By John Little
BUENA VISTA – A long-vacant lot along Magnolia Avenue could soon become the site of Buena Vista’s largest housing development in years—a 22-townhouse project that city officials say is crucial to addressing a housing shortage.
“Plain as day, this is needed.”
The developer, DWK Holdings, bought the lot from Mountain Gateway Community College in 2023. The project got the green light from the city’s planning commission Tuesday and now the developer is awaiting city council approval to start work.
“Plain as day, this is needed,” Project Manager Bryson Adams said. “We have single family houses, and we have apartments, but we don’t have a development like this.”
Adams, a member of the planning commission, did not vote due to his involvement in the project, which he disclosed at the meeting. Adams said he spoke at the meeting to clarify the project to the public.
But one planning commission member, Harold Kidd, objected to him speaking, citing concerns about a conflict of interest.
“But you are on the Planning Commission, and that gives you a conflict of interest, so you cannot speak to it all from there,” Kidd said to Adams.
Kidd requested that he speak from the audience rather than from his chair on the planning commission. Adams complied with the request, saying he wanted to speak to clarify the project to the public.
Design of the townhouses
The plan includes five clusters of three-story townhouses between 1,700 and 2,600 square feet, two private driveways, and a green space. All but six units will have a garage.
“What I like about the design is that each townhouse looks a little different, side by side,” said Dennis Hawes, chair of the planning commission. “It would look good for people passing through.”
In its recommendation to the city council, the planning commission included increasing housing diversity as a major reason for approving the townhouses. The commission noted that low-maintenance rental options are rare within city limits.
“We are overweight in single family homes,” Community Development Director Tom Roberts said. He said the townhouses are necessary to accommodate the needs of different people interested in purchasing apartments and townhouses.
City council is scheduled to review the project at its next meeting April 3, before voting on it two weeks later. In addition to needing city council approval, the lot would need to be rezoned before the development could move forward.
The site is currently designated for low-density, single-family housing like the houses immediately surrounding it. For construction to start, the developer needs the city to rezone the lot to “R4,” a zoning classification that allows for medium-density residential buildings.
At 40 feet, the proposed townhouses would also exceed the zoning height limit by five feet, requiring a conditional-use permit from the city.
The undeveloped, sloping lot is in between Sixth and Ninth streets.
“Upgrading our spot upgrades the neighborhoods around it,” Adams said.
The first phase of the project would involve expanding the water main, creating a new gravity sewer, and making electrical improvements, he said, benefiting both future townhouse residents and nearby homeowners.
Housing shortage in Buena Vista
The proposal comes as the city faces housing shortages. According to a recent study, only 30 percent of workers in Buena Vista live within the city, and there are few properties available to rent.
City officials hope that the proposed higher-level housing will bring professionals and families to the area.
“This opens up housing that is lower cost on the ladder for other folks,” Roberts said. As residents move into the townhouses, Roberts said, more affordable homes may become available for new buyers.
Officials also expect the townhouses to boost tax revenue.
Roberts estimated that if the townhouses cost around $200,000 each, they would bring in around $35,000 in annual tax revenue.
According to Buena Vista’s 2024 Annual Report, residents built 19 new homes in 2024, and the city issued 17 new building permits.
However, it has been years since a large housing development was constructed, and the average home in the city is over 50 years old, according to bestneighborhood.org. In the last decade, developers built a series of apartments on 29th Street near Southern Virginia University, primarily serving students.
“These townhouses will be great because, of course, students could still rent there, but they’re designed more for single families,” City Manager Jason Tyree said.
Opposition to rezoning
While many city officials support the project, some longtime residents have voiced concerns about traffic congestion. The planning commission recommended banning parking on the east side of Magnolia Avenue to ease congestion.
Kidd was the only planning commission member to vote against recommending the project. In addition to concerns about a conflict of interest, he cited a logistical issue.
While he approved of the project in general, he said he felt that approving it would be premature, as DWK Holdings had not worked out a deal with Dominion Energy, an electric service provider.
Adams and the project’s civil engineer, Hunter Young, acknowledged it may take months to work out a deal with the utilities company, a time frame they said is expected.
Concerns about rezoning surfaced earlier this year in Buena Vista.
In early February, the Buena Vista City Council voted down a proposal to rezone a property on Sycamore Avenue to R4, the same medium-density zoning as the site on Magnolia Avenue, due to worries about safety and congestion. A developer planned to convert an existing residential unit into a multi-family duplex.