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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8/5/2025 - Minutes °"". ' ROANOKE COUNTY CJ ' PLANNING COMMISSION • 1838 MEETING MINUTES August 5, 2025 Commissioners.Present: Mr. Wayne Bower, Chairman Mr. Rick James Mr. Troy Henderson Mr. Jim Woltz Commissioners Absent: Mr. Kelly McMurray,:Vice-Chairman Staff Present: Mr. Philip Thompson,:Secretary Ms. Rachel Lower, Deputy Count Attorney Y Y Ms. Skylar Camerlinck, Planner Mr. Will King, Planning and Economic:Development Intern Ms. Rebecca James, Zoning Administrator Ms. Cecelia Thomas, Recording-Secretary. - Call to Order . Mr. Bower called the meeting:to.order at 7:03 p.m. Invocation Mr. Woltz led the invocation and pledge of allegiance. Approval of Minutes Mr. Woltz made a motion to approve the June 3, 2025,which passed 4-0 There was not a quorum to vote on the July 1, 2025 minutes. Consent Agenda: 'September - Mr. Thompson noted that there are no new applications for September. Public Hearings 1. The petition of Hamlar Properties, LLC, to rezone approximately 3.8 acres from_AR, Agricultural/Residential District,to R-3, Medium Density Multi-Family Residential District, to construct a:multi-family development located at 3037 and 3133:Rutrough Road, Vinton Magisterial District. Ms. Camerlinck presented.an overview of the petition; the current use, proposed use, and future land use designation. Mr: Bower verified that one property is consistent with the futureland use designation and one is not - - consistent, which was confirmed. Mr. Woltz questioned whether water and sewer are available or if they will have to be extended.:Ms. Camerlinck noted that water appears to be available, but they will have to talk to the Blue Ridge Parkway a out connecting to the water line. She noted sewer is not currently available. It was noted that a condition of multi-family development is that they have to connect to public water and public sewer. ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES AUGUST 5, 2025 Mike Hamlar, the applicant, thanked Ms. Camerlinck for her presentation. He noted that he brought a signed copy of the proffer statement with him. He noted that he lives next door to the proposed project. He explained that he would not have brought the project to the Planning Commission if he did not think that he could get access to public sewer for this project. He asked his engineer to speak about the concerns. Justin Beckner, the applicant's engineer from Jones & Jones, noted that they have not received a definite answer from the Western Virginia Water Authority. Mr. Beckner noted that they are in communication regarding access to public sewer. Mr. Woltz questioned if they would need to install a private lift station, which they confirmed. Mr. Bower noted review comments that stated that this property does not have immediate access to water and sewer that states a regional lift station will need to be installed. He noted that the comments mention that it could be cost prohibited and questioned the scope of the project. Mr. Beckner reiterated the communications they have had regarding sewer and water. Mr. James noted that for this to be built they would need to connect to public water and public sewer, so as a land use body they could approve of something that might not ever be built. Mr. Thompson noted that is a possibility. Mr. Thompson noted a discussion he had with Aaron Shearer from Western Virginia Water Authority, who noted that this project appears to be larger in nature. Mr. Bower questioned who would bear the cost of such a project, which was unknown without a representative from the Western Virginia Water Authority present. Mr. Bower opened the public hearing. George Gonzalez, 3313 Huffman Lane, noted that he and his wife are from Maryland. He and wife looked all over to find their little slice of paradise on Huffman Lane. They live a few minutes away from Roanoke City. He noted that if you come up the road towards his home it gets quiet. He explained that there are a lot of elderly people who live in the area. It is his opinion that this will destroy this neighborhood, and it will affect property values. He noted that traffic will be an issue, and getting out of the neighborhood is going to be ridiculous. He continued by stating that if you go down to the bottom of Rutrough Road there will be issues with stop signs turning onto Mount Pleasant. He complained that it is overbuilt and noted difficulties getting out in the mornings. He noted that the proposed four buildings and a multi-purpose building are meant to be on the corner coming out onto Huffman Lane. He reiterated that it is a very quiet and peaceful neighborhood. He noted that it appears that it is big money and big corporations trying to bring the city into the country and that does not seem fair or right. Daryl Preston, 3160 Huffman Lane, noted that they have lived there for forty years. He noted that it has always been a quiet neighborhood. You can walk your dog up and down the road. There are very few people or cars. He noted that with 24 units coming in that is adding 70 people to the neighborhood. He observed that if all those people are up and walking around in the small neighborhood it's going to change the neighborhood a lot. He noted that they would live to see some single-family homes built there to Page 2 of 7 G ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES AUGUST 5,2025 maintain the atmosphere of the neighborhood. He noted that when he is out walking his dog, people recognize him and come over to talk. He noted that everyone he has spoken to does not want it to come to the neighborhood. He continued that everyone thinks it will destroy their neighborhood that is nice and peaceful. He noted that when you bring all those people to the neighborhood you do not know what you are going to be bringing to the neighborhood. He opined that you see it every day on TV. He noted that right now they have a nice neighborhood, and they would like to keep it that way. Gretchen Preston, 3160 Huffman Lane, noted that