[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6308024,"mediaKeyId","2425627-ea60033399930e06eb8a3f4475816976","parentId",2425627,"title","Residents urge council to reject or revise 801 North Main proposal, call for better public engagement","audioSeconds",515,"startMs",1649000,"endMs",2164000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2425627-ea60033399930e06eb8a3f4475816976&start=1649&end=2164","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2425627-ea60033399930e06eb8a3f4475816976/thumbnail_1649000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6308024/Blacksburg/Montgomery-County/Virginia/Residents-urge-council-to-reject-or-revise-801-North-Main-proposal-call-for-better-public-engagement","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308024-81300d9ef201483e5f8329160b39c4d6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167467&Signature=Cguz1MRfTkr78sCD-26dJaIw9O94IumNvpOHfc159bzb3N-DVvoBn-LAUu9BPqHzv8kjG3HpYdRmM8xc0pqMJDBKkbFmQTHB9voIHXzZUmlZ5-g1ykGm50lrD7uh5M1WO~OXbYXoT~AvJD~XWalOJGChkSj2D7m-bW6h7gdlMNfwgZPdvRhKuj~K1vJaDjdz0p77oFmGV3UdkvVZvkV4J26uwG1ySndz7eCPtf3cCYyZwG~gTVxQPTjXUns5P3995Pl-dwspXwHev6o3PIIfnxc2JqkRtNEO~bWlCe8s1~r0D7NGiIr1~kzfybylgVWgHTHLeg57zUEFLMQ8UIU3dQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-26T12:44:39Z","article","Several Blacksburg residents used the citizens’ comment period at Tuesday’s council meeting to press elected officials to reject or substantially revise a proposed eight‑story development at 801 North Main Street and to expand the town’s public engagement practices.

Laura Purcell, who lives on Toms Creek Road, said the proposed building is “too tall, too dense, and too disruptive” for the surrounding one- and two‑story neighborhood and argued the proposal conflicts with a 2019 council resolution that discourages prioritizing student housing in a way that removes commercial space. “This proposal says the developer will improve a flood plain that is only under their apartment building with no other improvements to the area,” Purcell said, asking council to vote against the plan in its current form.

Leslie Harwood said the project is “unprecedented in its scale” and criticized its likely rent levels and loss of commercial space. Harwood cited “resolution 2 f 19” from 2019 and told council the developer’s one‑time offer of $1.1 million does not address long‑term housing needs. “With 750 beds at $1,500 each, this developer is set to make over $13,000,000 a year,” Harwood said; the figure was offered as the speaker’s calculation and is reported here as attributed to that speaker.

Other speakers raised related concerns about infrastructure and transit, including a resident who said bus frequency has declined since 2020 and that protected bike lanes and other traffic improvements have not been installed in the neighborhood. Protesters said the project would add nearly 800 residents to a small neighborhood without compensating infrastructure improvements.

Calls for greater council transparency and outreach

Zachary Weiss and other residents criticized the council’s public-engagement methods and urged the town to expand outreach channels. Weiss suggested streaming council work sessions and asked the council to make it easier for residents to provide input through digital forms and more widely advertised drop-in sessions. After public comment, a council member raised the possibility of discussing live-streaming of work sessions at an upcoming work session; council did not vote on that change at the meeting.

Supportive resident perspective

Pete Macedo, a Lee Street resident, praised council members for meeting directly with residents and thanked them for listening to stakeholders on the matter; he said he wanted council to continue soliciting feedback from people who might have something to lose from the development.

Meeting context and next steps

Council did not hold a public hearing on the 801 North Main proposal during this regular meeting; the comments recorded were part of the citizens’ comment period. Residents repeatedly requested that the council and staff provide more accessible opportunities for review and said some neighborhood stakeholders felt under‑engaged during early project outreach. Council members noted the suggestion to discuss live-streaming at a future work session. The council’s next regular meeting and work session dates were announced at adjournment.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - February 25, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Multiple speakers used the citizens’ comment period to criticize a proposed eight‑story student-oriented development at 801 North Main Street as too tall, too dense and lacking required commercial space under a 2019 council resolution; several residents also urged the council to expand public outreach and to livestream work sessions.","taxTitle","Blacksburg, Montgomery County, Virginia","taxId",4264,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6308029,"Town hears detailed preservation plan for Saint Luke and Odd Fellows Hall in Newtown",1475,72000,1547000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2425627-ea60033399930e06eb8a3f4475816976&start=72&end=1547","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2425627-ea60033399930e06eb8a3f4475816976/thumbnail_72000.jpg","/articles/6308029/Blacksburg/Montgomery-County/Virginia/Town-hears-detailed-preservation-plan-for-Saint-Luke-and-Odd-Fellows-Hall-in-Newtown","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308029-5bac84bb74ab68c92d2ee8805fa8f7b9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167467&Signature=PNPRjnsdvSMerBCWBts0HPtxtbQjsY9Xb2x7uiZ7EergcQ~kp~sCf-tyMWye-Wei6Cl445s2w0bWuqkqPYBdUiqy1ImVaCi761krwf71gTXL3A5xtYo~9g4UspJAecM5pMZJ22Yc0MfAoVrQqeOQmkFY~p1LwI5UTAaA9vBYTDzS4UR5uVNg7vyUKzWgW6NUXnPJfyoSN0DvL6fjHiKwcSmSljgYliGECgUxg1nSMD3agZsA9yWnSm6Eo~SCem~wCJXDK2ExZhN0ig3E~Z2xSd1n7N1-ab0xjDvUhbn28wqSgDFo0GYyPbkNMcax9CDqLIsnNf59NyW9FJLudqjzWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Carol Davis, a town staff member who led the project presentation, told the Blacksburg Town Council on Tuesday that a working group and hired consultants have compiled a set of recommended actions to stabilize and restore the Saint Luke and Odd Fellows Hall in the historic Newtown neighborhood.

