Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to call to order the September the 9th, 2026 meeting of the Montgomery County Planning Commission. Let's start with the Secretary-Treasurer. Secretary, we don't have any money, so you're just the Secretary.

All right. Commissioner Spradlin? Here. Commissioner Kroll?

Here.

Commissioner Rice?

Here.

Commissioner Feritz? Here. Commissioner Workman?

Here.

Commissioner Simpkins is absent. Vice Chair Linkas?

Here.

Chair Foster? Here. Secretary Sharp-Robinson? Here.

Thank you. Friday is the 25th observance of 9-11. And I think we ought to mark that. The county has done a wonderful job and thank you to the Board of Supervisors or whoever put the steel beam out front. I would ask if any members of the Planning Commission have any comments they would like to make. Well, go ahead.

I would cannot believe it has been 25 years since that event. I also can remember when the space shuttle exploded, both truly American tragedies. But for 9-11, so many innocent lives and families were altered forever. And I just think we all need to take a moment In a moment of silence, I would request this evening to remember those lives lost and those that served in other capacities, fire, rescue, police, civilians.

Mr. Chair, I would just say that was an earth-shaking happening on 9-11. I think it made the United States understand that we're not insulated from the rest of the world. And there are forces outside of the United States and currently inside of the United States that would like nothing better than to take down our great country. So we need to continually be vigilant even in our everyday life of things that we see that maybe we would think, hmm, that maybe just doesn't look right, and even report those to law enforcement. But it was a great tragedy to this country. In my lifetime, maybe I'm gonna date myself, but I would compare that to the assassination of John Kennedy. I actually saw that on TV that day. on an old Strongburg Carlson black and white TV. But that was a great tragedy. And that day is a great tragedy, 9-11. And let's do have a moment of remembrance and breathe a prayer for the souls of those precious lost souls and those family members who were left behind to grieve that family member who was lost that day.

Thank you. My comments are a little more personal. 25 years ago, I lived in Fairfax, and my wife was across the highway from the Pentagon in a meeting and felt the impact when that plane went in. And in a prior life, I worked on the 104th floor of Tower 2. and lost 34 friends and coworkers that day. So this is kind of a somber time of year for me. It's a time when we can remember all those that died that day. And as Mr. Spradlin said, their families, their children, their friends. Our country changed that day and it changed me too. So let's take a moment and silently observe the 25th remembrance of that day. Thank you. Next item on the agenda is approval of the agenda. We've rearranged it slightly from That which was published earlier. And we moved the work session. Items ahead of the public hearing. Is there a motion to approve the revised agenda? 2nd. Motion carries. Is there? Are there any corrections or additions to the last minutes? Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Second? Aye. Thank you. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries. Ms. Hopkins would like to have the floor for a moment to address a couple of items before we enter into work session.

Good evening. Yes, before you enter into work session, I would like to take a moment to address a matter regarding a perceived conflict of interest related to the special use permit application for Black Diamond Resources that you currently have under review. My husband and his business, First Response Auto Repair, LLC, have entered into an agreement to lease a separate property owned by the same individual. It is located in another county and unrelated to the application at hand. My husband is not employed by the owner, Mr. Phipps of the subject property, nor does he have any business relationship with the company involved in this application. However, while it does not constitute a direct conflict of interest, I do recognize it may create a perception of one. So out of respect for the public process and the interest of maintaining full transparency and trust, I attest that I have not nor will I assist with the application. participate in any discussions, offer recommendations, or take part in any decision making related to this case. In fact, I will be exiting the room during the presentation and discussion this evening. All director responsibilities and questions associated with this application have been reassigned to the Assistant Planning Director, Justin Sanders. and that ensures an impartial and unbiased review. So my commitment to ethical conduct remains steadfast, and I do appreciate the opportunity to clarify this matter. If you have any questions, you can contact me directly. Thank you.

Thank you. Excuse me. Is there a motion to enter into work session? We have a motion. Second?

Second.

Thank you. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries. First item in the, um, work session is sup 26 dash eight, a request by black diamond resources, LLC, uh, for a special use permit to allow a contractor storage yard at 4677 arsenal circle circle.

Mr. Cochran. Thank you. yes we have two sups for the same properties one is for contractor storage yard and the other is for an inert fill site here you can see on the vicinity map it's on the eastern side of the county near the pulaski county border here you can see a vicinity map an aerial map showing the subject parcel There are actually two parcels involved with this request. Um, this little sliver right here, um, it's not highlighted on this map, um, but it is about 167 acres. Um, here again, you can see another map of the property on the future land use map is designated as outdoor and natural preservation areas. And here you can see a concept plan. So here in the upper portion of the property you see an area designated for contractor storage. That is going to be where potentially two 20,000 square foot structures will be located to house the contractor storage equipment. That equipment is mainly going to be used for the inert fill site equipment. Here you're going to have the maximum extents of the inert fill area, and then you also have a rather large buffer surrounding the property. That is pretty much it in a nutshell. I believe that's it. And then we have the Public Planning Commission public hearing coming up on October 21st and the Board of Supervisors public hearing on the 23rd. Are there any questions?

Other questions, Mr. Cochran? Is the applicant here? Does he wish to make any comment?

Mr. Neal is here.

Jude, you said it's 167 acre parcel total. What would be the disturbed area? Would it be the whole 167?

It would not. It would be a much smaller area. I'm not sure if they have the calculation. I'm not sure. How many did you come up with?

Sorry. Thanks sir. We we've identified about 105 acres that is within the limits of the inert field and the contractor storage yard. Um, but not all of that will be to serve. We tried to make sure that we encompassed potentially absolutely everything. So something under 105 acres.

Okay.

And we are proposing, as you can see on our, on our map, um, right at 50 acres, it will be completely conserved buffer space, uh, down along the river.

Yes, sir.

There is one that begins. It's not all the way at the top. There is one that begins. We're working through a jurisdictional determination and a Corps of Engineers permit for that in the future. Yes, sir. I'd wait weather spring I do not know that for sure I know it's definitely wet weather at the very top where it at what point it begins like you know an actual full flow I don't know but that's that's what we have a we have a consultant is working through the jurisdictional determination with the Corps of Engineers on that

Are there other questions, Mr. Neal? Is it the consensus of the Planning Commission to forward this to the public hearing process?

I think so. Thank you all for your time.

The next item on the work session is SUP 26-7. a request by Camp Altamont Inc. to amend two existing special use permits allowing the expansion of its existing use as a campground by adding additional features as depicted Camp Altamont's master plan dated August 3rd, 2026 on property located at 2842 Crockett Springs Road. Mrs. Wright.

Thank you to start off. We do have this request. Um, we have two existing special use permits that, um, we're looking to have amended and bring up to date and current with a new special use permit application. Um, the property is located in Eastern Montgomery County, right along the Floyd County line. And you can see I outlined the three parcels that are part of the application. Those three parcels total about 770 acres. That area outside, this area that's got the hatched area, that is enrolled in the AFD 14 Fisher's View area. one owner all owns all of that totals 322 parcels it does it is adjacent to the properties in question however it is not anywhere near any of the proposed future development or existing developments Again, as I said, there are three parcels, approximately 770 acres. The parcels are all zoned agricultural and located in the Charlottesville magisterial district. Here's a, a copy of the concept plan that was referenced in the date dated conference. Uh, sorry, dated conference concept plan. Goodness. I can't talk. Um, there are only three new features that are being proposed on this and that those are being proposed for potential future development. And those are outlined in red on the plan. If all is agreed upon tonight, the planning commission meeting and public hearing will be October 21st with the board of supervisors public hearing on November 9th. Um, below is the schedule on postings. The signs were posted today as we were doing our site visit and adjoining property notices will go out tomorrow. They are ready. And the, um, legal ads will publish on October 7th and the 14th. If you have any questions, the applicant is here on anything that you might wish to see in the application or answered, or I can answer maybe a few questions.

Are there any questions of Ms. Wright?

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you. Is it the consensus that we move it forward to public hearing? All right, thank you. I'd now like to ask for a motion to leave work session. And thank you. Is there a second?

I'll second.

All those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed? Motion carries. I'd now like to open a public address. Any attendee that would like to address the Planning Commission? on any subject other than the two public hearings. If you wish to speak at this time. Seeing none, I will close public address and move on to item eight, public hearings. First public hearing is SUP 26-6, a request by Techie Athletics LLC FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT ON PARCELS TOTALING 12.822 ACRES TO CONSTRUCT A WRESTLING FACILITY AS A SCHOOL OF SPECIAL INSTRUCTION. MS. WONG.

SO WE HAVE RECEIVED AN APPLICATION FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR A WRESTLING FACILITY AS A SCHOOL OF SPECIAL INSTRUCTION LOCATED AT 4820 PRICES FORK ROAD. Here we have two vicinity maps. On the left, you can see where the site is located, as indicated with the orange star, in the northwestern part of the county. And then to the right, it's zoomed in to where it is along Prices Fork Road. And you can see its proximity to Magnolia Lane, Cohollow Road, and Doubletree Road. Here to the left, we have the aerial map, which showcases the five parcels that total 12.822 acres. For your orientation, this is Price's Fork Road, and this is Kohalo Road, and this is Magnolia Lane. And since work session, the applicant has also indicated that there will be interior lot lines vacated amongst these three parcels in which I'll point out later in the concept plan. And then to the right, we have the future land use map from Montgomery Matters comprehensive plan. And it's designated these five parcels as outdoor and natural preservation areas, as well as all of the surrounding parcels. Here we have the zoning map. It shows how all of the subject parcels are zoned A1 agricultural and as well as all of the surrounding parcels. Two parcels to the west along Magnolia Lane are zoned differently we have in the dark orange general business and the use is self-storage units and then in the light orange we have community business and its use is an automobile repair service and the surrounding parcels are primarily residential vacant or wooded areas So for some background, Techie Athletics LLC serves wrestling clubs and youth athletic programs. The organization is currently operating in a leased space in Christiansburg, which the applicant has shared they have outgrown and they are seeking a permanent facility to better facilitate local youth athletic development. And proposal is for 6,000 square foot single story wrestling facility, which also includes 41 parking spaces. The existing site has, the subject parcels are currently vacant and the proposal utilizes existing entrance from Prices Fork Road. And according to Montgomery County Code, the definition of a school of special instruction is a facility for the private instruction of skills or activities not directly limited to dance studio, music studio, gymnastics, craft and or art studios and exercise studio, not having locker or shower facilities and not required to comply with the Virginia Health Spa Act. Here we have the concept plan. In blue, this is the proposed building. And here it indicates the setbacks. So from their property line, the setback would be 40.7 feet. And then from Prices Fork Road, it would be 52.6 feet. Here's the existing access. And it's 20 feet wide. It goes back into the parking lot that has 41 spaces. The entrance to the proposed building will be from the parking lot. So the building will be oriented away from the street. In the purple is the proposed stormwater area, and the green down here is the proposed drain field. Here's the concept plan zoomed out, and these are the lot lines that will be vacated. So staff has identified some impacts for traffic infrastructure. Parcels are accessed by a private entrance on Prices Fork Road. And VDOT has no concerns regarding safety or maintenance of it. PROPOSED USE IS ANTICIPATED TO GENERATE UP TO 74 PEAK HOUR VEHICLE TRIPS AND NO MORE THAN 370 TRIPS PER DAY. OPERATING HOURS ARE GOING TO BE BETWEEN 4 P.M. AND 9 P.M. ON WEEKDAYS AND ARE INTENDED TO SERVE THE AFTER SCHOOL MARKET AND THE REAR PARKING LAYOUT ORIENTS THE BUILDING AWAY FROM THE STREET AND THERE ARE EXISTING TREES ALONG THE FRONTAGE. THERE WILL BE A PICTURE SHOWING THAT LATER. But there is also the potential for additional street buffering that will be evaluated during site plan review. And overall, VDOT takes no exception to approval. The entrance requirements and site distance will be verified during site plan review. And then for public infrastructure, utilities has confirmed that public water service is available through PSA and connection locations and other needed improvements will be evaluated during site plan review. And the site is not located within a FEMA flood zone. The applicant anticipates the need for additional earthwork fill and possibly a retaining wall in the proposed parking area due to existing topography. But any land disturbance or needed retaining structures will be evaluated at site plan review. And the proposal includes an on-site private septic system, which will be verified during site plan review by VDH and cited according to final design flows and ASCE recommendations. And a full review for compliance with all erosion and sediment control standards and stormwater requirements will be completed during site plan review. And then it won't impact public schools because no additional students are generated from this. For public safety, emergency services has completed its review and reported no concerns. And parks and recreation similarly do not have any comments. And cultural and historic resources, this proposal is not located within a historic district and does not abut any identified historic resources. So for the photo on the left, this is the proposed site entrance and existing access. And then on the photo on the right, this is facing east in the direction of Price's Fork Road, which is over here. And these are some of the trees along the frontage. And then in the photo on the left, that's Price's Fork Road looking north towards Blacksburg. And then the same mailbox is in the picture on the right, looking south toward Magnolia Lane. And in the corner, you can see one of the three public hearing signs that we put up. And this is a snapshot taken directly from Montgomery Matters, the comprehensive plan, the designation outdoors and natural preservation areas. One of the uses is active recreation, which is defined as places designed for physical activity, sport, fitness, play, and organized recreation. Here is a table that shows how the proposal is in conformance with Montgomery Matters comprehensive plan goals, such as fostering community health through active living, fostering active and passive recreation spaces, providing opportunities for small business incubation, and expanding the local tax base. So per the applicant, the proposed use would support active recreation for residents. The facility is expected to be compatible with surrounding agricultural uses due to the minimal anticipated impacts, limited operating hours, and the indoor nature of the activity. Final site design, including building placement, buffering, lighting, and noise management will be reviewed during the SITE PLAN PROCESS AND THE PROPOSED REAR PARKING AREA HELPS VEHICLES SCREEN FROM VIEW AND PROVIDES SAFER ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN. AND JUST A NOTE, THIS PROPOSAL, THE SITE IS NOT LOCATED WITHIN THE PRICES FORK VILLAGE AREA, BUT IT IS CONSISTENT WITH ACTION 14, WHICH DESIGNS show that they want parking lot in the back behind buildings. So there are also no objections by VDOT, and additional required regulations would further help reduce impacts. And should Planning Commission recommend approval, the staff has drafted these following conditions for your consideration. One, any exterior lighting installed on the property shall be designed to prevent glare onto adjacent properties and to comply with dark sky friendly standards. Two, a basic site plan addressing zoning conformance with landscaping, parking, signage, and other requirements shall be approved prior to issuance of any county permits. And three, site shall be developed in general conformance with the submitted concept sketch submitted July 1st, 2026. And to present some of our process, adjoining property owners were notified in accordance with state and county code. Three public hearing signs were placed on the parcels fronting Prices Fork Road. Legal ads ran in Cardinal News, and staff has received 10 inquiries related to this request, sharing feedback regarding the proposal. You should have received them in your packet or on your seats. and then additional comments may be received during the public hearing. So at this time, I will be able to answer any questions. The applicant is also here to answer any questions, and they also have a presentation for you all. Thanks.

