Council advances multiple zoning items and extends campground moratorium; one renaming request fails to move forward

Bristol City Council handled several land-use and zoning items on July 7, moving some forward and halting others.

Ross Peters, planning staff, presented multiple items including a public hearing and second-reading consideration of Ordinance 26-5 (rezoning several parcels on Reid Road to R-2), a one‑year plan-of-services update for Beaver Creek annexation projects, a first-reading rezoning on Linwood/Glenwood Road (Ordinance 26-9), a request to rename Exide Drive to Limestone Ridge Road (Ordinance 26-10), a request to abandon a portion of an alley between Hill Street and Wilson Avenue (Ordinance 26-11), a proposed extension of a temporary moratorium on permanent campgrounds (Ordinance 26-12), and draft zoning language to define and regulate "recreational substance retail" (Ordinance 26-13).

Key outcomes and context:

- Ordinance 26-5 (Reid Road rezoning): After the public hearing (no public speakers), council approved the ordinance on second reading. Peters said staff found five of the six lots were nonconforming by size and that rezoning to R-2 would address that issue. The ordinance will be effective per statutory posting and second-reading procedure.

- Ordinance 26-9 (Glenwood/Linwood rezoning) — first reading: Peters described the request to rezone about 1.8 acres from R-2 to B-3, noting alignment with the future land-use map but a split recommendation from planning commission. Council took action on first reading; the item will return for a public hearing and second reading in August.

- Ordinance 26-10 (rename Exide Drive): Peters reported that planning commission sent an unfavorable recommendation and staff received multiple comment letters against the rename ("not in favor") with one in favor. Council did not move the rename forward — there was no second to a motion to advance, so the renaming did not proceed.

- Ordinance 26-11 (alley abandonment): Staff presented maps and photos and said planning recommended a favorable vote. Council moved to approve the abandonment on first reading, though one councilmember urged waiting for the alley study and voted no; the motion passed on first reading.

- Ordinance 26-12 (temporary moratorium on permanent campgrounds): The council approved a staff-recommended extension (planning commission recommended extending the moratorium to Jan. 31, 2027) to allow staff and commission to finish drafting permitting language.

- Ordinance 26-13 (zoning amendment for "recreational substance retail"): Staff proposed definitions and distancing rules (including a 1,000-foot separation and thresholds tied to percentage of sales or display). Peters said existing businesses would be grandfathered as nonconforming uses. Council voted to take action on first reading and directed staff to return the draft to planning commission for further review before the August council meeting.

Council members raised land-use continuity concerns (gradual transitions from commercial to residential), asked about previous land-use plan reviews (roughly five years ago) and noted coordination with neighboring jurisdictions; one councilor urged that similar rules by Bristol, Virginia and neighboring governments would help enforcement and consistency.

What happens next: Items passed on first reading will return to planning commission or the August council meeting for public hearings and final votes as required by the zoning code.