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Council OKs parking variance for 23‑unit Goodson Hills affordable housing project
Summary
The council approved a variance to allow Goodson Hills townhouse units to proceed with 33 parking spaces rather than the 46 required by code after staff noted lender constraints and recommended approval under code 50‑5‑82(c).
Bristol — The Bristol City Council unanimously approved a parking‑variance request Jan. 13 that will allow the Bristol Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s Goodson Hills townhouse project to move forward with 33 off‑street parking spaces for 23 units rather than the 46 spaces required by the zoning code.
Planner Jay explained the site plan for 23 townhouse units requires 46 spaces under code (two spaces per unit) but the constrained lot can only accommodate 33. Staff said 13 underused spaces in a nearby lot had been proposed to count toward the requirement, but Virginia Housing — the project's primary lender — would not allow those spaces to be counted without additional ownership assurances that could take up to a year. Jay said the residents of these affordable units typically have one or no vehicles and that staff did not receive negative comments; Public Works noted on‑street parking could be removed in the future if sidewalks are widened to meet ADA standards.
"Based on the letter from Mr. Pinnell and the lack of other negative staff comments, staff does recommend that council approve the parking variance in accordance with 50‑5‑82(c)," Jay said. Councilmembers who spoke supported the project as an affordable‑housing improvement and voted to approve the variance on a roll call with all present voting yes.
What's next: The housing authority will move forward with site‑plan and lender processes, and staff cautioned that some currently available on‑street parking could be lost if sidewalk upgrades occur in the future.
