ROANOKE, Va. – City Council is expecting a packed house on Monday as they host a public hearing over zoning reform changes that were approved back in March.
On March. 19 we reported that the Roanoke City Council voted to amend a controversial zoning ordinance. The plan would put an end to single-family-only neighborhoods.
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The plan would allow for more multi-family and affordable housing. The 5-2 approval vote in March of this year came with a barrage of public comments.
Much of the controversy and outcry came from residents who believed that the council did not do enough to get the community’s opinion on proposed changes.
The controversy came to a head in May when a group of Roanoke Homeowners sued the city over the zoning changes.
10 News found court documents that allege that the city did not follow lawful procedure in implementing the changes.
The lawsuit also alleged the city’s public notices about the proposed change goes against state law.
The residents claim Roanoke did not follow particular requirements to detail, justify or advertise the new zoning changes.
The lawsuit also claimed that individual homeowners who lived in districts where the changes were going were not properly notified about the changes.
After notice of the lawsuit, city council took another vote in June to go through the process again, this time correctly.
Monday the Roanoke City Council is planning on holding another public hearing at 7 p.m.
It’s important to note that, the zoning amendments were not repealed, meaning the amendments that were passed in March are still in full effect.
Originally the planning commission, during the first round of hearings, voted to recommend the changes.
However, in August the planning commission met once again and reversed their decision and voted not to recommend the changes.
This leads us to Monday when Roanoke City Council is planning on holding another public hearing at 7 p.m.
The hearing on Monday will be on whether to repeal or move forward with the proposed amendments.
We will have more about the implications of the vote and how residents feel at 11 p.m.