Hi there, everyone! Happy Friday! In today’s edition of the newsletter I have coverage of yesterday’s Floyd Town Council meeting. It was kind of a momentous day for me—I’ve been covering Floyd’s town zoning ordinance revisions since the moment I arrived in Southwest Virginia, and yesterday, they approved the final version!
I also wanted to take a brief self-indulgent moment to share some other stories I’ve worked on recently. Floyd folks may be interested to read my piece on virtual church services during COVID, which features Floyd UMC’s wonderful Pastor Tim Hale. I also wrote a reflection on Virginia Tech’s annual Run in Remembrance, which is being conducted virtually this year. Potential participants are encouraged to register by March 9.
Fingers crossed, the delightfully warm and sunny early-spring weather we’ve been having will continue through this weekend. Have a great one!
-Ashley
Small Town Summer is on and Floyd has an updated zoning ordinance
Spring is rapidly approaching. That’s the message Floyd Town Manager Kayla Cox had for members of the Town Council on Thursday night. Therefore, they needed to make a decision about whether to proceed with plans for Small Town Summer 2021. The town’s beloved outdoor concert series, held in the Warren G. Lineberry Park amphitheater, was cancelled last summer due to COVID.
“Dylan is prepared to move forward with this year’s event,” Cox said, referring to Floyd Country Store co-owner and event organizer Dylan Locke. She said Locke has already started “lining up” musical acts for the event. Typically, concerts are held every other Thursday at 6 p.m. from June to August. They are free to the public.
Cox explained that the town’s FY 2021 budget includes $15,000 toward event costs, $9,000 of which was already paid to Locke for his services. Overall, Mayor Will Griffin estimated that hosting the event costs the town about $40,000.
I hope we’re able to have it,” said Griffin. “It seems like the momentum of relaxing restrictions is starting to happen a little bit. I think especially this year, people will be anxious to get out and be together again.”
Several members of the Council raised concerns about the ability to stay physically distant in the park and asked whether masks would be worn. Griffin said the town would adhere to any restrictions still in place this summer, per the governor’s guidance. Cox volunteered to consult with New River Health District Director Dr. Noelle Bissell about the best approach to public health guidelines at the event.
Councilman Bruce Turner suggested that if high attendance would preclude social distancing, the town could alternatively host the event in the Floyd County High School parking lot, with the school district’s permission. “You could stay in your car, and yet you can have the band set up,” Turner said.
Griffin directed Cox to move forward with plans for the event, saying the Council had reached a “consensus to have it, if we’re allowed to have it.” Cox noted that she will reissue Requests for Proposal for both concessions at the event and t-shirt designs.
Also at Thursday’s meeting, the Town Council reached the end of its years-long zoning ordinance revision. Following the Planning Commission’s approval of a final draft, councilmen discussed lingering concerns about the ordinance before approving it themselves.
The most contentious part of the discussion came when Councilman David Whitaker raised several issues with various subsections of the ordinance. Importantly, Whitaker failed to draw a distinction between prescriptive plans for the future of Floyd and mere regulations contained within the ordinance.
For example, Whitaker objected to the portion of the ordinance regulating multi-family dwelling units including duplexes, triplexes and condos. (To be clear, these types of units would be restricted to specific zones within the Town of Floyd and the zoning ordinance does not predict or require any particular type of development.)
“The town is small. I don’t see where we even have room to think about things like that,” Whitaker said. He also asked, if a developer comes in, do existing residents "have any kind of recourse to say, 'We’re a single-family dwelling neighborhood and we don’t see any reason to have a condo.'"? In fact, existing homeowners in a particular zone do have recourse if they object to a proposed development. Developers have to navigate the town’s permitting process, and planned developments are subject to a public hearing prior to approval.
Aphi Fancon, who works for the New River Valley Regional Commission and managed the zoning ordinance revision, pointed out that the Town of Floyd actually has room to grow. There are several vacant lots in town right now. She also explained that some multi-family dwelling units are defined by the type of ownership, not the physical structure. So apartment buildings and condos may not be the skyscraper-like buildings that Whitaker envisioned.
“Even if it’s unlikely that a developer will come in, it’s always good to spell out the rules,” Fancon concluded. Mayor Griffin agreed, saying the ordinance lets developers know “what they need to do on the front end of it, which is one of the goals.” Vice-Mayor Mike Patton added that the ordinance outlines “lots of checks and balances.”
Cox said Floyd has an acute need for new housing. “We’re seeing the need and hearing the need from people in the community for housing. If the lot is large enough and (multi-family units) would fit, it would help that need,” she said.
Whitaker also objected to sections of the ordinance concerning zones B1 and B2, which are for retail businesses. Specifically, he said he thinks Floyd has more than enough establishments that sell alcohol. Again, the zoning ordinance is not prescriptive. Nothing in the law argues that more breweries, wineries or distilleries necessarily need to come to Floyd.
Patton nonetheless rebutted Whitaker’s objections, saying that existing restaurants and breweries have never caused a disturbance. In fact, Patton said, preventing new businesses from coming in could stifle Floyd’s progress. Planning Commission member Mike Maslaney was in the audience Thursday night, and added that preventing alcohol sales could kneecap local businesses. That’s where profit margins tend to be highest, Maslaney explained.
“I’m just trying to speak for some local people, and I just don’t like it,” Whitaker responded. “I don’t want Floyd to become Radford (or) Blacksburg.”
In the end, the zoning ordinance was approved by a 4-1 vote, with Whitaker opposed.
Cox offered an update on a recent meeting with Thompson & Litton. The architecture and engineering firm is conducting a feasibility study for various improvements to Town Hall. There were seven engineers at the initial meeting, Cox said. The firm is asking for a ballpark budget estimate before make project recommendations. Among the things the town hopes to accomplish with the renovation are: establishing separate space within Town Hall for closed sessions; making the building ADA-compliant; improving the condition of the breakroom for town employees; creating restrooms or connecting to existing ones in the building next door and establishing storage space.
“I think functionality is probably the biggest thing,” Griffin said. “If we’re going to do it, (we should) do it the right way, so that it’s going to be good for the next 15-20 years.”
Griffin said the town has “a pretty healthy balance sheet.” He added, “I think we’ve been really prudent and fiscally responsible with the money we’ve been tasked to manage,” and said there would be long-term cost savings for the town if the Council opts to complete the entire project in one fell swoop, rather than in phases.
Griffin suggested $225,000 as an upper limit for the project, which the rest of the Council approved. The Council did not commit to spending any money on Thursday. Rather, Thompson & Litton will now return with a set of proposals for all the things that money could accomplish, and the council will have an opportunity to pick and choose.
Other items on Thursday night’s agenda:
The Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chamber of Commerce for the local Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).
The 2021 Tour de Floyd has been cancelled, due to the fact that the Blue Ridge Parkway is not currently issuing event permits.
Councilman Whitaker raised the possibility of the Council funding historic markers on the town’s walking trail.
All participants in the town’s small business loan program are up-to-date and making current payments, Cox said.
The Council recognized Ms. Daisy Penn, the first Black graduate of Floyd County High School, class of 1960. Winfred Beale, the first-ever honoree of the town’s recognition program, accepted the award on Penn’s behalf. “You think about…the courage (Penn displayed), and having that weight on you in addition to already being a teenager. That’s a piece of our history that I’m glad we got a chance to put it into the record,” Griffin said of the honor. Beale added: “She truly is a special person in this community...I’m humbled to be here on her behalf. Her legacy will live on forever.”