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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/7/2023 - Minutes • ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES MARCH 7, 2023 Commissioners Present: Mr. Troy Henderson, Chairman Mr. Rick James, Vice-Chairman Mr. Wayne Bower Commissioners Absent: Mr. Jim Woltz Mr. Kelly McMurray Staff Present: Mr. Phillip Thompson, Secretary Ms. Megan Cronise Ms. Cecelia Thomas, Recording Secretary Call to Order Mr. Henderson called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Invocation Mr. Bower led the invocation and the pledge of allegiance. Approval of Agenda Mr. James made a motion to approve the agenda, which passed 3-0. Approval of Minutes No motion was made to approve the February 21, 2023 minutes due to not having a quorum of the Commissioners who were present at the February meeting. A vote will be held at the next public hearing. Public Hearings 1. The petition of Sovereign Grace Community Church, Inc. to obtain a special use permit for religious assembly located on approximately 1.29 acres of land zoned C-2, High Intensity Commercial District, located at 4167 Electric Road, Cave Spring Magisterial District. WITHDRAWN BY APPLICANT 2. A proposed amendment to the Roanoke County Comprehensive Plan. The proposed amendment would incorporate the U.S. Route 460 Land Use and Connectivity Study into the Roanoke County Comprehensive Plan. Ms. Cronise presented the history of the study. She explained the revisions made throughout the process. She noted the priority list for the study area, as well as, the future land use for the area. She reviewed the comments received from the current survey. ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES MARCH 7,2023 Mr. Bower questioned what possible solutions there may be to the issues with the railroad crossings on Layman Road and Glade Creek Road. Ms. Cronise answered saying that they would potentially like to have a bridge go over one of the railway crossings. However, the County is awaiting feedback to hear whether they have been approved for funding to do a planning study to see what would make the most sense as a solution. Mr. James inquired about the number of citizens living in the study area. Ms. Cronise noted that census data for the area had not been pulled, but 2600 mailers had been sent to citizens in the study area. Mr. Blevins spoke saying that he does believe these projects would help reduce accidents and improve safety in the area. Mr. Henderson opened the public hearing. Bob Keniston, 1449 West Ruritan Road, noted his concern about road segment B on the study map. He noted that he believes that the road that is going to be created will be going right through his property. He noted that it appears that the road looks like itis going to go straight through his driveway. He questioned when it may happen. His house is in the transition zone, and he is worried it may be taken over by eminent domain. He understands that the County wants to create an access road, but he does want them to go through his property. William Howard Fox, 1449 West Ruritan Road, noted that it is impressive to see the responses to the surveys. He said that road segment B on the survey map is the north part of their property, and road segment C is the east end of their property. He noted that he was not aware of this until they received a package from VDOT to survey their property. He noted that he is opposed to the project. Lance M. Hale, 3891 Carson Road, spoke on the issues with the improvements to Carson Road. He noted that he did not see any comments from police about tickets for speeding on Carson Road. He explained that Carson Road is a 25 miles per hour(mph) road and extends through several residential districts. He noted that the goal is to minimize the traffic on Carson Road, but he believes the improvements will increase traffic on the road. He noted that since living in the area since 1956 drivers do speed on the road. He disagrees with any efforts that would increase the traffic on the road because he believes that it will increase the danger. He noted that there was talk about putting in a bike path, and does not believe that would be safe. He also disagrees with the discussion on increasing accessibility on Carson Road to potential greenways or the Kroger Shopping Center. He does not want people who migrate down Williamson Road to have increased access. He spoke to the proposed greenway that is west of the railroad. He noted that the potential greenway would go straight through his farmland, and he does not want it to. He knows there is a reference to making a certain width change, but he does not want it to go and take up the front part of his farm. Mike Kalefut, 2226 Coachman Drive, noted his biggest concern is why they have not considered expanding Route 460 from two lanes to three. He is not in favor of having any cement barricades forcing him to make a left turn to get into his neighborhood. He