Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

I call to order the Lynchburg Planning Commission meeting for Wednesday, March 11th, 2026. The first order of business is the approval of our minutes from February 25. Anybody have any changes or comments? Motion to approve. Okay. Motion to approve. Second. Second. All right. All in favor say I. I. All opposed.

Great. We now begin our public hearing presentation by the petitioners representative will be a maximum of 10 minutes. Subsequent individual citizens wishing to speak will be allowed a maximum of three minutes each. A speaker representing opposition group will be maximum of 10 minutes and at the end of the public hearing uh there will be a maximum of three minutes allowed for final comments or rebuttals. The conclusion of the meeting there will be no public comments unless requested by a member of the commission. All right. Our next order of business is the following new business. Uh, we'll hear the petition of 609 Dunar LLC to amend the future land use map from neighborhood commercial to downtown and to reszone approximately 2100s of an acre located at 609 Dunar Drive and 6121 12th Street from B5 General Business District to B4 Urban Commercial District to allow two existing warehouses to be redeveloped into approximately 28 apartment units.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. members of planning commission. Our comprehensive plan uh future land use map recommends neighborhood commercial uses for the properties. These areas consist primarily of office, retail, personal service, and restaurant type uses that are scaled and designed to be compatible with their adjacent neighborhoods. The petition proposes to amend the future land use map to downtown. Downtown is our central commercial core and contains a mix of residential, retail, institutional, entertainment, restaurant, office, and other uses. Um, the area should retain its urban character and adaptive reuse of historic properties is desirable in this area. The subject property was annexed into the city in 1870. The existing B5 zoning was established in 1978. The property at 612 Street currently contains a four-story 8,500T warehouse building. 609 Dunar Drive contains a four-story 11,500T warehouse and both were constructed in 1845. If approved, the uh existing buildings would be redeveloped into about 28 apartment units. The petitioner plans to provide uh an equivalent number of spaces at the 612 Dunar Drive parking lot across the street. The proposed residential development is permitted in the requested B4 district and would agree with the uh proposed future land use map amendment. The resoning facilitates the adaptive reuse of an existing building and uh while also preserving the industrial building's historic character and improving a uh gateway to downtown. The city's technical review committee reviewed this petition on February 18th. Comments were minor in nature and the planning division recommends approval of the petition. Thank you.

Great. Thank you. And who's here to speak on behalf of this petition? If you can come forward, please state your name and sign. I think you know how it's done.

Yep. Good afternoon. My name is Casey Service. Um I'll be the architect on this project. Um and I'm here with Danny George who closed on the property two weeks agoish. Um and uh as Rachel summarize, our our plan is to put around 28 apartment units in there. We've done a quick sketch, but um you know might move by one or two um as we we dive further in. Uh but the current B5 zoning would require 50 at least 50% commercial for mixed use and also would based on the acreage of these lots because they're such tiny um triangular lots would limit the number of units to single digits. Um, and so we're asking for the reszoning and uh associated uh update to the flume for B4 to allow us to to put basically fill the building with, you know, to to match the size that's there. Um, and the building came with the the lot across the street that has plenty of room for um, we believe a right at a 1:1 ratio um, for parking. And yeah, we're excited to dive in and work on I've walked through this building with a couple different folks over the years and Danny's diving in and hopefully it'll it'll be a good good project.

Thank you. Is anybody else here to speak in favor of the petition? And no one else is here. Uh, wait, is there Yeah. Any in opposition? Okay. Any voicemails or anything we need to know about? Okay. We'll go ahead and close the public hearing and deliberate. I think it's a great project. I think it's a great use of the space. I do have a question related to the parking component. Um, are there any plans for lighting or extra safety or anything that will help

if you want to come back up requirements whenever we do that work? Okay. We'll have to bring it up to um you know Lynchberg got code there. So there was a building on that site, right, that uh burned down like 15 years ago um with and there was an existing parking. We'll see. We're going to get out there and clear it here pretty soon and see what we're dealing with. But yeah, we'll have to bring it up to to current. So that's is that the lot that has this city academy parking signage on it right now? No. If the

It's really hard to tell in that picture, but uh at the corner of Madison Street, that is where the police academy to the my site plan. Uhhuh. So, those three empty uh lots that are um up and to the right of the parking are the current parking lot that you can see. And then there's just a bunch of trees on this there where the the the curb cut is here. You can pull in there right now, but you can't get more than one truck. So, the parking will be across the street. The parking will be across Dunbar. Yeah. Are we are we reszoning the parking lot also? That's not part of the

Okay. application. No. Can you go to the the flume, please, Rachel? So, I just had a question about um changing that to downtown. Seems like there's a big geographic gap between this being downtown and other downtown parts of the Flume. So, why what's the are we close enough or what's the why not change it to a highdensity residential or um I'm just curious. It's I don't have a problem with it.