Are there any questions of Ms. Wong?

I have some questions. Hi. And for the applicant or Steve, whoever can address these. So I hear the entrance to the facility is in the back. Is that correct?

Yes.

Yes. Okay. Because I'm very concerned about Prices Fork Road, 6,000 to 10,000 cars use Price's Fork Road as a thoroughfare to commute to Blacksburg or to Radford or Christiansburg. And so while VDOT doesn't have an exception, I'm concerned your operating hours stated were from 4 to 9. That is during peak travel times, one of the peak travel times of Price's Fork Road. So while no exception, there is something considered called pulse traffic, which is in an increment of time during that rush hour that there is more traffic. And you would have people trying to come in and use your facility. Coming in, making a left-hand turn to come in, blocking up traffic, making a right-hand turn. If I'm coming from Price's Fork to 114, you can make that in, but now I'm trying to get out, and I can't get out. And I'm just very, I understand with a 50-foot distance lot. I drive that road every day, and we are not going 35 miles per hour or 45 miles per hour down that road. We should. but we don't. And I don't want traffic to get stopped or somebody to get plowed behind. Your hours of operation, great, I understand why. I'm concerned about the traffic. So I would wonder, could there be a pulse study done?

so from vdot's perspective the level of traffic that was generated did not warrant a traffic impact analysis so that is why vdot reviews for site distance they also review for the existing entrance and its ability to handle the volume of traffic That is why they will be reviewing at site plan review the specifics of that entrance. But again, it did not meet the threshold for a traffic impact analysis. I can let Mr. Simonis speak a little bit more to how they calculated their numbers in terms of the volume it would generate. But from a VDOT perspective, that's why that wasn't done.

No, I understand that. It's the pulse traffic that I'm concerned about. It's not just the day-to-day traffic. It's those hot times that I am concerned it will be a problem.

You said you had several questions.

Are you operating on the weekends? Your report stated weekdays 4 to 9 only. Are you offering other things besides wrestling? Are you using it? Are you going to rent the space when it's not wrestling season? Again, yeah.

A couple things to help mitigate the traffic. Yes, my name is Taylor Baird. You said what else? Sorry. My address is 3003 Stratford Lane, Blacksburg, Virginia. So some of the things that we talked about for mitigating the traffic would be to have staggered start and stop times. Some of the reasons for that is you would allow the traffic to exit the facility before more traffic entering the facility. So therefore, what we could do is stagger the times from when people come for a specific time frame. and then say, hey, we're going to allot a 30 minute gap for those people to exit before letting other people enter. So I'm hoping that will help with any post traffic. And you said on the weekends, weekends would only be for a short period of times if we do have any. So we did talk about like we do have some clinics. Clinics are not an additional amount of people. It's not like, hey, on Saturdays, there'll be an additional influx of people coming. It would just be simply specialized training when you do a clinic. So it would be something that, hey, the kids really want to learn a specific trait of wrestling. And then we would typically bring someone in that knows more than some of the coaches, local coaches do, that could help them train there. Those, like, again, I think I've said I've coached about every sport around from wrestling to T-ball to basketball. Football, all of them, we realize that kids have an attention span of about three hours after that. You're definitely going to struggle. So those timeframes would maybe be a three hour span and that'd be about it.

I do like the idea, and I know others may differ. I like that much better than not to say I don't like other businesses, but it's not a fast food chain coming on a thoroughfare. As much as Price's Fork Road still goes through historic Price's Fork, I recognize it is a thoroughfare, and I worry about the safety of everybody involved.

Yeah, and like you stated before, we will make sure that the entrance, it'll have the facade in the front to look like a building. Obviously, we want to make sure that it's appealing visually, but the entrance will be through the rear so that the only foot traffic from kids will be from the building straight to the parking lot.

And you're not planning on turn. I'm just trying to think of income, right? So tournaments you're not going to have. Okay.

Unfortunately that that facility is not the size to handle a tournament. Um, it's, it's, uh, it's doesn't sound like it, but I mean, that building would really just be enough for general practice training and things of that nature. Um, unfortunately we just wouldn't be able to have the size to have any tournaments or anything. I think it'd be great for, the community to have something like that in a local area but this particular facility wouldn't be able to really house any tournaments okay yep thank you yeah mr simones did you have a presentation you wanted to make we were yes chair foster we were going to do a little bit of a intro for taylor

Um, and he, he started talking a little bit to answer some of the questions, but just give an intro for you all, um, and for the public as well about the, about his business, about the project. And then I just was going to touch on a couple of the changes that we made since our last one, if you can indulge us for a few minutes. Right back up. Um,

So, yeah, I want to talk a little bit about Techie. I think I spoke to most of you all on site, but Techie Athletics essentially is going to be a wrestling facility for the youth in this area. Currently, we do have travel teams as well as school teams, recreation teams as well through the rec department. Where we're having to host some of those events, we have about two-thirds of a mat. So what we're having to do is make kids wrestle like one and two and three. They only get about two-thirds of a practice because we don't have the space. What has happened in the past has been that we have had an area leased out, the highest bidder comes in, some other form of business, and we get kicked out. So then we have the uncertainty of trying to find something else. It could be in the middle of the season. I mean, a lot of times it does happen in the middle of the season because Oftentimes you have yearly leases that ends right in the middle of wrestling season. So there's sometimes where it says, hey, after Christmas, we don't know where we're going to be able to practice. That's happened at least twice. I know three times total with that group, but since I've been here since 2012, it's happened at least twice. So what I would like to do is build a facility that will be solely for sports, that we're not worried about the highest bidder coming in and another business saying, hey, I'd rather profit here than have an available space for the kids. The locality of where this is at would be great for Both kids in Christiansburg, Blacksburg, Radford, you can be in each in roughly 10 minutes and allow those kids to come. I think a healthy lifestyle for the kids in a day and age of iPads and cell phones and things like that. We really want the kids to get out, have a safe place to come. fully inclusive, work hard for something, have a sense of accomplishment, right? There's times where they lose and there's times where they win, but having something to work towards, I think helps build a successful adult. We also want to work. We have a lot of connections with local coaches when it comes to the collegiate level. And ultimately my goal was to make sure that kids in Montgomery County have the ability to go wrestle in college and further their career. Some that might not have the ability to do it financially and try to alleviate that burden and let's get some scholarships for the kids and get them to continue their education. What they choose to do there is obviously up to them, but at least give them that opportunity to do so. This facility will provide that. Again, this is solely for the kids in Montgomery County and surrounding areas to come and practice wrestling and train and achieve their highest level of success. This is not going to be down the road. So-and-so wants to put a business in here. They're going to pay more money. Okay, we're going to move wrestling somewhere else. That is not what this is designed for. This is so that the kids know that, hey, I have a comfortable place I can go, and they don't have to worry about where we're practicing at after Christmas. So anyways, I know that there are some thoughts of traffic. I know that some people have said, hey, why don't you put it in the industrial park or some other areas? This is 100% privately funded by myself. So everything for this project is me. It's not a big corporation. There's not anything else going on there. It is solely me. I do have a lot of help from local coaches that obviously will be there to help coach the kids and things of that nature. But again, some of the reason for it is I'm solely kind of taking care of this on my own when it comes to the financials. But any questions that anyone has for Techie Athletics and what we stand to do, I'm happy to answer.

Are there any questions of Mr. Baird? Mr. Simonis, any questions of Mr. Simonis?

So just a couple of things I wanted to add since our, since our meeting on site, we did get a couple of questions from planning commissioners. Um, so just wanted to touch through those and Chloe, Chloe touched on a few of them as well. We did talk about interior lot lines, whether those would be vacated or not. We will be vacating those to be sure. It is one overall parcel that we'll be working on and not splitting over property lines. There was a question about the drain field location. So we've had some general conversations with soil scientists, but we haven't gone out and actually looked for the drain fields yet. We've got a preliminary location shown from what we understand from drainage area, drainage swales and topography. What we have to do is, uh, Taylor's got to get to the point with the building design that we know what our final fixture count would be and our flow rates. Uh, when we have that, then we will get with our, uh, soil scientists. They'll go out with those flows and determine how big of a septic system we'd need and whether that's a conventional system or an alternative system engineered system that we would have to, um, do as part of the site plan. Um, and the, and the VDH approvals. To Ms. Sharpe-Robinson, I thought in our section about the operating hours, I did think we had touched on special events on the weekend. If we didn't, I apologize in section 1.4, but we did note the 49 that you brought up. Um, concerning the VDOT piece and we've touched on it a couple of times, but again, um, Jesse Miller at VDOT will review our site plan. He'll relook at our traffic. Um, we'll have to go back out, you know, one more time and, and, and verify site distance. A lot of times we'll meet out there with VDOT with our measuring sticks and our tapes, just to be sure if there's any vegetation that's in the right of way that could be cleared out to help with some of that, uh, without help with some of that site distance, we can do that as well. Um, There will be buffering on the front, as Chloe mentioned. It's not shown on the site plan yet, but that would be part of our site plan requirements based on the use and the zoning up against a road the size of Price's Fork. So we will have a 20-foot buffer in there. and i guess there was one question that came up today uh that i heard again from from chloe a question about our sewer flows um we do and all of our rezonings or special use permits give a an estimated water usage um we've got a you won't find in the in the health department regs or the state of virginia code for sewage flows wrestling facility um so you know and it is pretty basic and i've got a copy of it here so what we try to do is look at an average of We looked at schools with and without showers or cafeterias. We looked at rest areas along an interstate. We looked at factories and office buildings. We looked at swimming pools, anything, you know, that could kind of hit a timeframe of that four to nine, or you've got, you know, you've got kids in, you know, they're going through a class and Taylor, maybe a class is what an hour.

Um, yeah.

So you're thinking about, you know, kids coming in and, you know, classic kids coming in, maybe a few of them are having to go to the bathroom beforehand. You've got, you've got the coaches. the staff that's there you know a toilet flushes right now i think the new new toilets are flushing around two gallons maybe a flush the old ones were around seven so we estimated on the high side 15 gallons per person based on the capacity we had shown in there i think that's going to be very high hopefully we're going to be coming in a lot lower than that but again we'll know that a little bit more as we get a little further into the architecturals mr simone is this structure

is going to have what dimensions? It's a rectangle, I assume.

Yes, sir.

1,000 square feet, but how wide and how deep? You have that?

I'm going to pull up. 60 feet wide by 100 feet.

Okay.

That would indicate, but yes, it's a 60 by 100 building.

And I have a question of Ms. Wong. Okay.

Okay.

The structure is going to be 40 feet off of Price's Fork Road.

Forty feet off the right of way.

Approximately, if looking at this room, what's 40 feet? From here to the back?

We actually measured it earlier.

Okay. Well, if you've measured, I'm not going to be wrong.

I think it's more than that. Okay. Okay. Thank you.

And you can see that's fairly consistent with some of the homes right next door that you'll see on the screen here, just off to the right. Um, I just did want to show just for the public, you know, a couple of the concept elevations that Taylor talked about. Um, you know, we do want to do this as a nice looking building. So while the, the, the entry will be in the back, you know, we want to have something there along the front of prices, fork road. So you're not just staring at the back of the building. Um, so these are just a couple of the, uh, couple of the potential images, um, the type of construction, some of the features that he we'd be looking at on this one.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Grohl.

Steve, before you get down. Yes, sir. In the application packet, it mentioned that it was going to be a plain metal building facade. And then you just said there was going to be some other. I know the. The elevations you showed in these images refer the front that's facing the parking lot, which is technically the back. And I do have some concern about just the visibility and having just a flat warehouse-looking building there along Price's Fork, even though there is a buffer there. Can you elaborate on what your intentions are?

It'll be a pre-engineered metal building will be the shell. Um, so similar to some of the other buildings that we've got going on prices for it, the back to nature will be as similar. It'll be a pre-engineered metal building with, you know, facade, you know, dressed up on the backside. We'll have to look at the accessibility and the, and the egress. So with a 6,000 square foot building, we're probably going to be required to have a secondary means of egress. we do that that's got to be a certain distance away from the other door and you know basically path of travel so hopefully we'll have a door on that front side that can look like a front door we can put you know something covered over the end of it and then something along the water table whether it's stone as we showed in that but but yes the intent is not to have just a i think the buffer within that um

40 feet along the front edge, you do have the site distance concern. So landscaping right around the building there to kind of dress that up, I think would be a great addition. Mr. Chair, my other comment, and I guess this might be for Chloe, but apparently I think there was a revised concept plan that was submitted and the proposed conditions that were in the staff report referenced the original date of the concept plan. So I would just ask that if this does get approved that that condition be noted as a revision for the actual concept plan date.

And we're in support of the three conditions that staff had proposed.

I have a just, it's not even a Simone, it could be a Justin question. How wide does the driveway, it's 20 feet, like two cars, an emergency vehicle and a car, if you were coming down, they can pass each other? Yes, ma'am. Safely. Okay. Thanks.

And part of what VDOT will do during the review, they'll determine what type of entrance permit is needed for that use. So that would deal with the amount of apron that's going out onto Prices Fork Road.

