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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/27/2025 - Public Hearing and Worksession TOWN OF VINTON 311 S. POLLARD STREET VINTON, VIRGINIA 24179 PHONE: (540) 983-0605 FAX: (540) 983-0621 ANITA MCMILLAN EMAIL: amcmillan@vintonva.gov PLANNING AND ZONING DIRECTOR October 23, 2025 TO: VINTON PLANNING COMMISSION Mr. Keith Liles, Chair Mr. David “Dave” Jones, Vice-Chair Mr. Robert “Bob” Benninger Mr. Jonathan McCoy Mr. Josh Mullen RE: Planning Commission Dinner/Work Session and Public Hearing Monday, October 27, 2025 A Planning Commission work session and public hearing will be held on Monday, October 27, 2025. Dinner will be available by 5:30 p.m., with the work session beginning approximately at 6 p.m., followed by the public hearing at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the work session and public hearing is to consider proposed amendments to the Vinton Zoning Ordinance. The proposed amendments would: add a new use type of commercial kitchens and commissary kitchens to the use table in Article IV (District Regulations) and add a definition for these use types in Article XI (Definitions); and amend multiple provisions and requirements for Planned Unit Development Districts in Article IV, Division 4 (Planned Unit Development Districts). Please see attached agenda and supporting materials for the meeting. Please let me know if you are UNABLE to attend the meeting as soon as possible by emailing me at amcmillan@vintonva.gov or calling me at 540-983-0605. Thank you. Sincerely, Anita J. McMillan Planning and Zoning Director Attachments c: Richard “Pete” Peters, Town Manager Nathan McClung, Assistant Planning & Zoning Director Mr. Keith Liles, Chair Mr. David “Dave” Jones, Vice-Chair Mr. Robert “Bob” Benninger Mr. Jonathan McCoy Mr Josh Mullen Vinton Municipal Building 311 S. Pollard Street Vinton, VA 24179 Phone (540) 983-0605 Fax (540) 983-0621 Vinton Planning Commission Monday October 27, 2025 Dinner/Work Session – 5:30 p.m. Public Hearing – 6:30 p.m. WORK SESSION AGENDA I. Call to Order—Roll Call II. Briefing 1. Proposed amendments to the Vinton Zoning Ordinance. The proposed amendments would: add a new use type of commercial kitchens and commissary kitchens to the use table in Article IV (District Regulations) and add a definition for these use types in Article XI (Definitions); and amend multiple provisions and requirements for Planned Unit Development Districts in Article IV, Division 4 (Planned Unit Development Districts). III. Comments of Planning Commissioners and Planning Staff IV. Adjournment of Work Session PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA I. Call to Order—Roll Call II. Approval of Minutes: February 20, 2025 and April 29, 2025 III. Public Hearing to receive comments concerning: 1. Proposed amendments to the Vinton Zoning Ordinance. The proposed amendments would: add a new use type of commercial kitchens and commissary kitchens to the use table in Article IV (District Regulations) and add a definition for these use types in Article XI (Definitions); and amend multiple provisions and requirements for Planned Unit Development Districts in Article IV, Division 4 (Planned Unit Development Districts). a. Chairman opens public hearing • Report from staff • Receive public comments • Commissioners discussion and questions b. Chairman closes public hearing c. Commission takes action on proposed petition for rezoning IV. Adjournment Memorandum To: Vinton Planning Commission Members From: Vinton Planning and Zoning Department Date: October 27, 2025 Re: Zoning Ordinance Amendments: PD District Amendments & New Use Classification Planned Development District Amendments The following proposed amendments come in light of the Vinton 2050 Comprehensive Plan goal of updating the “Town’s zoning code to support more housing options by modernizing typical standards to allow greater flexibility in minimum lot sizes, maximum lot coverage, minimum lot widths, and setbacks…” The proposed amendments address regulations and provisions specifically for the PD zoning district. The main reason to review the regulations of the PD zoning district stemmed from the overarching requirement that a PD zoning district could not be initiated unless the area contained 10 acres of contiguous land. In reviewing the existing vacant, developable areas of land within the Town of Vinton (3.2 square miles), Town staff have only found approximately two parcels which currently meet this requirement. In order to incentivize greater pursuit of this type of planned and coordinated form of development afforded by the PD zoning district, staff have proposed specific amendments to the provisions and regulations contained within the Zoning Ordinance for this district. The specific amendments include the following: • Reduce the contiguous land area requirement from 10 acres to 5 acres. • Clarify that, although the default requirements for lot sizes, yards, and setbacks refer to the R-3 Residential District requirements, alterative minimum requirements may be specifically authorized by the master plan submitted to the Planning Commission and Town Council. • Clarify the development requirements for non-residential uses added to the district. • Align the buffer yard rand common open spaces requirements with that of best practices and the adopted Landscaping regulations of the Vinton Zoning Ordinance. Commercial & Commissary Kitchen Uses The following new use classification of a commercial or commissary kitchen is proposed to be added as a by-right use in the GB General Business zoning district (and by default the M-1 and M- 2 Industrial Districts) and by special use permit in the CB Central Business District. The main justification behind adding this new use is due to the expressed interest of certain business enterprises in operating licensed, commercial kitchen spaces in the Town, that are primarily rented Page 2 of 2 to other food