was completely against the Lewis Gale Emergency Care going in because it restricts him from getting to his house. He noted that it is an inconvenience to put those things Page 2 of 7 • ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES MARCH 7, 2023 in and ask him to go down to Kroger and make a "U" turn. He stated that it will increase accidents and it will drive the costs up. He asked the Planning Commission to turn down this proposal and to come up with a plan to increase the operational flow in the area. He noted that he has been riding up Route 460 for 25 years and it is a traffic problem. He believes that there is more room for improvement. He believes that the best thing we could do is expand it to three lanes in both directions. He noted that would eliminate the need for connective roads. He noted that there are more than 2,600 people in the area, and not as many of them are as willing as he is to speak up. David Fray, 3926 Challenger Ave, agreed with the gentleman who previously spoke. He stated that his family has been in construction his whole life. He stated that he believes widening the road would be the simplest solution and save money. He said all of this because they put Chick-fil-A in, and they won't spend a dime on it. He reemphasized that widening the road would be a problem solver. He noted that you may not have to go as far as you think, and it's something to look at. He noted that he had not thought of the solution before, but it makes the most sense. He also agreed with being against the barricades. He noted that those will be a hassle and cause congestion. He believes the whole thing sounds like a mess. He believes widening the road would be a great choice, and be a lot cheaper. Linda Hudgins, 3645 Layman Road, stated that she is the little house where the potential bridge may go. She states that she thinks it is important to consider when deciding this, the impact that it will have on the people living there. She stated that this little old house might just be a little old house to some people, but it is where her husband's great-grandparents lived throughout their marriage. It is where her husband's parents resided, and now her husband and she left a house at the beach to retire here. So to hear that they will be losing that—she noted that they are in their 60s. She noted that this is a big deal for them. If this happens they have to reconfigure their retirement plans. She noted that the history of the area is very important. She noted that her house was built in 1910. Her husband's entire family has lived up and down the street. Her husband's family owned the old sausage factory behind her house. So this is not just a neighborhood with a couple of old houses. This is a neighborhood with history and with connections to the Bonsack area. She wants that to be considered as part of the Planning Commission's decision-making. These little houses mean a lot to the people that live there. Mr. Henderson closed the public hearing. Mr. James noted that what is being proposed is a land use and connectivity study, it is an area being studied for potential improvements. He asked for staff to comment on what was heard from speakers this evening. He questioned the comments that it would be easier to widen Route 460. In today's climate with limited funding, it would seem unlikely to garner funding. Ms. Cronise reviewed the seven projects that were submitted for SmartScale round four. Ms. Cronise noted that 36 intersections were studied and there were 7 projects submitted. Ms. Cronise explained that when the recession hit Roanoke City and Roanoke County lost a lot of money for these projects. To try and find funds they took the projects that were in the old programs and put them in SmartScale. Page 3 of 7 ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES MARCH 7,2023 She noted that the project submitted by Roanoke City to widen from 11th street to Gus Nicks Boulevard has failed SmartScale three times. Mr. James questioned who is also competing for the funding. Ms. Cronise noted that there are two pots of money for SmartScale, and that they compete regionally and state-wide. It was noted that for that one project, it would cost 70 million dollars when the average approved projects costs 10-15 million dollars. She also emphasized that the 6 projects proposed by Roanoke County would cost a little over 43 million dollars. That is only a little over half of what it cost to widen from 11th Street to Gus Nicks Boulevard. She explained that the widening of the road has failed to be approved because it is expensive, and would need to take space from commercial businesses along the corridor. Mr. James questioned if we are looking at the study tonight because they do not believe the 70 million dollar project will be funded, which Mr. Blevins confirmed. Mr. Bower questioned that if they tried to widen to three lanes like was suggested by the citizens that it would cost about half a billion