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After saying no the first time around, Blacksburg Town Council finally said yes to a Sonic drive-in, after unanimously approving an amended application for the restaurant Tuesday night.
After listening to five people speak, all in favor of the new drive-in, along with hearing a staff report outlining the new changes to the special use permit, town council voted 7-0 in favor of Sonic, which will be located on South Main Street, as part of the First & Main retail center. When Sonic officials first announced last spring their intentions to build a new restaurant in the controversial First & Main project, a local Blacksburg group called Blacksburg United for Responsible Growth (BURG) issued a public statement opposing the project, saying, "The drive-in restaurant is a relic of mid-20th century car culture. It is one of the most car-intensive uses of space, creating a forbidding environment for pedestrians and bikes. It is a powerful generator of noise, light, air pollution, as well as traffic." In June, town council, after hearing a buffet of citizens voice their concerns, mainly from BURG, speaking out against the proposed restaurant, council voted no to Sonic’s plans. Council’s reason to saying no in June dealt with the lack of sidewalks, crosswalks, pollution from idling cars, and noise from outside speakers. In July, officials from Sonic and Fairmont Properties of Ohio filed a lawsuit alleging that town council actions were “political retribution” in their ongoing fight over big-box store going into the new project. Town council and Sonic officials finally met, with some of meetings being closed-door, and eventually ironed out a deal.
Under the new amended application, there will be plenty of public access and parking spaces, there will be no flashing LED electronic reader board on the main Sonic sign, and no more than three speakers will be in operation at any one times, plus there will be no external speakers playing music from “Sonic Radio.” In other business Tuesday night, scheduled a public hearing on Dec. 9 for Ordinance #1507 – An ordinance amending the town code by adding a new section 14-113 to provide for the designation of the police department to enforce trespass violations; scheduled a public hearing for Nov. 25 on proposed amendments to the Blacksburg Town Charter; adopted Resolution 11-A-08: A Resolution Authorizing Interdepartmental Transfers Of Unexpended Appropriations As Of June 30, 2008 And Transferring Fund Balance For Other Funds; adopted Resolution 11-B-08: A Resolution Setting Forth The Town Of Blacksburg's 2009 Legislative Positions; adopted Resolution 11-C-08: A Resolution Referring To The Planning Commission Proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments Regarding "Large Format Retail Sales" Uses; Approved Governor Tim Kaine's declaration of December 26, 2008 and January 2, 2008 as state holidays and authorize both dates as town holidays. Council also approved Neighborhood Matching Grants for: Glen Subdivision within the Glade/Westover neighborhood for tree planting and removal; Hethwood Subdivision within the Hethwood/Price’s Fork neighborhood for trail improvements; and Woodbine Subdivision within the Woodbine neighborhood for stormwater management projects. Council also held public hearing on the following iitems and approved them: Ordinance #1504 - An Ordinance Amending The Town Code By The Addition Of New Section 2-421 Regarding The Establishment Of Bonus Programs; Ordinance #1505 - An Ordinance Authorizing The Renewal Of A Lease Of Antenna Space On The Handrail Of The North Main Street Water Tank To Cellco Partnership, D/B/A Verizon Wireless; Ordinance #1506 - An Ordinance Amending Section 12-414 Of The Town Code Regarding Parking Violations To Establish A Procedure For Contesting Citations; Special Use Permit - 406 Turner Street, (Collegiate Square) Suite 200. Request for General Office use on the Ground Floor in the Downtown Commercial (DC) Zoning District; Special Use Permit - 708 North Main Street. Request for General Office use on the Ground Floor in the Downtown Commercial (DC) Zoning District; and Special Use Permit - 3324 Yellow Sulphur Road. Request for General Restaurant use (Catering/Banquet Facility) in the Office (O) Zoning District. Photo: (Top left) This Sonic sign, minus the flashing LED electronic reader board (advertising the onion rings)will be allowed as one of the amended conditions for the new Sonic drive-in restaurant in Blacksburg. (Photo by David Grimes)
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