ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke City Council voted to begin a formal review of three major issues: the 2024 neighborhood zoning amendment, the vape ordinance, and the Evans Spring plan.
Wayne Leftwich, Roanoke city planning manager, explained the next steps. “That’s city council telling us to go forth, get public input, take it to planning commission and then come to them with a recommendation.”
However, Council Member Peter Volosin expressed some hesitation about the process. “I’m here voting on council member initiatives that, to be honest, I did not want and would typically vote no on, but because I know we’re in the process, I continue to vote for them. But I don’t like that this is being thrown on us. This is not something we’ve done in the past, so I’m a bit upset about that.”
It’s important to note that City Council’s vote does not approve the plans yet. It simply moves them to the planning commission in March and back to council in April, where citizens can share their feedback in a public hearing. 10 News will keep you updated when final dates are posted.
The city has been holding community meetings to hear residents’ thoughts and answer questions about all three proposals.
Anthony Stavola, a resident of the Raleigh Court neighborhood, said, “I think it’s important that residents understand more because it is a very complex situation that we’re dealing with, but also understand the potential consequences of some of these zoning amendments.”
If you would like to speak more with members of the planning, they will have additional meetings:
- Tuesday, February 3rd at Main Library from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, February 4th at Williamson Road Library 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday, February 7th at Gainsboro Library 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
2024 Neighborhood Zoning Amendment
The neighborhood zoning amendment, first passed in 2024, allows townhomes and apartments in areas previously reserved for single-family homes.
Leftwich noted, “We hear a lot about parking still a concern, so we added in some parking requirements, and we’ve added in some design standards.”
Vape Ordinance
The vape ordinance would create a business fee for vape-only shops, potentially up to $20,000 a year.
Leftwich said, “It really establishes where they could be located, keeping them away from schools, other sort of institutional uses, and keeping them away from each other so they don’t proliferate on every corner.”
Evans Spring
The Evans Spring plan focuses on developing the last large plot of land in Roanoke while preserving about 70 acres of green space.
Leftwich emphasized, “Preserving that area is really a big thing we’ve heard from the community and still hear.” He added, “This plan at least helps guide that development in a way that we do get a certain amount of green space and open space for the community.”