That's determined at site plan review by VDOT. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you, guys.

Question for Justin, please. Would VDOT possibly require a desale lane coming from Prices Fork into the facility?

I don't believe so, again, based on the traffic count. But again, usually with the deceleration lane, there are several factors. There would be the width of the road, the site distance that's present. There are various factors that factor into that. But again, if a decel lane was warranted in their initial review during plan review, VDOT would have noted that that was something they would explore. But since they did not, I don't believe it's going to be warranted.

I would just say I fully support the concept of a wrestling facility. I actually had a grandson a few years who participated in the wrestling, so I'm a little familiar with it. But on the other hand, I'm greatly disappointed in VDOT, just giving a stamp approval in my opinion. I could easily see someone turning from 114 coming down that way and there'd be someone turning left into that facility, and this individual come barreling down that hill in a large truck or something, and oops, there's no bailout spot. I think we're setting ourselves up for a major catastrophe if we aren't careful. So I'm pretty disappointed in VDOT.

To put it in perspective, the latest census for Price's Fork is 1,100 people in that area. 6,000 to 10,000 cars are traveling the road. Board of Supervisors sitting here tonight. But it's a very busy road. And there is not runoff if a truck has to get away

There's no bailout.

There's no bailout. Again, that's not Taylor's. That's not you. I get that. And I truly support the idea and love that something is coming here for the community and that you have taken ownership and entrepreneurship to do this. I appreciate that. If I say it's not you, it's not you. I am concerned about BDOT, but I guess that way it goes to site plan. Yep, okay.

Need to turn that on, don't I? Anyway, I'm gonna open the public hearing for citizen comment. We have some guidelines that should be posted, but the summary would be that all speakers should state their name and address. We need that. When you get up here, there are three lights on the podium. The green light obviously tells you to have at it A yellow light will come on with one minute to go, and the red light indicates the end of the three minutes. Any copies of written statements to be entered into the record should be provided to staff to present to the Commission members. All comments or questions shall be addressed to the chair and or the commission, not to other audience members or applicants. Speakers should not engage in personal attacks or utilize profanity or abusive language. If declared disruptive or out of order, individuals will be asked to leave the boardroom. Applause and audience reaction to speaker's comments are discouraged. And this applies to all of our public hearings, so it'll apply to both public hearings tonight. So on that note, we have a sign up sheet. The first speaker that signed up is Roger Hamlin. And I assume Brenda Hamlin is in the same same boat. I can barely hear you. Could you wait?

We do need you to come forward if you're able ma'am.

Would you state your name and address, please?

My name is Brenda Hamlin. I live at 4790 Prices Fork Road.

Thank you.

My daughter was at 4812. She's adjoining in the mobile home. We are concerned about the traffic. It is a very busy road. We have seen them come barreling dump trucks. They go by the school bus at 50, 55 miles an hour. So I'm just concerned about that. It seems like a really good idea for the children to have a facility like that, but I'm just concerned about the traffic. and with the grandchildren and my great-grandchildren that live in both of the mobile homes there. I know from the school buses going by, it's very dangerous. It's a very, very dangerous road. I've been living there 40 years. And over the years, it's just got worse. We can barely get pulled out to go to the grocery store. As soon as you pull out, you've got to hit it, and you've got to take off fast, or you would get run over. But mostly, that's my concern, would be the traffic. I guess that's all I have to say.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

The next sign up is Phil Beaver.

Phil Beaver, 850 Cole Hollow Road, Christiansburg, Virginia. So that puts me, if you know the neighborhood, that puts me about half a mile or so from this proposed site. I want to echo a lot of the things that people have said. I agree with the idea of this. As a former MCPS employee, I taught wrestling students and I want to see them have access to these kinds of and the instruction that this gentleman can provide. I do worry about the location that's proposed. First off, I learned about it because of the three signs that replaced along Crisis Fork Road providing notification. So I could not walk there to hit that code with my phone. It had one of those little QPC dealies on it. I could not walk there. You'd be crazy to walk there along Price's Fork Road. I could not ride my bicycle there because you'd be crazy to ride a bicycle on that part of Price's Fork Road. So I will also echo the disappointment in VDOT's assessment of that stretch of the road as well. I feel for the Hamlins who have to pull out there and the other folks that we know along that road that have to pull out there every day. I have lived there 27, almost 28 years. We've grown accustomed to Prices Fork Road kind of being what it is and we've seen it grow towards town. It's kind of nice that it's not, it has a rural and residential quality out where this is proposed. And it concerns me that we would have, as like I said, once again, public school teacher, I know that it's not just gonna be students coming and being dropped off and that vehicle sits there and waits for them for an hour. So there will be multiple trips in and out, the drop off and the pickup. Will school buses be included in this? I would be worried about that going in and out as well. I also worry about the site plan and the area behind it being above the river, the cutting and the filling that will be required to create a parking lot. And I hope that this man can find a good place to do this. I just don't know that this is the one. Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Our next speaker is Michael Bryson.

Good evening. It's Michael Garys, and I live in 32, excuse me, 3587 Toggle Lane, the property adjacent on the backside of it. In fact, a number of people use my driveway thinking they can access these parcels that are in question. I too share the genuine hope that Techie Athletics can find a permanent home for themselves. What I would ask the planning commission to think about is whether this is the actual right spot for them. I, too, echo a lot of the transportation concerns. And if you haven't experienced it yourself, I highly recommend stopping into the municipal dump site, which is up the road just a little bit there, and trying to pull in or out of that around the designated period of time from 4 to 9. as these classes will be held. But one thing that I think that hasn't been brought up a lot is this recognition of the environmental damage that might be caused. So I received a letter like some of the other adjacent properties and Montgomery County identified this as outdoor and natural preservation. To me that feels like an end of argument, right? This was designated as outdoor natural preservation and none of this feels very outdoorsy or natural in terms of its preservation. And if you're familiar with those parcels, you want to recognize that the topography of them is quite sloped. In fact, I found that on the application around sensitive soils that says, due to naturally sloping topography, and naturally is somewhat loose of the site, targeted grading and land disturbance will be necessary. There is going to be considerable number of trees taken out, considerable amount of soil and damage done to that environment. And there is a lot of wildlife. I know it because I see the wildlife daily. And this is completely anecdotal, but the individuals that owned one of those parcels beforehand I had an opportunity to talk to as he was considering purchasing the parcel maybe a year or so back. He had purchased it for hunting, right? That's how much wildlife lives in that part of the woods. So whether you're pushing it across Price's Fork or pushing it my way towards Price's Station and towards the arsenal, you're pushing it out. And the significant amount of impact that this is going to have on the environment is substantial. Now, the only other point I'd like to bring up and with my last few remaining seconds here is this recognition that there's also a human factor here. Looking at the map, there is a bunch of housing around this parcel, whether it be mobile homes or traditional homes. In a community where we need more housing, We, in fact, I believe, took down a mobile home as a part of the construction of this. So we're not adding any housing. We're essentially taking it away and taking land that's primarily useful for housing in this zoned community. So with that, thank you for your time.

Thank you. I have two lists of speakers. So Mr. Govers was on another.

Can I skip someone?

Yes. Let me try again for Michael Bryson. Thank you, sir.

So I'm the real Michael Bryson. I live off Kohala Road on Derby. Reading through this initially, I was kind of worried about what this all was. A lot of this really is a laid what type of facility they want to build. I'm pretty comfortable with that. But I think I'll hark back to the traffic flow and say that we need to either force a left turn lane, consider the rest of the property and make appropriate direction entrances. You have a beautiful line of sight if you're making a right-hand turn. Traffic is crazy fast, not 45, much more. Going towards Blacksburg, you're coming down a hill and turning onto Coal Hollow scares me every time I try to do it, either direction. But if I'm coming into Blacksburg, that's a sweeping corner. You're going to be blinded. There's not enough trees that can come out. People aren't going to be paying attention. And it's downhill. So I just ask that you really force the issue with VDOT or with the roadway design or the entrances. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. The next speaker is Catherine Lang.

Hi, my name is Catherine Lang, and I live at 970 Magnolia Lane, and I also own 968 Magnolia Lane, so I am an adjoining property owner. I do echo the sentiments that other property owners have already spoken about regarding the outdoor and natural preservation area. Since my land adjoins the property, You know, they're everything from bear, deer, fox, bobcats that will be forced out of their homes and forced toward residential properties. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the groundwater contamination factor here. And there is a stream that runs below down the hill all along Toggle Lane and then makes a left along Price's Station Road. and goes toward the arsenal. Most property owners, except those that are directly on Prices Fork Road, have wells, including myself, and the potential for the contamination of those wells is substantial and that has not been brought up. In addition, I also have extreme concerns about the traffic. In the five years I've lived there, there have been at least four accidents of vehicles trying to turn out of Magnolia Lane, one of which my daughter was involved in a few months ago. It was a very serious accident that involved three cars in which one fled. And one truck ran into the embankment and lost its wheel because, as others have mentioned, there is actually nowhere to go. So turning out of Magnolia Lane is probably similar to turning out of driveways from Price's Fork where it's, you know, you really have to look. I did actually contact VDOT about this and asked for a watching turning vehicle sign and and I was told that they will not put one up for private lanes. I then contacted Montgomery County three times and did not hear back. So there is a watch for turning vehicles sign at the transfer site down the road, but they will not put one near Magnolia Lane, and that, again, is also my fear. Again, I applaud the use of the facility, but I just don't think this is the right placement for it, and I thank you all for your time.

Thank you. I'm working from two lists here, and Mr. Galleries has helped us understand that this list applies to this public hearing. So, Richard Fitzwater? I'm sorry.

He's here for the other one.

Okay. Alden Ellery. Okay, thank you. All right, that closes the speaker comments. We have another. Please come forward.

Honorable Planning Commissioners, thank you for your service for the public good. It has already been a long day for you. My name is Kimberly Homer, and I live at 222 Price Street in Blacksburg, and I'm also an owner of 13 acres of woodland in Elliston, where we will be making a homestead and outdoor recreation site. I actually considered buying the Price's Fork site Techie Athletics LLC proposes for this recreation facility, It's a beautiful piece of land and we would have done very little other than to build a small cabin and a picnic shelter and create some walking paths through the steep ravine that is there for the enjoyment of nature lovers and to prevent further erosion and damage to the sensitive wetlands there. It's designated an outdoor and natural preservation area and we would have honored that. We sought land zoned for agriculture because we wanted to build an off-grid and off-public water homestead as a demonstration for other homesteaders and to keep our footprint as small as possible. We consulted a soil scientist for a PERC test and learned that a well would not be permitted, and we would need a fairly elaborate septic system to avoid contaminating our neighbors' existing wells. This we could have done, but there was a more serious problem, which was that the only access to the property was via the neighbor's driveway. It doesn't even have its own driveway, and building our own driveway Across a ditch that has a buried gas line is steep enough to require a guardrail would have been very expensive But even that wasn't the deal-breaker the property sits along a bend in Price's Fork Road Which does not allow someone turning left toward Blacksburg to see cars coming up the hill from the right nor cars coming downhill from the left and The speed limit is 45 miles per hour there, but that is not always adhered to. In our last trip out in a late model Prius with plenty of pickup, we were very nearly involved in a three car collision when a car coming up the hill pulled into the oncoming lane to avoid hitting us and nearly collided with another car coming down. Neither car could be seen when we pulled out. This location cannot possibly handle multiple ingresses and egresses any time of day. I'm sure wrestling is a fine sport and provides health and social benefits for the children who can afford to participate in them. But indoor wrestling is not the same as outdoor recreation and youth sports organizations are now a prime target for private equity firms. I question whether an organization that can't afford to rent a facility in a more suitable location can really afford to build a 6,000-square-foot building with 41 parking spaces and a 30-foot retaining wall. I worry that this is just another attempt by a developer to buy up land designated for outdoor and nature preservation because it's cheaper than the plentiful commercial properties. available elsewhere in the county. Why can't they modify one of many deconsecrated churches in the area, which already have public utilities and parking? Why destroy what little outdoor recreation space we still have? If you're feeling pressure to generate more real estate tax revenue per acre, please consider that there are already many vacant commercial properties in the county, and we need to conserve what's left of our forests and fields if Montgomery County is to remain a place worth living in. Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else that did not sign up that wishes to address the Planning Commission? Yes, sir, please come forward.

Good evening, Commissioners. My name is Brock Adams.

I live at 6217 Crooked. Stick away. Also, this will be my third year as the head coach at Blacksburg Middle School. So I just wanted to go over some key community benefits and touch on, seems like the biggest issues here are environmental protection and traffic. Seems like everybody can get or can get behind the idea that this is a positive thing for our community, but at the same time we don't want to endanger anybody in the community. Totally understand that. Just like to go over some key community benefits and then also some potential rebuttals to some of the issues that were already stated. So, this expands opportunities for local youth. Several communities and schools in and around Montgomery County have limited or no access to wrestling programs or year-round training. This facility gives more kids an opportunity to participate regardless of where they attend school. Creates a true year-round wrestling resource. The strongest wrestling communities in the country have access to dedicated private training facilities that allow athletes to develop outside the traditional school season. A permanent facility gives local wrestlers the same opportunity to train, compete, attend clinics, improve year-round. It supports athletes at every level. This is not just simply an elite athlete facility. It can serve anywhere from beginners, middle schoolers, and high school wrestlers, recreational athletes, and college level athletes as well, and anyone pursuing national or international competition. This strengthens existing school programs rather than competing with them. excuse me, a private facility can provide additional mat time coaching opportunities, camps, clinics, off-season development, and access for athletes whose schools may not have the resource to provide them things themselves. Provides a positive extracurricular outlet. Wrestling teaches discipline, accountability, physical fitness, resilience, goal setting, and teamwork. Giving young people another structured environment in which they spend their afternoons, evenings, and weekends is an asset to our entire community. creates economic activity, families traveling for practices, clinics, camps, tournaments, and special events, spend money at local restaurants, hotels, gas stations, grocery stores, and other Blacksburg area and Montgomery area businesses. This facility itself can also create coaching, administrative, maintenance, and even event-related opportunities. And then just a few, just to touch on the traffic just a little bit. I think any legitimate traffic concerns should be evaluated using the actual expected use of the facility rather than assumptions. I don't think it's been really talked about tonight as far as we practice possibly have some clinics and practices from four to nine. Those are typically 20 people. 22 and that's at each session with breaks. They're not these large, it's not like these large football events or anything like that. We're talking maybe if it was some of my youth wrestlers or my middle school wrestlers, we might have seven people there. I think prices for it could accommodate. I get it. It seems as a, an overall arching, like, um, I think it seems like a lot because we're, you know, the lots happens 6,000 square foot facility, but it's housing a few people at a time. It's not, there's not going to be a huge influx. We're not running tournaments. We're not running events there. It'll simply be a practice facility. Um, at the same time, um, And I don't want to go under the assumption that, Hey, this is a bunch of people there all the time.

