City Council will meet Tuesday, Sept. 3, in a business session at 7 p.m., followed by a work session. Both sessions are open to the public.
The business session will be held in the Council Chambers on the fourth floor of the Municipal Building, which is located at 427 Patton St.
The work session will be held on the same floor, but across the hall in the Council Conference Room. In work sessions, Council reviews non-routine matters that will be voted upon in future business meetings.
River City TV, the city’s government access channel, will air the business session. Watch it live on cable (Comcast channel 10 and Gamewood channel 122) or streaming on the River City TV Facebook page.
During the business session, the City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed manufactured housing project for the Monument Street/Berryman Avenue area. Earlier this month, the Planning Commission voted unanimously earlier to recommend approval of the project.
At that meeting, Gary Wasson, CEO and executive director of the Danville Redevelopment and Housing Authority, described the project as an opportunity to build new homes for first-time homebuyers and fill up vacant lots.
The homes would be targeted toward people making 120 percent or less of the city’s median household income of about $54,400 per year, which is roughly $65,280 annually or less.
Wasson said the plan is first to build a model home for potential buyers to see what they can purchase, and then hopefully build five homes that would be moved to the sites. The sites are on Franklin, Beauregard and Lee streets.
The authority would sell the homes and the Virginia Housing Development Authority would finance the transactions.
For the project to move forward, City Council is being asked to take three steps:
- Change zonings regulations to permit manufactured housing in neighborhoods zoned as neo-traditional residential districts.
- Rezone parcels on Franklin, Beauregard and Lee streets to a neo-traditional residential district.
- Issue a special use permit for manufactured home dwellings on these streets.
Public hearings will be held prior to the votes.
Several other matters are on the agenda for the business session. Votes are scheduled on:
- A special use permit for a waiver of yard setback requirements for Apple Tire at 2264 Main St. The waiver would allow expansion of an existing building to provide additional storage for the tire retail store.
- A resolution to authorize bond financing for $8 million in electric system projects and nearly $5 million for various school, public works, parks and recreation and fire projects. Also, the bond financing would refinance two previously issued bonds.
- A request by Coleman Marketplace to amend zoning regulations to allow for additional directory signage.
- Proposed changes to zoning regulations designed to encourage housing policies that promote homeownership among low- and moderate-income households, new housing in and around the River District, adaptive reuse of existing buildings, and high-quality infill housing.
- A budget amendment to provide for additional federal and state money for pavement infrastructure projects at the Danville Regional Airport. The additional money totals $4.1 million. The local share of $282,664 will come from budget transfers of existing funds.
Also, a first reading will be held on grant funds for senior transportation services and Comprehensive Services Act funds for at-risk children and families.
A first reading is an introductory step required by City code. This step serves to provide public notice of pending action. The earliest vote that can take place will be the Sept. 17 City Council meeting.
During the work session, the City Council will discuss proposed changes to the sign code, and it will review state funding for several road projects.
Also, City Council will hold a closed meeting as allowed by state law to discuss a prospective business or industry related to economic development and to discuss the acquisition of real property or disposition of publicly held real property.
