Ordinance 1450 passed unanimously

After hearing over four hours of public comment Tuesday night, the seven member Blacksburg Town Council voted unanimously to approve ordinance 1450, which gives the council more control over large-scale retail development in Blacksburg.

Ordinance 1450, proposed by town council member Don Langrehr in March, requires that any retail stores larger than 80,000 square feet apply for a special use permit from the council. This ensures that the council can control the kind of retail development that occurs in Blacksburg, and makes it more difficult for “big box” retailers, such as Wal-Mart Supercenter, to move into town.

The special use permit will be granted to potential developers only when they can demonstrate to the council that their retail store will be beneficial to the Blacksburg community. Before allowing a special use permit, the council will determine if the proposed retailer can meet regulations on light and noise pollution, pedestrian accessibility, traffic density and a myriad of other standards. Once retailers have applied for the special use permit and made their presentations, the council can apply restrictions as they deem appropriate.

Ordinance 1450 was proposed in late March when development company Fairmont Properties of Ohio submitted a plan for a shopping center located on South Main that included a 186,000 square foot lot widely rumored to be the future home of a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Since that date, Blacksburg has been the site of fierce debate over whether or not the ordinance is warranted. Several local organizations have thrown their support behind the ordinance, including local groups BURG (Blacksburg United for Responsible Growth), Citizens First and Downtown Merchants of Blacksburg. Members of all three organizations were present Tuesday night to voice their support for ordinance 1450.

The council vowed at the opening of the hearing to allow anyone who wishes to speak be heard, and hundreds of Blacksburg residents flooded in and out of the meeting throughout the night to voice their opinion of the proposed ordinance.  Virginia Tech was represented in more ways than one, with undergraduate students, graduate students, professors, and alumni all taking the podium.

According to their website, BURG’s goal for the development of south main does not include any form of large scale retailers. They aim to: “Hold developers of the South Main commercial area to their commitment to a small-scale, mixed-use development, and preventing the placement of a Wal-Mart Supercenter or other “big box” store on the site.”
Citizens First is a local government watchdog organization and political action committee that also encourages responsible development for the Blacksburg community. Several members of the town council have ties to Citizens First.

The majority of arguments raised for the passing of the ordinance voiced concern for independent local businesses, the appearance of the community, and the poor location choice for the 400,000 square feet of retail space.

While addressing the town council, one BURG member described the conflict as “a struggle between the interests of working families and corporate profits.”

The 40-acre lot where the proposed development is to take place lies adjacent to Margaret Beeks Elementary School, giving rise to concerns that local children will not be safe with a “big box” story in their community. Students and teachers from Margaret Beeks Elementary School arrived at the municipal building early with posters supporting ordinance 1450, chanting “S.O.S! Save our school! S.O.S! Save our school!”

Although the majority of opinions heard by the town council were in support of ordinance 1450, many residents also urged the council to reject the proposal.

In a wide-spread 11th hour campaign, opponents of the proposed ordinance made local calls to private residences in Blacksburg hoping to inform citizens of the negative impact ordinance 1450 will have on the local economy.  

Citizens wearing red stickers that read “Save our economy. Vote ‘NO’ for ordinance 1450” approached the podium and offered various reasons why Blacksburg needs more retail development. Many of its opponents fear that ordinance 1450 will encourage sprawl, undermine existing large-scale retailers, and discourage potential developers from coming to Blacksburg. Opponents of the proposal are also concerned that by discouraging commercial development ordinance 1450 will lead to higher property taxes for Blacksburg residents.

Citizens against ordinance 1450 is an ad-hoc organization formed by former Blacksburg Mayor Roger Hedgepeth. According to their website, the group consists of “Hundreds of citizens, businesses, community leaders and long-time residents who support our local economy and oppose ordinance 1450. The members of our grassroots organization formed out of a common interest in growing the local economy, and ensuring that our citizens have good jobs, lower property taxes and a variety of shopping choices.”

There was noticeably less support for the opposition present Tuesday night at the town meeting, and when the 7-0 vote in favor was handed down early Wednesday morning.
Diego Troya, a Blacksburg citizen who spoke earlier in the night supporting ordinance 1450 was “very excited” after the council voted.

“I feel strongly that this can be a great place to live,” he said. “Ordinance 1450 can help preserve that.”

The fight will now shift to the Montgomery County Circuit Court. Since the rezoning ordinance passed prior to ordinance 1450, the developers believe they have rights to develop the property.

The hearing is set for June 7.