Um well, so the downtown category aligns more with the B4 urban commercial district zoning. Um I do think it is appropriate in this case. Um, in the, uh, Diamond Hill neighborhood plan, I believe it it recommends looking at downtown use along 12 Street because it is kind of a major corridor. Um, and it does represent some of that older commercial characteristics that that B4 can benefit. Um, similar to Fifth Street, that's an area that is outside outside of like downtown proper, but um, the B4 zoning was applied to the Fifth Street corridor because it really it it helped to revitalize that area because it

um, many uses would have been pro prohibited had they not gotten the B4 zoning because of the required parking, the required off- streetet parking. So, um that frees up the property to a lot more, um flexibility in terms of the parking and also, you know, um in in the future, uh if there's ever, you know, some sort of commercial space or anything that wanted to locate here, which it's a really difficult property, like Casey said, is is probably unlikely for this piece, but um I I think it's appropriate in this case. Yeah. No, I I agree. I think it checks off everything on the list. It's a good use. It's a vacant building. It has parking. Mhm.

And it's adjacent to downtown, but it's not downtown. It is nice to see continued growth in that area. And I do think the downtown there's just like the tiniest little triangle of yellow in that. Right. So, it's just a block away. It's not So, I'm sorry. Couple questions on the uh apartments. Are they going to be for sale? Are they going to strictly be rental apartments? two rental apartments. There will be a historic tax credit project, which means that they're they're four rental apartments at least for 5 years. Right. And as far as retail spaces uh in this, how many retails? Cuz right down the street there, there's a lot of retail that's vacant or dormant right now.

Yeah. We don't have any plans for any retail because it's really hard that if if there was a sidewalk on 12th Street, I could see it being feasible. But right now, 12th Street is there's a a stone curb and about 4 in of concrete, so there's really no viable use for commercial right now. Um, go ahead. No, I was going to say we did talk with um Charlotte uh who's working on the 12th Street corridor study and so we've you know she knows we're working on this and and she's going to keep us in the loop as things move forward with there. So if there's any opportunities on 12 Street in the future, we'll happily be a part of that conversation.

I think it's a very positive project. Thank you. So, back to the retail, there's obviously no requirement for the first floor to have retail in it. Where does that kick in? Uh, we we currently don't have a a ground floor retail requirement. Um, that is a um a code update or potential update that planning commission had asked us to look at. Okay.

Um, and we do have a draft of that. Um, but as it currently stands, um, it would only be on certain streets. So, not every every storefront would have to have it. it would be on kind of our core downtown streets. Um so I I don't think um that would be in the in play here because it is geared more towards like the core of downtown. Yep. So this is a very old building. Mhm. At least part of it. I mean all of it's old, but part of it is really old.

Been around a long time. Uh So, there's a couple of ways that something like this could go given enough time. And uh I'll just leave it at that. Yeah. Uh yeah, I think I think we all know what I'm talking about here. I'm looking at the size of these uh units. These are some very small units. Are these studio apartments? What are these? No, they'll all be one-bedroom apartments. And and like I mentioned, that's a a quick first draft to sort of get a a close approximation on the density. 5 to 700 square f feet. Yeah.

Uh that laid out, what is the target demographic for these apartments? The goal is for them to be market rate apartments. Danny owns the building not next door up 12th Street, but the the next one up as well as two blocks down the other direction. Street factory 23 market. Now, now market rate for 12th Street might be a little different than market rate for uh we get competing rates. were somewhere in the $1.70ish foot range. So they're all, you know,

so less than $1,000 a month. Uh yeah, I mean one bedroom probably somewhere 850 for single bedroom park. Uh how much given the historic industrial district of this Rachel is required to be section 8 type,000 given the development? None to my knowledge. Nothing's required to be okay. That's based on financing, I think. Yeah, there's an option to do it, but you have to that's a really competitive, you know, planning a year out. Yeah. You know, to get in that pool. So,

I'd be curious what what kind of, you know, I've looked at these other buildings. I know going for the historic tax credits. What kind of things in the building are you saving to? I know that sometimes you have to like have things like an elevator door or things like that. What kind of things do you envision being able to

in this building? Um the the potential pain point for Danny on this one's going to be the windows. We have to because they're they're they're fun. Um they're they've clearly been altered over over time. So, um, they don't have they're actually the first he was showing me a sash of one of the original ones instead of, you know, most old double hung windows have the the, uh, ropes and pulleys. These just have pins that you pull out, lift it up, and pin back. And I haven't seen any that are still there. So, most of them are just sort of like sashes screwed in place.