The recommendations cover structural reinforcement, climate control and monitoring, museum-grade lighting, targeted historic paint restoration and site landscaping, Davis said. The working group met for about 14 months and reviewed a Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) report, new engineering and architectural analyses, and community feedback before finalizing the list of roughly 32 recommended items.

The building is on land originally bought in the 19th century by Gilbert Braun, the presenter said, and the town’s period of historic significance for the site runs from 1905 to 1955. The Hall was damaged when a delivery truck struck the building in February 2003; that damage spurred a legal process placing trustees on the deed and, later, a deed of gift that transferred the property to the town and led to historic designation and an earlier stabilization and reopening as a museum.

Why it matters: The Hall is a locally and nationally recognized historic resource tied to Blacksburg’s African American community. The working group’s work is intended both to preserve character-defining features and to allow limited modern use of the building without violating the deed conditions or historic standards.

Key technical findings and recommendations

- Structural: Truesdell Engineering and the project team found the First Floor to be structurally sound and reinforced during the 2009 restoration; it can support about 75 standing occupants, the report said. To preserve historic double doors while allowing greater functional use, the working group and engineers recommended changing the building type to assembly but capping occupancy at 49 so that original doors need not be replaced with panic-bar exits. The stage and the Second Floor are significantly weaker; the stage can be reinforced with added sub-bracing without altering its appearance, while reinforcing the Second Floor would require intrusive changes to First-Floor finishes and was not recommended.

- Mechanical and electrical: Solace O’Brien’s review found the electrical system replaced in 2009 is in generally good condition and has some spare capacity; the report recommends adding museum-rated LED lighting and a monitored security/fire-detection system. The HVAC system is undersized and the building envelope is leaky; the working group recommended installing a dehumidifier on the Second Floor with data-tracking capability and performing an energy audit to guide further improvements.

- Historic finishes and interpretation: BCA’s paint analysis sampled 10 interior locations and concluded most wood elements were originally unpainted with clear coatings. The double doors showed evidence of early faux wood graining treatments; the stage apron appears to have been a darker reddish-brown historically and may be restorable. The working group supported restoring earlier colors and finishes where feasible.

- Site: Preliminary landscaping recommendations from town horticulturalist Beth Carson prioritize protecting sightlines and preserving space for gatherings; the team is coordinating further work with adjacent property holders including the Virginia Tech Foundation. A local donor, Ginger Wagner, contributed historic plants for potential replanting on the site.

Community process and feedback

Davis said the working group posted a draft report and a feedback survey to the town’s “Let’s Talk Blacksburg” project page, publicized the plan via social channels and held a drop-in meeting at the Hall in October attended by about 50 people. The online survey returned 33 full responses; the presenter said the majority of responses agreed the recommendations aligned with the deed of gift’s requirement to preserve and maintain the building, and that most specific recommended actions drew support by roughly a 5:1 margin.

The working group includes descendants of trustees named in the original deed-of-gift process — Latanya Walker and others — plus town and museum volunteers and professionals. Michael Pulis, an architectural historian with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, told the group owners have flexibility to rehabilitate or restore the building but should identify and protect character-defining features. “We’re not going to paint the building hot pink,” Pulis told the group, urging a balanced, expert-driven approach.

Council and public business at the meeting

Council approved the consent agenda at the same session; that consent vote—covering approval of recent council minutes and downtown façade-grant program guidelines—passed on a roll call with the votes recorded as Oliver: Aye; Ford: Aye; Mattingly: Aye; Sutphin: Aye; Watson: Aye; Anderson: Aye. The council also unanimously approved the appointment of Jason Karas to the Montgomery Regional Economic Development Commission (roll call recorded in the minutes). Those formal actions were recorded after the presentation and public comment period.

What’s next

Davis said several recommendations will require additional coordination with adjacent property owners, historic-preservation reviewers and the museum foundation, and that the town has architectural drawings, the feasibility study and related documents available for council review. Staff and the working group proposed next steps focused on prioritized, minimally invasive repairs that preserve historic fabric while allowing limited modern use.","Council received a presentation on a year-long working-group report recommending structural reinforcements, HVAC and lighting upgrades, historic paint restoration and site improvements for the Saint Luke and Odd Fellows Hall; the group urged a balanced preservation approach and recommended a capped assembly occupancy to retain historic doors.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Residents urge council to reject or revise 801 North Main proposal, call for better public engagement

Town hears detailed preservation plan for Saint Luke and Odd Fellows Hall in Newtown