Bedford Tackling Zoning Issues in Joint Meeting
By Justin Faulconer, The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.
May 27–Bedford County supervisors and the Bedford County Planning Commission are having a special joint meeting today to take care of several zoning and land use matters.
In the first of three public hearings, both groups will review a rezoning proposal for 17 acres of the former Bunker Hill Food Processing Plant on Virginia 122 near the city of Bedford. HLC Innovations Inc. wants to use the property to make countertops.
The site is currently zoned AR/CO (agricultural residential with a corridor overlay district) and officials are considering a change to AV/CO (agricultural village with a corridor overlay).
During the second hearing, officials will look at changing the county’s zoning ordinance regarding dock locations.
Appalachian Power, which uses Smith Mountain Lake and Leesville Lake to generate electricity, is required to approve residential docks at each lake.
The two boards will consider eliminating the county’s review of docks and relinquishing dock regulatory controls to the power company to speed up the permit process for citizens.
In the last hearing, the boards will consider changing the zoning ordinance to include a definition for “animal shelter” and “humane society” and create new uses within the ordinance for a shelter under civic uses.
The Bedford Humane Society is planning to build a no-kill facility but can’t until the zoning is changed. Officials have talked with the humane society about building the shelter on property that is owned by the county.
Prior to the hearings, the boards will hear from Ted McCormack of the Virginia Association of Counties about possible impact fees that will allow counties to do away with requiring proffers from residential developers.
A bill in this year’s General Assembly session dealing with the impact fees was delayed to allow more time to examine its effect on localities, said George Nester, Bedford’s community development director.
McCormack will present more information today to Bedford officials, Nester said, since the bill is expected to resurface in next year’s General Assembly session.
Proffers, written conditions that developers agree to, don’t really benefit the county, Nester said, but surrounding areas that could be affected.
The work session begins at 5 p.m. and the hearings will resume at 7:30 after a dinner break.
Sign-up sheets will be given to anyone who wishes to speak tonight during the hearings, which will take place on the third floor meeting room of the county administration building at 122 East Main St. in Bedford.
—–
To see more of The News & Advance, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsadvance.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
NYSE:AEP,