City Council Accepts Recommendation To Rezone Section Of Solar Hill

BRISTOL, Va. – A section of the Solar Hill historic district apparently will be rezoned to block commercial development, over the objections of some property owners.

At its meeting Tuesday, the City Council unanimously accepted a Planning Commission recommendation to rezone nearly 5 acres of the mixed-use area from B-3 general business to R-2 residential. The vote followed a 35-minute public hearing, in which residents spoke out on both sides of the issue.

To become official, the council must formally approve a rezoning ordinance on two subsequent readings. About half of the district, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is zoned for residential. The balance is zoned for commercial use.

“We don’t want to count our chickens, but we feel very good about it [vote],” said Susan Long, secretary-treasurer of the Solar Hill District Association, a group of residents and property owners who initiated the rezoning request.

“I think the City Council made a decision that follows the comprehensive plan that preserves the historic district. That will be a step forward that will benefit our entire community,” Long said.

The affected area includes Solar Street – from Cumberland to Sycamore streets and from King’s Alley to Oak Street. The 200 block of Solar Street was already zoned R-2 and the change would affect the street’s 100 block.

The area contains 13 private homes, some vacant land and an assisted living center.

While some supported the plan, Tuesday’s vote didn’t sit well with attorney Adrian White, who owns three vacant parcels in the affected area.

“I think it’s ridiculous for the city to rezone somebody’s property just because other people want their own property rezoned,” White said after the vote. “I’ve owned that property for 20 years and had planned to develop it. I had considered putting my own law office there.”

White talked about his plans to develop the site, which could include building a retail center, during the public hearing. Those remarks drew the ire of some residents who followed him to the podium.

“It would destroy the character of the historic neighborhood if you bulldoze that property and put a strip mall in there. That would be a dramatic thing to do,” Clyde Long told the Planning Commission.

Chef Richard Erskine, owner and president of the Southeast Culinary and Hospitality College – who previously lost a battle to establish dormitory housing in a vacant Solar Street house – also was critical.

“I’m not against the rezoning, but I don’t see why you’re pinpointing one small area,” Erskine said. “I’m from Charleston, S.C. – one of the most historic cities in the U.S. – and there is plenty of business there mixed in with residential.”

Erskine, who also lives on Solar Street, said a similar rezoning request was withdrawn in 2004 after some property owners opposed it.

Councilman Guy Odum, who also is a member of the Planning Commission, made the motions for both bodies to approve the request.

“I’ve said all along we need residential areas and we [city] need to protect those residential areas,” Odum said after the meeting. “You have people who’ve made substantial investments in their properties. I’d like to see other areas of the city do the same.”

Odum said business development doesn’t belong in the midst of such areas.

In other matters, the council agreed to gather information about establishing formal review processes for the city manager, city clerk and city attorney. The city has never employed such a process, current City Manager Bill Dennison said.

“It was discussed in 1988 but it was never pursued,” Dennison said, adding several area communities employ a formal evaluation process.

Councilman Jim Heaney, who requested the action, volunteered to gather information and report back. Heaney and Odum voted against retaining both Dennison and City Clerk Steve Allen during the council’s annual reorganizational meeting.

“I don’t disagree that we need a formal evaluation, but what happens if we give a bad evaluation and then we vote [at the annual meeting]? I feel like when I’m voting, I’m giving my evaluation,” Vice Mayor Ernie Sprouse said.

After a short discussion, the council agreed to investigate what other communities are doing and then revisit the issue.

dmcgee@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2532