Bristol holds joint public hearing on zoning changes to parking, landscaping and methadone-clinic rule

The Bristol City Council and Planning Commission held a joint public hearing on Dec. 9 to consider three proposed updates to Chapter 50 of the city code.

Planning staff, represented by Jay Detrick, said one proposal would remove Section 50-141 — the special-permit requirement for methadone and controlled-substance substitution clinics — to align the code with the Americans with Disabilities Act and allow those clinics more operational flexibility within business districts. Detrick said the change is intended to address ADA compliance.

City Planner Caleb Conklin described proposed parking changes that reduce required parking in some cases to reflect changing demand from online services and telehealth. The staff presentation included examples: a proposed change for bank parking from one space per 200 square feet to one per 500 square feet; a self-storage standard of one space per employee plus two customer spaces; and clarification that gas stations need no additional non-fueling parking beyond fueling spaces.

Conklin also presented a new landscaping and screening ordinance (section 50-121), which would require landscape plans approved by a certified landscape architect for larger site plans, mandate vegetation in parking areas, specify screening for commercial properties adjacent to residential uses (including deciduous and evergreen trees and solid fencing for refuse areas), and provide a native-plant list for southwest Virginia while prohibiting invasive species. Staff emphasized the ordinance targets larger developments rather than individual homes.

No members of the public signed up to comment. Mayor Becky Nave and Planning Commission Chairman Paul Conco closed the public hearing after the staff presentations. Council did not take immediate action at the hearing; the matter remains before the council for subsequent consideration consistent with state public-notice requirements (Va. Code §15.2-2204).