Commission approves amendment adding Speedway parcel to downtown PRD; stormwater issues remain under review

The Blacksburg Planning Commission on June 3, 2025, approved an amendment to RZN 24‑2 (filed as RZN 25‑3) and a companion right‑of‑way vacation request to add approximately 0.369 acres (the former Speedway gas station parcel) to an existing planned residential development near 801 North Main Street, Cambridge Street, Winston Avenue and Progress Street.

Staff presenter Kinsey O’Shea described the combined request as a 3.1‑acre amendment that adds the Speedway parcel and facilitates roughly 56 more residential parking spaces, 18 more commercial parking spaces and additional commercial frontage. The amendment includes an addition of bedrooms (staff said "an addition of up to a 10 bedrooms for a total of 869 bedrooms" as presented in the staff slides), expanded commercial frontage along North Main Street, a reconfigured parking garage with multiple entrances, and new public plaza and open‑space areas. Staff said the amendment increases resident amenities (lounges, fitness, terraces) and proposes open space totaling at least 25% of the site, exceeding the 20% minimum standard.

Staff noted several outstanding technical items: the stormwater concept plan and flood plain analysis had not been approved at the time of the hearing and third‑party reviewers had provided comments. Town engineering staff Coffey Howard said the reviewers’ feedback identified details to resolve but that there were "no deal killers" in the memorandum and that staff expected to reach agreement before the end of the public process. The applicant said acquisition of the Speedway parcel created efficiency in parking and circulation, allowed more active ground‑floor uses on North Main Street and enabled reconfiguration of the storm channel and parking layout.

Transportation and parking: the proposal retains the project’s parking ratio of 1.1 spaces per bedroom. Staff said the amendment adds two bike rooms in the multifamily building capable of holding at least 420 bikes total, nearly double typical minimums, and includes additional covered bike parking near townhomes. The applicant and staff also presented a requested modification to the sidewalk standard: instead of a 4‑foot vegetative planning strip plus sidewalk, the applicant proposes a 5‑foot sidewalk immediately adjacent to the curb along the new development’s frontages; sidewalks within the project will be wider than five feet in several areas.

Proffers and other commitments: staff summarized proffers included in the applicant’s package—substantial conformance, maximum building height, a resident parking policy, occupancy restrictions, signage commitments, building energy‑efficiency proffers, and a contribution to the town’s affordable‑housing fund. The applicant representative later said the affordable‑housing contribution had increased as previously offered and is now "close to $1.3 million." The applicant also said it would relocate a transit bus stop from North Main Street to Progress Street at Blacksburg Transit’s request.

Public comment included concerns about external factors affecting university enrollment and the town’s long‑term housing stability; one resident urged caution and suggested slowing the process until uncertainties around campus enrollment and broader higher‑education funding are clearer. The applicant offered rebuttal remarks describing long‑standing design work and measures to adapt unit types if market conditions change.

Commission action: a motion to approve RZN 25‑3 (the rezoning amendment) and the right‑of‑way vacation (ROW 25‑1) was made and seconded; the motion passed (the dais recorded "Aye" and no roll‑call tally was provided in the transcript).