businesses for the preparing, cooking, and storing of food and supplies. A typical food business that would use this space includes food trucks, catering businesses, bakers, and community groups. Town staff recommend making this type of use its own unique category because these types of operations are different from a typical restaurant, bakery, or other eating or drinking establishment in that they do not promote customer traffic. Because of this, Town staff recommends that this type of small-scale operation be permitted by-right in our commercial or industrial zoning districts, and by special use permit in our Central Business District where the main intention is to promote pedestrian and customer traffic and have establishments open to the public. PART II - CODE APPENDIX B - ZONING ARTICLE IV. - DISTRICT REGULATIONS DIVISION 4. PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS Vinton, Virginia, Code of Ordinances Created: 2025-03-13 16:33:13 [EST] (Supp. No. 18) Page 1 of 5 DIVISION 4. PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS Sec. 4-10. Purpose of the planned unit development district. Consistent with the general purposes of this appendix, the intent of the PD planned development district is to encourage and provide for the development of medium to large parcels of land for residential or limited mixed use communities in a planned and coordinated manner. The district is intended to provide greater flexibility than normal zoning classifications in order to encourage the most efficient and economical use of limited vacant land, to maximize opportunities to provide open space and preserve natural features of the land through clustering and other design concepts and to adapt development standards to the unique characteristics of individual sites. The district regulations are intended to promote imaginative and innovative design, a variety of housing types, convenience of services and provision of recreational and other amenities for residents. Sec. 4-11. Use table for planned use development district. Dwelling, single-family P Dwelling, two-family P Dwelling, multifamily P Townhouses P Group homes P Banks and other financial services P Massage clinics P Medical and dental clinics S Offices P Research and development facility P Section 5-25 Laundromats, laundry, and drying cleaning pick up stations P Personal service business P Retail stores and shops P Gasoline service stations and self-service gasoline stations P Eating and drinking establishment P Churches and other places of worship P Day care home, adult P Created: 2025-03-13 16:33:13 [EST] (Supp. No. 18) Page 2 of 5 community centers not operated for commercial Utility and Accessory Uses "S" indicates a use permitted only by special use permit. A blank cell indicates the use is not permitted; any use not listed in this table is not permitted in the planned (Ord. No. 1059, 9-3-2024) Sec. 4-12. Use limitations. Use limitations. Commercial uses permitted in the PD planned development district shall be subject to the following limitations in addition to other applicable requirements: (1) Not more than 15 percent of the gross area of a PD district shall be devoted to sites for commercial uses and their accessory uses and structures. (2) No individual commercial use shall contain more than 5,000 square feet of floor area. (3) No zoning permit for any commercial use shall be issued until certificates of use and occupancy have been issued for at least 25 percent of the dwelling units proposed in the PD district. Sec. 4-13. District size. Each PD district shall contain not less than fiveten acres of contiguous land area. Existing public streets shall not be included in calculating land area. Created: 2025-03-13 16:33:13 [EST] (Supp. No. 18) Page 3 of 5 Sec. 4-14. General development standards. (a) Density. The density of a PD district shall not exceed ten dwelling units per gross acre. For purposes of calculating density, areas devoted to sites for commercial uses shall not be included. Different dwelling types may be mixed together on a street, a block or neighborhood in any combination or proportion. In such cases, the concept development shall delineate the boundaries between the different types of units for the purposes of calculating the density requirements shown above. (b) Common open space requirements. Not less than 20 percent of the gross area of each PD district shall be devoted to common open space meeting the following criteria: (1) Common open space shall consist of areas owned by a homeowners' association and devoted to active or passive recreation or leisure time use or to the privacy or visual enjoyment of residents of the development, and may include buffers, floodplains, steep slopes and other natural areas to be preserved. Common open space may include land improved or developed for recreation use, including swimming pools, game courts, playgrounds, recreation centers and similar facilities, but shall not include streets, parking areas, private yard areas or sites reserved for future development of a nature that would not qualify as common open space. (2) Common open space shall have horizontal widths of not less than 50 feet, except areas devoted to pedestrian trails, bikeways or leisure trails shall not be less than twentyten feet in horizontal dimensions. (3) Common open space shall be arranged, together with streets and walkways, to provide a continuous and interconnected system which is accessible from all dwelling units within the development without having to cross privately owned property. (c) Lot sizes, yYards, and setbacks. Minimum lot sizes, yards, setbacks and spaces between buildings shall be as required in the R-3 residential district, unless different minimum requirements are specifically authorized in the approved master plan for the PD district. (d) Regulations for other non-residential uses. Places of worship, schools, and other community-oriented uses must conform to the