they have been there forty years and that it has always been a quiet neighborhood. She noted that she does not have issues with people building homes to house people. However, in their neighborhood that is going to be a bit much. She would like to see single family homes there. She noted that with multi-family homes it is going to be busy and hard to get out. Especially if they have children and they have to have buses and facilities for them to get in and out. She noted that it is going to slow down traffic on Huffman Lane and Rutrough Road. As it is, it is hard to get out in the mornings when you get to the end of Rutrough Road to get on the main highway. There will be new faces and having to worry about security because you will not know what you are going to run into. She noted that she does not believe having multi-family homes will not bring value to the neighborhood. Laura Arnold, 2607 Rutrough Road, explained that she also owns the two adjacent properties but does not know the addresses for those. Noted that a brewery was already built at the end of Rutrough Road. Someone has already died on Rutrough Road. She has lived out there for twenty-five years and never had an issue with traffic or things like that until the brewery. She noted that there is a proposed bicycle path that could come through there on Rutrough Road. So they have a brewery at the end, and they have 24 proposed apartments, and a proposed bike path. She questioned where all these people are going to be. She noted that this is not a safe place for all of these people to be. She noted that they already have multiple bike clubs on Tuesdays and Thursdays with a hundred bikes at a time that come down Rutrough Road.She noted that with potential young drivers in these 24 proposed apartments will put such a burden on Huffman Lane. She noted that the neighborhood has been there forever. She noted that sewer and water came down Rutrough Road that you have to hook into Roanoke City water if you hook up on Rutrough Road unless you already own property. She noted that it is going to be a burden on the septic. She noted that they have a world class bike path down there already. She questioned where all these people are going to be. She opined that there is too much building going on. She noted that it is fairly ridiculous and noted that she has to wait for people to drive past her driveway to get out. She noted that when she moved out there 25 years ago, she hardly ever saw a car go by. She noted that she is not against growth, but explosive growth will be devastating to her community. She noted that she sees them every day at Food Lion. She asked the Planning Commission not to do this and opined that it is awful. Carl Hardy, 3136 Huffman Lane, noted that he currently lives in his brother's house. He explained that his brother spent a lot of money to fix the home up, so he could move back home. He noted that he will be moving to his mother's house, 3182 Huffman Lane, Page 3 of 7 ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES AUGUST 5, 2025 which will be right across the street from the proposed apartments. The next set of apartments will be right behind him. He noted that he has lived in this neighborhood for 59 years. He noted he moved out to the City of Roanoke for two years and could not wait to get back home. He asked the Planning Commission to drive to his neighborhood and see what they will be doing to his neighborhood before they make their decisions. He explained that it is a beautiful neighborhood, and the people are wonderful. He noted that it is quiet all the time. That is what they need, and that is what they want to continue to have. Ingrid Coobs, 3225 Deer Path Trail, noted that she was shocked when she got the letter about this proposed project. She noted that she is a newcomer to the neighborhood. She explained that she chose to move to this neighborhood because of the peace, quiet, and the closeness of the people in that neighborhood. She noted that she has a couple of concerns. Mainly, when you come off of Huffman Lane onto Rutrough Road, that is a terrible corner to get off of. She invited the Planning Commissioners to go out onto Huffman Lane and see how it would be affected by more traffic. With that in mind, Huffman Lane has a little circle at the end of it and then goes onto her road. She noted that residents are concerned about more people going onto her road, which is not a public road. She questioned that if it is rezoned into multi-family will it go back to Agricultural. She questioned if that means that someone else could come in and build a different multi-unit. She noted that is still going to increase traffic and not be good for the neighborhood. She questioned if they have a new septic system, where will that go if there is an accident. She noted that there is a creek that ends up going into Smith Mountain Lake. She noted that she would love to see more people in the neighborhood, but not of this multitude. Brent Chapin, 3213 Deer Path Trail, questioned where the sewer lift station would be located or if that would be another structure added to this project. He moved to the area and loved seeing the deer that are there. He noted that he goes by his neighbors every day. He noted that they all work pretty much together. He explained that they had some ice storm damage up there and he had his tractor in the road to take care of stuff for the people that live there. He questioned safety and worrying about what is coming into the area. He agreed with comments about a single type home. He noted that building something two stories on the corner of the road is a good thing to do. He noted the area does not need the congestion. He noted that you have to have some people coming in for the economy and stuff. However, he thinks it's an awful lot of building for that small of an area. He noted that everyone knows it's a small area. He finished by saying it is quiet and that is what he likes. Mr. Bower closed the public hearing. Mr. Bower questioned if the applicant has any comments regarding traffic