Plaintiffs in one of two suits against the city of Roanoke regarding last year’s citywide rezoning dropped their suit Tuesday, with the other suit expected to see no further action.
But the zoning conversation isn’t finished, as Roanoke City Council members Nick Hagen and Peter Volosin will work with the community over the next month to bring to the council a list of recommended amendments to last year’s mass rezoning.
At an Aug. 4 council meeting, Hagen proposed a study to look into the effects of altering the zoning changes. After Volosin expressed that he thought the proposal was too “vague,” Mayor Joe Cobb suggested that the two work together to come up with a proposal with recommended changes to the zoning code, to bring to the council in late September or early October.
The zoning amendments, which took effect in March 2024, eliminated single-family-only zoning in the city’s neighborhoods, in an attempt to address a lack of affordable housing.
The changes sparked two lawsuits, with plaintiffs in both suits arguing that the city did not follow procedure before adopting the amendments. In an effort to avoid a legal process, the city adopted the amendments a second time in September.
The plaintiffs in one of the two suits decided to drop their action on Tuesday.
“Our clients filed a lawsuit because they believed, and continue to believe, there were serious flaws in the City’s enactment of comprehensive zoning amendments eliminating single-family zoning districts,” says a statement from Fishwick and Associates, the law firm representing the plaintiffs. “A majority of the City Council now appear to share their concerns and have expressed commitment to revisiting the zoning amendments. Our clients will thus refocus their efforts on working with the new City Council, alongside the community, to seek a better and more equitable solution to Roanoke’s lack of affordable housing.”
The residents who brought the other lawsuit will not pursue further legal action, Anthony Stavola, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said this week.
Stavola said he met with Hagen and Volosin on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the “sticking points” and “major irritants” that can be addressed.
These issues include lot size requirements, parking for buildings with more than two residential units and neighborhood input in the form of a public hearing before a development is approved, Stavola said.
“It was a very positive, goal-focused type of discussion,” Stavola said.
Hagen said Wednesday that he and Volosin have begun talking with residents and stakeholders. Public meetings could be scheduled to discuss potential changes, he said; any plans will be communicated to the public through neighborhood groups and with the help of City Manager Valmarie Turner’s office.
“Councilman Hagen and Volosin have begun discussions with citizens about developing amendments to the City’s recent zoning changes,” a joint statement from Hagen and Volosin reads. “We look forward to hearing more from the public and announcing our public input plan in the near future.”
By email Wednesday, Volosin added: “We are currently working with [the] administration to figure out what processes will need to be done legally, and how we will set up different meetings for input.”