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Altoona council denies rezoning and development plan for Blue Ridge Plat 3
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Summary
The city council voted to deny a request to rezone two Adventureland Drive properties from commercial to planned‑unit residential and separately denied the associated Blue Ridge Plat 3 development plan after council members expressed concern about converting commercial land to multifamily use.
Mayor Dean O’Connor presided over the City of Altoona meeting on May 20, where the council voted to deny both a rezoning ordinance and a related development plan for Blue Ridge Plat 3.
Jared Murray, representing Civil Design Advantage, said Signature Companies requested rezoning of 1375 and 1545 Adventureland Drive from C‑2 (General Commercial) to R‑5 (Planned Unit Development) to allow multifamily development. "Signature Companies is requesting to rezoning of properties 1375 and 1545 Adventureland Drive from C‑2 (General Commercial) to R‑5 (Planned Unit Development) to allow for multifamily development," Murray stated during the public hearing.
Several councilmembers, including Councilmember Boka and Councilmember Dunwoody, said they were concerned about converting a commercial area to residential use and the implications that change would have for future land use and traffic. After brief discussion, Councilmember Boka moved to deny the ordinance amendment; the motion carried by roll call vote. The council also opened a separate public hearing on the Blue Ridge Plat 3 development plan and later voted to deny that plan as well.
Why it matters: The council’s decisions keep the two Adventureland Drive properties in commercial zoning and block the developer’s proposed multifamily project. That preserves the current commercial land‑use designation and maintains the council’s stated preference to protect commercial corridors from residential conversion.
What happened next: Both the ordinance amendment and the development‑plan resolution were denied by roll call votes with no public speakers addressing the hearings. There was no motion to reconsider during the meeting.
The council continued with other agenda items after the votes; the meeting adjourned at 7:09 p.m.