requirements for lot area, width, height, yards, and setbacks as prescribed in the R-3 residential district. (ed) Perimeter buffer. A buffer area of not less than 50 feet in width shall be provided around the perimeter of the PD district, except adjacent to public streets providing access to the district. Such buffer area shall be left in a natural state or shall be supplemented with landscaping materials and/or structural fences or walls that follow the standards of buffer yard type C as described in Division 5, Sec. 6-28 . No building, structure, road, parking area or improvement for active recreation use shall be located in any required buffer. (fe) Height limits. No building or structure in a PD district shall exceed a height of 45 feet, provided that no accessory building located within 25 feet of a property line shall exceed a height of 15 feet. (See article VI for supplementary height regulations.) (gf) Public sewer and water. The PD district shall be served by public sewer and public water systems. (hg) Underground utilities. All utility lines within a PD district shall be placed underground. (ih) Streets. Except as may be specifically approved by the town council in conjunction with the PD district master plan, streets within a PD district shall be public and shall be constructed in accordance with applicable standards of the town and the Virginia Department of Transportation. Private internal streets within a PD district which provide access to sites within the district and do not provide for through traffic by the general public may be permitted by the council in accordance with design and construction standards specified in the PD district master plan. Created: 2025-03-13 16:33:13 [EST] (Supp. No. 18) Page 4 of 5 (ji) Preservation and maintenance of common areas. Provisions shall be made by the developer to ensure preservation and maintenance of required common open space and other common areas and facilities. Ownership of common areas and facilities shall be vested in a homeowners' association comprised of all owners of property within the development. Appropriate covenants and restrictions providing for preservation and maintenance of such areas and facilities shall be described in general and approved as to form by the town attorney at the time of submission and review of the PD district master plan. Final covenants and restrictions shall be submitted for review by the zoning administrator and town attorney, and shall be recorded prior to approval of any site plan. Sec. 4-15. Procedures. (a) Generally. Except as specifically modified by the provisions of this division, application for rezoning of a property to a PD district shall be submitted in the same manner and shall be reviewed and considered in the same manner as other applications to change the zoning classification of property by amendment to the official zoning district map as set forth in article IX of this appendix. A master plan for the development of each PD district shall be submitted by the applicant as part of the application for rezoning. Upon approval by the town council, the standards and requirements set forth in the master plan shall, together with the applicable requirements of this appendix, constitute the regulations applicable within the PD district. (b) Master plan contents. Every application for rezoning to a PD district shall include a master plan for development of the site which shall consist of not less than the following written and graphic information, in such number as specified by the policy of the planning commission, prepared in sufficient detail and scale and with sufficient clarity to accurately depict the nature and character of development proposed within the PD district: (1) A plat, legal description of the property and verification of ownership or control by the applicant. (2) Existing zoning, uses and structures on the subject site, and existing zoning and use of adjacent properties. (3) An inventory of site characteristics and natural features, including topography with contour intervals of five feet or less, watercourses, water bodies, floodplains, wooded areas and other major vegetation features, and historic and archeological resources. (4) Description of the proposed development, including its general character, the manner in which it satisfies the purposes and intent of PD districts, means of preserving significant natural features and means of addressing potential impacts on the community and on public services. (5) A land use plan for the site, showing specific land uses with schematic site plans, access and circulation, general location and arrangement of buildings, parking areas, driveways, pedestrian routes, natural areas to be retained, buffers and open spaces and their functions and general character. (6) Statements or graphic representations showing proposed development standards including minimum lot areas and widths, minimum yards and setbacks, building heights, densities, amount of nonresidential floor area, number of parking spaces and percentage of open space. (7) Traffic impact analysis. (8) General plans for public services and utilities showing the necessary services and utilities will be provided and are sufficient to serve the development. (9) Statements or graphic representations of general character and architectural and community design guidelines to be applicable to the development, including street and parking area design standards, lighting and signage. Created: 2025-03-13 16:33:13 [EST] (Supp. No. 18) Page 5 of 5 (10) General description of covenants and restrictions intended to provide for preservation and maintenance of common areas and facilities. (11) Development phasing schedule. (12) Such other information that is deemed necessary by the zoning administrator, planning commission or town council to establish that the proposed development complies with the general purposes or specific requirements of this appendix, including such additional