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Roanoke council votes to restart zoning ordinance process after litigation; one councilor objects
Summary
Council approved a resolution to initiate repeal and re‑adoption of March 18 zoning amendments under new state code procedures, setting a series of public hearings; Councilor Moon Reynolds voted no, criticizing staff notice and the proposal’s constraint on future changes.
Roanoke City Council voted June 17 to initiate a process to repeal and then re‑adopt zoning ordinance amendments that were first approved March 18, 2024, following a legal challenge to the earlier adoption process. The initiation resolution directs staff to proceed under a state code section that takes effect July 1 and to refer revised amendments to the planning commission for review and public hearings.
Christopher Chittum and planning staff told council the step is procedural: the re‑adoption is intended to eliminate any procedural vulnerability from the earlier process by following the newly clarified state code’s requirements for public notice and hearing. Councilor Spencer said the initiation starts a transparent process and will include public hearings and open houses.
The measure prompted a sharp exchange. Councilor Moon Reynolds said staff had not acknowledged errors in the public notice for the March 18 adoption and warned the litigation and procedural flaws had caused unnecessary expense and public distrust. "City staff refuses to admit the errors that were made in the public notice," she said, adding that if staff returns with an ordinance that merely replicates March 18 without substantial changes she would vote no.
Councilor Balsam responded directly to that claim, saying the lawsuit "has not been settled, and there has been no taxpayer dollars used to settle this." He commended the planning department for its work and said public hearings would give residents another opportunity to weigh in.
Vice Mayor Cobb and other supporters framed the initiative as a chance to address historic segregation and exclusionary zoning through broader public engagement. The council approved the initiation resolution on a roll call with one dissenting vote by Moon Reynolds; staff said a fuller presentation and a schedule of hearings would follow.
Next steps: the resolution refers the matter to the planning commission for review and schedules a series of public engagement events and hearings before council consideration of any final ordinance.
