Rezoning For New Dillwyn Business
Published 12:11 pm Thursday, November 13, 2014
DILLWYN — Town leaders unanimously agreed to rezone a building and property on Oak Street in Dillwyn last week to accommodate a new business seeking to locate in Dillwyn.
During their Friday, November 7 meeting, following a public hearing, town council members voted to make 16977 Oak Street a business-zoned property to allow Ronnie and Karen Owen to operate a consignment and flea market business, according to the Town’s Clerk and Treasurer Peggy N. Johnson.
“He’s…going to do a consignment/flea market type deal,” the clerk told The Herald during a telephone interview.
“Mr. and Mrs. Owen…said that they were…purchasing this building, and would like [it] to be rezoned, and we granted that request for an antique/consignment [business],” noted Vice-Mayor Sandra F. Moss, who presided in the absence of Mayor Linda Venable Paige.
“We welcome new businesses to Town and hope it will be very successful for them,” Moss noted.
Main Street
Parking Ordinance
In addition to giving their united consent to the rezoning request, town council members unanimously approved of an ordinance prohibiting parking along the north side of Main Street from Conner Street to Rosney Road.
The ordinance, says Johnson, stems from phase four of the ongoing VDOT Streetscape Enhancement Project. The businesses along the short stretch of roadway have off-street parking and side street parking, Johnson says.
According to the clerk, part of the street currently prohibits parking.
“Due to the VDOT regulations for phase four, about the no parking, we do need an ordinance…” she told council members at their September 9 meeting. “Most of it is no parking now, but there are certain areas that do have parking. We need an ordinance to say there’s no parking from Conner Street to Rosney Road on the north side of (U.S. Route) 15.”
“There’s really no room to park there now…” stated council member Bill Lewis Moss.
“Each business has off-street parking,” Johnson reiterated.
About six businesses lie on the north side of U.S. Route 15 where the street parking would be prohibited.
Pocket Park Dedication
Town leaders agreed to hold a dedication ceremony for the Town’s pocket park, located at the intersection of Main and Oak streets, at 9 a.m. on Saturday, December 20. The Town’s annual Christmas Parade will follow the event at 10 a.m.
Once complete, the park, located adjacent to the ABC Store, will include bike racks, picnic tables, benches, trees and shrubbery, lighting, and grass and gravel areas. A fence borders three sides of the park, according to Todd Fortune, a staff member of the Commonwealth Regional Council, the regional planning agency assisting the Town with the administration and implementation of the on-going revitalization project.
“This is being covered under the (Virginia) DHCD (Department of Housing and Community Development)…community development block grant,” Fortune explained, noting that the entire project cost would be paid for with the grant.
“This is part of the business district revitalization…There was some leftover grant funds…from a couple places, but the Town got approval to use some leftover funds for this park.”