I'm so sorry.

Okay. My bad. I've never spoke. All right. Well, thank you for your time. I appreciate it. Commissioners appreciate it. Thank you.

Is there anyone else that wishes to address the planning commission? Yes, ma'am.

Good evening.

My name is Andrea Langston, and I live at 850 Cole Hollow Road, Christiansburg. And while I understand the facility is a needed opportunity for kids in the county, I again want to echo what so many people have said about the traffic. Living there for 28 years, every time I turn onto Cole Hollow Road, all I do is look in my rear view mirror the entire time. I worry also about the age of the people who will be driving to the facility. They're younger drivers and not experienced with that type of negotiating and navigating. a busy road i'm very disappointed in vdot and i do think if this goes forward vdot needs to step up to the plate and do some more study on that and in that particular stretch in those particular hours and the people who will be using it no matter one person to ten is enough on prices work thank you thank you is there anyone else that wishes to address the techie public hearing

Seeing none, we will close the public hearing and turn it over to the members of the commission to discuss. Seeing no comments, is there a motion?

CAN I BACK IT UP AND ASK A QUESTION? LET'S BACK IT UP. THANK YOU. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION THIS EVENING AND A LOT OF CONCERN AND TO NO FAULT OR DOING OF TECHY ATHLETICS REGARDING THE TRAFFIC ON PRICES FORK ROAD. I DO UNDERSTAND VDOT WILL COME OUT AND ASSESS THE SITE PLAN. but if my child were in the accident or I caused an accident that doesn't negate, like my whole brain would be like, we should have done something. So what can we do? So tonight, so Justin, tell me tonight, I'm voting on the idea and the concept, knowing that going forward, we have opportunity to, demand a turn lane or help something out that way?

So I think it might be helpful to clarify for both the commission and the public. When VDOT makes their evaluation and provides their assessment letter to us, that is not just them sitting at their desk and writing a letter. They do go out into the field and assess the conditions. They look at the data that's available. They look at accidents on that part of the corridor. they look at site distance they look at the perspective use and the amount of trips that it will generate i think as mr simonis referenced the vdot manual does not have every use listed so they utilize the closest fit to determine what their traffic counts are so the vdot evaluation that happens prior to it coming to you as a commission is a data driven assessment of safety and in your packet you were provided the letter from the VDOT residency that highlighted the four points through their analysis that they determined. What happens at site plan review is that they look more specifically at that data. They look deeper into the numbers. They look at that commercial entrance permit that would have to be acquired for the facility to be able to get access in and out. If they don't meet safety requirements, VDOT does not issue the entrance permit. So there is a check and balance there. It's not just an initial assessment by VDOT during the review of the application. They look at it at the site plan review phase as do all county departments, environmental services, planning, zoning, the Virginia Department of Health for the private septic. We don't ask the applicants to design the project in full before they submit for approval okay so that is again part of the longer process of review the planning commission obviously needs to look at any impacts that could be generated by the use in terms of traffic but because the right-of-ways and the roads are maintained by vdot we are subject to their assessment for safety i hope that provides some clarification mr rice

It seemed like every rezoning condition use permit comes for us. Traffic is always brought up to always. And since I'm not a traffic engineer, I have to rely on the engineers that are educated and have the experience and so forth. And so like I said, I have to kind of lean on what they're telling us. And so I'm looking at, as a planning commissioner, I'm looking at the use. What are they proposing? What's the use for the land and the property? And I think it is a use that is desirable for the community. And then I think the impacts are not that great. And so I think the benefits would outweigh any negative impact to the area.

and so i would i would support the the use of this property for that purpose i have one other question sorry i'm going to have my question um one of our citizens brought up the groundwater concern with the stream i'm not aware of that and so is there anything steve can you address that thank you yeah thank you for the opportunity can i

You closed it? Yeah, I'm sorry. You may have it. I was trying to look for the overall. I'm sorry. Yeah. So on this might help it, you know, there were a couple of the comments that were made about, you know, the open space and how it's designated today. I think this graphic is a good indication. You can see here in the back that the majority of the property is going to stay undisturbed. So from a wildlife standpoint, from the waterway, the blue line that's shown on the county GIS is down here. So it's well downgrade from where we're talking about. We'd have state required and county required erosion and sediment control and stormwater management in this area. Um, so we're staying up on the high side of the site. We do have a lot of topo we've got to make up, but again, you know, that grading, um, is, is anticipated to stay in this area here and not push all the way down to where you would have more of those environmentally sensitive areas. Um, And if I could add one more thing, Mr. Foster, um, just to be sure again on the same, the same exhibit, um, since we're talking about traffic, um, the way we have to look at site distance, VDOT gives us a certain distance off of the edge of pavement. and how far up you have to be. I think it's three and a half feet that you have to take a measurement, assuming you're sitting in your vehicle and you've got to be able to see another object at another certain height, a certain distance up the road. And that distance up the road or down the road is based on the speed of that road. You can see on here this 500 foot required sight distance that's shown from a point in our driveway You know looking back 500 feet in each direction and showing you've got got clear sight distance Within that roadway, so you're not out to the right of way. You're not looking across somebody else's property So that's that first piece that VDOT looks looks at and again as Justin mentioned they go out there and they look at it on site as well not just go by our paperwork and to Mr. Spradlin's question regarding, you know, tapers or pull-offs, you know, that's one of the things we will look at with VDOT. So, you know, when we look at turn lanes, as you all know, you've heard this a thousand times, I'm sure, It's not just the traffic that's generated. It's what's been talked about tonight. It's the traffic on that existing road that's advancing or opposing those turns. So if VDOT sees during our final review that, yeah, Steve, we'd like you to take a look and just do turn lane warrants on that and we could take a quick look um you know if this moves forward to the board of supervisors we could take a quick look internally and just say hey is is this meeting any warrants based on that vdot criteria the other thing that we could do and i'm going to switch pages here so you see on our graphic here we're just showing our entrance tying out with a radius right to the edge of pavement what vdot oftentimes will do if you've got concerns especially on right hand turns as people are coming down the you know, coming down from Blacksburg this direction, you know, we could pull this entrance off, pull this radius off 10 feet, probably still stay within the right of way, put our radius there and taper back. tapered back this way within the right of way itself. And that's just a, it's an entrance taper. It's an apron. So it's not a full turn lane per se, because I don't think we're going to meet those thresholds with the amount of turning trips we have. But there are some ways that we can give people as they're getting close to the entrance, a way to get off, you know, as you were saying, Mr. Spradlin, just to get out of the way. So again, I mean, I, it sounds like the use of something, the community and, and, and some of you have said you, you would support, um, we can't control the speed of which people are driving on that road. It's, it's unfortunate. Um, and I believe you said some of the sharp Robinson, um, That's not our part to monitor the speed, but it is 45 through there, which is why it kicks you up to that 500 foot sight distance. So I just wanted to explain some of the design criteria that VDOT makes us look at to verify that sight distance.

Are there other comments or questions?

Well, to follow up, I would be afraid to turn this down for perceived traffic issues because then everything that comes before us in the future would be turned down for the same issue. It's going to be traffic everywhere. Everywhere, everybody's going to be complaining about traffic. So I think we need to concentrate on our lane, which is the land use, and then let VDOT and the engineers and the people that are experienced handle their part. And that's why I'm glad to support this.

Mr. Rice, thank you. I appreciate your comments. Mr. Chairman, if I could just add, too, I do think it's more of an enforcement issue. If the speed and the traffic is out of control, it meets the engineering criteria that VDOT has established, but people are speeding and causing a hazard, that seems to me to be a enforcement issue that perhaps something could be done to address that. I think that the overall concept is good. I do have some concerns that I think have been adequately addressed. Groundwater contamination, I think the level of scrutiny that BDH puts on groundwater dispersal systems is such that it's protective of the environment and of adjacent properties. So the criteria and those discharge permits are pretty stringent and require periodic inspections and maintenance agreements and things like that. So I think from that perspective, there's not a lot of concern as far as my perception is on the groundwater contamination. So I'm supportive of the project, and I think if the applicant is held accountable for enforcement of traffic speed limits on our county roads, then, as Mr. Rice said, we won't be able to do anything. There's one point of clarification that I would like, and the question did come up about the comp plan, and I think there's a misperception about just the terminology on how this area is designated in the future land use plan, and how this use fits into that, so. just if we could revisit that and maybe go back to the presentation with periodic chart for our land use just to, I think if we're hanging our hat on the outdoor natural area, that's just a piece of it. That's not the entire part of what that particular land use is designated as. So active recreation is a part of that, correct?

So I can speak to as that particular land use category was developed. There was conversation, if you'll remember our prior designation in the previous comp plan for the majority of the county was resource stewardship. And over the years, I know that the Commission has brought up on many occasions that that was a misnomer for the types of uses that were permitted there. So when this chapter was being put together, there was a lot of consideration placed of a balance between preserving the natural environment and the outdoors. but also encouraging the utilization of those areas for recreation. And that's why that land use element was added for active recreation. I think the other thing to be mindful of is, again, and we've mentioned this to you before, we have... a new comp plan but an old zoning ordinance and so i think it has to be evaluated not through only the lens of the comprehensive plan but this was a use that was identified as a special use permitted use in agriculture so i think we need to look at both pieces when you're doing the evaluation thanks for that clarification are there other comments

Chair, Justin, give me a little help here if you can. I know you will, you always do. Is there any way that the Planning Commission, if this would be approved, that we could put wording in that approval to VDOT and to the Board of Supervisors that this Planning Commission strongly urges that they're widening the portion of the road going from 114 to Price's Fork right in front of this facility to allow a go around. You understand what I'm saying? I do. Is there anything that we can do to put that wording if we pass it?

You can place whatever condition you see fit on the special use permit. I would caution you that any improvements that you're specifying, that there would be language that would be per VDOT's approval, per VDOT's study, THAT SHOULD BE EXPLORED. I THINK MANDATING ANYTHING IN A CONDITION THAT IS OUTSIDE THE APPLICANT'S CONTROL AND THAT WOULD BE CONTROL OF THE VDOT RIGHT-OF-WAY WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD NOT BE ENFORCEABLE. we are lucky that we have our County attorney in the audience this evening, if we wanted to talk about wording of such a condition. Um, but I would just, again, that language should state it would be at VDOT's discretion and approval. Um, if any of those improvements were to be made.

I think it would have to ultimately become VDOT's recommendation. Um, Mr. Spredling? I guess, yes, sir.

It would be VDOT's budget and VDOT's priorities, and they don't necessarily...

So this couldn't be...

I don't think we can direct a state agency to do that.

I understand, but couldn't this be something that the applicant could have to fund themselves as part of this?

Those improvements would be at the expense of the applicant. Right. I will... I will say that it should also be considered of the expense of those improvements. I understand. Could mean that the project would not be able to move forward.

I understand.

And I totally understand Mr. Rice's comments. I don't necessarily agree if we look at this particular road issue and that sort of taints all requests that we have in the future uh i think any request that this board would have is particular to itself it seems to me like you're trying to put it all in one basket and that's not true um maybe i shouldn't make this comment but i will as i'm getting a little older i'm getting a little bolder i guess as i'm told but um You know, I've heard a lot of talk about engineers and less listening to the engineers. I worked 20 years with engineers. You know, a lot of engineering has to be, you have to have some common sense in with it too. I haven't heard any common sense. Let's look at this from a common sense perspective instead of an engineering perspective. Sometimes common sense takes us a long way down the road.

Thank you, sir. Is there anyone else that wishes to offer a comment? Is there a motion?

I'll go ahead and make the motion that, uh, I move to recommend approval of the special use permit application for the wrestling facility as a school of special instruction located at 4820 Pricewood road.

And with their three conditions that we've got in our packet, is there a second, a second, we have a motion and a second Ms. Sharp Robinson do your magic commissioner Spradlin. No.

Commissioner Kroll?

Aye.

Commissioner Rice?

Yes, aye.

Commissioner Furtz?

Yes.

Commissioner Workman?

Yes.

Vice Chair Linkas?

Yes.

Chair Foster? Yes. Secretary Sharp-Robinson? Yes.

Motion carries. Thank you all.

And staff will make sure to convey the concerns that were expressed by the commission in the recommendation letter that is forwarded along with your recommendation.

The next item on the agenda is- Mr. Chair. Yes, sir.

So you're saying that our concerns will be definitely expressed to VDOT?

Yes. Well, we will convey those to the Board of Supervisors, and we will, I know Mr. Simonis has said that they will take a look at some items before this goes to the Board of Supervisors. We can make sure that those concerns are communicated to VDOT as well. Okay. With that in mind, I would vote yes.

So do I make an adjustment?

because it still carries still carries all right the next item is uh public hearing for rez 26-4 a request by states and homes to rezone 263.5 acres total acres owned by Father and Gay LLC from Agricultural A1 to Planned Unit Development Residential, Bud Res with proffered conditions. Ms. Hopkins.

