1st Quarter / Spring 2000

Census 2000

Coal Mining Heritage Park

Yellow Sulfur Springs Grant

Historic Preservation

177 Corridor Update

First Quarter, 2000 Reports

First Quarter, 2000 Subdivisions

First Quarter Planning Department Report

Housing by Zoning District

Conservation Easements

Defining Comprehensive Plans

Montgomery County & the 2000 Census: An Update.

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau, with the blessing of the Congress, asks all residents of the United States to stand up and be counted. They have, in fact, been taking a national head count every ten years since 1790. The government is not, however, just interested in the total number of people; they are also interested in the factors that most define people’s lives. The 1810 Census asked questions about the quantity and value of products. This year’s Census data will be used to determine how much the government and private businesses will spend on school and road funding, on public transportation and housing, and on emergency food and shelter.

Although the Census forms asks for the occupant’s name, the Census Bureau has very strict confidentiality guidelines. According to the Census Bureau, no one is permitted to reveal identifiable information about any person, household, or business.

Locally, A “Complete Count Committee” has been formed to oversee the Census process in Montgomery County. The committee has members from the three primary jurisdictions: Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Montgomery County. The Complete Count Committee was responsible for developing and implementing a Census 2000 Awareness campaign in order to promote the Census. In addition, the committee is committed to ensuring that every resident in their individual communities is counted. Although none of the three local jurisdictions have met the Target response rate (percentage) set prior to the April 1 starting date, the county and the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg are well on their way to the preset goals.

Coal Mining Heritage Park

On March 2, 2000, Dr. Mary LaLone and the students from her Applied Anthropology course at Radford University presented their proposal for the park at Merrimac. The study, Coal Mining Heritage Park, Montgomery County, Virginia: Study, Plan, and Recommendations, presents a comprehensive study of the park property, the history of coal mining in Montgomery County, and a plan for the development of the park property in six stages.

The park will provide a combination of educational and recreational services and facilities as well as providing additional features for Huckleberry Trail users. In the short term, restroom and rest area facilities (including benches), the science education facility (located in a refurbished caboose), additional trails, and recreation facilities will be added, as funding allows, to the park property. In the much longer term, the students and the community have recommended the construction of a coal mining heritage museum.

The first phase of the park development can be separated into two categories: 1) planning, and 2) actual development. Planning activities in Phase 1 include grantwriting activities, conducting archaeological, environmental, engineering, and safety surveys, and developing a park maintenance plan. In terms of actual activities, Phase 1 calls for developing a safe parking area for the Coal Mining Heritage park by moving the Consolidated Waste facility to another location and paving the existing Consolidated Waste site. Providing a safe parking area for the park was seen as central to the park’s success because of the amount of expected bus traffic from the schools. Removal of the trash, closure of the road, and the development of the park signage are also part of Phase 1.

In addition, the students’ plan calls for the construction of the Heritage Bridge (located at the tipple), the construction of some of the low-impact trails, and the addition of park benches along the main Huckleberry and Merrimac Loop Trails. Two other bridges are also planned for the park. One of the bridges will connect the parking area (where the Consolidated Waste site is presently located) to the Huckleberry Trail, providing safe parking and direct access for both trail and park users. A third bridge is planned for the lower end of the park connecting the nature and mine trails.

Phase Two calls for the development of the park infrastructure, including restroom facilities, drinking fountains, and Emergency and safety features, including all-night lighting in some areas, and emergency call boxes on the Huckleberry Trail and the parking lot., and construction of the Community Recreation Area (with picnic shelters, the pavilion/stage, and a playground. Currently, one of the Radford University students, Daliah Macon, is looking into playground equipment partnerships which would bring together community and county volunteers and business support in order to construct the play area in the park.

In addition to the ongoing park planning process, other events are happening in the park. The County officially requested that Public Facilities place a locked gate across the road which borders the south side of the park. The gate is meant to cut down on vehicular traffic through the park and to help lessen the amount of trash currently being dumped in the park. The latter of the two is of the greatest concern. Currently, some are using the Merrimac park site is being used as an extension of the collections facility. On April 15, 2000, Bloomin’ and Broomin’ pays an extended visit to the park property. The Coal Mining Heritage Association, the County, and volunteers from a diverse range of organizations are donating their time and energy to clean up much of the large objects which have been dumped in the park over the years, as well as the ongoing collection of cans, fastfood wrappers, andother forms of “occasional” trash.

Funding for the park will have to come from a variety of sources, including individual and corporate contributions, public and private grants, county funds, and other sources. The county is working with the Coal Mining Heritage Association to set up a park fund for people and organizations who would like to contribute to the development of the park.

