Board of Zoning Appeals - Regular Meeting

Thank you for coming. So yeah, no problem. [laughter] Yeah. Yeah. We'll get there 82 days 52 working days and 12. No. [laughter]

Exactly. What's the name of that water bottle? Some like, oh, it's the hottest new water bottle. I think it's

it like straw situation be I think Stanley better hold longer. The speaker

plug it in. [laughter] Everybody I know how to do this. I'm sure.

Okay. Good afternoon. I'm Frank Martin, planning commission chair. Welcome to the December public hearing of the city planning commission. This meeting is being broadcast live via YouTube. Please make sure the sound of all electronic devices is turned off during the meeting. If you wish to speak to any matter, the chair will recognize you in turn. When recognized, speaker should approach the podium. Each speaker must state his or her name and residential address so that the commission secretary may record its proceedings back to the board. Please plan to limit your comments to three minutes each. You're encouraged to make new points and offer new content rather than repeating points that have already been made. There is no sharing or transferring of comment time. All persons shall be afforded an opportunity to speak and state their views concerning all aspects of these matters. Miss Clark, would you please take the role?

Thank you, Mr. Martin. Miss Ba here, Mr. Ocean here, Mr. Settle here, Miss Smith here, Miss Wolf here, Mr. Martin here, and thanks to all the members for making the snow. Thank you. Uh, first on the I Approval of the agenda of December 8, 2025. Commissioners, do I have a motion? Second. Moved and seconded. All in favor, please say I. Oppose. No. [clears throat] Motion carries. Next is approval of minutes for November the 10th, 2025. Motion, commissioners. Second. I moved and seconded. All in favor, please say I.

Oppose. No. And the motion carries. No unfinished business. Since there's no unfinished business, we'll move on to new business. We have an application by Bank of Battop to amend the institutional planned unit development plan as part of a previous reszoning at 1809 Franklin Road Southwest bearing official tax map number 104102 through the adoption of ordinance number 39887-072114 on July 21st, 2014. Is the applicant present? We are. Please state your name and residential address of the commission and accord. Thank you. Mike Woolwine with Hughes Associates Architects and Engineers,

3800 Electric Road, Brun, Virginia, 24018. Tell us about your project.

Sure. Well, first of all, uh, thank you guys for coming out. Almost apologize for making you come out today. We're the only ones on the agenda. So, um, I appreciate your help on this. Uh, thank you Miss Bumgardner and Miss Miss Gray for their help through this process. As well, we've got representatives Mr. Strauss here and representatives Andy and Ned from the bank of Bodatat, the applicant. So, if you got any questions related to that, they'll be glad to answer questions related specifically for them if you need to. So, this project is um I'm sure you've gone through it already, but it was it was zoned uh it's an input development and we're to amend the plan the development plan that was uh approved in 2014 and at that time it was for a cell tower telecommunications facility and was phase one and phase two was another commercial building. Thank you for showing that. Well, since then the telecom telecommunications tower is has been constructed and it will remain as is. So what we've asked for is we've come back now and asking to amend this plan. And so excuse me the new plan is also divided in two phases. Phase one will be the northern portion of the site and that will be a branch bank for specifically branch uh bank of Bodtat be a branch bank with some administrative offices be a two-story facility. Phase [clears throat] with associated parking phase two then will be some type of commercial development. Can't confirm what that is. Perhaps a hotel uh but some type of commercial development with parking associated parking as well. A couple of items of note is we've got to meet the uh South Jefferson design guidelines as part of this because it's in the area. And so the site as you see it generally meets those guidelines. We'll continue

to work through that with planning with uh as we go through the site development plan process. And then the buildings themselves will also have to meet the South uh Jefferson develop guidelines which we will and again we'll work through that process as we go through the development review and the building plans. Um we've some of the the items we've accommodated on the site is moving the building close up to the street. Um I think right now we're at a minimum 15oot setback. There is a 10- foot uh easement along Franklin Road right in front of the phase one bank property. So, we're we're staying just 5T off of that easement. Gives us a 15t set back. Um we will have transparency. We've listed some transparency requirements on the plan. Um height, it's going to be a minimum of twotory height with a maximum of 90. I don't see us ever getting to 90 feet, but um we've got a maximum there as well. And parking of course is is behind the buildings or to the side. There will also be some front entrances uh for public use along Franklin Road. That is that's generally the plan, guys. If you got any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer those. But before I do, just let me mention one other thing that was a point of uh concern was a plaza area. Thank you for pointing that out. Is a plaza area there. part of the South Jefferson design guidelines uh indicate that they want some type of amenity and we have provided a plaza. We're not we haven't completely vetted out what that amenity will be. Mr. Strauss could speak to that if if you'd like him to. He's in been in discussions with some some people about some artwork on that corner and how that might look and and what that process may be. Um and that that's it guys. Any questions

you have, I'll be glad to answer them. Thank you. Questions? I have a quick question regarding the closet. Um, is it going to just be artwork or will there be public seating there? Has that been discussed thus far? I I can bring Mr. Strauss up and he can talk a little bit about the plaza, but right now it it's probably some type of artwork and it's it's likely will be some benches there, but I can't say for sure. Yeah. Just carrots. See it. Thank you. Other questions. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.

