Council approves rezoning, alley vacation and CUP for North Main mixed‑use project after lengthy public comment

Blacksburg Town Council approved three linked land‑use items March 11 that will allow a developer to build an eight‑story mixed‑use building and several townhome‑style multifamily buildings on about 2.8 acres along North Main Street.

The actions — Ordinance 20‑62 to rezone roughly 2.8 acres to the Planned Residential (PR) district, Ordinance 20‑63 to vacate about 2,000 square feet of town‑owned alley, and Resolution 3E‑25 granting a conditional use permit (CUP) to use that alley for non‑single‑unit residential access — were presented together by planning staff and the applicant and were voted on separately.

The applications were filed by LV Collective (contract purchaser) and presented by project representative Chris Johnson. Planning staff described the site as a mix of commercial and warehouse buildings, much of it in a floodplain; the proposed redevelopment would include an eight‑story mixed‑use building with structured parking, several three‑story townhome‑style multifamily buildings and a contribution to the town’s affordable housing fund.

Staff told council the site totals about 2.8 acres after proposed floodplain mitigation, and said the redevelopment would increase the amount of developable land on the parcels by about 2.25 acres by addressing drainage and undersized storm infrastructure. The staff presentation cited zoning code provisions, the town comprehensive plan and the North Main Street study as guidance for evaluating the rezone…