Planning Commission backs rezoning for Yellow Sulphur apartments, approves companion Holiday Lane vacation

The Blacksburg Planning Commission on Sept. 2 recommended approval of Rezoning 25‑6 (Ordinance 2091), a Planned Residential District (PRD) application to convert roughly 9.7 acres at 3503 Holiday Lane from commercial/office to multifamily residential, and separately approved the companion right‑of‑way vacation that would incorporate Holiday Lane into the development.

The rezoning would allow five four‑story apartment buildings and, as presented by planning staff, would reconfigure the former Days Inn site into market‑rate housing. Carolyn Collins, senior planner, summarized the application as “a request to rezone 9.72 acres from general commercial and office to planned residential for a multifamily use.”

The commission’s vote moves the proposal to Town Council for final action. The commission held one hearing covering both the rezoning and the vacation request and then took separate motions and votes on each item.

Why it matters: The site is currently designated commercial on the town’s future‑land‑use map; rezoning it to PRD would remove commercial acreage from the town’s inventory while adding a large block of multifamily units. Commissioners and staff framed the request as a tradeoff between losing commercial land and gaining non‑student market housing the town says it needs.

Key facts and conditions

- Scope and density: The developer summarized the revised plan as five four‑story buildings, 320 units and 480 bedrooms (the applicant’s revised submission), which the applicant said yields about 49.1 bedrooms per acre, slightly above some by‑right commercial density comparisons. The applicant’s materials list a maximum of 464 bedrooms in an earlier version; the later revised plan reduced units and bedrooms. (Applicant: Balzer and Associates; owner: TPB Enterprises LLC.) - Open space and amenities: The proposal includes 28% open space, a clubhouse, pool, dog park and a bike pavilion. - Parking and bicycles: The applicant proposes 0.94 parking spaces per bedroom (minimum 440 spaces) and 120 bicycle parking spaces including 48 covered stalls. Staff recommended increasing parking or coordinating with Blacksburg Transit for an on‑site bus stop. - Trails and sidewalks: The applicant requested vacation of approximately 35,000 sq. ft. of Holiday Lane and proposed a 10‑foot multiuse trail along the vacated alignment plus an 8‑foot multiuse trail along Yellow Sulphur Road; the applicant also retained an internal sidewalk loop around the clubhouse but removed a prior on‑site bus turnaround. - Stormwater and engineering: The submitted stormwater plan had not been approved at the time of the hearing; engineering staff flagged off‑site grading and retaining‑wall issues and said they would need further discussion with the applicant after the hearing. - Proffers: The applicant proffered (1) substantial conformance with the plan as submitted, (2) occupancy limits consistent with the town’s small‑lot occupancy standard (defined in the materials as a family plus one unrelated individual, or no more than two unrelated individuals), (3) lease restrictions and (4) that units will be rented by the unit rather than by bedroom.

Discussion highlights (what commissioners and participants raised)

- Transit access: Staff and multiple commissioners urged the applicant to preserve the potential for on‑site bus service; the applicant said the earlier bus turnaround was removed but the parking layout could still accommodate bus access and that they would coordinate with Blacksburg Transit (BT). Commissioner comments asked the applicant to “give every chance to the possibility of some kind of public transit connection.” - Parking rationale: Commissioners noted the site’s limited walkability and the practical need for vehicle parking; several commissioners said the proposal’s parking (measured per unit rather than per bedroom) reflected the site’s location and likely travel patterns. - Site topography and visibility: The applicant explained buildings are terraced into the slope; some buildings sit at the former hotel plateau and others step down the hill. The applicant said one building (Building 3) sits below a retaining wall and will be largely screened from the bypass. - Neighbor screening: The revised plan added a screening fence and modified plantings along the shared property line with Saint John Newman Academy; commissioners asked the applicant to coordinate with the school so upper‑floor views could be preserved where appropriate. - Bike charging and amenities: Commissioner Ford asked about electric‑bike charging at the bike pavilion; the applicant confirmed they will add electrical outlets for chargers (not a standardized bike charger) and will include that in a future submittal.

Formal actions and outcome

- Rezoning (Rezoning 25‑6, Ordinance 2091): A motion to recommend approval as presented by staff carried on a voice vote (recorded in the minutes as ‘Aye’). The mover/second were not specified in the public transcript. Outcome: recommended for approval to Town Council. - Right‑of‑way vacation (Holiday Lane companion request, application ROW 25‑2): The commission voted to approve the vacation request in a separate motion and voice vote. Outcome: approved and forwarded to Town Council.

Discussion versus decision

- Discussion items (no formal action required): transit coordination details with Blacksburg Transit, final stormwater engineering and off‑site grading issues, the exact landscape and canopy tree plan along South Main, and the interior trail loop alignment. These were discussed and flagged for further staff review. - Direction/assignments: The applicant agreed to add electrical outlets for e‑bike charging at the bike pavilion and to continue coordination with engineering staff on stormwater; staff recommended the applicant either increase on‑site parking or coordinate with Blacksburg Transit for a stop. - Formal actions: The commission’s two votes (rezoning recommendation and right‑of‑way vacation approval) are formal recommendations to Town Council; the transcript shows voice votes in favor of both.

What remains: The project will proceed to Town Council; engineering comments (stormwater, grading, retaining walls) and any conditions required by council or staff must be resolved in subsequent permitting. The stormwater plan had not been approved at the time of the hearing. The applicant also indicated continued coordination with Blacksburg Transit and the adjacent school on screening and trail connections.

Ending note: The commission’s recommendation does not itself rezone the property — Council action is required for final rezoning and for formal vacation of the public right‑of‑way.