concerns that were raised. Mr. Beckner noted that he does not believe that a traffic study has been done. Mr. Hamlar noted that he is from Ballyhack. The room was reminded to address all remarks to the Planning Commission. Mr. Hamlar noted he lives adjacent to the Page 4 of 7 ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES AUGUST 5,2025 proposed project. He noted that they do have a lot of bicycles and traffic for Explore Park. He noted that it is his understanding that Western Virginia Water Authority does have plans to provide more resources down Rutrough Road. He noted that he remembers when Mr. Spradlin and the whole team came through. He noted all of that was developed for the greater good out there if they wanted to tap into water. He noted that he remembers before they had water out there, his mom told him all about it. He noted that the community got together and got a water tank. He noted that he is from the community, and half of the community was not there ten years ago. He noted that all of this has been taken into consideration. He noted that he hears all of the concerns. However, he opined that a lot of thought and prayer went into the project because he lives next door. He noted that he will be affected by anything that goes there. He noted that he goes to church at Bethlehem Baptist Church. He noted the ice storm that was brought up, he noted that his father-in-law and him cut up trees so that EMS could get through. He noted that is the type of community that they have. It does not mean that type of community goes away. It just means that you are adding more people to your community. He noted this is not a big project. This is a small project. He noted that he does not want to do a three to five story development. He noted that is not the plan. The plan is just to add a little bit more housing. He noted that the plan is to clean up the community. Currently there are two houses on the property, which are not conforming. He wanted to provide a community room, where people can have a community meeting. He noted that they have their civic league meetings at the churches because there is nowhere else to have it. Mr. Bower noted that if they provided a number that a development like this typically generates, people would probably be surprised and noted that it would be good information to have. Mr. Bower questioned staff if it would be possible to put multiple single-family houses on the lots. Mr. Thompson noted that if they subdivided, they could probably get three homes instead of the multi-family development. Mr. Bower noted that with how expensive it is to build single family homes right now, it would not financially be viable to build single families in this area. Mr. Bower asked Mr. Beckner to address concerns about what the proposed lift station would look like, which Mr. Beckner did not know. Mr. Henderson noted that from the amount described it does sound like some kind of structure will be needed. Mr. Henderson asked how long they have owned the property. Mr. Hamlar noted they purchased it roughly ten years ago. He noted the reason they purchased it was so that if anything went there then it would be by someone in the community. He noted that he knows most of the people sitting in the room, and some of them are family. He noted that they know most of the community. He thanked the Planning Commission for their time. The Planning Commission discussed their concerns about the potential lack of connection for water and sewer. - Mr. James made a motion to postpone the request to October 7, 2025, which passed 4- 0. Discussion of Upcoming Planning Commission Meetings Mr. Thompson asked the Planning Commission if they would like to do site visits or start at their normal time on September 2nd. Page 5 of 7 ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES AUGUST 5,2025 Mr. Woltz made a motion to cancel the September 16th meeting and that the September 2nd meeting start at 6 PM, which passed 4-0. Citizen's Comments Misty Dawn Vickers, 1120 Chesterfield Street, noted that she is here to be a canary in the coal mine. She knows that our neighbors in Botetourt County have a data center which is underway. She does not know all of the logistics. However, she requests that the Planning Commission do their due diligence to keep Carvin's Cove a safe drinking place for their communities. So that they do not have to have a dam built to satisfy the needs of data. She explained that she grew up in this county. She went to Mason's Cove Elementary and North Side. This is the place she calls home. Water is everything. She noted that data centers are very thirsty. She explained that she does not know what the zoning is around Carvin's Cove. She noted that she wanted to ask that as a concerned mother, citizen, taxpayer, and businesswoman in the community that they do their due diligence to ensure that a data center does not come to Roanoke County. She noted that there are parts of southwest Virginia that have undrinkable water. She noted that her family comes from the coal mines of Southwest Virginia. She noted the valley water where her grandmother lived is undrinkable. The reality is that we need to have people that are making lots and lots of money off of poisoning the water. We need to find a way to put those centers in places where people can not drink the water instead of taking away from our drinking water and aquifers. She thanked the Planning Commission for its time. Comments of Planning Commissioners and Planning Staff Mr. Thompson noted that this is the last week that Will King will be here for his internship before he returns back to school for his senior year. Will Smith thanked the Planning Commission and staff. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:39 p.m. Respectfully Submitted: Cecelia Thomas Record'•• ecretary, Roanoke County Planning Commission .1.7 Philip T % pson Secreta�, Roanoke County Planning Commission Page 6 of 7 ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES AUGUST 5,2025 Wayne Bower Chairman, Roanoke County Planning Commission Page 7 of 7