Urbanna council approves special-use permit to convert upper floors of former bank at 40 Cross Street into two apartments

The Urbanna Town Council voted to approve a special-use permit (2025-O3) to convert the second and third floors of the former bank at 40 Cross Street into two apartments, subject to the conditions in the staff report.

Town staff opened the public hearing under “15.22204, Code of Virginia 1950 as amended,” describing the building as a three-story former bank in the B-1 zoning district and the Historic Overlay District and saying no exterior expansion or environmental impacts are proposed. Staff noted the planning commission unanimously recommended approval with conditions limiting ground-floor activity to permitted commercial uses and addressing parking requirements.

Applicant Sean Hackney told the council each converted floor will be about 1,000 square feet and configured as a two-bedroom, two-bath unit with full kitchens. “Each floor is approximately 1,000 square feet, 2 bedroom, 2 bath,” Hackney said. He said existing first-floor tenants — including a design firm and attorneys — will remain and that some first-floor storage will be retained.

During public comment, Christy Ancevino of 350 Howard Street supported the project but cautioned the council that the third floor may need heavy remediation, saying contractors she spoke with had to “strip down to the studs and really fumigate” when addressing long-term cigarette smoke residue.

Staff recapped the draft conditions in the staff report, including a parking requirement (two spaces per residence, with one in four required to be accessible) and the ground-floor-use limitation intended to preserve commercial activity at street level. Council members asked about the town’s prior ordinance change, and staff said that removing R-1 residential uses from the B-1 district a year earlier removed short-term rentals as an allowed R-1 use.

A council member moved to approve the permit “subject to the conditions proposed” in the staff report; the motion was seconded and approved by roll call. The planning commission had recommended approval unanimously.

The approval allows the applicant to proceed with the conversion under the B-1 zoning and the Historic Overlay District subject to the listed conditions. The council did not specify a separate appeal period in the hearing discussion; any administrative next steps will follow the town’s standard permitting and building-inspection processes.