dollars. Mr. Blevins noted he does not always like to give estimates because he is usually low, but agreed it would probably be triple the proposed area from 11th street to Gus Nicks Boulevard. Mr. Blevins noted that about 90% of the improvements made by adding a third lane can be made by creating the through cuts. Mr. James noted that the traffic movements are not speculated they were measured. Mr. Blevins noted that a traffic impact analysis was done that accounted for future growth. Mr. Bower questioned if these improvements make the corridor safer. Mr. Blevins noted that it would decrease the number of crashes, and increase the safety in that manner. The highest number of crashes seen on this corridor are rear-ends, and this would help to lower that number by reducing the number of choices a driver has to make at any time. Ms. Cronise reminded the Planning Commission that drivers will not have to choose to go out on Route 460 when leaving the CVS Pharmacy, there will be connecting roads to allow them to go another way.-Thus, if the through cuts are eliminated, citizens will have options on how they choose to leave the business. Mr. Bower noted that there were questions regarding road segments "B" and "C' on the study map. He questioned what would happen to their property. Ms. Cronise noted that connection "B" is intended to connect East Ruritan Road to West Ruritan Road would be spurred by development. This would help connect the two roads so that if someone wanted to avoid going toward Chick-fil-A, you could still easily get to Botetourt County or Wal-mart. Connection "C" would provide better access to undeveloped property, if it were to be developed. Connection "C" would allow for there to be one entrance to the property, rather than multiple entrances. The way that the parcels are setup on Challenger Avenue, each parcel would get its own entrance. This would increase the potential accidents, so by having one access road to the rear of the property it improves safety. Ms. Cronise reemphasized that they would be spawned by development. She stated that they are not needed today, but by having them in the plan it allows them to try and provide safer roadways if the property develops. The projects would need to be spawned by development, and they are stating the intent to connect one road to the other. It does not mean that it will be across a citizen's driveway. Ms. Cronise that Roanoke County wants to move forward on Carson Road, as that is where they heard the most comments and challenges. Page 4 of 7 ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES MARCH 7, 2023 Mr. Bower clarified that what Ms. Cronise is saying is that Roanoke County has no intention of taking anyone's land. Ms. Cronise stated that it is not in the practice of Roanoke County to take anyone's land. Mr. Bower does not remember when Roanoke County has ever taken someone's land. Mr. Thompson reiterated that this is a plan. Mr. Thompson explained the process of moving forward with any projects mentioned in the Route 460 Land Use and Connectivity Study. He emphasized that the Board of Supervisors and citizens would have input before any projects would be able to move forward. He also addressed the concerns mentioned by citizens regarding Carson Road. He noted that the goal is to improve in spot locations to improve safety. He noted that there are issues with the creek and floodway on one side, and rock on the other. He stated that he does not believe a bike lane is planned. Roanoke County does not intend on taking anyone's land. He reemphasized that more citizen feedback would be requested before any projects moved forward. Ms. Cronise addressed the concerns of Ms. Hudgins who is concerned about a potential bridge. She explained that a study will have to be done to see what the options are due to the challenges of placing a bridge in either location mentioned in the study. She explained that the conceptual bridge has to go above the flood plain and floodway. She noted that because the bridge gets so high, there are potential challenges getting back to that road. Ms. Cronise noted that there is no money for that study or project at this time. Roanoke County has applied for funding for a study. However, citizen input will be requested once Roanoke County has data to bring to the citizens. The citizens will be asked to help determine where the best place to build the bridge would be between the two conceptual locations at a later date. Ms. Cronise emphasized that nothing would be happening with this project without the citizens having the opportunity to have their opinions heard. Ms. Cronise noted that after receiving input, Roanoke County still has to apply for funding for the project. Mr. Bower re-emphasized that this a plan and that there are no perfect plans for everybody. What would be perfect for one group would not be for another. He noted that this has been online for comments for over 18 months, there have been 3 community