The Christiansburg Planning commission barely missed a huge pothole yesterday, recommending (by a 4 to 1 vote) that the Town Council deny a request for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) by C.L. Draughn for property at 655 Depot Street.
The property, located within the Historic District in Cambria, is currently zoned B-3. A town representative explained that a CUP is an alternative way to change the use of the property - to raze an existing historic building and put up 11 new townhomes. Or apartments. Or any combination thereof.
What he didn't say was that to re-zone the property would have required spot zoning - leaving the surrounding properties as originally zoned. Spot zoning is illegal in Virginia, when it is done solely to serve the interests of one or more property owners. (VA Supreme Court, Riverview Farm Associates v. Board of Supervisors of Charles City County, 2000)
Votes in favor of the CUP came from Mike Byrd. (Not that you'd know that from sitting in the room - no name plates or badges are used. Ah, anonymity...) Still, these men were simply not concerned about the character of the historic district and all seemed blissfully unaware of the spot zoning similarity.
Now the Christiansburg Town Council must accept or reject the recommendation to deny the Conditional Use Permit. The Planning Commission missed the pothole yesterday, and the Town Council is heading straight for it.
Come to the meeting tonight, 7:30 pm, second floor, Town Hall, to see if the wheels fall off.