Blacksburg Town Council voted to deny Ordinance 2090, a rezoning request that would have allowed redevelopment of the Tech Terrace block at Webb and Orchard into a single seven‑story student housing building with up to 703 beds.

Planning staff outlined the project’s technical details: a PRD (planned residential) overlay, a proposed height of roughly 93 feet, reduced parking at 0.64 spaces per bedroom to be provided in a structured deck, 296 bicycle spaces, and proffers including a $2,000,000 contribution to the town’s Affordable Housing Development Fund and pedestrian/sidewalk improvements near Prices Fork Road. Staff emphasized the proposal exceeded minimum open space standards and would include structured parking and trash chutes.

Applicant representatives said they reduced the project’s massing and bed count after Planning Commission feedback, added vertical articulation to break up building mass, increased tree canopy coverage to 10 percent, and decoupled sidewalk improvements from the affordable housing proffer. Steve Simonis of Balzer & Associates said the proffers were binding and that culvert and sidewalk work near Prices Fork was estimated at about $800,000.

During council discussion and the public hearing, opponents raised concerns about pedestrian safety on Bridal Fork Road and University City Boulevard, the project’s height and scale relative to the neighborhood, inadequate parking ratios, and the loss of commercial land. Supporters and real‑estate speakers argued the site is appropriate for high‑density housing, that purpose‑built student housing reduces pressure on single‑family neighborhoods, and highlighted the proffered affordable housing funds.

After extended debate, a council member moved to deny the rezoning. The council recorded its roll‑call vote and the motion to deny passed.