Heard the news?  The Blacksburg Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously to reverse Council's approval of Ordinance 1450, and overturned Zoning Administrator Steve Hundley's ruling that the South Main Street development would be subject to the rules of the newly adopted Ordinance 1450.  It's about time … Ordinance 1450 has the opportunity to allow the Town better control over what's built within Town limits, but it was inappropriately enacted and I hope the Board's ruling will stand.  As usual, we need to go through the appeal of the appeal now. 

This doesn't mean a big box store is going in on the site … but it certainly makes it more likely than ever before.  And I like that the Ordinance will still be in place for future projects … As I wrote at the time, I don't care where you stand on the issue – Council's vote was grandstanding and ill-served.    I hope that this ruling will stand and we can move forward.  It's not about one store over another for me, it's about the project as a whole.  Ordinance 1450 was created to try and stop what some believed to be an inappropriate store (despite the fact that no announcement has ever been made) and was a knee-jerk reaction.  Council's decision ended up being what was inappropriate.  I don't want this Council going unchallenged when they clearly acted with a vendetta. 

Enjoy the ride.