Hello. So this property is located in the eastern portion of the county, indicated here by the star. It's just east of Roanoke Road, Route 11-460. It does adjoin the eastern Montgomery Elementary and High School properties. It is located in the Shawsville Magisterial District. So the property is zoned Agriculture A1. We have your map pulled up here. You can see some other zoning districts in the area. So directly to the west is manufacturing. That is the sod production farm that many of you are familiar with. There is an orange back here to the east. That is a planned mobile home residential park. And then to the north we have a smaller subdivision Zoned Residential R1 it has approximately 11 lots right off of Crozier Road and then the remaining land is zoned agriculture and it is utilized mainly for farmland and single-family residential uses. So the summary of the request, it's request to rezone the planned unit development residential, as you stated, approximately 263.5 acres. There is a master plan for a mixed residential community, has a variety of housing units, such as single family detached homes. estate, family homes, and townhouses. The proposal would allow 349 total dwelling units. 152 of those would be townhomes with 197 single families. The density is approximately 1.32 units per acre, and it would be developed in three phases over the next five to eight years. You may remember in work session, there was a discussion of the potential for two options. That plan has changed since work session and now we're down to just the 349 units. They have removed the 13 acre parcel that was previously part of the rezoning from that. So this is the concept plan. You can see here everything outlined in red is the area to be rezoned. I do want to note this area here where the label for the stormwater management area and of this parcel here is not included in the rezoning. So those two areas would not be rezoned. They would retain the Agriculture A1 zoning district. Just the areas outlined are proposed for the rezoning. You do have cluster housing here. This is the townhouse unit area single-family dwelling lots here and here and then these two lots are the larger estate lots that they referred to and So in the comprehensive plan, it lies within the village of Elliston or Lafayette. Our village areas are defined as unique communities that act as service centers for rural residents. They should be home to public services and amenities. And while they should not necessarily function to capture all growth, they will have higher residential and commercial densities than the surrounding areas. You remember our periodic table. You can see single family is one of the prominent uses of the village areas with some other uses there. Single family is defined as low density residential dwellings arranged as individual homes, duplexes, townhouses, or similar household scale forms. So within the village area, it's designated as village transition. These are areas that should support modest housing choices and local connections. Appropriate uses include homes, ADUs, limited cottage-scale housing, civic uses, parks, trails, green space. And development should remain lower and quieter than the core area, which is where you should have your most dense development. should connect to the village street network where possible, improve ped and bike routes, manage stormwater, protect stream corridors, and buffer homes from farms. The density should stay low, generally between one to two dwelling units per acre. The density proposed for this subdivision, again, is 1.32 units per acre. So as far as goals, actions, and strategies, there were a lot here. This will look a little different than your staff report. Staff report goes through them individually. I grouped them here just for a matter of convenience. Based on the proposed development, the townhomes, single-family dwellings, and larger estate lots with the cluster development, you can see several categories there, land use, housing, villages, and the Elliston Lafayette Village Plan. There are some goals, actions, or strategies that are being met through that. With 73 acres of open space trails and sidewalks, we are meeting four categories, outdoor and culture, recreation, land use and housing, and there are five different goals that are being met in that section. For access to public utilities and direct access to Route 11-460, we do have nearby fire and rescue services and confirmed school capacity that does meet the higher density should utilize existing infrastructure. Land use and transportation goals are met through the trails and public sidewalks, public roads, interconnectivity with the schools, and direct access to Route 11 and 460. The housing one has roofs preserving the rural character historic resources in new and existing development. So dwellings will be located behind that tree line. As I showed you, the property along Route 11-460 is not proposed as part of the rezoning. The one parcel that is would be for stormwater management, so it would be an open space area. So the historic structure that is on the father and gay property is also adequately buffered with over 300 acres in between it and the proposed development. So when we get into impacts and mitigation, we're going to take a look at transportation first. 349 dwelling units. VDOT has estimated that at 2,790 trips per day. It did not meet the threshold for a traffic impact analysis. A minimum of three connection points is required. I have starred those here. So there will be a connection here proposed at Eastern Montgomery Lane. This is the main access with crossover proposed here on Route 11-460. And then they have showed a future connection to undeveloped property to the east. However, in order for this property to be developed, it would have to come back before you for a comprehensive plan amendment in addition to a rezoning. But they do have to show that future connection to meet BDOT access requirements for connectivity to undeveloped parcels. The Barnett Road connection, which is here Barnett Road is private It does not meet the minimum standards to be a state-maintained road and therefore it cannot qualify as a VDOT connection So while it is a connection shown as a private street to be used for emergency access only It is not a full connection that is approved by VDOT So right and left turn lanes will be required. They did not specify the timeline for that construction, so VDOT has noted that if it's not constructed during phase one, then they would have to construct this entrance here on Eastern Montgomery first before they could start construction. Sidewalks or multi-use paths are going to be required by VDOT. So we've had some citizen comments. We've had some concerns regarding school traffic and the use of Eastern Montgomery Lane. Upon construction of Eastern Montgomery School, it should be noted that there was an agreement for a connection to be put in there to allow future development of that property. And that was organized through VDOT when the school was constructed. Citizens have expressed concerns and we do have some photos regarding some flooding on Route 11-460 along with some drainage issues. That is what is shown here near Barnett Road. We did reach out to the Christiansburg Residency and they have stated there are no known issues with flooding in this part of the corridor and they have not been made aware of any concerns. I would suggest that if there are concerns in this area, As indicated by this photo, they should reach out to VDOT and let them know so they can check infrastructure to make sure it's operating appropriately. Citizens did express concern regarding the use of Barnett Road as an emergency road and being shown as a future connection. The road is private. It can be utilized to access the property as agreed upon in any legal documents that they have between the owners, but as far as being made a state-maintained road, that would also be something that the owners along that street would have to agree to as they would need to add additional right-of-way in order for it to be brought up to state standards. Emergency access details have not been provided, so we do not know if there will be bollards or gates or how that is proposed to function in order to stop through traffic. In regards to public infrastructure, you may remember this request came before you, some of you may, in 2025, and the applicant requested it be put on hold. So during that hold, Hurt and Profit conducted an Elliston Sewer Shed evaluation. You do have that. Printed at your desk this evening, and they did determine some upgrades were necessary So at the Eastern Montgomery Elementary School pump station there is capacity for 160 new homes however they would need to have a generator added and to that pump station so that way it could continue to function should power outages occur. The generator, when installed, should be equipped to operate upsized pumps because there will need to be upgraded pumps or rails, electric service, and control cabinets if they intend to go over 160 dwelling units. In regards to force and gravity mains, upgrades are necessary to a couple of sections in the area. PSA has reserved the right to choose between two options. To fix that issue for capacity, you can bore under Route 460 and extend the force main to an existing gravity line or replace the existing gravity line under 460 with a larger diameter pipe. So the developer would be responsible for the cost of those upgrades that are outlined in the Elliston shed evaluation and they would be responsible for the improvements being made so the actual construction and In regards to environmental and natural resources, citizens have expressed concerns with the flood zone. I will note there are no designated FEMA flood zones that are regulated on any of this property. You can see here there is a small area of blue on this property that is proposed for rezoning. What this is is it is called a shaded zone X. And so what that means is it's a 500-year flood, 0.2%. FEMA does not regulate those. The only things that are regulated are zones A and AE. AE can also include floodways. We do regulate those in our zoning ordinance, which is a FEMA ordinance that was given to us in 2012 for adoption. I will also note that this area here that is part of that shaded Zone X is not shown for actual development. It is actually shown to be used as a stormwater area, which would make sense since it's a low-lying area that already collects water they would put their stormwater facility there to then regulate that. So we did have this reviewed by Environmental Services. The stormwater management site plan and erosion sediment control site plan would be required should this request be approved and it move on to development review. The plan does require the developer to manage stormwater at points of discharge and utilize temporary measures during construction to protect erosion and waterways from sedimentation. The concept plan does show three stormwater management areas. Those areas would have to be designed to reduce the post-development runoff to less than or at a minimum equal to the pre-development rates for the two and 10-year storms. So that means whatever is occurring there now, this development by regulation they would have to show with calculations is not going to be made worse. It would either need to remain the same or be made better. So they would have to meet the flood and channel protection requirements, contain best management practices, divert stormwater flow to existing or proposed channels, and they do have to show the calculations to prove that those channels are adequate for whatever water is going into them. The largest stormwater management area is located at that lowest point. It flows directly. That could allow them to... actually manage the current flooding that is occurring there now and They may have the opportunity to achieve additional reduction of those peak flows So it might actually get better in that area instead of worse depending on how it's designed We would not allow it to be worse that is something our County engineer and our Department of Environmental Services would look at closely when they look at the calculations submitted in full design and Water quality requirements have to be met. So the applicant has proposed BMPs, those best management practices, combined with nutrient credit purchases. In regards to aesthetics and view shed, as stated, this field along 460 is not included in the rezoning request. The nearest dwelling is approximately 400 feet from Route 11-460. And you can see in this aerial here, there is an existing tree line that kind of screens that area. Those dwellings are right in here. Existing topography and vegetation reduce the visibility from Route 11-460 and nearby properties. The applicant did withdraw the special use permit request that they had previously submitted for additional height on the townhouses. So those townhouses would have to meet the height requirements listed in the ordinances that special use permit was withdrawn. Consideration should be given to areas that may be able to see the neighboring properties to see if additional buffers could be added to help with that. Montgomery County Schools was contacted. They have given us their capacity issues. You can see those there at the bottom. They have a current enrollment at Eastern Montgomery Elementary of 368 with an estimated capacity of 740. Charlottesville Middle has a current enrollment of 171 with an estimated capacity of 377. And Eastern Montgomery High is at 254 with a capacity of 606. So they did note that school buses would only travel on BDOT-maintained highways, or right-of-ways, rather. So they would not operate on any of the private alleys that are proposed. It would just be on the main public roads. During construction, roadways should provide suitable travel services and remain clear so buses have clear access. Any temporary turnarounds need to be maintained and able to be navigated by bus. Should those things not occur, then they may require the students to go to another nearby stop if they cannot proceed through the construction area and have students remain safe. Stops would be established at designated intersections versus individual residences. This is very common. And they did request that consideration be given to the school traffic, including the buses that function on Eastern Montgomery lane. Trails should not have an impact on school traffic parking areas and should provide safe access. They have requested coordination of those trails. to be made with the schools prior to site plan approval or construction should the request move forward. I will say the applicant has relocated a couple of those trails, so there are no longer any of those conflict points. Montgomery County Emergency Services reviewed the request and stated that their concerns regarding water supply and road width had been addressed. They did note that they have increased emergency services in the area. As you know, the county has taken initiative to have paid fire and rescue in this area. 24 hours a day so they are adequate for any type of emergency that should should arise fire hydrants will be provided per the requirements of our subdivision ordinance we do require at least one hydrant within 500 feet of every home emergency access at barnett road would provide an additional means of access to the development by emergency services only subdivision streets would be designed and constructed to ensure proper turning radiuses and navigability for emergency services montgomery county parks and rec also looked at the at the request and stated their facilities in the area they have two parks eastern montgomery and creed fields and they also offer programming for spring fall and winter so we know in the past sometimes our parks and rec have had an issue with field capacities and things like that so i did ask do you have capacity for additional children to be involved in the programs in this area and they confirmed that they have a lot of capacity for growth in the program offerings in this area. On-site recreation, they have proposed an internal trail system. Preservation of the existing pond that is on site, it does have a trail that goes up and around that pond. Active amenity area with possible recreation amenities, they have not decided on what these would be. It could be a clubhouse, pool, pavilion space, bocce ball, other playground equipment. That would be decided at site plan phase. And then they have noted that there are open courtyard spaces within the townhome sections. Planning would state that the largest active amenity area will be provided during phase two. That is a proffered condition that was offered by the applicant. But they should also give some consideration for those courtyard spaces since they are located within the town homes. Maybe they should include some equipment such as playgrounds, tot lots, etc. Historic Resources District. This property is not located within a Historic Resources District. It is approximately .75 miles from the Elliston Historic District that's with the National Register. There is a historic structure, 1796. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. Please note that that does not preclude development of the property or the adjacent parcels and it did not include any of the land. It only pertains to the house that is on the property. There is an existing vegetative buffer to provide some physical and visual separation. However, the proposed development is separated from that structure by approximately 307 acres of open space. There is an identified cemetery on the property. It is located near that historical home and is shown on the concept plan and it is within an area designated for open space preservation. Archaeologic studies and assessments were not conducted as those are not required by the state or the county. No resources are identified on this property through any of the information available to the planning department. Multiple citizens have noted concerns regarding undocumented materials of significance. It should be noted that should human remains, artifacts, et cetera, be located or be unearthed, federal, state, and local regulations must be followed at that point. And I have seen this happen once in my career. What it means is work immediately ceases. We contact VDH, which is the Virginia Department of Historical Resources. They have a whole set of protocols that must be followed. And we do have to notify authorities. The property does qualify for rezoning with proffers per section 1031 of Montgomery County Code. Planning's analysis is there is a nationwide housing shortage. We all know this Affordable housing is a goal for Montgomery matters, and we have talked a lot about it through the comprehensive planning process But the one thing to remember is supply and demand are necessary in order to attain affordable housing you can build the most affordable home, but supply and demand is It can be $100,000 home and it'll sell for $200,000 just because it's the only thing available in the area. So we do have to have housing availability before we can pursue to move forward with affordable housing. The development proposed would provide a variety of housing types and there are varying levels of attainability with the townhouses, the smaller residential lots and the larger residential lots. The development would serve existing and future county residents. It's located in an area that does offer limited areas for growth. When we went through Montgomery Matters, we did notice that there's very little area in the Elliston-Shawsville villages both that can allow growth. A lot of what we would be able to see in those areas would be redevelopment, as most of the parcels that have that can be developed have been developed or located within a flood zone conservation easement or AFD district. There are the density is 1.32 dwellings per acre and as I stated previously the recommended density is 1.1 to 2 dwellings per acre. Route 11-460 is an existing four-lane minor arterial road. VDOT has stated they do not have concerns with additional traffic on that road. The concept plan would have to meet all access regulation requirements, and then the construction timeline for the turn lanes has not been specified. Construction traffic for all phases of the development should be limited to the proposed access A, which is directly connected to Route 11-460. We would discourage construction traffic to be used in Eastern Montgomery Lane in conflict with the school traffic. The proposed emergency access along Barnett Road, we do need to see some details regarding how traffic will be restricted and we would require those at site plan review. Connectivity to the schools is provided through a trail network and Eastern Montgomery Lane is a public road designed to provide connection to future development. The stormwater management plan, including preservation of existing farm ponds and stream, will capture existing and new runoff. The system shall be designed to reduce the runoff to less than or at minimum equal to the pre-development runoff. This provides the developer with the opportunity to alleviate some of those existing issues that we've discussed. Low-lying areas are already prone for detaining runoff will be regulated and maintained. Currently they are not regulated or maintained so that that would actually be an improvement. Public utilities expansion of public water and sewer is proposed with the developer responsible for the sewer upgrades as identified in coordination with the Public Service Authority. Trail networks, sidewalks, active recreation areas are shown. Parks and Rec has nearby parks and programming available with sufficient capacity to house additional students in the Eastern Montgomery school strand. Five to eight year build out of the project means there will be a gradual addition of students, so all the students won't come at one time. They will be gradually added over that five to eight year, and we can assume that all of them are probably not going to go to the same school. There'll be a variety of ages, so they'll be distributed. The developer should consider bus shelters for those that utilize school bus service, and that should be coordinated with the Montgomery County Schools based on where they are proposing to have pickups once the final designs are in place. Public safety has said that increased emergency services is adequate. is not located in a designated historic district. We have identified the historic cemetery, and those archeological assessments are not required. And as stated before, and with any development that would occur in the county, should human remains artifacts be unearthed, those federal, state, and local regulations have to be met. So in our analysis, we looked at several different things. Is it consistent with the goals and policies of the comprehensive plan? And our determination was yes. Supports good planning or zoning practice? And that was also yes. Is not in conflict with the zoning subdivision ordinance or any part of the Montgomery County code or state code? And we have determined that it does meet that requirement and is not in conflict. The applicant has submitted seven proffered conditions. The property shall be developed in conformance with the rezoning narrative and the master plan drawings. An active amenity area will be provided and that main area will be provided during phase two. The property shall be served by the public service authority with water and sewer. The Homeowners Association shall maintain all community grounds including landscaped areas, recreation areas, parking and paved areas, walking trails, sidewalks located outside of the public right-of-way, and any stormwater management areas. Road improvements will be designed to VDOT and or county requirements. The roads through the property shall be built and dedicated as public roads. Alleys will be built and maintained as private. All cul-de-sacs shall be built with a minimum 45 degree radius, or 45 foot radius rather, to the edge of pavement. One reservation of land has been shown to provide future connections. This will be dedicated to the county at time of recordation of subdivision plat. The specific area is at the southern extension and it does connect to the remaining father and gay property. Should the property be developed as shown on the master plan, no more than 349 units or 1.32 units per acre shall be constructed on the properties. Adjoining property owner notices were mailed on August 21st. Public hearing notices were published in Cardinal News on the 26th of August and September 2nd. We did place signs on the property at four different locations, and those were placed on August 21st. We have received some public comments. Included in your packet was one phone inquiry and one email in opposition to the request. Since that time, we have had two phone inquiries, two additional ones, eight additional emails in opposition, three emails in support, and one email with just a suggested connection to the Eastern Montgomery High School. So they did not state whether they were opposed or in support, just added that suggestion. Posing concerns are related to flooding, protection of farmland, protection of the rural character of the area, historic property, archaeological concerns, affordability of the housing, and the intense density. In support of the request, we have heard there are needs for housing in this area, the proximity to the schools. the ability to have better school resources because you have more funding from parental and potentially the school system, additional representation for the area, the proximity to the four-lane highway, It would support local businesses that are currently struggling, active and passive recreation, and long-term community benefits. So all of those letters have been provided at your seats this evening, so you can see those. We did also email them, and they will all be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors with their packet. At this time, I will take any questions that you have for me or questions that you have for the applicant. They do have a presentation before we move into public hearing.

