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Residents urge caution as Christiansburg council hears rezoning request for 300 Kimball Lane
Summary
RWJW Properties asked the town to rezone a 37.987-acre tract at 300 Kimball Lane from agricultural to R‑1; the developer submitted a traffic study recommending turn‑lane improvements, while multiple residents raised concerns about narrow roads, bridge capacity, stormwater runoff and infrastructure costs. Council left the matter open for further consideration at the Nov. 14 meeting.
Mayor Barber opened a public hearing on Oct. 28 for a rezoning request by RWJW Properties LLC to change a 37.987‑acre parcel at 300 Kimball Lane SW (parcel 557 A‑20) from agricultural to R‑1 single‑family residential. The mayor emphasized the hearing’s scope: the council was to decide only whether residential use is appropriate at that location; no subdivision plan was before the council.
Steve Simonis of Balzer & Associates, representing the applicant, told the council the request is for straight R‑1 zoning consistent with the town’s 2013 comprehensive plan future land‑use map and that the applicant is not seeking conditional‑use exceptions. He said the applicant supplied a traffic study reviewed and approved by town engineering, which recommends turn‑lane improvements at Summit Ridge Road and Kimball Lane and other typical subdivision design elements that would be required if rezoning is approved.
Multiple nearby residents urged caution. Sue Speed, a 58‑year resident of Kimball Lane, said parts of Kimball are effectively one lane and described daily traffic congestion and safety risks for pedestrians and children. Mark Berdill, who lives on Ellet Drive, said the town lacks sidewalks and infrastructure to support the proposed subdivision and asked who would pay for added water, sewer and streets. Katie Mallory of Mulberry Drive cited repeated basement flooding tied to runoff from the hill behind her home and asked whether prior proffers to preserve green space had been acted on; she also asked about the structural capacity of a nearby bridge. Becky Bowles and Brian Grove raised similar concerns about peak‑hour backups, school‑bus flows and the need for neighborhood infrastructure upgrades, and David Bradshaw suggested keeping agricultural zoning or limiting the number of lots as a pilot to help keep land costs and housing prices lower.
Council members and staff noted written comments already submitted to the planning commission and the town. The mayor said there will be another public comment opportunity before the council votes at the Nov. 14 meeting. No formal rezoning vote was taken on Oct. 28.
Next steps: The town manager’s packet and planning commission materials will be part of the Nov. 14 discussion and the council has scheduled public comment prior to the vote. If the rezoning is approved, any subdivision plans will be subject to the town’s subdivision, engineering, stormwater and traffic review processes.
Clarifying details: The request concerns parcel 557 A‑20, described in the packet as a roughly 37.987‑acre tract at 300 Kimball Lane SW; the applicant is RWJW Properties LLC, with registered agent Roger Woody; the applicant’s representative reported the traffic study includes recommended turn‑lane and taper improvements at Summit Ridge Road and Kimball Lane and that those recommendations were reviewed by town engineering.
