The Botetourt Planning Commission agreed to defer a public hearing on a proposed apartment complex at the end of Commons Parkway in Botetourt Commons at it regular October meeting last week.

A representative from Charlottesville-based Martlet LLC asked the Planning Commission to defer action on its request to rezone 17.87 acres to a proposed new High Density (R-4) Residential Use District and for a special exceptions permit (SEP) for a multi-family development that would consists of 266 apartments housed in eight buildings on the property.

Maxwell Wiegard, an attorney for Martlett LLC and the co-applicant Charlottesville-based Cathcart Group, told the commission they had just received comments about the project  from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) one-and-a-half hours before last Tuesday night’s meeting.

The proposed development borders the Appalachian Trail.

“We feel it’s appropriate to address some of their comments,” Wiegard told the commission.

Wiegard told the commission they had understood the ATC had no issues with the proposed apartment complex, but they want to be sure that’s still the case before proceeding with the public hearings.

The Planning Commission voted 5-0 to defer the hearing, perhaps to November when the it will meet at Greenfield Education and Training Center to accommodate an expected large crowd for a scheduled public hearing on a proposed Sheetz at the corner of Catawba Road and US 220 in Daleville.

Marlett LLC and Cathcart Group are seeking  what would be the first rezoning to the proposed new R-4 High Density District that’s not even in effect yet, but was before the commission and will go to the Board of Supervisors at its October 24 meeting.

At its meeting last week, the commission recommended adopting changes to the zoning ordinance to accommodate the higher density district and to make adjustments to the other residential districts at the same time.

The recommendations for the zoning ordinance changes came from the Board of Supervisors earlier this year.

The proposed zoning ordinance changes would provide the county and developers more options than are available under the existing residential zoning districts.

The commission’s recommendation changes the current ordinance’s General Provisions that would allow more than one principal use per lot.

The proposal also adds Agricultural Rural Residential (AR) District and High Density Residential (R-4) District to the zoning ordinance, and renames R-1 to Low Density Residential, R-2 to Low-Medium Density Residential and R-3 to Medium Density Residential.

The proposed changes also include adding commercial stables as Stable, Commercial as a use by-right rather than a use permitted only by special exception to the Agriculture (A-1) and Forest Conservation (FC) Districts.

The proposed changes also makes recommendations to change lot widths, some setbacks, accessory building conditions, maximum heights for certain districts.

The biggest adjustments come in the R-3 and new R-4 (new medium and high density districts).

The changes proposed for R-3 are the “to reflect that this district is generally intended to apply to land designated in the comprehensive plan as being planned for medium, rather than high, density residential uses.” The change will eliminate the single-family attached and multi-family dwellings as a permitted uses while adjusting other provisions in the district requirements to accommodate those changes.

The new High Density Residential District (R-4) is designed to create a “new high density district with the purpose of providing residential opportunities at a higher density than the R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts.”

Permitted residential uses are single-family attached dwellings up to 6 units per net acre, and multi-family units up to 8 dwelling units per net acre and group homes.

The district will allow more density with a special exceptions permit (SEP)— single family attached dwellings up to 12 units per net acre and multi-family up to 24 units per acre, nursing homes and life care facilities.

The new district language also includes restrictions on lot size, dwelling heights, common space, etc.

The proposed changes also make some revisions to a few definitions in the zoning ordinance. Those deal with net lot area devoted to public or private street rights-of-way, common or natural open space.

The Planning Commission also recommended the Board of Supervisors approve an change of proffers on a parcel on northbound Cloverdale Road at the Autumnwood Lane intersection.

The requested was made by Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church of Roanoke which wants to move to the property for more room.

The property is zoned Business (B-2) and proffered conditions limit the uses of the property to office, retail and family day care homes.

The church proposes to change the proffers to include church and day care center as permitted uses.

The commission also recommended issuing a SEP so Eric A. and Elaine M. Daniels can   construct a second accessory building in the Residential Use (R-1) District on 1.2456 acres at 840 Catawba Road, Daleville. The request also requires the administrative vacation of an interior lot line on the property.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold public hearings on the zoning ordinance changes, the Our Saviour Evangelical Lutheran Church proffer request and the SEP for the Daniels at 6 p.m. at Greenfield Education and Training Center next Tuesday.

The Planning Commission also recognized and thanked Barry Roberts for his work with the Planning and Zoning Office. He is the county’s first full-time building code enforcement officer and has left for another position.

Zoning Administrator Nicole Pendleton told the commission Roberts cleared 191 zoning complaints— most backlogged— while working for the county.