Finally, two Radford University students will be working with the Planning Department to plan the Coal Mining Heritage Park Dedication Festival for Labor Day weekend.

CDBG Grant for Yellow Sulfur Springs

Montgomery County is in the application process for Community Development Block Grant funding to extend public water and sewer to service Yellow Sulfur Springs Historic Inn and Healing Spa. We are applying for approximately $700,000 of CDBG funds along with the financial commitment of the Town of Blacksburg and Montgomery County Public Service Authority for betterment costs. We are eligible for CDBG funds because this project would create approximately 100 jobs, with a majority of those created jobs available to low-to-moderate-income individuals. More specifically, the CDBG funds would provide the extension of public water and sewer service to Yellow Sulfur Springs, which is necessary to enable the opening of the Yellow Sulfur Springs Historic Inn and Healing Spa to create those jobs. In January 2000, we approved the Rezoning of Yellow Sulfur Springs to PUD-RES (Planned Unit Development – Residential), along with a Special Use Permit to allow overnight lodging facilities, restaurant, retail sales, and spa. We are applying for the Competitive Grant of Community Improvement Grants. The total amount of funding available for Competitive Grants statewide, in 2000, is approximately $13,800,000. Typically the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development receives many more application than they can fund.

Historic Preservation...Online Resources

The internet provides a wealth of information on historic preservation at both the state and national levels. For generic information, a good starting point for learning about historic preservation and all that is included under that rubric, start with the National Trust for Historic Preservation Library Collection (NTL), housed at the University of Maryland Libraries website, with the National Trust website, and with the National Park Service.

In addition to general historic preservation information sites, you can also acces the original legislation which led to the creation of the National Resgister, including the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974 and to the controlling regulations: “The [1998] Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for the Federal Agency Historic Preservation Programs Pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act.”

In order to get a property listed in the National Register of Historic Places, you must first get it listed with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in the Virginia Landmarks Register. For a full description of the process and the requisite forms for individual properties and historic districts, go to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources website. The site includes not only the needed forms, but also explanations of what the Virginia Department of Historic Resources is looking for in the proposals. The materials for registering a property or a district with the federal government are available from the National Park Service online.

Federal Preservation fund applications, application instructions, and guidelines are also available at a number of other online locations, including Save America’s Treasures, a relatively new federal program to preserve “at risk” historic sites, and at the National Park Service. Although the grant deadline for FY2000 has already passed, it is not too early to start thinking about next year’s funding opportunities.

In addition to information on grants, the state and federal preservation sites also have extensive resources for communities interested in using historic preservation as a method of revitalizing their downtown areas. For example, the National Main Street Center promotes downtown revitalization through historic preservation and economic development and provides technical information, conference reports, grant possibilities, and networking opportunities for communities and organizations in the Main Street program. Other organizations, such as the Preservation Alliance of Virginia, the Land Trust of Virginia, and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities provide both technical informational and support.

Report from the VA 177/ Tyler Avenue Corridor
Study Update Steering Committee

At a Public Hearing on February 1, 2000, members of the public expressed a concern with the low public membership on the committee. As a result, three new committee members were selected and installed at the March 10, 2000 meeting of the Virginia 177/ Tyler Avenue Corridor Study Update Steering Committee last met on March 10, 2000.

Currently, the committee is working to revise the 177 Zoning Overlay. Work on the Draft Zoning Overlay and the Draft Service Policy will continue at the next meeting of the committee.

Quarterly Zoning, Building Permit, & Subdivision Reports

Final Action: Special Use Permits, 1st Quarter, 2000

Board of Zoning Appeals Final Actions: Variances & Appeals, 1st Quarter, 2000

Building Permits: New Construction in Unincorporated Areas, 1st Quarter, 2000

Final Action: Rezonings, 1st Quarter, 1999

Subdivision Report:

Family, Minor, & Major

Planning Department Activities

January through March have seen the Planning Department involved in an assortment of activities, including filling the positions for GIS Coordinator and for Zoning Administrator. Although neither position has yet been filled, the County has conducted interviews for both positions.

Work on the implementation of the new Zoning Ordinance continues. In addition to developing a series of information handouts, the Department has held a number of informational meetings in Blacksburg and Christiansburg as well as meeting with Cooperative Extension to discuss intensive agriculture, the Blacksburg Rotary Club, and the Blacksburg Planning Commissions Long-Range Planning Committee.