1970s style, maybe. you know, the wood floors will remain and be refinished, you know, wherever they're salvageable and replaced and kind the the exterior brick walls. Um there's uh all the exposed, you know, beams and columns inside. Typically on the tax credits with the floor ceilings, you know, a lot of this is exposed joist. They'll if we keep the floors, they'll let us cover the ceilings to meet code requirements for ratings and sound separation. Um, but if there aren't historic floors, and sometimes you have to sort of do it the opposite way.

I think it's neat that we're able to get some buildings. I'd imagine they've been used for storage. There's been a business in there. I think Yeah, there's been a contractor who's been operating with a little office downstairs and then just storage of materials throughout. Nice to see some buildings, some more buildings getting saved because the one across the street was basically fell apart, too. There was one fell just from miss ever being used. So, well, let let me say I'm not opposed to it. I know it sounds like it, but and and given my track records, this is a uh uh a renovation of an existing building. Yeah.

So, it doesn't cross my personal lines as far as redevelopment into apartment type buildings. I did have some initial questions about the neighbors. that doesn't look or sound like that's going to be uh a major issue. I do just want to quickly revisit it's it's a big project. It's going to cost some money. A lot of work. I know I live in an old house. A lot of work. Uh a lot going to happen there. What is just maybe ask it a little different way. What what is what's your target demographic here? Who who are you hoping is going to live in these things? If you had to characterize I'm not I'm not looking for any kind of weird esoteric things. I'm talking about, you know, students, 20ome things, 30 some doesn't matter. 55 pluses, you know, professional people.

Danny can speak to that, but you want to come forward and you can just get your name in and sign up. Uh, my name is Danny George. And the reason I asked that is because the city is classifying this as an improvement. Yeah. To where it is. Now, simply renovating something isn't always an improvement. Sure. And I and I I don't know if you people renovate old buildings, it's not always done well, right? on 12th Street. So, it it I I care about this neighborhood and it it staying a nice safe place. And part of why I'm buying it is to make sure that my other building two buildings away continues to be a nice neighborhood. So, we have young professionals, we have uh empty nesters.

Um some students, but not not many, mostly grad students. Um it's it's sort of priced out of most of your undergrad students ranges. Um we do get some normally their parents are co-signing. Um but it's mostly younger professionals. um some empty nesters. That's that's really it. I mean, I think it's consistent with the downtown market with the other buildings down there. I I would offer that. Yeah. I mean, with the improvements that they're doing at Dunar with the park. I mean, the building two doors up 12 Street is actually my best performing building. People like it because it's you can still walk to downtown, but it's a little bit quieter. You can go run on the track. Um, I actually lived in the building two two buildings up for two years after I built it when I was first relocating to Lynchburg.

What do you have for security in terms of maybe the parking lot and access to the building? Uh, we have security cameras and then access control in the doors. So, it's key fob access only. So, the doors are locked at all times. And then what do the cameras go to? Do they go uh the cameras really just all around the perimeter so we can monitor the the full perimeter? I I went when you say we monitor who's who's is it like a service? Uh, I use Hometown Security to put it in. So, it you know they they install it. I've got an app on my phone that I can look at. We pull videos. If something happens, we can send them to the police. So, there is there is going to be some electronic uh measures in place to make it more attractive. Uh parking lot cameras. Same.

Yeah, I'm sure I'll have cameras over there. Yeah. Any other any other questions or um I make a motion for approval as specified in the the agenda up and well I'll second and I'll just say I think this is a great infill redevelopment in an urban area. I think it's exactly what the area needs. So I'm in full support. Yeah, I think I agree. I think it's going to be a great project. a building that's been needed to be renovated in that area and um I think u you know Mr. George has got the experience it sounds and um I think I think he'll do a good job.

Great. Any other comments? It's the kind of project I know we we all like to see happen. So let's go on ahead and vote. All in favor say I. I. All opposed. All right. Great. Passes unanimously. Thank you. All right. I don't think we have anything else on the agenda. Will we be having a meeting in two weeks? We have two items at your next meeting on the 25th and uh probably two more on the 8th and likely two at the meeting following that. So for the foreseeable future, yes, are we still doing those?

Uh yes. So you have one uh workshop left or work session some of those? No. Okay. No, I think you've been at all of them. Okay. Um so yeah, no, we'll we'll be um getting getting back into the swing of that. Um and hopefully public hearings later on this calendar year for adoption. Great. Motion we journ. Okay. All in favor? I thank you. I adjourned.