The Blacksburg town council recently passed an ordinance
that will work to limit the size of retail buildings that come to the
Blacksburg area to 80,000 square feet.
“I think residents would prefer it if we tried to protect
the small town character of Blacksburg,” said Donald Langrehr, a Blacksburg
town council member who proposed the ordinance. “We have to ask ourselves how large
we want our stores to be in the future.”
The supporters of this ordinance claim that there should be
more done to control how Blacksburg is developed in terms of retail. Supporters
state that they do not want to see Blacksburg mirror Christiansburg, which
hosts a number of large retail stores like Wal-Mart and Target.
“I do not think we need another set of large retail outlets
in Blacksburg,” said Mary Holliman, a Blacksburg council member who voted in
favor of the ordinance. “Especially when we have those stores in nearby
Christiansburg.”
Supporters of the ordinance also say that if Blacksburg was
to welcome big-box companies, it would ultimately result in serious concerns
about parking and maintaining a pedestrian-friendly Blacksburg.
“We want pedestrian-focused retail,” Holliman said. “The
Kroger on South Main is less than 80,000 square feet and that is certainly
large enough, especially if you’re concerned with pedestrian safety.”
This ordinance would ultimately mean that any corporation
that wishes to come to Blacksburg would have to build a building that is 80,000
square feet or smaller. However, if the company wished to have a building
larger than this amount, they would be able to petition the town council and
receive a special use permit.
“If a company wanted to build something larger than 80,000
square feet, they would have to petition for a special use permit and explain
why the complex would benefit the town,” Langrehr said. “The council is here to
protect the community of Blacksburg, if we thought it would be detrimental to
the town we wouldn’t let it happen.”
While those that support the ordinance say it will protect
Blacksburg’s small town character, those council members that voted against the
ordinance say that the ordinance was unclear and poorly written.
“I thought the ordinance was worded poorly, and I found that
the point of the ordinance was unclear,” said Thomas Sherman, a council member
who voted against the ordinance. “I felt uncomfortable voting for a resolution
with statements I did not know were accurate.”
Some members of the Blacksburg community are concerned that
this ordinance may not be as positive as some council members claim.
“The indirect impact of this ordinance is that it sends a
very negative message to retail community,” said University Mall developer Bill
Ellenbogen. “The large retailers are the magnets that attract smaller
retailers; the council could potentially be sending the message that the town
of Blacksburg is not as welcoming to retail business as it should be.”
Nevertheless, most council members state that they do not
want to rush into any final decision; the passing of the ordinance is only a
preliminary step in the process. Council members stress the importance of
receiving feedback from the public when they hold public hearings on this
ordinance later on this evening.
“Of course we welcome any input from any Blacksburg
citizen,” Holliman said. “I want to hear both the pro and the con arguments,
and I want to ensure that we’re really listening to the public.”
