Election
Prompts Another Dorm VoteDelay
Last week’s election in which Buena Vista voters chose a new mayor and two new members of City Council has prompted yet another delay in the consideration of zoning approval for a proposed new dormitory at Southern Virginia University.
Prior to this past Thursday’s City Council meeting, in which the first reading of a conditional use request for the 600-bed dormitory was an agenda item, SVU asked that the first reading be postponed until Council’s first meeting in January, when the new mayor and two new members of City Council will be in office.
“Throughout the last several months we’ve solicited and received input from the community regarding this project,” said James Ballstaedt, SVU’s vice president for strategic planning and athletics, reading from a letter he’d given to Council. “The input from community members and Council has helped us to make this project better. The university recognizes that this is a significant investment in Buena Vista as a whole and we want to ensure that we get it right. We feel that the new members of Council will have perspectives that could further enhance this project. I invite and encourage the current and new Council members to reach out to me with any questions they may have so we can help be prepared with information for January’s meeting. Thank you.” See SVU first presented its proposal for a five-story, 218,525- squarefoot dormitory to the city in July. The Planning Commission recommended approval of the plans in August. Since then, City Council has twice postponed first readings on the CUP and abandonment of multiple public rights of way that crisscross the site. A first reading was held Thursday on the abandonment of the rights of way.
Issues that have been raised that have contributed to Council’s delays in taking action include SVU’s failure to meet with nearby neighbors who will be most impacted by the project and concerns about developing a viable parking plan to accommodate an influx of students who would be moving into the dormitory.
At last week’s citizens comments portion of the meeting, one of those neighbors reiterated his opposition to the project, as did two other people.
Corey Bachman of 162 W. 28th Street said he was disappointed in the staff report in the agenda package because it focused primarily on parking issues. He noted that there was no mention of the “lack of communication” with neighbors. The massive size of the project is his biggest concern, he said. “That will completely dwarf our properties. It will rip our street from its natural aesthetic that exists currently. Further, it absolutely will reduce our property values. It will affect not just our abutting properties, but also those across the street.”
He said he envisions a threeyear construction period in which his family would have to put up with “dust, debris, trash and most certainly noise. Frankly, I do not want my children growing up this way in their formative years. I want them to be able to run off the back deck, enjoy the green grass and the sunlight. … I would just ask that you please put yourselves in my position with regard to the conditional use permit and this decision.”
Heather Madison, a city resident who has previously spoken out against the project, said, “The immense size of the building and the direct harm caused to the surrounding neighborhood is and always has been the issue. As everyone knows, the zoning threshold for a single large building in the institutional zone is 25,000 square feet. The code says large buildings are not forbidden, but they require more rigorous review in order to protect the neighborhood.”
She continued: “It is absurd that a dorm of this magnitude is suitable for the city of Buena Vista. And quite frankly, it’s not appropriate for the size of the university. There should never be a situation for residents in this city that there is a possibility of a 218,000-squarefoot, five-story high building looming over your home.”