Um, prior to sharing the staff recommendation, we'll do a short overview of the application as well. The applicant just did a great presentation. So, we'll keep it brief here. So, um, as Mr. W shared uh the application before you is for an amendment to the institutional PUD uh bringing forth two phases. One for a two-story bank building on the northern side and then other for a multi-story commercial space on the southern side and retaining the um existing cell tower on site. Currently the property is vacant. It's located here along Franklin Road. Um, and except for vacant except for the existing cell tower site. It is guided within the South Jefferson redevelopment plan as being for commercial use. Um, and the commercial use definition within the South Jefferson redevelopment plan is for professional supportive services and lodging and other supportive uses. So, it's a little bit more restrictive than the general commercial use within the city. It currently is zoned for institutional plan unit development. So, this is a amendment to that institutional plan unit development. Um, and here's a street view of the site. So, you can see it as you're heading north going into downtown. Uh, the view of the property. This is the southern site that's proposed to be the multi-story commercial and the northern portion for the uh bank to the applicant for the application and view from the bridge heading out. This is the existing institutional plan unit development. So uh the primary differences that are being proposed between what is the existing institutional easy and the proposed one is adding some more commercial

development to the northern side and also the flood plane area of this property has changed some so they were able to bring more parking further down throughout the site. Uh overview of the proposed PUD I think Mr. W did a nice job with this for the northern site. The twotory financial institution is the use that's being proposed. Um there are other permitted uses that are within the development plan and those permitted uses have been limited to the uses um for commercial development within the South Bris design guidelines and including that axial amenity space on the uh western terminus of reserve as indicated in the South design guidelines. The southern portion of the site is a multi-story commercial building. Here's just the scope of the art project that uh the applicant included within their application. However, the amenity space that is proposed as part of the application could be an art project, but it could also be a clock tower or a sculpture other sort of amenity as well. Uh there's been one public comment received in writing, but you all have uh the printed out version with you here from the Ron Regional Chamber and I believe they also are here to speak during the public hearing as well. And so with that, staff recommends approval and finds that the amended application number two is consistent with the general principles of the city's comprehensive plan, the South Jefferson redevelopment plan, and the zoning ordinance as the property will be developed and used in a manner that supports the goals and purposes of these plans and regulations. Happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you. Questions on staff member hearing none. Thank you. We will open up the public hearing portion. Any speakers who wish to speak on this matter? Sasha.

Good to see everyone. I'm glad I made it in time. But we're all here. We're all safe. So good to see you all. Eric Sich, president CEO Ronic Regional Chamber. Chamber address 1948 Franklin Road Southwest 2002 24014. um as outlined and appreciate um our city staff outlining our support of this of this project. Um not going to reiterate what was in my letter, but just that chamber fully supports not just phase one, but phase two. Um it's a it's smart sustainable development and certainly we will be glad to hopefully see this continue to go through and have them be our new neighbors and be able to support what's happening there at that corner. Um certainly with everything with Curillion on reserve a just a super important corridor to our city and a connector to our region and uh pretty cool to see this come to fruition and appreciate the city staff and their diligent work to to work with the applicant and work with the bank on on what this could look like and certainly Mr. Strauss on on what is an important property in our city. So uh we absolutely support it ask for your support as well and look forward to seeing it progress. Thanks for your time.

Anybody else from the public wish to speak? Okay, we'll declare the public hearing portion of the close. Commissioners, any further comments, questions for staff. Anything you'd like to express? I have a couple of things. So, I'll address those. First of all, uh thank you very much for venturing into the city like this. We're super happy that you are interested in putting a branch down there. I've looked at that lot for many years and wondering what ultimately would go there. And I think that's a terrific use of that property. Mr. Strauss, I've watched what you and your family have done for 70 years. You guys have been terrific patrons of the arts and members of the community. So really looking forward to your work here and seeing what's going to happen today. So thank you for that. Moving on from that, Miss Clark, would you please call the role?

Yes. Mr. ocean. I'm going to say emphatically, enthusiastically, yes. It's good to see something being done with that piece of property, but we've driven by it for years and just wondering if something was going to go there. So excited about it. Thank you, Mr. Settle. Yes, Miss Smith. Yes, Miss Wolf.

Yes. And I'd like to make a comment. um that is such a heavily trafficked area and access to the greenway and all the activities going on in the reserve and um I really up to that. The reason why I asked about a sculpture artwork or clockwork in the middle and a few public seating would be a way to nominally invite the public into that space because it's very it would increase the walkability um and people understanding what's actually there. So restless

Mr. with an emphatic yes. [laughter] We would appreciate that. Anything else? No further discussion. Then we are ajourned. Thanks very much. Vitamin