Roanoke County board approves rezoning to allow Appalachian Power transformer yard near I‑81

The Roanoke County board voted to approve Appalachian Power Company’s petition to rezone about 3.255 acres at 1835 Lock Haven Drive from C‑2 (commercial) to I‑2 (high‑intensity industrial) to allow a construction/transformer staging yard, including a ~18,000‑square‑foot building, canopies and outdoor equipment parking. Philip Thompson, Roanoke County director of planning, told the board the parcel sits across from AEP’s existing facility and that the use is designed to warehouse mobile transformers and staging vehicles used to maintain regional transmission without interrupting customer service.

The approval includes three proffered conditions offered by the applicant: development generally in conformance with the concept plan for “AEP mobile transformer Roanoke, Virginia” (concept plan date corrected on the record to 02/13/2024); a Type B landscape buffer along the…