ARB recommends reuse of Yukon Lumberyard; plan would convert warehouse to 42 apartments

Staff presented a rezoning and conditional-use path for the Yukon Lumberyard site in the Gitt neighborhood, proposing to rezone the property into the Norfolk & Western Railroad historic overlay and to rehabilitate the existing warehouse into 42 residential units. ARB recommended approval 5-0 and approved a certificate of appropriateness for the rehabilitation; the applicant plans to use historic rehabilitation tax credits and will undergo Virginia DHR review, staff said.

Staff highlighted preservation measures: the sawdust exhaust tower will be refurbished and repurposed as signage, many historic steel windows will be repaired rather than replaced, and garage doors will be retained in the up position inside units. "They're gonna retain a lot of the existing historic materials," Elizabeth said.

Commissioners questioned site constraints, saying the narrow parcel limits landscaping and parking. One commissioner noted the proposal yields 42 units and asked how many parking spaces would be provided; staff identified 42 as the parking requirement under current standards and said site constraints make meeting that requirement challenging. Several commissioners said they supported adaptive reuse but asked staff to clarify how tax-credit conditions and DHR review would affect landscaping and paving choices.

What happens next: Staff said the project will proceed to site-plan review and that state historic tax-credit requirements will shape allowable changes to the exterior; commissioners asked staff to return with clarification on parking counts, unit mix and landscaping plans prior to final action.