The increase in the number of telecommunications tower requests prompted the county to begin studying appropriate measures to address future problems and needs. The Planning commission recommended that the Board of Supervisors table three tower requests in order to allow the Planning Commission time to look at telecommunications towers from a countywide perspective and develop specific policies. The Board of Supervisors directed the planning staff to employ a technical consultant to assist the county in evaluating the requests and examining the existing policies.

Work continues on the Yellow Sulfur Springs Resort Water & Sewer Project, the Erosion and Sediment Control Program, and the 177-Corridor Study Update.

With the hiring of a County Engineer in mid-April, the department is no longer responsible for covering the erosion and sediment program.

In addition to the usual range of work in the Planning Department, members of the Planning staff have attended a number of conferences during the first quarter of the year. Kelly Boyers and Meghan Dorsett attended a conference in Richmond that addressed the issues surrounding conservation development and the design and implementation of greenways systems. In March, Joe Powers and Meghan Dorsett attended the Appalachian Studies Association Conference in Knoxville where they, in conjunction with members of the Coal Mining Heritage Association and Radford University students, presented a paper on the Coal Mining Heritage Park at Merrimac. The conferences provide additional training as well as an opportunity to network with planners from other local government agencies.

Conservation Easements

Under the new ordinance, a conservation easement is defined as an easement granting a right or interest in real property that retains land or water areas predominately in their natural, scenic, open, or wooded condition, preserving such areas as suitable habitat for fish, plants, or wildlife, or maintaining existing land uses.

In a conservation easement, the land remains yours and allows you to define current and future use. For example, say you have thirty acres of wooded land that has been in your family for generations, and you would like to see the character of the property preserved for future generations of your family. A conservation easement allows you either prohibit or restrict development in later years. You design the easement to fit your desires and the nature of the property. It does not limit your use or your right to dispose of the land as long as use fits within the terms of the easement. In addition, there are tax benefits from establishing a conservation easement.

Information on conservation easements is available from the Land Trust of Virginia at (703) 771-1474 or write: P.O. Box  354, Leesburg, VA 20178.

Housing Definitions

Single Family: a single structure (1 dwelling unit) arranged or designed to be occupied by one family. This excludes all mobile of manufactured homes and trailers. Single Family dwellings come in two types: attached (townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, and quadraplexes) and detached (single family dwellings entirely surrounded by open space or yards on the same lot). The zoning ordinance makes a distinction between single family attached and detached. Unless otherwise specified, references to single family dwellings refers to the detached variety. With the exception of duplexes (which are also referred to as two-family dwellings), single-family dwellings can only be located, by right, in the RM-1 zone.

It should also be noted here that Montgomery County defines “family” as one or more persons occupying a premises and living in a single dwelling unit, as distinguished from an unrelated group occupying a boardinghouse, tourist home, or hotel. In addition, the ordinance specifies that families consistof “one or more persons related by blood, marriage, adoption or guardianship, including servants, caregivers, and no more than two roomers or boarders; or a group of no more than four unrelated persons; or up to eight mentally or developmentally disabled persons living in a residential group home facility.”

Two-Family: a 2 family unit structure arranged and designed to be occupied by no more than two families. Two-family structures are also referred to as duplexes.

Multi-Family: A multi-family dwelling consists of a building or a portion thereof used for occupancy by three or more families living independently of each other and containing three or more dwelling units. This category includes apartment houses, but does not include group homes, row houses, or town houses.

A Dwelling unit is a dwelling designed for independent living and sleeping purposes by one family and having at least one separate kitchen. It can not be occupied by more than four unrelated individuals, excepting (under Virginia Code) situations involving the mentally ill, the mentally retarded or the developmentally disabled.

Defining Comprehensive Planning

Montgomery County is, once again, gearing up to work on a new Comprehensive Plan, one that will build on our old ideals while addressing new ideas and concerns. As Francis Bacon said, “Knowledge is Power.” If you are interested in participating with or just want to know more about the comprehensive planning process, there are a number of good resources online which explain Comprehensive Planning. The best place start is with Cyburbia, a website sponsored by the Architecture program at the University of Buffalo. The search mechanism for the Cyburbia site will provide you access to examples of comprehensive plans so that you can see how other cities and counties are approaching the comprehensive planning process. Looking at other comprehensive plans also provides a potential laundry list of issues that you may want to see addressed or discussed.

For a practical introduction to planning for the citizen planner, you can check out the Plain Talk Planning. David Acuff, a consulting planner, gives a brief introduction to planning, and defines the terms used in planning discussions. While Acuff’s information is geared towards the citizens of San Diego, it does provide a readable overview of planning and the comprehensive planning process.

©Montgomery County Department of Planning & Inspections
Last Updated 18 September, 2001
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