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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/17/2025 - Work Session MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE TOWN OF VINTON PLANNING COMMISSION HELD ON MONDAY,NOVEMBER 17,2025,WORK SESSION AT 5:30 P.M., IN THE TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT THE VINTON MUNICIPAL BUILDING MEMBERS PRESENT: Keith Liles, Chairman David"Dave"Jones,Vice Chairman Robert"Bob"Benninger Jonathan McCoy Josh Mullen STAFF PRESENT: Anita McMillan,Planning and Zoning Director Nathan McClung,Assistant Planning and Zoning Director Julie Tucei,Planning and Zoning Coordinator AGENDA WORK SESSION-5:30 P.M. I. Call to Order—Roll Call II. Work Session 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). 2. 2025 Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission Hazard Mitigation Plan to be adopted and incorporated as an amendment to the Town's Comprehensive Plan. 3. The petition of Rikki McConnell, for a Special Use Permit(SUP) for a proposed medical clinic, located at 600 South Pollard Street, Vinton,Virginia, tax map number 060.19-03-21.00-0000,zoned GB General Business District. III. Comments of Planning Commissioners and Planning Staff IV. Joint Public Hearing of the Town Council and Planning Commissioners—December 2025 V. Adjournment Chairman Liles called the work session to order at 5:53 p.m.He asked Ms.Tucei to call the roll.Ms. Tucei called the roll, and all members were present. The following members of Town Staff were present: Anita McMillan,Nathan McClung, and Julie Tucei. First on the work session agenda was the discussion of the proposed amendments to the Vinton Zoning Ordinance. Mr. McClung presented the information about the proposed amendments and the updates that had been made to them since the previous meeting. This included adding a definition for small scale kitchens stating the maximum square footage would be no more than 2,500 square feet. Mr. McClung stated that for the PD District,we are reducing the amount of acreage required to five acres and will adjust the commercial building maximum size of 2,500 square footage. Ms. McMillan said that if that amount of square footage will not work, applicants can always apply for a variance to have additional square footage. Mr. McClung stated that certain wording that was brought up at the previous work session was PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION NOVEMBER 17,2025 PAGE 2 changed to "within a development", as Mr. McCoy had suggested. Mr. McClung mentioned that we want to encourage traditional neighborhood design. He said that we will keep the lot sizes consistent and concrete but will use the existing setbacks and yard requirements allowing some flexibility as well. He mentioned that for accessory buildings, we added a setback of five feet and the requirement for it to be constructed behind the front building line of the main structure. Mr. McClung mentioned that developers will be required to follow the landscaping requirements. Mr. Jones asked if there is a builder who has interest in the Town. Mr. McClung stated that there was interest a while back, but he has had no further contact with them since that initial contact. He mentioned that the developer had no influence on any of the items that are being revised.Mr. McCoy asked about multi-tenant buildings and how these regulations will apply to them. Mr. McClung said we can just revise it to include the wording"multi-unit buildings". Mr. McCoy asked about tying the commercial regulations back to R-3 requirements and about parking in the setback areas. Mr. McClung said there would be a landscaping buffer and then the parking area. Mr. McClung said R-3 is a good baseline for the requirements. He mentioned that the GB District has no requirements for side yard setbacks.Mr.McCoy asked if the failure to submit site plans within the required amount of time and the property reverting to the old zoning district is tied to State Code. Ms. McMillan stated that it is in State Code. She also said Staff can verify that with the Town Attorney. Mr. McCoy commended Staff for getting all the suggested revisions completed. The next item on the agenda was the discussion of the 2025 Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission Hazard Mitigation Plan which would be adopted and incorporated as an amendment to the Town's Comprehensive Plan. Mr. McClung gave an overview of the plan. He stated that Ms. Amanda McGhee, from RVARC, will be the one presenting the full plan to Town Council soon. Vice Chairman Jones said that the flood chart included in the plan needs to be applied to the Town so that we will know what level