A substance use treatment program and apartment complex are among the topics up for discussion Wednesday as Lynchburg-area residents get the chance to voice their views on four city projects during public hearings.
The public hearings will be conducted during the Lynchburg City Council meeting at 7 p.m. in City Hall. The meeting was moved from its normal Tuesday time slot due to the Veterans Day holiday.
Before council members’ votes come in, here’s a breakdown of where the projects stand now and what city leaders have said about them before.
Sobrius plans to expand into Miller Home for Girls building
Sobrius, a substance use treatment program, is seeking a conditional-use permit to expand its services to a property on Westerly Drive.
Sobrius has been operating recovery programs in Southwest Virginia for more than four years, according to meeting materials. The business opened two Lynchburg locations this summer: an outpatient treatment office on Timberlake Road and a group recovery residence on Mimosa Drive.
If Sobrius’ permit is approved after Wednesday’s public hearing, the business could use the existing 19,000-square-foot building on Westerly Drive as a group home for up to 36 people in the recovery program. The city’s Planning Division and Planning Commission recommended approval of the permit on Oct. 8.
The Miller Home for Girls, a nonprofit that provides housing to girls who cannot live with their families due to safety concerns, is the current owner of the Westerly property. At the Oct. 28 city council work session, City Planner Rachel Frischeisen said the Miller Home serves about eight to 10 residents at a time and wants to move to a smaller building if Sobrius’ permit is approved and the real estate transaction progresses as planned.
At the work session, some city council members voiced safety concerns about approving Sobrius’ permit because the property is about a mile away from E. C. Glass High School.
According to meeting materials, representatives from Sobrius have said in multiple forums that its current facilities are safe and that a future one on Westerly Drive would be, too. Residents in the recovery program are supervised by Sobrius staff, are not allowed to use substances or bring them into Sobrius housing and are consistently drug tested.
Council members’ other concerns relate to Sobrius’ previous licensing issues.
Prompted by complaints from neighbors near the Mimosa Drive recovery residence, city council members and staff learned in August that Sobrius did not meet licensing standards required by state code.
Sobrius is properly licensed by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, according to meeting materials. State code requires that recovery residences also hold accreditation from one of two regulatory organizations, which Sobrius did not have at the time the Mimosa Drive complaints were raised.
“I want to make sure that all of that [licensing] is in good shape before we’re approving an expansion in another area, if there’s a history of licensure concerns and proper paperwork,” Councilmember Jacqueline Timmer said at the Oct. 28 work session.
Assistant City Manager Kent White responded that an update on Sobrius’ licensing would be provided Wednesday night.
Wednesday’s agenda packet also includes language that the city council can include in the conditional-use permit, if deemed necessary, “to ensure all lawful approvals are in place for Sobrius’ use of the property.”
Developer maps out new apartments for Wards Ferry Road
In another Wednesday public hearing, MUT82 LLC is petitioning to rezone 1701 and 1703 Wards Ferry Road from a medium- to high-density residential district to allow for the construction of a nine-unit apartment complex.
The city’s Planning Division and Planning Commission recommended approval of the petition on Oct. 8.
The properties are currently the site of one duplex each, for a total of four units. If the petition is approved, the existing buildings would be demolished and replaced with a multifamily townhome-style rental.
The developer’s initial proposal included a 10-unit apartment — with two bedrooms in each unit — and 17 parking spaces. Some city council members expressed concerns regarding parking at the Oct. 28 work session, commenting that 20 residents would outnumber the available spaces.
Since then, an updated concept plan was submitted to council with a nine-unit apartment development and 22 parking spaces.
Vice Mayor Curt Diemer also expressed concerns at the work session about traffic at the already congested Wards Ferry Road intersection.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is currently in the design phase for a roundabout at the intersection of Harvard Street, Wards Ferry Road and CVCC Campus Drive, according to meeting materials. Frischeisen said at the Oct. 28 work session that construction would likely take 18 months and would begin in the summer or fall of 2026. Diemer responded that he’d like to “put the brakes on” the apartment project until city leaders know more about VDOT’s plan and if it will work to mitigate existing traffic and safety issues.
Pickleball club planned for Carroll Avenue
Dantas Properties LLC is petitioning for a conditional-use permit to turn an existing structure on Carroll Avenue into an athletic club for pickleball. The property is zoned as a light industrial district, where sports facilities are permitted upon approval of a conditional-use permit.
The city’s Planning Division and Planning Commission recommended approval of the permit on Sept. 24.
The indoor club would include two full-sized courts, one practice court, locker rooms, bathrooms and a lounge area, according to meeting materials. The club would be open to members 24/7 and accessible with a key fob.
The project was briefed at the city council’s Oct. 28 work session and received no concerns.
Hangar space up for trade at Lynchburg airport
A fourth public hearing on the docket Wednesday will consider the approval of a lease agreement between the city and Bon Air Brokerage Company LLC to allow the aviation company to use hangar 12 at the Lynchburg Regional Airport.
Bon Air currently leases hangars 1 and 3 at the airport, but its lease expires Dec. 31 and will then be transferred to Freedom Aviation.
Freedom Aviation secured the lease through an open request for proposals process and subsequent vote of approval from the city council on Oct. 14. The vote followed a 45-minute public hearing in which Bon Air representatives argued for why the space at Lynchburg Regional Airport is crucial to their operations.
Council member Stephanie Reed, who made the motion to approve Freedom Aviation’s lease on Oct. 14, recommended that the aviation companies have a “friendly agreement” to leave hangar 12 open for Bon Air so it can continue its operations in Lynchburg even though it lost its current hangar home.
Now, Bon Air is up for approval to move into hangar 12, which includes about 12,000 square feet of hangar space and adjacent office space.
