Earlier this year, the city of Roanoke held a series of public meetings to gather feedback on two issues that have generated significant controversy in recent years: a citywide rezoning that took effect in 2024, and a plan for the Evans Spring property.
On Monday, the Roanoke City Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on some changes that the planning department has recommended based on what it has heard from city residents on these two issues, as well as on a proposed vape shop zoning ordinance.
Citywide rezoning changes
In 2024, the city council amended the zoning code to allow for more types of housing in the city’s neighborhoods, doing away with neighborhoods that had previously permitted only single-family homes. This was done in an effort to address a major housing shortage in the city. The city made slight tweaks and amended those changes later that year after a group of residents sued the city over the procedure it took in making the changes.
Many of the city’s new council members, who started their terms in January 2025, said at the time that they thought the citywide rezoning could have been handled differently. Nick Hagen proposed and has been spearheading an effort to study and consider amending the code once again to address some residents’ concerns – which include parking space and the possibility for high-density developments in areas where it wouldn’t fit in with the existing neighborhood…