Of Ms. Hopkins.

Would you rather hold your questions until after the applicants? Okay.

Let's have Mr. Simonis do his presentation, and then we'll deal with questions.

Good luck.

Bree said she was going to be very detailed on the presentation, and she was that. So I will try not to regurgitate a lot of what she has gone through already. Steve Simonis, Westwood Professional Services, 80 College Street here in Christiansburg. Um, I'm going to touch through the application, uh, then the states and team is going to run through a quick presentation on their end as well, if it's okay with the chair. Um, so as we get into this, um, I wanted to provide a little bit of background and, and, um, I know the folks that were at our work session heard me go through this, but I think it's important for those that weren't. And then for the public as well. So a little bit of background on our request is, as you know, we came in with a comp plan amendment request that went through the process with Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors was approved. We then subsequently submitted our rezoning request. That was for a total of 409 units, a very similar layout, but 409 units. As we were working through that process, we had had a work session with Planning Commission And then some of the concerns with the sewer capacity were raised by the PSA director at the time. So as we started looking into that and realizing what needed to be done, we pushed pause on the rezoning and then a combined effort from States and homes and the County went through this additional study that hurt and profit third party consultant hired by the County to go through the full Elliston sewer shed modeling to determine basically from anywhere in that Elliston sewer shed, were there additional concerns in that area from a capacity standpoint? So it wasn't just the pump station that we will be tying into. It's the downstream gravity lines, the downstream force main lines, any other pump stations that are fed from this property. And then at the end of the day, the treatment, uh, the, the treatment plant, um, down the road. So they went through that. And as Brie mentioned, um, all those findings are included in the report that you all have with you, um, States and has reviewed that the counties reviewed it. We're all in, in, uh, in agreement on what needs to be done. Um, there are, there's a couple of sections of, of sewer line right now that are at capacity, uh, based on the modeling as it goes under four 60. And then obviously there will be some improvements that will be necessary for the full build out of the project. As Bree mentioned, there is capacity right now for 160 homes, and we'll touch on that. But as we got through that process, that wrapped up at the end of last year. And then as you all well know, Justin was in the thick of the comprehensive plan process update there. So what we wanted to do was we didn't want to rush back in with a rezoning request, you know, kind of start us back up when we're in that flex flux period between the old and the new. So we wanted to wait until the comprehensive plan was ratified and approved and that the village plan for the Charlottesville Elston area had been looked at and gone through the process as well. What we wanted to be sure is if there were things that had changed since the first rezoning request or things that were added, we wanted to be able to address those and accommodate them within our application. So the village plan, the comp plan were approved. We went through with updating our proposal and resubmitting it. Again, as Bree mentioned, when we resubmitted this, we had two options. And we have since removed the one option that included 13 acres right here where you see this number 35 here. So what we have before you tonight is just the 263 and a half acres with 349 homes. So I've just thought a little bit of background on that would be helpful. The location of this property, we we've heard a lot about, we know there are concerns from the, from the community. You know, this is a, I'm going to air quote historic. It is a historic home, but it's, it's, it's a piece of property that if you've lived in Montgomery County, I grew up in Roanoke and would drive to my grandparents in Dublin. And every time we drive by, my grandmother would say, that's the place where the guy was buried standing up. We we've all heard the story. So there's, there's a community feel to that. If you've lived here for any amount of time or familiar with this area, What's important I think to realize is that we are adjacent to Roanoke Road, we are adjacent to Eastern Montgomery Elementary School, we are adjacent to Eastern Montgomery High School, and we have very few single family neighbors. We have three here on the development side of the property. And you'll see on the concept plan, each of those areas on the page south or the west end of the property you know, are buffered now either with open space and non-developed property or one of the big private estate lots that Bree mentioned, and I'll show you that here in a minute. And it is important to point out, and we'll talk a little bit about Barnett Road, That 13 acres that sits right here does extend, Barnett Road does extend up through that. There are existing two, I believe two rental homes that the father and gay family have that are accessed off of Barnett. So again, there is legal means of egress and access into this property that's allowed on Barnett. But as mentioned, it's not built to a public standard and the right of way is not there to improve it to a VDOT standard. So the concerns that we've heard and we've read regarding the Father and Gay House, you can see it on this image here, sits on the far southern side of the property. The cemetery Bree mentioned is right here. So you see there's a big distance between the red line, which is our rezoning line, and the Father and Gay House, about a third of a mile. So about 1,600 feet, 500 yards, five football fields, whatever you want to. relate it to, but it's a third of a, about a third of a mile, um, from this piece to the edge of the rezoning area. And as you can see the vegetation that's in there, none of this will be disturbed. So, you know, concerns that are out in social media that the house is going to be torn down and we're going to be developing around the house are just, are just not accurate. So the house is staying right where it is and none of the development will be anywhere around the house itself. So as proposed, the 349 units, as Bree mentioned, 152 townhomes, 197 single family with a density of 132 units. So again, just another vicinity map showing the overall parcel with the overlay of the layout itself, but that yellow is the rezoning area. And again, the location of the Fotheringay House, this arrow is a little bit easier to see than the one over our rezoning drawings. So a blow up of this area just where we're working on right now. So again, this would be developed and, and built per the standards that we've put in the application and narrative and on our master plans through the PUD res regulation. So setbacks, frontage, acreages, you know, lot sizes, heights, you know, all that is kind of spelled out within our application as well as on the master plan itself. I would point out, Barnett Road, which we were talking about, we are showing this connection here. Barnett Road, you can kind of see it underneath the cursor, does go up and ties back into the back of the existing farm. We would pick this up and basically put in a 20-foot gravel drive. We'll provide some additional information to planning as far as how we would control access, but it would be through you know, either a gate system or bollards that emergency access has keys to that's, that's fairly common when you have those emergency access roads, um, entering or exiting a property like this. Um, so we'll, we'll provide some additional detail on that, uh, before we, we, we move the project forward, uh, depending on your, on your action tonight. Um, So again, some of the house types and Luke and the states and team will talk a little bit about this more. But again, kind of the core area for our townhomes is here in the middle that's shaded in yellow. The green is surrounding the school and the perimeter of the property is our single family product. So there'll be some other images shown here, but these are just a couple of examples of states and homes product that you can see in their other subdivisions around Montgomery County and Roanoke. So as part of the project, we mentioned the first time that we'd be building in phases. What we've done now is actually lay out those phases based on a couple of different reasons. States and homes, and they'll speak to this, like to develop multiple product types at one time. So you're hitting multiple price points and opening up. opportunities for buyers to look at single family or town homes and different types of subsets of those housing types. The other piece of it is to play into the sewer improvements that we spoke about earlier. So again, the pump station itself, the property all drains to the Eastern Montgomery pump station, which sits right here. If you all can see my cursor at the lower part of the screen. So that pump station today can handle 160 additional housing units with the pumps that are in there right now. Again, as Bree mentioned, the lines under 460 have to be improved and a generator has to be put on this pump station in order for that 160 to be built. In order to move past that into any additional density, the pumps would have to be replaced, the electrical system, the control panels, basically the guts of the pump station would have to be upgraded. So that will be part of the project that would have to happen before the construction and occupancy of anything in phase two. So what we've put together is the phasing plan here. Phase one would be the purple, phase two would be the orange or yellow, and phase three would be blue. The breakout of that is in phase one, 114 single family and 46 townhomes. Phase two would be 135 units, 57 single family and 78 town homes. And phase three would be 54 total units, all of which would be the single family homes up in this area. The access points Bree talked about a lot, stormwater management we've touched on already. So we've got three different areas for stormwater management that would meet all the state and county regulations. Water and sewer has been confirmed now with the updated study. Homeowners Association, we talked about, will be provided. We have to do that in all of our subdivisions now, if nothing else, just to maintain the stormwater management areas that are required for maintenance by the state and the county. Vehicle parking, so there will be parking for each of the units, either within garage or driveways. On-street parking may be provided by VDOT standard based on the final road design. Um, depending upon what we develop within our active recreation area, which is right here, um, there's a better view of it here in this area, right here, there may be some parking kind of pull off parking. We did that in one of our other subdivisions, uh, out at West hill. We had some pull off parking that people could come if they've got, you know, young kids, they don't want to walk there. They can bring them, get them out of the car and use the active recreation area. So we may have some parking areas here in this section. So speaking of open space, again, 73.4 acres plus or minus, about 27% of the site. So the blue area is more non-recreational, passive recreation. We do have some trails, so that could be considered recreational area. The trails do meander up through the pond to the existing pond here. through the site and then our active recreation areas are the green that we have shown the um the courtyard areas that we have within that brie spoke about within the town homes i'd encourage you to go out and look at west hill sometime we've done those there those have been extremely popular with the residents they could be playgrounds they could be picnic areas they could be fire pits they could be gazebos so it's really catering to that to that end user within those within those townhomes, but that's been a really popular element over at West Hill. And I believe they've done that in some of their other subdivisions as well. So utilities, again, I'm not going to get into. On the VDOT piece of it, I do want to speak to that just from a standpoint of the question from VDOT about when we would... install the turn lanes. That was a mistake on my part. I was assuming everybody understood we'd probably have to put those in in phase one. So our intent on that would be phase one would have those turn lanes. We will have a right turn lane and taper going northbound and a left turn lane and taper going southbound. The right of way is there to do it. The left turn lane will cheat into that medium strip. And then the right turn lane obviously will be on our side of the property on the road there. Comprehensive plan, again, we really went back and looked through how this project either directly or indirectly supports these different sections of the comp plan. I'm not going to read through these. You guys have them within your report and within Bree's report as well. Some of our, we wanted to show kind of some examples of what our recreation areas could be. You know, our active recreation here, you know, areas for kids to go out, kick a ball around, throw the frisbee. You know, we could put in additional playground equipment as we show here. Um, the walking trails that will be through the site, you'll see that with those dash lines, um, that you'll see on the page here, we've also got, um, we had a trail section that was coming from our cul-de-sac shown right here that kind of tied into Eastern, um, Eastern Montgomery elementary school. We decided to make that change and it was, um, it was. I guess we heard the same thing from Mike Brown at MCPS, that that location would not be ideal because they would be crossing around the bus loop. So what we did, we actually revised that to have that access coming in off of the back of the property here towards the center. If you all remember at the site visit, that little picnic shelter is where we were standing and talking. So this would be able to bring you directly in. But again, we've got experience at West Hill with working directly with MCPS to put walking trails from one of our subdivisions to service. That was at Price's Fork Elementary. So that worked out really well. So we've got experience doing that and Stateson's got a great rapport with MCPS. So I'm sure we can get something worked out that's gonna be convenient for everybody. The village plan, again, we've looked through the village plan that was approved. And what we really wanted to do is go back and look to see what citizen comments were included in the comprehensive plan. and in the village plan itself. So we pulled these directly from the text and really seemed to build on the fact that these areas here in the Elliston Lafayette area are where we'd want to see additional residential development. We have the schools, we have the infrastructure, we have the roads, the ability for the property to handle stormwater management and make that situation hopefully better than it is today. Um, there's a lot of pros to doing a project like this, um, here in this area. Um, and I'm going to turn it over to, um, to Luke here in just a second. There were a couple of questions that came to us from Bree, um, that I think some of the planning commissioners may have had. Um, and I just want to touch on these similar to what I did in the last application. Um, there was a question about term movement data for the entrances. What we did with our conversation with VDOT was we kind of did a worst case scenario of taking all the traffic into our new entrance. That certainly kicked us into the turn lane warrants. Since that initial study, we've obviously dropped from 409 total residential units to 349. We didn't update our study because that was giving worst case scenario, but we're still anticipating the right and left turn lanes to be warranted based on the traffic that's being used on Roanoke Road. As far as the access to Eastern Montgomery, because there is a signalized intersection right there and turn lanes do already exist, VDOT said you don't need to go in and reanalyze that at this point. I stated in my response to Bree, if during the site plan VDOT wants to see us do a signal analysis to just check on the timing, if the timing of that signal needs to alter during certain points of the day, we can do that, but we'll do that based on VDOT direction. Construction traffic. That was a really good question that was brought up about using Eastern Montgomery Lane for construction traffic. The states and team can attest to this, but we did chat about it. We're happy to put an additional proffer in place before we get to the board of supervisors, limiting access, construction traffic access to Eastern Montgomery, whether that's a complete prohibition on it at any time, or we break it out during certain, you know, certain times of the day when it's not interfering with school drop off or pickup. But we'll work on that. And as a commitment to you all, I'll say, you know, we'll have an updated proffer before we get to the board of supervisors. To address the the concern about construction traffic on Eastern Montgomery We talked about the cost responsibility for the cost of sewer upgrades the trail connections And just confirming that some of the parcels along 460 were not in the rezoning area So those were just some of the things that came up from from some of the members here that I wanted to address and I will I jump off of mine and turn it over to Luke for a quick rundown. Bri, I never know how to get it back to the slideshow, I'm sorry.