information or analyses as may be necessary to evaluate potential impacts of the proposed development on the surrounding area and the community as a whole. (c) Reserved. (d) Pre-application conference. Prior to submission of the application and master plan, the applicant shall meet with the zoning administrator to discuss the proposed development in general and the PD district application, review and approval process. (e) Review and consideration of application. Formal review, consideration and action on the application shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of division 1 of article IX of this appendix. The planning commission's action on the application shall include recommendations to town council regarding the master plan accompanying the application, and the commission may recommend modifications or changes to such master plan. The town council may consider further appropriate modifications or changes to the master plan. (f) Approval of subdivision and site plans. Prior to development pursuant to an approved PD district, subdivision plats as normally required by the subdivision ordinance, appendix A of this Code, and/or of the town and site plans as normally required by article VIII of this appendix shall be submitted and approved. Subdivision plats and site plans shall conform to the standards and requirements of the PD district and the master plan approved in conjunction with the district. (g) Modifications or amendments to approved master plan. Minor modifications to an approved PD district master plan may be authorized by the zoning administrator when such modifications do not: Alter the boundaries of the property; conflict with specific requirements of this appendix or any specific standards or requirements set forth in the approved master plan; significantly decrease the width or depth of any yard, setback or buffer area; significantly alter points of access to the property or the internal circulation system; significantly alter the arrangement of major site plan elements; or substantially change the general character, architectural treatment or design of elements of the plan. Any change in an approved PD district master plan other than a minor modification as described above shall require a formal amendment subject to the same procedures and requirements as a new application. (h) Failure to submit site plans. Failure of an applicant to submit a site plan for a first phase of development pursuant to an approved PD district within 24 months of approval of the district shall cause the town council to initiate an ordinance to amend the official zoning map to rezone the property to the classification(s) existing at the time of initial approval of the PD district. Created: 2025-03-13 16:33:12 [EST] (Supp. No. 18) Page 1 of 4 Sec. 4-5. Use table for multiple purpose districts. Dwelling, single-family P Dwelling, two-family P Section 5-30 Dwelling, two-family, that does not meet the lot area and/or lot width Accommodations and Group Living Uses Commercial Uses: Office and Related Uses Commercial Uses: Miscellaneous with outside runs, play yards, pens, or accessory use of property. This shall Created: 2025-03-13 16:33:12 [EST] (Supp. No. 18) Page 2 of 4 utility trailers, or recreational Commercial Uses: Retail Sales and Service incidental retail sales of related daycare facility, with outside runs, play Industrial Uses Warehousing and Distribution Uses including wholesale storage or Assembly and Entertainment Uses Created: 2025-03-13 16:33:12 [EST] (Supp. No. 18) Page 3 of 4 Public, Institutional, and Community Facilities middle, and secondary (public or services, but not including package Utility and Accessory Uses Created: 2025-03-13 16:33:12 [EST] (Supp. No. 18) Page 4 of 4 "S" indicates a use permitted only by special use permit. A blank cell indicates the use is not permitted; any use not listed in this table is not permitted in multiple (Ord. No. 1058, 7-16-2024; Ord. No. 1059, 9-3-2024) Definition to Add for Commercial or Commissary Kitchen A licensed, commercial-grade kitchen space that may be operated by a food business establishment or rented to other food businesses for preparing, cooking, and storing food and supplies. These shared kitchen spaces may offer professional equipment, storage, and facilities like water refills and waste disposal. Typical food businesses that utilize these spaces include food trucks, catering businesses, bakers, community groups, and other similar small-scale operations. LEGAL NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Pursuant to the provisions of Section 15.2-2204 of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended, the Planning Commission of the Town of Vinton, Virginia, hereby gives notice of a public hearing to be held on Monday, October 27, 2025, at 6:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, in the Council Chambers of the Vinton Municipal Building, 311 South Pollard Street, Vinton, Virginia. The Planning Commission will also hold a dinner work session on October 27, 2025, at 5:30 p.m., prior to the public hearing. The purpose of the public hearing is to receive comments concerning: Proposed amendments to the Vinton Zoning Ordinance. The proposed amendments would: add a new use type of commercial kitchens and commissary kitchens to the use table in Article IV (District Regulations) and add a definition for these use types in Article XI (Definitions); and amend multiple provisions and requirements for Planned Unit Development Districts in Article IV, Division 4 (Planned Unit Development Districts). Further information concerning this public hearing may be obtained in the Planning and Zoning Department located at 311 South Pollard Street, Vinton, VA 24179, during business hours, or via phone: (540) 983-0605. Interested persons may be heard at the above public hearing. Given under my hand this 15th day of October, 2025. Anita J. 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