of flooding the Town is at when the flood gauge at Walnut Street in Roanoke is at a certain level. The readings come off the Walnut Street Bridge near Blue Cow Ice Cream in Roanoke. Vice Chairman Jones said that business leaders must make decisions quickly on what to do in flood situations, and the people in Vinton need to know what that reading in the City means for the Town. Mr. McClung agreed that we need a number for Vinton. Ms. McMillan mentioned that the FEMA maps have the elevations for the areas of Town that are in the floodplain. Mr. McClung stated that the bridge at Walnut Avenue in Vinton is also marked. He said that the flood gauge that was recently installed near Gus Nicks Boulevard may be able to help us with setting a number for Vinton. He mentioned that we can use CodeRed to alert citizens and businesses if flooding is expected. He said he would work with Marcus Aguilar from the City of Roanoke to figure out the number for the Town. Mr. McClung said prewarning systems are very important. He said this plan is revised every five years,and that is how the area localities obtain FEMA money. Mr. Mullen asked how it was determined that RVARC would write the plan. Mr. McClung said that disasters affect all localities, and it is good to plan together. He stated that VDEM assisted Amanda McGee and the RVARC staff with the plan. Mr. McClung said there were firefighters, police officers, building commissioners, and planners on the committee for hazard mitigation so it was a diverse group from all the localities who assisted with the plan. Ms.McGee will present more information on the plan at an upcoming council meeting.Mr. McClung asked them to review the table about the Town that is included in the plan. PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION NOVEMBER 17,2025 PAGE 3 The final item to be discussed was the petition of Rikki McConnell, for a Special Use Permit(SUP) for a proposed medical clinic, located at 600 South Pollard Street, Vinton, Virginia, tax map number 060.19- 03-21.00-0000, zoned GB General Business District. Mr. McClung presented the staff report. He stated that a SUP is needed to open a new medical clinic in the former Dr. Jessup's eye clinic building on S. Pollard Street.He said that we are following the direction of the Planning Commission and Town Council by requiring this permit.The clinic must provide a list of all services they will be providing at this location. That is the only condition that was added—that they must list the services to be provided. Later, if the clinic wants to add new services, they will have to come back to get a new Special Use Permit. He stated that this clinic will have primary care nurse practitioners. They will provide services such as urgent care, hormone replacement therapy, massage, and body contouring. The practitioner will also issue medical cannabis certifications to patients. Mr. McClung said they offer a lot of homeopathic services. He stated that they will also be prescribing other types of medications as needed. Vice Chairman Jones asked where they were originally located. Mr. McClung said Ms. McConnell used to have a location in the Stewartsville area of Bedford in 2019. Then, she acquired Crystal's Healing Hands Massage business in Roanoke near Cave Spring. Mr. McCoy asked how much SUP's application costs. Mr. McClung said it was $500. He mentioned that our office has given the clinic a zoning permit to do some limited services that are not medical-related such as massage therapy in the meantime while they are waiting for the SUP approval.Therefore,they may be open before the December meeting when the SUP request is heard. Vice Chairman Jones asked if we ever had a SUP that we could use to close a business. Mr. McClung said the business would just be considered grandfathered at that point. Mr. McClung stated that he does not think the SUP requirement will prevent businesses from coming to Vinton. He said the process will delay them a bit by waiting on meetings to be held, but it is an extra measure to monitor what is coming into the Town. There were no further questions or discussion about the SUP. There were no other additional general comments from the Planning Commission or Town Staff. A reminder was given for the joint public hearing of the Town Council and Planning Commission to be held on December 2, 2025, at 6 p.m. Additionally, Mr. McClung will be briefing Town Council on November 18, 2025, on the items discussed tonight. With there being nothing further to discuss, the work session was adjourned at 6:49 p.m. on a motion by Mr. McCoy and a second by Mr. Mullen. Respectfully Submitted, Anita McMillan Planning Commission Secretary