Good evening. My name is Luke with States and Homes, 618 North Main Street, Blacksburg. Thank you guys for the opportunity for us to present our vision for the Father and Gay property. So States and Homes were headquartered out of Blacksburg, local NRV and Roanoke builder founded 14 years ago. And since then we've brought over a thousand homes into our two valleys. Um, we focus on thoughtfully designed communities that make sense and add value to our region. Um, our two values are about values. I'm sorry. Um, At States and Homes, we focus on customer service and customer satisfaction. That's the main metric that we measure our success off of. Every homeowner that we sell a home to, we survey three times. And on every survey, we ask them the same question, are you likely to recommend a States and Home to others? I feel like that's the... The ultimate measure, if somebody would recommend to friends or family or somebody that they see or know, then we've done our job. We send those out before we even break ground. After we sign a contract, we send them out after closing and then after they've lived there a year to get a true measurement of that. And we have a 97% customer base saying that they'd likely recommend Estates and Home to others. So we stand behind what we do and we're proud of it. We're also involved in the community outside of building homes. We donate annually to the Carilion Cancer Center, the Blacksburg Museum, the Children's Museum in the mall, local sports team sponsorships, and we serve on the board for Habitat for Humanity. So Father and Gay, what is our vision for this? What are we doing here? We're gonna offer a diverse housing opportunities in all price points. So whether it be affordable town homes, small single family homes, ranch style, traditional or larger state homes, We're trying to appeal to the masses in a very thought out, thoughtful way for this community. I've had firsthand experience working in sales out of West Hill, watching parents walk their kids to school on the walking trails. And the feedback I received from that is fantastic. You get the extra five minutes. I'm a dad. I'd love that. You walk your kids, you kiss them goodbye, and it's just kind of an emotional experience to watch. So I feel like that's a great fit. I'd encourage you guys, as Steve said, to go out there and look at the courtyards, but also just the little parking area and go in the morning when they're walking kids to school. It's really cool. Um, we've touched on this, but there's walking trails to the ponds, the connectivity, the recreational space, and we've taken a really balanced approach of preserving the father and gay home and a lot of acreage around it. I'm going to call Travis up here. He's our product expert and he can dive in deeper on the town homes and the single family homes that we'll be offering.

Yeah, I'll speak for just a minute on this. Everyone's done a great job teeing this up so far this evening, but I'm Travis Bolden with States and Home, 618 North Main Street, Blacksburg. the team kind of asked me to come up here and speak to product in particular, because I have such a strong passion for, excuse me, passion for it, uh, in some way directly or indirectly, I've been involved with the community and housing design of every neighborhood that States and homes has ever built them. Um, so I'm proud to be a part of, uh, each one of those. And so as, as we were saying, uh, earlier from Luke, we do survey our customers and we have amassed a significant amount of customer feedback, uh, about our house designs and community designs. And what comes up time and time again is the feeling that our most cohesive communities are the ones that are the most diverse, right? And to get the most diverse population in those communities, we like to offer a really diverse array of product so that we can hit multiple price points, hit all the different socioeconomic ends of the scale so that if you're a young couple or, you know, well-established where they have kids, grandkids, no kids, we've got a product for you. So as you can see in these images, we've got a blend of single level and two story as well as our townhome concept, which kind of enough to touch on earlier. As you can see in these two images, front yard and recreation amenity is really important to us. So we've got either courtyards or green fingers in the front of every townhome in this community. All the vehicles are in the back away from where the pedestrian activity would occur. And so we've done some really cool things in a whole lot of places, you know, adding amenity features to those courtyards and green fingers to make that really appealing to folks who would buy those townhomes. And so, that just speaks a little to the diversity of the product. So, thank you, Luke. Yeah, actually, yeah. So, well.

A little quick, right? Key sticking.

Yeah, I think the key is sticking. All right, so Steve showed this image a moment ago One last time. Steve touched on this just a few minutes ago, but in the core area, that's where the townhomes would be located. And as you can see the orientation of those lends itself to having those green recreation areas in front of each one. So that's centralized in the center core of the project. And then as you feather your way out away from that, the density gets to be a little less and a multitude of different width of product line and also different type of product line.

Thank you. So diving into what impact this has on the community, you know, I've spoken about how we want to improve our communities, not just build homes here. So starting with Montgomery County Schools, This has been touched on already as well, but both schools have the available capacity for the additional students. I use census data to gather the number of 160 additional students generated at full build out. And then the estimate state funding of $6,878 per student. That totals at 1.1, a little over $1.1 million in state funding from the additional students here. I could see the number being higher because of the connectivity to the schools, but I just went off the data of Montgomery County for that. I'm going to use this so it doesn't stick. And then tax revenue impact, this is for the 349 count broken down between townhomes and single family dwellings with our estimated sales pricing of each. That's just shy of a million revenue annually. So how does this impact community, boost education, infrastructure, improves quality of life, people going to local businesses and all, and really if you look at it, it's over $2 million a year. I felt like this was really important. It's a headline a lot of people have probably seen, but our median age of first-time homebuyers is 40 years old. This is a crisis. Uh, it's, I was fortunate enough to get my foot in the door pre COVID. Um, and if you didn't, it's even harder to do now. So increasing supply, doing well thought out communities like this, uh, it's a balanced approach for preserving the historic site. This is what makes sense to help resolve this crisis. Um, I'll close with a picture of the concept and any questions that you guys have.

to you or Mr. Simonis concerning one of the proffers related to the streets. And it seemed like I read that you were gonna build them to VDOT standards and the homeowners associations was responsible for maintenance.

No, so the paved areas that were talked about for the homeowners association That would be if we put in a little parking lot or if we've got paved access to, you know, an amenity area. The roads will be built to state standards and they will be state maintained.

Okay.

Yep.

Because there was also a discussion about the public schools were not going to take school buses in there unless they were state maintained.

Correct. Yes. The roads will be state maintained. They'll be built to VDOT standards and turned over. Yep. During the time of the subdivision.

thank you any questions okay thank you thank you now like to open the meeting to public comment we've have several folks sign up and as kind of alert and alert I think maybe as soon as we finish with public comment, before we do commission discussion, we might take a five-minute break and stretch a little. So our first person to sign up is Mark Epperle. We're still dealing with the same public hearing rules of order and... You need your name and address.

Thank you, sir. My name is Mark Eberle. I live at 4968 Crozer Road, just on the other side of the hill from this community. I'm asking this board to stop and seriously consider what this development would mean for the people who currently live in Elliston. The estimated population of Elliston is only 950 to 1,075 people. This proposal will add 349 new homes at just three people per home. That's another 1,047 residents, essentially doubling our population. That's not a small development. It will drastically transform Elliston. Before anyone approves it, I want clear answers to some basic questions. First of all, traffic. How are you going to handle what happens when there's a major accident on 81 and all that traffic comes through Elliston? It's already difficult to make a left turn in that case in a lot of areas. Our elementary school parents know how hard it is to make a left into the school when 81 is backed up. What happens when you've doubled the everyday traffic normally and then the interstate shuts down? Water. Where's the additional water going to come from? What infrastructure is going to be required? And most importantly, who's going to pay for it? Wastewater. Our current treatment facility has limited limitations. My understanding, it only processes fluids. What happens when you have waste from an additional thousand or more people? And what happens to the solids? If the facility has to be expanded or upgraded, who pays for that? Certainly shouldn't be the current residents. Are we going to be asked to pay higher taxes and utility bills to support a development that we didn't ask for? Ellison is one of the most affordable places in the county to live. That matters. For our working families, this is one of the few places they can afford rent and perhaps their only realistic opportunity to someday own a home. If you bring in these expensive homes, you don't make housing more affordable. You push, put upward pressure on rents and property values. What happens to the people who are already struggling to live? Where are they supposed to go? Giles, Floyd, Craig? Forcing them further away, will they be able to continue to work in the community? Because these are the teachers in our schools, our lunch ladies, along with people who clean the schools, take care of homes, cut grass, wait tables, prepare food, and work in our stores. They're not statistics. They not only make our community function, but they make it a great place to live. They matter, and we matter. So before approving a development that doubles our population, I believe this board needs to give us some clear answers. Where will the waste go? Where will the water come from? Who will pay for needed improvements to infrastructure? Who will pay the additional taxes? What happens when the people who make Elliston can no longer afford to live there? Growth is not automatic progress.

Thank you, sir. Our next speaker is Alden Ellery.

It's been a while, but it's nice to see you all again. My name is Alden Baker Ellery and I live at 1260 Echo Hills Road in Elliston. I have shared some of my concerns with you before, but I'm here again because some of my concerns haven't changed. I was glad to see some of the additional information tonight, but still have concerns about development in general. The recent developments on Peppers Ferry and Price's Fork did not solve the housing crisis, nor did building Midway Estates, and doing more of the same will not solve this problem. I'm still concerned about the environmental aspects of this proposal, but choose tonight to focus on the community that exists in Elliston. Last time we met, more than 1,000 people had signed a petition to communicate that this development is not what they want for our community. We have one doctor's office, one dentist's office, and no proper grocery store. The housing proposal would more than double the population currently living there with no infrastructure to support them. The schools in our community offer free breakfast and lunch to all students, and before and after school care are provided for free because a large portion of the people who live here cannot afford these things. You will increase their property taxes and price some of them out of the ability to afford to live in this area. You would be providing a large number of new residents places to sleep while they work and shop in Roanoke or Blacksburg and support those communities, not this one. You have a responsibility to the entire county, and this proposal only takes from those in the eastern portion and doesn't provide them anything in return. If you want to support the community that's already there, support Madison Farm in leasing more land for their cattle. Build a nature preserve of sorts like Price Park in Blacksburg and let it be a park or wildlife preserve to serve the county. Make it a large pollinator garden or build greenhouses to grow large quantities of vegetables which have been so well received by the hundreds of pounds for free at Meadowbrook Library. Creating affordable housing like new homes in Strubles Ridge and Airport Acres in Blacksburg to promote long-term affordability. You can responsibly support and encourage growth in this community in other ways. And as our representatives, I think you should. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker came from the prior session that I got wrong. Richard Fitzwater.

9505 Old Runoff Road, Elliston, Virginia. Everything sounds real good and everything, but my concern is building all these houses. What you're doing is taking up a whole lot of good farming ground, and it's happening all over the United States. We're going to run out of farming ground, and you're going to be starving to death. They need to start building these houses up on higher ground where we don't have to farm and everything. And all this traffic you're talking about running down the road. You ever tried to drive a farm tractor down the road 15 mile an hour and everybody trying to pass you 70? It's hard to do today. And that's my concern is, and they talk about following gay farming. Well, this is up here and out there. It's one piece of ground. I know because I lived there for about 40 some years. I was raised on that farm. I know every inch of it. And it's 100% good farming ground. It ain't to be built in houses on. I believe it's just a mistake to build that many houses on that place out there. It's all a historical place. To me, Ellison straightaway is the historical place. We used to race down it every day when we was younger, that is. And that's my real concern about it, is taking up our farming ground for housing. And it shouldn't be that way. I believe we can build houses on higher ground and wouldn't have to do that. But we do. But when 81 does, but We do have a traffic problem because you can't even get on the road. And that's my concern about the whole thing. I'm not saying that we don't need the houses, but you go to Reiner, look at the farm ground they done took up over there on the right-hand side on the way into Reiner. And it's ruined the farms and it's going to ruin the United States if we keep doing it. And that's my real concern.

Thank you, sir. We have a young lady that jumped up just a minute ago. So why don't you come on up?