meetings, so from his standpoint it is a great plan. He noted that Roanoke County is not coming after anyone's land. Mr. Bower made a motion to approve the resolution adopting the amendment to the Roanoke County Comprehensive Study. Mr. James noted that some of these things are good to consider, due to other projects not coming to fruition. He believes that this plan is a good, and he supports Mr. Bower's motion. Mr. Henderson noted that he understands the concerns of the citizens. However, he noted how long it has taken to get to this point, and not even build a road. He commented on the complexity and the effort of staff to take everyone's wants and needs into account. He agreed that this is a good study to move forward with. Mr. Bower noted that if the Planning Commission does nothing they will not move forward, and this is a great plan to start with. The motion passed 3-0. Page 5 of 7 ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES MARCH 7, 2023 Discussion of Upcoming Planning Commission Meetings Mr. Thompson discussed the upcoming Planning Commission meetings. He noted that it is staffs recommendation to cancel the March 21, 2023 work session and the April 4th, 2023 Planning Commission meeting. He noted it is staffs recommendation to cancel those meetings. Staff also recommended to call for a special meeting to be held on March 23, 2023, and April 3, 2023. Mr. James made a motion to proceed with staffs recommendations which passed 3-0. Citizen's Comments Samantha Radcow noted that the greenway was not addressed. She noted that it would hinder her ability to make a living. She noted that she is with Lance Hale, 3891 Carson Road, and noted that she raises many animals. She stated that they were going to put a greenway through her lower hayfield. She noted that she is struggling to pay for hay to feed her animals. She noted that if a greenway is put there, then people will leave trash that she will have to pick up. People will start fishing in that creek that her animals drink from, and that will ruin that for them. She noted that she has been there for 10 years working on this farm. She is questioning what has to be done to get that out of there. She noted she does not know how to get her land out of the study. Mr. James explained that the study does not indicate that any greenway will ever be built, only that it would be a good place for one. Ms. Radcow noted that there is a Civil War cemetery on the corner of their farm, and the slave cemetery down the plan would split the cemetery in half. Mr. James restated that all this study is meant to do is to state that this plan is meant to state that this is a place where things could go. Mr. Thompson noted that it is a study. This study has been going on for the last 18 months. The intent, after staff heard the comments, we do not know where the alignment with the greenway would go. It would need to tie back with Roanoke City and the Town of Vinton. Mr. Thompson explained that a feasibility would need to be done at a future date. The intention of the feasibility study would involve land use, transportation and would involve where a potential greenway connection could be. He noted what will probably happen is that there may be two or three potential alignments, and as mentioned, the Board of Supervisors is not going to condemn property. He explained that is part of the challenge is that there would need to be easements, if citizens are willing—but Roanoke County is not going to take property. He noted that it may be five or ten years down the road before the feasibility study happens. Construction of the greenway is done maybe a half mile or a quarter of a mile at a time due to funding. That is how the process would work, no one is going to take your land or impact your livelihood. It's not stating this is the exact location, it's a conceptual line for the greenway stating where it could potentially go. Ms. Radcow thanked staff for giving her information. Comments of Planning Commissioners and Planning Staff Mr. James thanked staff for the 200 Plan Draft Reveal meeting held in the BonsackNinton area. Mr. Thompson informed the Planning Commission of the upcoming 200 Plan Draft Reveal meetings. Page 6 of 7 ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES MARCH 7,2023 Final Orders Mr. Thompson informed the Planning Commission that the Summit Ridge Water Tank that the Planning Commission approved with two conditions at their February 28, 2023 meeting was approved by the Board of Supervisors. The broadcasting tower proposed by Cellco DBA as Verizon Wireless that the Planning Commission approved at their February 28, 2023 meeting was approved by the Board of Supervisors. Adjournment Mr. Henderson adjourned the meeting at 8:48 p.m. Respectfully � Submitted: eceliaG Tho as d Recordiretary, Roanoke County Planning Commission Philip Tho 'son Secretary, Roanoke County Planning Commission Troy Hende 1411, Chairman, Roanoke County Planning Commission Page 7 of 7