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Blacksburg council adopts FY2025–30 capital improvement program; members flag parking data gaps
Summary
The Blacksburg Town Council voted to adopt its capital improvement program for fiscal years 2025–2030. Council members acknowledged letters raising concerns about a proposed downtown parking garage and asked staff to supply parking-utilization data before funding is advanced.
The Blacksburg Town Council voted to adopt the town’s capital improvement program for fiscal years 2025 through 2030, approving Resolution 1 C 25 after a brief discussion about downtown parking needs.
The resolution adopts the five-year-plus CIP that the council reviewed in prior meetings and work sessions; council members said they had considered public comments submitted during the hearing and in written form.
Council members discussed a letter from Dr. Charles Shague that questioned how much parking the town needs and urged greater emphasis on housing and downtown development that would reduce reliance on automobiles. One council member summarized Shague’s position, saying his “preference is for more housing downtown and for attracting businesses that will make it possible for people to live downtown without needing an automobile.” The council member added they shared some of those concerns while balancing other town priorities, including fields and public safety needs.
Council members asked staff to provide supporting parking data before the town advances construction funding for an out-year garage. The town manager said staff have conducted parking counts and citizen surveys and can update the council with parking-utilization figures to help justify any future garage investment. “We can update those and let you know kind of what parking utilization existing parking utilization looks like in downtown,” the town manager said.
The council called the roll and the motion to adopt the CIP passed on a recorded vote. The council also approved the meeting’s consent agenda, which included approval of the Jan. 7 town council minutes and the 2025 Blacksburg Legislative Priorities.
Staff indicated they will return with updated parking data and other information before the town moves forward on funding for the proposed garage or related downtown projects.