Hello, again. I'm Kimberly Homer. I still live at 222 Price Street in Blacksburg, and I also garden in Elliston. And I would like to ask you to pause to think about these three reasons that the father and gay development seems urgent and necessary when it might not be any of those things. Number one, housing shortage. Is there though? Look on Zillow and see what's not selling in 60 days or more, including many states and homes that haven't been built yet. Elliston already has five out of the 50 Midway Estates townhomes for sale. And there are plenty of more expensive ones in Christiansburg and Blacksburg. Why ruin one of the last rural places by building something nobody really wants? There's not even a grocery store in Elliston, which is why all housing should have a place to garden without HOA interference. Number two, the comprehensive plan says so. Does it though? Montgomery matters. This is a quote. The Elliston Lafayette Village is a vibrant, close-knit community that cherishes its rich history and stunning natural beauty. We are committed to preserving our rural charm. We will protect our farms, scenic landscapes, and community resources, ensuring that Elliston Lafayette remains a place of rest, refuge, and a beloved home for generations to come. Number three, the schools and public water sewer systems are underutilized. We need to build now before the prices go up even more. Eastern Montgomery Elementary School has a lot of free lunch kids. If the school really is underutilized, could it be a food pantry? How about an outdoor classroom and walking trails that everyone could use, not just people in the HOA? As for public water and sewer, the Public Service Authority is bound by both state and federal law to protect capacity and water quality for existing users. Adding more pipes and saying gravity will take care of it risks contaminating the entire South Forth Basin. How does that serve existing users? Please pause. Do your own Zillow search. No one wants to live in an HOA. No one wants to stay in an Airbnb. No one in Elliston orders DoorDash. If I'm wrong and you delay by a month, well, a good house should last at least 50 years. But if I'm right and you cover up arable land and recreational land with another drab development that no one wants, that will be a shame. Please take some time to consider what we've got before you sign it all away. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anyone else that would like to? Yes, ma'am. Please come up.

My name is Julia Milton, and I own property adjoining Eastern Montgomery High School and Eastern Montgomery Elementary. My question is, when you talk about diverting water, where does it go? It goes right onto the land that adjoins it. The agricultural land across in the elementary school already gets water and runoff. The land by the high school, I addressed it with the county years ago. I gave up. They told me it had been done correctly. And so it doesn't matter that my driveway washes out and that there's flooding down by the road. I didn't know I was supposed to call VDOT when there's soil erosion or a washed out driveway or that my water gets contaminated. So I'll start doing that. If I need to call Christiansburg VDOT, I can do that. The reason for the school's low numbers, they were overbuilt, expecting more development than we've had. I bet we haven't had 300 new houses built in that valley in 100 years. I'd love to see the building permits for new construction. Also, a lot of people aren't using the schools. They're sending their children to Glenver, to private schools or homeschooling. The county needs to address that. And when you're overcrowded in Christiansburg or Blacksburg, redistrict. Redraw the lines. Send some of those students down our way and don't spend more money building more schools outside of our area. The reason Father and Gay property has not been designated as historic, no one has ever done an archeological study there. Only the house was entered. The traffic on 81, when there's a wreck on 81, all of that traffic comes down 460. It's a nightmare. I cannot imagine adding almost 3,000 exits and entrances every day. You want to use that road that goes by the elementary school? Go down there sometime when there's pickup and drop off. The line for that is all the way down to the road. I don't know where it's going to go. There are so many concerns that no one's looked at yet. You're doubling the population of an area that I don't know why you would do that. It'll change the whole character of the area. It could change our whole voting record. Thank you. I'm going to go sit down because I hate to speak publicly.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else that wishes to speak?

Yes, sir.

Hello, my name is Zach Milton, and I live in Ellison, a 1600 Moomaw Circle, and I am for the development. I won't go into detail exactly about the schools. I really hope you understand the need we have down there, and I could save a little time there. I'll also say I think they did a really good job of addressing the flooding concerns. Traffic is a concern here. We handle interstate 81 traffic from time to time. We handle interstate 81 traffic I don't see 349 homes being more than interstate traffic if Blacksburg can handle the traffic they have Virginia Tech I think we can handle a few more houses By comparison route 8 Two-lane road, you're getting all of the Reiner development. You're getting all of the Floyd development. Price's Fork, I know we talked earlier about the tremendous amount of development out there. Your two lanes, four lanes, roundabout, two lanes, four lanes. We are a four-lane divided highway basically, all right? If anywhere in this county can handle the traffic, we can handle the traffic. He said, our area has handled remarkably little growth. In the last 50 years, the only real sale to a developer was when the county sold the old elementary school in Elliston to the Sheila Hagen Construction Company, and they built houses. If you do want to get on Zillow and see the home availability, if you go from the top of Christiansburg Mountain all the way to Midway Estates, that's a very long way. There are zero houses for sale that are more than 950 square feet. Not getting a lot of new families and a two-bedroom, one-bath. And there's only two of those. We talked about the PSA infrastructure. You know, they addressed it. The development has offered to pay for it. I don't see any issues there. I know one concern is urban sprawl. I think this development right here is pretty concise, pretty compact. We're gonna try to avoid urban sprawl, but also conservation easements both sides, floodplain on the backside. If you're not gonna develop here, there's really not anywhere else to do it. The historic of the home. I mean, this development is taking into consideration as best it can. If you look at the home right there as you drive by, The development would be behind the existing tree lines. I know they need two places for entrance, so it has to come this way a little bit, because you can't get the Barnett Drive, that it's really the only option. As for the amenities, I don't know how many houses are in Reiner, but they have two gas stations, we have seven. The almighty Dollar General, you have one, we have two. They don't have any grocery stores, we don't have any grocery stores. But it's a whole lot quicker for us to get to Christiansburg and Salem than it is because the only option is Christiansburg. So just please consider it. Stateson, I hope it goes in. I hope they do a fantastic job. They need to do a fantastic job because that's the only place we can do it. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. Is there anyone else that wishes to speak? Okay, I'll close the public comment before we take it up and take a break. Our bylaws say that we've got to shut down shop at 10 p.m., and we need a motion to extend beyond 10 p.m.

I'll make the motion that we extend our fund commission past 10 o'clock.

Thank you. Is there a second?

I'll second.

All those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed? Motion carries. Let's take a five-minute break, and we'll come back here shortly. at a point where the commission is going to take up discussion of the father and gay proposal. Who would like to start it off? I'll start.

the presentation was very thorough and and most of my questions were already answered and you know i was wanting to hear about the the sewer extensions and and how that's going to get paid for and and and how it was going to be phased in and so forth and uh and so i'm confident that that all take place the way it's supposed to and um uh I was pleased about the flooding issues. You know, we're always worried about flooding and we found out that, you know, once they finish this development, the runoff after it's developed is supposed to be less than or equal to what the runoff is today. So it's not supposed to make it worse and can only make it better. So I was glad to hear that. And then, you know, we always talk about traffic and as Mr. Milton pointed out, you know, we have four lane roads, we have plenty of, We have plenty of capacity on the traffic in the schools. We have plenty of capacity. So all of the hot button things that we always look at, it looks like it's all been addressed very adequately. But as a planner, and a realtor, I'm just real tickled that we have 197 single family homes. As you know, the last several years, all we get to look at is townhouses and apartments. And so I'm just so tickled that we have single family detached homes for young families, families starting out and retirees. It's individual homes where they have a yard and they can raise their families. And so I'm just very pleased to see this many single family homes. And so I fully support the measure before us.

Other comments?

I just have a comment. I'd like to just offer a suggestion for the design team to consider. We talked a lot about the connectivity to the schools, and I think that's really important. I'm not sure how some of the other developments have worked out, but I know that if you have a lot of residential properties around schools, there's going to be a high percentage of the kids that are going to want to walk to school. And so when you're laying out the trail system, if you would try to keep in mind the propensity for kids to wanna cut through yards and take the shortest route to where they're going, And a lot of areas where there's a lot of pedestrian travel to school, they have small corridors between some of the lots just to kind of facilitate those shortcuts so they're not hopping fences or cutting through somebody's yard. Beyond that, I do appreciate all the effort that's gone into addressing the concerns that have been raised. I think that sharing information and clarifying things on how the development is gonna be built out and how it meets the specific goals and objectives that are laid out in the plan I think is well thought out and I'm supportive of the development So if there aren't any other comments, I'd offer a motion to approve the request as submitted with the staff recommendations for the conditions.

With the proffered conditions.

The proffered, yes.

And I'll second the motion.

We have a motion and a second to approve with proffers. Ms. Sheriff Robinson.

Commissioner Spradlin?

Yes.

Commissioner Kroll?

Aye.

Commissioner Rice? Aye. Commissioner Fiertz? Yes. Commissioner Workman? Yes. Commissioner Vice Chair Linkas?

No.

Chair Foster?

Yes.

Secretary Sharp-Robinson? Yes.

Motion carries and we will forward that on to the board of supervisors for their diligent appraisal of same we are on the agenda at all business and we have no items of old business under new business we have liaison appointments and a couple of you have i mentioned that you would like to possibly change, which brings up several questions. And I have been having discussions with Ms. Hopkins and Mr. Sanders, and we're starting to talk about this. It's a topic I think we need to spend some time on. I'd like you to think about the appointment that you have now, whether you wish to continue. whether you'd like to try something new. We're basically talking about five different liaisons among the nine of us, and we need to talk about if we don't, Actually appear how do we get the information so that we know what's going on? around us so Start thinking about that one. Maybe next time We'll be able to sit down and discuss liaisons a little bit more which brings us to Liaison reports This Karen

I do not have a report, sir, but looking forward to our joint meeting next week. So have a good night.

Thank you very much. Ms. Sharp Robinson, Blacksburg Planning Commission.

Right. Yes. Uh, they met September 1st and they elected their new officers. So Melissa Jones will be chair, Susan Reinhart, vice chair and Blaine Kesey will be secretary. Uh, they also are working on recode Blacksburg. That is they're developing new ordinance updates as well. And the Blacksburg comprehensive plan is in the works. They also have done community new branding. They have a new logo, so it's on their website and stuff. And I think that's it.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Yep. Christiansburg Planning, Mr. Rice.

I don't believe the Christiansburg Planning Commission has had a meeting lately. I haven't seen.

Excuse me? They met last week. They met on Monday, or they have a meeting coming up on Monday where they're talking about the development in the industrial park.

Okay, okay, so no report for me, and we'll follow up on that to make sure. But, you know, I have the floor. Could you indulge me for a second? I would like to ask if we could get Kevin Bird to come speak with us and kind of give us an update of where we're at mid-decade, you know, as far as... the amount of people that's moved into the area and the amount of building permits. Maybe he can consolidate some information from Christianburg and Blacksburg and Montgomery County. And so, you know, we always hear about the shortage of homes and shortage of this. And we'd like to know if we're still on track with, you know, when we had the housing study, I think that's been five years ago or so. So I'd like to find out from him where we stand on some of that. THAT'S ALL MY REPORT.

THANK YOU, SIR. MS. SIMPKINS IS NOT HERE TONIGHT. THE TOURISM COUNCIL IS VACANT. MR. WORKMAN. WE MEET TOMORROW.

I'LL REPORT NEXT TIME.

DID YOU PLAN THAT? MS. HOPKINS.

Hello, I have a couple of things. First off, I will tell you in regards to an update, we are doing an update on the housing study. So they have just kicked that off. So there will be some information coming because they are updating that.

Okay, good, good.

just to let you know. We do have a joint meeting with the Board of Supervisors next Thursday, the 17th. Dinner will be served at 6.30, and then we will follow that up with our joint meeting that will be held in this room. Just a reminder, we did have a lot of citizen comments that came in, and we had a couple that went to a few commissioners, but not to all commissioners, and a couple that went to one person, but not another. So just a reminder, check your emails, every couple of days just to see if you have anything that comes in. If you do get comments from citizens, please forward those to staff because what we do is we ensure that every planning commissioner receives them. We also make sure it goes into the Board of Supervisors packet and the Board is able to get them too. With that said, don't forget your PC packets are always posted on the Wednesday before the meeting, so you should have those no later than Thursday. If you do need a paper packet, you need to request that from us ahead of time, and we can print it and have it available at the front desk for you to pick up. Yes?

Before you blast too far down the road, is there a focal point for emails that we might receive? Someone on staff that's...

Collecting these if you receive them you can send them to the MC plan at Montgomery County VA gov That's the same email that you get your packet information from and the read that goes to a central mailbox that all of us have access to so if I'm out tour in the Caribbean because I've decided to retire somebody else will get that so that's that's what that's for But you wouldn't get it in the Caribbean. I would not trust me no Just an update, so comprehensive plans, Montgomery Matters, they are being printed and bound. We're gonna have copies for each planning commission member, board of supervisors member, and staff member, and then a couple on hand if we have some citizens. So they are coming, we hope to have them by the October meeting. An update that just came forward, actually during this meeting while I was in the other room, please leave your iPads here this evening. So IT has identified several issues with some iOS systems, whatever that is, and they need to be updated. So what they want to do is I offered to collect them. They're going to take everyone's iPad. They're going to get it all up to date, make sure it's all working again. And then we will deliver those to you next week. In regards to next week's meeting, once the agenda and the attachments are available, we will reach out to you. We can provide them in a hard copy format or we can send them to an alternative email if you do not have access to the county email until you get your iPad back. So just let us know.

I think Mr. Workman was responsible for...

I don't think it was just Mr. Workman. So we found an issue with several. So he said he thought it would just be best to collect them all. He actually said, I'm not sure how we're going to get updated. And I said, well, I'll just collect them all at the end of the night. You all can update them, and then we will redistribute them. he kind of said you can do that and i said absolutely we can do that so that's what we're going to do get you all straightened back out i would say he will be back at the meeting next week hopefully um to be able to set you up a couple of you he talked about doing an authenticator app or something like that so we may have to set that up um i think i'm okay but yeah i'll give it to you so that is all i have thank you you're welcome

Is there any other item that anyone would like to bring under penalty of capital punishment to this organization? Is there a motion to adjourn?

Motion to second. I'll second that motion. Second.

All those in favor? Aye. Please signify by saying aye. Thank you.