson Homes also proposes commercial development directly across the road from Merchant’s Tire and Bull and Bones restaurant.
Balzer & Associates, a local architectural, engineering and surveying firm presented the application.
“As growth continues in the New River Valley, more alternative housing opportunities are needed,” the firm said referencing what it said was the success of the nearby apartment development The Adams at Peppers Ferry and the Clifton townhome development.
Arguing that those developments have shown there is a demand in Christiansburg for higher-end apartment and townhome living, the addition of a “vertical mixed-use development” in the Clifton Town Center, according to the rezoning request, “will bring a new product to the market at three to four stories over office, retail and restaurants.”
The design supports high-tech office use and suggests that a company has expressed interest in such a plan.
In addition, the group says that development like this at this location will provide a transition from the intense commercial use at the intersection of Peppers Ferry Road and North Franklin Street to the residential-uses located to the north and west of the site.
The parcel would be rezoned from Limited Business, B-1, to General Business, B-3.
At the same meeting, plans were presented to the town which would build 146 units—14 town homes, 132 apartments and seven other buildings at the Magnolia Point Community owned by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, located northeast of the intersection of Peppers Ferry Road and New Village Drive.
The nine-acre property would have to be rezoned from Agricultural to R-3, Multi-Family Residential. Adjoining properties are zone Agricultural, R-1, Single-Family Residential, R-3, Multi-Family Residential and B-3 General Business. The property appears as Residential on the town’s Future Land Use map, and the general location of the proposed road extension was previously approved as part of the New River Village master planned rezoning request.
The developer says there would be a maximum of 24 dwelling units per apartment building.
Balzer & Associates is also the engineering and architect firm for this project.
Dudley Drive would be a full-access intersection into this subdivision the firm said.
Seven buildings would include a total of 16 apartments each with a clubhouse. The property backs to Bozeman Trail.
Town council is expected to hold a public hearing on both of these projects next month, and the planning commission heard concerns earlier this week.
A final vote is not expected for at least 30 days.
The next planning commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.
